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DEFENCE PROCUREMENTS: HOW BUREAUCRATIC MORASS SQUANDERED 15 YEARS Vol VIII, Issue VI, NOVEMBER 2017 n `100

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COASTLINE VIGIL TIGHTENED READY FOR A R TWO-FRONT WA SMART BORDER

M A N AG EME N T

COAST WATCH

While technology, strategy and planning are coming together to protect the country’s vast coastline, India’s 1208 islands located along the country’s maritime boundary could be turned into strategic assets and pivots for projection of power

It defines multirole superiority.

Innovation from nose to tail. Network enabled. Unrivaled multirole capability.

Leading-edge avionics, radar, weapon and electronic systems.

Advanced technology. Optimum value.

To ensure security and affordability. For decades to come.

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NORTHROP GRUMMAN

GENERAL ELECTRIC

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Dear Readers, The memories of the Mumbai attack in November 2008 have been difficult to obliterate. Terror came from the sea and jolted the security apparatus to the harsh reality that our coastal defences had to be strengthened. As we near the end of 2017, Geopolitics takes stock of our coastal defences.

Almost a decade after 26/11, the question that continues to haunt the country is: How far have we progressed in the defence of our coastal cities? That November strike claimed many lives and shocked the world – perhaps, simply because the country’s maritime security had remained neglected. Since then, the government has tightened the vigil along India’s long coastline. Geopolitics provides an indepth look at what has been happening on the country’s shoreline. Similarly, the two island territories on the East and West has not only been secured – the comprehensive security plan for Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been approved — from threats but efforts have been made to make use of the advantage these territories provide the country to dominate the Indian Ocean region.

Keeping these developments in sight, Geopolitics has taken the step to highlight how our islands can play major roles as maritime shields. The 1208 islands that are near the country’s maritime boundary can provide a strategic advantage in the northern Indian Ocean.

At the same time, moves have been taken to energise the fishing community to become the eyes and ears of the security agencies and help in the protection of the coastline. There is an insight into the measures taken by the security agencies to take the coastal population into confidence to boost the defences.

Technology too has been playing its part to provide muscle to our coastal defences. We take a look at the foolproof Coastal Surveillance Network – radar surveillance network – not just along the coastline, but also one that integrates data from neighbouring

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countries in the region that has been set up.

Raksha Mantri Nirmala Sitharaman has stressed the need to secure the maritime interests of the nation.

Addressing the Naval Leadership recently during the Naval Commanders’ Conference, the Minister highlighted the situation in the Indian Ocean Region and urged the Indian Navy to be ever ready and vigilant to counter any challenges in the maritime domain.

Through the last year, India has enhanced the deployment of ships, submarines and aircraft from the South China Sea and Sea of Japan in the East to the Persian Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean in the West and the shores of Australia in the South including the focused efforts to deter piracy attempts off the Gulf of Aden. Our navy has participated in a number of bilateral exercises with the US and the Japanese Navy.

The coasts cannot remain secure if the skies remain undefended. So, while steps have been taken to train our fighter pilots in night flying, there is an urgent need for India to act quickly to nullify any possible sanctions that could arise from the formation of a US-Russia-China cartel for the production of hypersonic glide weapons that will have the potential to put an end to the existing system of nuclear deterrence.

Our Defence Business section focuses on the latest moves by Lockheed Martin and Saab to start the production of the F-16 and the Gripen in India. The Russians – we have a 70-year-old relationship – are not far behind: they have expressed their interest in producing a Fifth Gen Fighter as well as the KA-226T helicopter in the country. Meanwhile, Dassault Aviation has taken its first solid step in India when the foundation stone of the Rafale manufacturing facility was laid recently.

Plus we have our regular columns on Internal Security, Defence Production and Diplomacy.

This issue of Geopolitics is power-packed for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

November 2017

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CONTENTS

COVER STORY TURN ISLANDS INTO MARITIME SHIELDS

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Islands are great strategic assets and pivots for projection of power and the 1208 islands that are largely located along the country’s maritime boundary provide India a strategic advantage that no other country has in the northern Indian Ocean

Fishing communities boost coastal security

14 Mumbai terror attack stirs security apparatus 18

Fishing community and residents of the coastal areas can act as the eyes and ears of the India security agencies in protecting the vast coastline of India against enemy evil designs

If not for the 26/11 strike that claimed many lives and shocked the megalopolis and world alike, India’s maritime security would have remained neglected forever...

Technology helps set up IOR-wide radar network 21 Security at island territories gets priority The impact of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai has led to India depend on technology to set up a foolproof radar surveillance network, not just along its coastline...

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What has India been doing in the two island territories on the East and West to not only secure them from threats but also to make use of the benefits and advantage...

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CONTENTS

SPECIAL REPORT Enhanced Air Defence

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SPOTLIGHT Gliding around a hypersonic weapons cartel

30 CHINESE CHALLENGE ON THE LAC

AIR DEFENCE Training for Tomorrow

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FOCUS How bureaucratic morass squandered 15 years

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Procurement on overdrive

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The Doklam face-off with China has been resolved but it is unlikely that the Chinese will forget it in a hurry. What is likely is that the LAC will be an alibi to signal disagreement elsewhere and influence an outcome suitable to China

TIME TO HALT THE KIM VS TRUMP SKIRMISHES 48 Two leaders of nuclear armed countries, Trump and Kim Jong Un, have been exchanging nuclear loaded threats.

Their words and actions could hurl the Korean peninsula and much of the region into a nuclear battleground

PUBLISHER

K SRINIVASAN EDITOR

TIRTHANKAR GHOSH

VOL VIII, ISSUE VI, November 2017 DIRECTOR

CONSULTING EDITOR

STRATEGY

M MURLIDHARAN

How India can prepare for war on two fronts 40

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

ADITI BHAN MIKE RAJKUMAR

SENIOR PROOF READER

INTERNAL SECURITY Managing borders – the smart way

RAJESH VAID

MOHIT KANSAL

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H C TIWARI

DEFBIZ

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Lockheed Martin’s ready for tech transfer 58

HEMANT RAWAT

DEFENCE PROCUREMENTS: HOW BUREAUCRATIC MORASS SQUANDERED 15 YEARS Vol VIII, Issue VI, NOVEMBER 2017 n `100

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DRDO, MKU sign ToT agreement

COASTLINE VIGIL TIGHTENED READY FOR A TWO-FRONT WAR

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First-ever Indo-Russia Tri-Services exercise 73

SMART BORDER

MANAGEM ENT

COAST WATCH

While technology, strategy and planning are coming together to protect the country’s vast coastline, India’s 1208 islands located along the country’s maritime boundary could be turned into strategic assets and pivots for projection of power

Cover Photo: Indian Coast Guard Cover Design: Mohit Kansal

OPTIQUE Right move at the right time

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

RAKESH GERA LEGAL ADVISOR

VASU SHARMA SUBSCRIPTION

ALKA SHARMA, GEETA JENA DISTRIBUTION

DESIGNER

PHOTO EDITOR

Preparing for Partnership

RAJIV SINGH

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The total number of pages in this issue is 76

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All information in GEOPOLITICS is derived from sources we consider reliable. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. Opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract or in interviews are not necessarily shared by us. Material appearing in the magazine cannot be reproduced in whole or in part(s) without prior permission. The publisher assumes no responsibility for material lost or damaged in transit. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian Advertisements Code. The publisher will not be liable for any loss caused by any delay in publication, error or failure of advertisement to appear.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the residence of Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh to pay tributes to him and extend condolences, in New Delhi on September 17, 2017

our special issue IAF@85 (October, 2017) marking the 85th anniversary of the Indian Air Force was an informative treat which indeed made us proud, once again, of our glorious past and martyrs but also provided a glance at how the sky warriors of our country are getting ready for any contingency.

Combined with the other regular sections, this issue of Geopolitics brilliantly celebrated the history of that force of our country which is the epitome of professionalism and whose services and support with

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL B S DHANOA ON PREPAREDNESS, STEALTH FIGHTERS AND MORE Vol VIII, Issue V, OCTOBER 2017 n `100

DEFENCE n DIPLOMACY n SECURITY www.geopolitics.in

A tribute to Marshal of the Indian Air Force

Arjan Singh

MODERNISATION IS TOP PRIORITY

The issue will be remembered for its contents: from paying tribute to the Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh to India’s dream of an aeroengine finally becoming reality and the IAF keeping pace with the contemporary advancements and acquisition of a wide range of airborne weapons, modern attack helicopters or gunships soon to be inducted and much more, it was a complete package.

Ram Gaur Rajasthan

other forces has always given a tough time to intruders.

PIB

MARSHAL OF THE AIR FORCE ARJAN SINGH (1919-2017) 12

October 2017 www.geopolitics.in

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Pooja Singh Raipur All correspondence may be addressed to: The Editor, Geopolitics, D-11 Basement, Nizamuddin East, New Delhi-110013.

Or mail to: geopolitics@newsline.in

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“THE IAF IS READY FOR A BEFITTING RESPONSE TO ANY CONTINGENCY”

IS RUSSIA STILL A VIABLE DEFENCE PARTNER FOR INDIA?

ATLANTICSENTINEL.COM

India must continue to buy Russian weapons because a strong defence industry in that country is a hedge against a Western weapons cartel. Plus, India will have some leverage over who else Moscow sells weapons too, writes RAKESH KRISHNAN SIMHA

Presidents Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan and Richard Nixon of the United States speak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington DC, December 16, 1971 (White House)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin at the joint media briefing, in Moscow, Russia on December 24, 2015

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n March 2017, the Russian government owned television channel RT tweeted an image of the benign Hindu god Vishnu to illustrate a story on black magic.

Despite protests from several Indians, including this writer who was employed with RT’s parent company at that time, the offensive tweet is still online. In September RT did it again when its website uploaded a disgusting video of a destitute Indian woman giving birth on a footpath.

It isn’t clear why RT, which was established to counter the negative reporting of the Western media, was pissing on India. Indians are used to witnessing such hateful imagery in CNN and the BBC, but coming from a friendly nation it is shocking. Coming in the backdrop of India and Russia drifting away from each other – geopolitically, economically and more importantly as defence partners – such unflattering news coverage may have been okayed by the Kremlin.

Although Russia continues to have a substantial (68 per cent) share of India’s defence imports, in the coming decade Moscow is unlikely to India's primary weapons supplier. That title will either go to the US or Israel which are rushing in with a spate of manufacturing deals.

India’s military forces seem to have bonded with their American and Israeli counterparts and there’s a synergy with these two countries which has been missing from ties with Russia. The geopolitical windfall India has landed

from awarding weapons contracts to the US in particular is incalculable.

The complete isolation of Pakistan in Washington is a direct result of the billions of weapons India has purchased from the US. In contrast, there is little incentive for India to boost ties with Russia. One major reason is US economic sanctions.

With virtually the entire Western world ganging up against it, Russians are feeling cornered, forcing Moscow into a bearhug with Beijing, which is replacing Europe as the top buyer of Russian oil, gas and minerals. This dependence on the opportunistic Chinese isn’t something the Russians want but there’s nothing they can do about it under the current geopolitical situation. In this backdrop, India cannot expect much from its relationship with Russia.

Bilateral arms deals lack the fanfare of the Soviet era. On top of it India has been furiously diversifying its arms imports because Russia is unable to sort out its unreliable spares supply chain even as Moscow goes slow on transfer of technology. There is also a sense

of frustration in the Indian military establishment with the quality of some Russian weapons, especially the MiG29K which seems likely to be replaced in the near future with American or French fighters. While India should cop some blame for not entering into an airtight agreement on servicing and spares, the Russians seem to have adopted a completely unhelpful attitude when the Navy is facing a crisis. So from both sides, there is a push against each other.

Why India switched to Russian weapons

Before exploring whether India should give Russia the status of a major weapons provider, it is worth looking at the history of bilateral defence ties. Initially, Moscow was interested in supplying weapons to Pakistan rather than India because it was hopeful of cultivating influence in the strategically important country. However, the Pakistanis spurned Soviet overtures as they did not want to be friends with a communist regime. This was typical of Pakistanis who were acting holier than the Arabs, who had no problems being close allies

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL BIRENDER SINGH DHANOA, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VM, ADC points out that our air force is ready for all eventualities even as it moves ahead to prepare for the future. Excerpts from his conversation with Geopolitics

of the Soviet Union.

Moscow’s ambivalence towards New Delhi ended with the split in the communist bloc in the 1960s. As China turned from a loyal ally to implacable enemy, Russia finally agreed to sell high performance weapons to India.

The Indo-Russian defence ties grew stronger after US President Richard Nixon visited Pakistan in July 1969 and it looked like Islamabad was acting as a go-between for a Nixon-Zhao Enlai summit. It was the prospect of a USChina alliance that drove Russia and India into each other’s arms, resulting in a wave of weapons to India.

Russian provided over 70 per cent of India’s requirements – from MiG21 supersonic fighters to T-55 tanks, howitzers, Foxtrot class submarines, destroyers, surface to air missiles, antiaircraft guns, and Petya and Osa class missile boats which rained hell on Karachi in the 1971 War to many more weapons too numerous to list here.

Although these were stripped down export versions, not only were Russian weapons cheaper in comparison with

PIB

eopolitics’ tribute to the Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Arjan Singh, who passed away on September 16, 2017, ‘Thank you for your service’ (October, 2017) mentioned all the heard and unheard stories of the man whose 32 years of service have left an immortal mark in the history of the IAF. With the 17-gun salute and a fly-past by military aircraft in the presence of luminaries of our country bidding a tearful adieu to the Marshal who was a fighter pilot on his last journey, the story brought out the life of the only ‘Five Star’ rank holder officer. The sound of the gun salutes will soon fade away but the impeccable services of the pilot, soldier and gentleman will remain immortal in the skies.

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October 2017 www.geopolitics.in

olitical relations have never been stable and this time the cloud of ambiguity has gripped the defence partnership of India and Russia. Your story, ‘Is Russia still a viable defence partner for India?’ (October, 2017) with its headline triggered the right doubts in the minds of the readers.

With Russia feeding more than 70 per cent of India’s defence requirements, the changing dynamics between two countries will definitely hamper India’s weapon needs as Russia is not only the major weapon provider for India but is also the second largest conventional arms

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October 2017

exporter after the United States. Pointing out how India should not repeat its mistake, like the one it did with US during the Cold War, where the two parties completely boycotted each other and the future outcome was such that former President Bill Clinton enforced the broad ban on technology exports to the country.

The same situation can arise with Russia if not managed properly, and the story rightly brought out all the hows and whys the powers-that-be need to ponder upon.

Raj Verma Jaipur

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

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October 2017 www.geopolitics.in

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he interview with Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, ‘The IAF is ready for a befitting response’ (October, 2017), made us aware of how the air force continues to meet and fight against all eventualities and will continue to do so in the future as well. In addition, the force is not only bringing in the latest weapons but is also modernising its approach. The Air Chief went on to inform how the Air Force has broken the gender boundaries and has opened doors for women in combat roles. The interview has cleared all that a reader wants to know. The Chief also pointed out how the air force is prepared to counter future intrusions and also the proposed roadmap for the acquisition of fighter aircraft in the force’s Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP).

Subuhi Verma Delhi

REFERENCE

ONLOOKER

LEARN CHINESE TO COUNTER CHINESE “The jawans speak the language of their state and Hindi, but it has become important to make you learn the Chinese languages during basic training. Many a time, there are face-offs and knowing Chinese (language) becomes very important. We have made complete arrangements for you to learn Chinese (language) during your training” RAJNATH SINGH, Union Home Minister, to ITBP jawans who face difficulties in conversing with their Chinese counterparts at the borders

PURSUING THE DREAM “It is an opportunity for the industry as well as for the country. This is an opportunity for us to go in for this kind of (high) technology which has not been offered to us by any other country (except Russia)...The impact of the project will be very positive. FGFA (Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft) is my dream, I am hopeful about it” T SUVARNA RAJU Chairman and Managing Director, HAL, on the multi-billion dollar co-development project with Russia that will be an opportunity since no country has ever offered such critical technology to India

THE RUSSIAN WAY OF T-O-T “When it comes to technology transfer, Russia really offers everything they have from the heart without any strings attached... The time has come for the relationship to be more on a commercial basis. It can be a win-win situation for both Russia and India” AIR MARSHAL S B DEO, Vice Chief, Indian Air Force, on the 70 years of diplomatic ties between India and Russia and how the relationship can now be on a commercial basis

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November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

ONLOOKER

DEEPER UNDERSTANDING ABOUT INDIA “US backs India's emergence as a leading power and will continue to help Indian capabilities in providing security for the region.

We are ready to provide the best technology for India's military modernisation” REX TILLERSON US Secretary of State, on the Trump Administration offering a wide range of defence options for India's consideration

EXCEL TO ENSURE SOVEREIGNTY “The aim is to transform Naval Group into a profitable international group to offer to our customers ships and equipment able to ensure sovereignty and possessing technological and operational superiority, with a high degree of availability and maintainability and at a price that is competitive on the market.

To succeed, we must bring together and mobilise all our energy, first and foremost that of the Naval Group teams but also that of the DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement), French Navy and French government departments as well as that of our industrial partners” ALAIN GUILLOU, Executive Vice President, International Development, Naval Group on his appointment and aim to bring profitability to the international group

BEST FOR TEJAS “In just four months, thanks to our solid, proven experience with the RBE2, we’ve been able to carry out successful flights to test the performance of the key features of the radar we’re offering for the TEJAS Mk1A light fighter. This is a clear guarantee of its extremely high degree of operational reliability, immediately, and clearly sets us apart from our competitors as regards this call for tender” PHILIPPE DUHAMEL Executive Vice-President, Defence Mission Systems Activities, Thaleson the development of an active array radar that will meet the specific needs of HAL to equip the 80 TEJAS Mk1A multirole LCA

ROAD TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY “MKU will constantly be on the lookout for new emerging technologies and looks upon DRDO for developing technologies and products to meet the emerging requirements of our defence forces – the experience of DRDO would synergize the development” NEERAJ GUPTA Chairman, MKU on the partnership with DRDO for bullet-proof jackets

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November 2017

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COVER STORY

TURN ISLANDS INTO MARITIME SHIELDS Commandos of Indian Coast Guard jump out of a hovercraft to perform a drill

Islands are great strategic assets and pivots for projection of power, writes BRIG NARENDER KUMAR (RETD), and the 1208 islands that are largely located along the country’s maritime boundary provide India a strategic advantage that no other country has in the northern Indian Ocean

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M Panikkar, India’s visionary maritime thinker had argued that India needed an Oceanic Policy that would result in maritime fortification on the nation”. Panikkar’s vision was to establish a steel ring around India consisting of string of suitable military bases capable of operating maritime forces from selected islands.

The maritime powers post WW-II had

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realised that island territories are great strategic assets and pivot for projection of power. Considering the strategic importance of islands, US, France and UK retained control over the island territories to leverage maritime power to protect their vital strategic national interests in Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean. Andrew Erickson, a professor with the China Maritime Studies Institute at the Naval War College while

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

highlighting the importance of island territories that, “It’s truly a case of where you stand. Perspective is shaped by one’s geographic and geostrategic position.” Thus island offers maritime powers reach and depth to secure their territorial and strategic interests.

India has 1208 islands and a large number of these islands are located almost all along the maritime boundary. Andaman and Nicobar

COVER STORY

Islands and Lakshadweep group of islands give India a strategic advantage that no other country has in the northern Indian Ocean. These islands lend themselves to dominate 6 and 9 channel Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) that connect West Asia to Malacca. These group of islands are a strategic leverage in relation to Chinese military advantages in the Northern theatre. China is aware of the strategic significance of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and thus would do everything possible to erode the sovereignty of these islands to put pressure on India.

Lakshadweep group of island have a different problem it has the potential of subversion of the population due to proximity to Maldives and influence of radicals over the Muslim population.

Given the threat andendeavour of the adversaries to weaken the control over these territories, India should secure these strategic pivots under an impregnable armour. If secured and developed these small pieces of land in the open sea has the potential to be part of maritime shield of India.

Indian Navy sailors photographed during a firing session on the high seas

Significance of Island Territories

India’s island territories give geostrategic advantage to India and make India a natural maritime power in the Northern Indian Ocean. India has the potential to be a net security provider along the SLOCs and also against non-traditional threats to the island nations of the IOR. In view of the rising significance, the island territories are under threat of illegal immigration, subversion of population and occupation of uninhabited territories. This can disrupt the plan for development of these islands as the military outposts and maritime hub centres. Islands territories have economic, national security and political ramification in the long term.

Islands as strategic pivots in the high seas: Islands offer vast manoeuvring space and provides depth and reach to project power beyond territorial boundaries. Islands act as forward military posts, surveillance posts, logistic bases, unsinkable aircraft carrier, pivot for projection of powers in omni-direction, pivot for anti-access and area denial and a potent tool of maritime deterrence.

It is most vital asset to secure seas, maintain a permanent presence at areas of vital national interests and acts as formidable shield to the peninsula.

Island territories are irreplaceable in

e strategicS, France th g in r e id ,U Cons of islandstrol over e c n ta r o n imp rage etained co and UK r territories to leve eir the island power to protect thrests in maritime tegic national inte Ocean vital stra Pacific and Indian Atlantic,

the context of maritime security and deterrence. India’s geostrategic location in the centre of the Northern Indian Ocean region and two groups of island in South and East are most suitable to effectively leverage maritime power to break the string of pearls strategy of China.

Islands as ocean wealth: Oceans are fast turning into reservoirs of resources to sustain economic development. Andaman group of islands have added approximately 600000 sq km of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Lakshadweep group of islands have added approximately

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November 2017

400000 square km of EEZ. Blue economy is based on the ocean for food, fuel and raw materials. Islands act as sea bases for exploration, logistic support and storage of raw materials for transportation to mainland. These islands would ultimately pave the passage to prosperity from the ocean.

In fact, the island territories add to the value of ocean wealth and make deep sea mining a possibility. Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has informed Parliament that the gas hydrate potential exist in Bay of Bengal. It is a matter of time when India will be able to commercially mine gas from Andaman Sea. To maintain food self-sufficiency India will have to explore and exploit the marine food commercially.

Islands as bridge between India and Indian Ocean Region Countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Mauritius are maritime neighbours of India.

Andaman Nicobar Islands are just 22 nautical miles from Myanmar, 90 nautical miles from Indonesia and 270 nautical miles from Thailand.

It gives India an option to establish greater bilateral relations for mutual cooperation for trade, tourism and cultural exchange programme.

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COVER STORY

Coast Guard personnel check out fishermen on high seas

Presence of military on these islands does help to take proactive actions while extending assistance during humanitarian crisis. These islands also assist in prevention of crimes on the high seas. Islands can be effectively used as tool of military diplomacy with the neighbouring states.

Threat to Island Territories

Island territories have been vulnerable to illegal immigrants because large number of these islands and atolls are uninhabited. Andaman and Nicobar group of islands are under pressure from the migrants from Bangladesh, Rohingya from Myanmar and even criminals. Unfortunately the political patronage is always forthcoming as a result the Andaman Nicobar islands are under constant threat of colonisation.

Colonisation impacts security and makes it difficult for the government to create infrastructure since real estate is at premium on the islands and squatters under the garb of humanitarian angle make it a political issue to disrupt the process of infrastructure development.

Subversion of population: Andaman group of islands and even Lakshadweep are already facing the problem of radicalisation of Muslim

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population and it is in the interest of Pakistan and China to make these islands volatile so that there are impediments in development of infrastructure of strategic nature.

These islands have the potential of being used for electronic interception, monitoring of SLOCs, radar sites for interception of missiles and maritime activities apart from basing the air and naval assets. It is not possible to convert islands into fortress by fencing hence are prone to subversive elements entering and exiting from the islands.

Threat from non-state actors: Threat from non-state actors is very high -- it could be direct or it could be initiated through modules that may operate from within the island’s population.

The threat could be even through state sponsored non-state actors. There have been cases where even Chinese fishing trawlers were seen operating in Andaman Sea close to the islands.

Gunrunning, drugs and narcotics trafficking and trans-nationalcriminal syndicatescould pose serious threat in connivance with theradicalised youths. They can cause serious damage to critical infrastructure and disrupt developmental activities with the support of subverted population.

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

Encroachment and poaching within EEZ: The EEZs are fast becoming a source of blue economy and treasure of huge raw materials. The rising population, harsh living conditions and competition for resource acquisition among the rim nations has increased the necessity to protect EEZ more vigorously. Almost 34 per cent of Bangladesh population is dependent upon fishing in rivers and open sea and thus trespassing of maritime boundary for fishing in Indian EEZ is happening frequently. It creates a situation of rift between maritime neighboursand also lead to unsustainable poaching and loot of marine resources.

Raising bogey of sovereignty: Islands have always been a constant source of claims and counter claims of sovereignty among the maritime neighbours. Case in point has been, Kachchatheevu Island between India Sri Lanka, New Moore Island that is now submerged in water and Coco Island that has become a big source of anxiety for India due to alleged presence of Chinese military on the island. China has recently put a red- haring when its Officiating Chinese Ambassador said that “someone in future may dispute the ownership of Andaman & Nicobar

COVER STORY

Islands�. It is a shrewd way of giving birth to a new narrative since China feels that Andaman & Nicobar Islands are biggest thorn in their flesh for access to Malacca and even movement through Bay of Bengal to Sitwe Port.

What Must Be Done?

Islands are important link to make a formidable maritime shield to secure the mainland.

The geostrategic strength of the islands are required to be consolidated and vulnerabilities are required to be eliminated by development of infrastructure, building military capabilities, and putting in place a robust mechanism to prevent illegal immigration and subversion of population.

Boots on the ground on major islands: Islands cannot be guarded in the open sea by remote control. Presence of costal police and amphibious forces is imperative so that they are able to keep an eye on the dispersed island territories. The forces deployed to secure islands should be able to reach the desired locations using Air Sea and land routes before non-state actors or subversive elements are able to cause collateral damage. Apart from physical domination electronic surveillance of the islands have become a necessity.

The deployment of forces should not be sacrosanct but based on periodic review of security threats. This review would also determine how much land forces, air and naval assets should be adequate to secure these islands.

Maritime surveillance: Physical domination of sea is becoming most important to secure the islands.

There is a need for comprehensive maritime surveillance by sea, air and electronically.Endeavour should be that someone should always be looking at these critical assets in the sea from ground, air, spaceand from the sea.

Rapid reaction by air and sea: Rapid reaction by air and sea is vital.

Best way to defend own territories is to have proactive approach. This would require certain elements of air, ground and naval assets to be in readiness profile to react to any contingency that may arise to the unoccupied islands and critical infrastructure.

Development of islands as unsinkable aircraft carriers: These islands would become strategic assets if they are developed as comprehensive military bases that are able to project power and secure far seas. Enough has been written on it however, what

Coast Guard personnel show off skills at sea

nk to portant li itime im e r a s r d ma Islan rmidable nd. make a fosecure the mainlaof shield to trategic strength be The geos ds are required to ilities the islan ted and vulnerab d. consolida ed to be eliminate are requir

is more important is that the strategic values of these islands is determined by what it contains. If the islands are holding lethal military capabilities it would have deterrence value but if they are without military wherewithal they become liability and vulnerable to encroachment.

Control of movement of population: Illegal migration due to extreme poverty, harsh living conditions among South Asian nations and subversive designs of adversaries needs to be checked. There is a need to check antecedents of all citizens and deport the illegal immigrants. Population census in island territories is easy to monitor but authorities have to ensure that illegal immigrants deported and alsopunished for breaking the laws of

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November 2017

PHOTOS:INDIAN COAST GUARD

sovereignty of India.

Infrastructure development and environmental balance: There is a need to maintain balance in environmental protection and infrastructure development. When it comes to development of critical strategic infrastructure environmental laws need to be relaxed. If a radar site has to be created it should not be prevented due to natural habitat of birds or animals.

There are geographical constraints for creation of special infrastructure and thus environmental laws in such cases should be relaxed or waved.

Darshana M. Baruah wrote in the Diplomat that “small islands dotting the Indian Ocean are emerging at the center stage of great power politics unfolding in the Indian Ocean Region�.

India must not create a mistake by deferring capability development.

There is no scope to lose these islands by passive aggression through forced occupation of critical land mass in the high seas. If certain islands are required to be vacated of population for strategic and security reasons, government should be firm and do it for the nation.

But that does not mean abandon the legitimate Indians their right to life.

Such people should be relocated and their life support system reestablished after relocation.

The author is Senior Fellow, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS)

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COASTAL SECURITY GETS A BOOST FROM FISHING COMMUNITIES

WIKIPEDIA

The fishing community and the residents of the coastal areas can act as the eyes and ears of the India security agencies in protecting the vast coastline of India against enemy evil designs.

This Geopolitics Bureau compilation enumerates the measures taken by the security agencies in taking the coastal population into confidence in this task

A marine traffic coordinator using AIS and radar to manage vessel traffic

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he Indian Navy coordinates deployment of surface and air assets with the Indian Coast Guard for the conduct of the patrols and surveillance. Statewise Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for coordination among several agencies on coastal security issues have also been instituted. The existing surveillance system for maritime

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and coastal security is multi-layered comprising of many sensors including chain of coastal radars, Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) systems, Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) System, cameras including Night Vision Devices (NVD). The National Command Control Communication and Intelligence (NC3I) Network integrates multiple sensors and databases. The NC3I

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system also networks 15 Naval and Coast Guard Operation Centers and provides for decision support capabilities.

Further, the National Automatic Identification System (NAIS) chain, comprising 87 stations is also functional and to enhance the presence of Coast Guard along the coastal areas, Coast Guard Stations have increased from 22 in 2009 to 42 in 2016.

The National Committee on Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security (NCSMCS), under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary, is the highest body to monitor the progress in respect of coastal security initiatives including any shortfall and decides on measures to plug the gaps.

Various measures were taken to strengthen coastal security like Navy's Joint Operations Centres as command and control hubs for coastal security at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Port Blair are fully operational. In addition to continuous patrolling by Navy and Coast Guard, modern technical measures have also been implemented for coastal surveillance, by way of a chain of 74 Automatic Identification System (AIS) receivers, for gapless cover along the entire coast, according to the navy.

In 2014, the National Command Control Communication and Intelligence Network (NC3I) was set in National Capital Region to over-arching coastal security network collates data about all ships, dhows, fishing boats and all other vessels operating near our coast, from multiple technical sources including the AIS and radar chain.

These inputs are fused and analysed at the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) at Gurgaon, which disseminates this compiled Common Operating Picture for Coastal Security to all 51 nodes of the Navy and Coast Guard spread across the coast of India. This Nodal Hub for the coastal security of our country, which has been conceptualised by the Indian Navy, is a major step in the establishment of a coastal security shield along the coast.

After the Mumbai attacks in 2008, there has been a paradigm shift in the maritime security apparatus that increased emphasis on surveillance, intelligence gathering and information sharing amongst the various stakeholders to ensure an effective response to any emerging situation. In February 2009, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was additionally designated as the authority responsible for coastal security in territorial waters, including areas to be patrolled by the Coastal Police. The Coast Guard is also responsible for overall coordination between Central and State agencies in matters relating to Coastal Security.

In June 2009, against the backdrop of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in which Pakistani terrorists had sailed to Mumbai using an Indian-flagged boat at mid-sea, the Indian government had

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The oceans are a repository of wealth and there is need to keep a strict watch

issued a notification for all boats and fishing vessels that are over 20-metre long, to install a high-quality Automatic Identification System transponder. This notification makes it compulsory for the boats to become identifiable at all times when they are sailing out at sea.

In separate instructions, issued by the Ministry of Shipping, the government also wanted to ensure all fishing boats and vessels are registered under the Merchant Shipping Act, an umbrella law, as against the current practice of registering them separately under their respective state government enacted marine and fisheries regulation laws, based on their size and its opertions and use.

The notifications were issued on June 24, 2009, and it was then expected that these measures would bring about uniformity in the registration of all types of sea-faring vessels that are not large cargo vessels. The aim of these instructions were to ensure there was no doubt about the identity of the vessels when venturing into the sea and that there was a record of all the vessels that go out fishing in Indian waters. This also made it easy to know who owned the vessels in a centralised data system.

This practice of keeping records through easily identifiable Automatic Identification System transponders, it was expected, would go a long way to prevent November 2008 Mumbaistyle terror attacks, where MV Kuber, an Indian fishing boat, was hijacked. The 10

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Pakistani terrorists, including Ajmal Amir Kasab who was arrested, had boarded MV Kuber in international waters off the coast of Gujarat after seizing it from the fishermen on the high seas. The terrorists easily slipped into Mumbai, by sailing close to the shore till around four nautical miles off Mumbai and then they got into motorised rubber dingies to reach the shore itself. The terrorists had killed the vessel's pilot, Amarsinh Solanki, before they hit the Mumbai shores.

The notifications to ensure fishing vessels registration came about after it was felt among the Indian security apparatus that had MV Kuber been fitted with a sophisticated AIS transponder, under a centralised services system, it could have been easily detected. This would have been possible through a coded messaging system on the transponders for the pilots of the vessels to use and communicate with the security agencies in case of distress, such as hijacking or theft or robbery.

Under the present notifications, the fishing vessels should mandatorily use the AIS transponders, which automatically broadcast information such as their position, speed and navigational status at regular intervals through a VHF transmitter to a centralised control room.

Currently, only the bigger ships use such transponders and this facility is now available too smaller boats too.

The transponders are devices that help sea-faring vessels to electronically exchange data, including their identity,

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A fishing boat returning home: Such boats are often hijacked by smugglers and terrorists for illegal activities

geo-position, their course, the speed at which they are sailing and their destination. This not only helps in navigation, but also to inform other vessels at sea on their position, course and speed, apart from intimating any distress the vessels and the crew are in so help could be reached faster. The AIS signals are received by transponders fitted on other ships or on land-based systems such as the VTS system. The received information can be displayed on a screen, showing the other vessels' positions in much the same manner as in a radar display.

In August 2012, Swedish defence and security company Saab, in collaboration with Elcome Marine Services, announced the successful implementation of National Automatic Identification System Network in India. The National Automatic Identification System (NAIS) on the Indian coastline for India's Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) will also be used by Indian Navy, Coast Guard and DG Shipping.

This National Automatic Information System (NAIS) provides coverage to entire Indian Coast, whereby 74 lighthouses are now fitted with the Saab systems. Automatic Identification System (AIS) provides real-time merchant traffic information and the web server allows access to live data over the internet. The

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project comprised installation of sensors and equipment along the Indian coast for regional and national control centres.

Saab implemented the entire gamut of the project, which included installation, commissioning, training and support, along with their Indian partner, Elcome Marine Services. The project was signed by Saab and Elcome Marine Services combine in November 2010 and it was completed ahead of schedule during in 2012. Elcome has delivered the whole network, VSATs, leased lines, installation, project management, design, and installation.

Elcome with support from Saab will be maintaining the system for till 2022.

The NAIS network has suitable interfaces and these have already been incorporated for adding radar, cameras and other sensors. The system has already been integrated with existing radar and AIS in the country to provide a holistic overview of the coastal maritime domain. The NAIS network would thus play a vital role in meeting the long-term coastal surveillance needs of India.

This project is one of the largest national AIS- based coastal surveillance systems ever to be deployed. The NAIS has been integrated with Gulf of Kachchh (GOK) VTMS network. The NAIS has been integrated with a Terma radar part of GOK VTMS to provide a Common Operating

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Picture (COP) with radar and AIS target correlated.

As part of Coastal Security mechanism, Automatic Identification System (AIS), Day/Night Cameras and Met Sensors at 84 locations along the coastline and Islands has been established by the Indian Coast Guard.

The ICG has promulgated SOPs for ensuring coordination and cohesion amongst various agencies involved in Coastal Security. Regular exercises are conducted to validate these SOPs. To revalidate the coastal security mechanism and bring awareness among the fishermen at sea, regular boarding operations are also being conducted to validate and check the credentials of the occupants of the vessels including their Identity Cards and Registration Documents. Based on intelligence inputs, Coastal Security operations are conducted by the ICG in coordination with other stakeholders.

Community Interaction Programmes (CIP) with the fishermen and coastal populace are conducted periodically by the ICG to sensitize them on security and safety issues, that in turn enables them to act as ‘Eyes and Ears’ in the overall coastal security construct. To develop their capacity, the ICG has been imparting regular training to Marine Police personnel since 2006. The training

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The lighthouse at Kovalam: Such lighthouses are being used to maintain a vigil on the shores

which is conducted at Coast Guard District Headquarters corresponding to the Coastal States/ UTs comprises of three weeks of orientation module and one week of OJT. The ICG and Marine Police are working in 'Hub-and-Spoke' concept, the 'Hub' being the ICG Stations and the 'Spoke' being the Coastal Police Stations.

The ICG contributes towards development and implementation of an effective security mechanism to combat seaborne threats. The security matrix of the ICG encompasses a host of operations and involves measures undertaken to address coastal security, offshore security, anti-terrorism, anti-piracy and port security. The ICG also provides support to the Indian Navy to ensure the maritime security of the country.

Interagency coordination, between nearly 15 national and state agencies has improved dramatically, only due to regular “exercises” conducted by the Navy in all the coastal states. Nationwide, over 200 such exercises have been conducted till date since 2008, and this has strengthened coastal security markedly.

The issue of ID cards to all fishermen with a single centralised database, registration of over 2 lakh fishing vessels operating off our coasts and equipping fishing boats with suitable equipment, to facilitate vessel identification and tracking are some of the other steps

taken. Our fishing communities are adept mariners, whose cooperation is indispensable to our maritime security.

Fishing communities have become the ‘eyes and ears’ of our security architecture.

This has been achieved by spreading awareness in these communities through coastal security awareness campaigns, conducted by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, in all coastal districts of the country. During these campaigns, fishermen have been strongly advised and warned not to cross the International Maritime Boundary as it is in the interest of their safety. Fishermen today own GPS receivers and are therefore fully aware of their positions at sea.

The Coastal Security Scheme Phase-I stands completed in March 2011. During the implementation of Coastal Security Scheme Phase-I, various Coastal Security measures including the supply of interceptor boats were undertaken. The scheme had an outlay of `646 core with `495 crore for meeting non-recurring expenditure and `151 crore for meeting recurring expenditure for six years.

The scheme has been implemented up to March 2011. Coastal States and Union Territories were provided with 73 Coastal Police Stations, 97 Check posts, 58 Outposts and 30 Barracks equipped with 204 boats, 153 Four Wheelers, 312 Motorcycles and 10 Rubber Inflatable

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Boats. 204 boats have been procured centrally by Ministry of Home Affairs.

Construction work of Coastal Police Stations, barracks, check posts, outposts and procurement of vehicles has been done by Coastal States/UTs. Further, a lump sum assistance of `10 lakh per Coastal Police Station was also given for computers and equipment.

The coastal States/UTs were asked to carry out a vulnerability/gap analysis in consultation with Coast Guard to firm up their additional requirements for the formulation of Phase-II Scheme of the Coastal Security. After getting detailed proposals from the coastal States/UTs, the Coastal Security Scheme (Phase-II) has been approved.

The scheme is being implemented over a period of five years starting from April 2011 with a total financial outlay of `1,579.91 crore, (`1,154.91 crore for nonrecurring expenditure and `425 crore for recurring expenditure) through nine coastal States and four Union Territories.

Thus, several communities related and localised measures have been undertaken by both the Central and State governments over the last nine years, aimed at strengthening the intelligence gathering apparatus for a gapless coastal security surveillance and actionable intelligence using human and technical sources.

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MUMBAI TERROR ATTACK STIRS

NATIONAL SECURITY APPARATUS INTO VIGIL If not for the 26/11 strike that claimed many lives and shocked the megalopolis and world alike, India’s maritime security would have remained neglected forever.

Geopolitics traces the manner in which government has been tightening the vigil along India’s long coastline

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n November 26, 2008, Mumbai fell victim to one of the worst terrorist attacks in Indian history.

Its perpetrators, members of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, terrorized ‘Maximum City’ for three days, targeting some of its most best-known locations and killing up to 166 people.

In the onslaught, 10 terrorists targeted several high-profile locations in Mumbai, including the landmark Taj Hotel at the Gateway, the Oberoi Trident at Nariman Point, Leopold Café, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus - killing up to 166 people, and leaving 300 injured. At least, 26 foreign nationals were among those killed by the terrorists.

The terrorists, arrived in Mumbai on the night of November 26, after travelling from Karachi by sea. All of them, save one - Ajmal Kasab, - were eventually killed in counter-terror operations. Kasab, captured alive, was sentenced to death by a special anti-terror court in May 2010, and hanged at the Yerawada central prison in Pune in November 2012.

At least 18 Indian security personnel were killed in the attack. Among them were Mumbai Anti-Terrorist squad chief

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Hemant Karkare, Army Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Mumbai's Additional Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte, Senior Police Inspector Vijay Salaskar, and assistant sub-inspector Tukaram Gopal Omble.

It was Omble's supreme sacrifice that made the capture of Ajmal Kasab possible. On the night of November 26 near Girgaum Chowpatty, he grabbed the barrel of Kasab's assault rifle, and - when

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the terrorist began shooting him - didn't let go of him, providing his team-mates with the perfect cover and preventing Kasab from harming anyone else.

Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi stands accused - along with six others - of abetment to murder, attempted murder, and planning and executing the Mumbai attack, in a case that has been drawn out for more than seven years in Pakistan. Anoth-

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Ashok Kamte er accused, former LeT member Sufayan Zafar - who was arrested on charges that he financed the Mumbai attacks - was last year absolved by Pakistan's Federal Investigative Agency.

India wrote to Pakistan in September 2016 to suggest ways in which the trial in the 26/11 terrorist attacks case could be expedited. The prosecution in the trial, on its part, said in October 2016 that India hadn't responded to Pakistan's request that it send 24 witnesses in the case to testify in court and that the case couldn't move forward until India did so.

The seven persons accused of planning and executing the Mumbai attacks - including Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi - in September 2016 challenged the legality of a Pakistani judicial commission which went to India in 2013 to probe the attacks. Lakhvi was released from prison on bail in 2015.

Hafiz Saeed, founder of the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the chief of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (or JuD, a charity organisation considered to be a cover for the LeT), is another key mastermind of the attack.

The United Nations Security Council has banned the JuD after the Mumbai attacks. Pakistan, too, gave in to international pressure and banned the JuD, and placed Hafiz Saeed under house arrest for months, but ended up letting him go. He now lives as a free citizen in Lahore, and India's demands that he be brought to book have been met with the response that Pakistan doesn't have the evidence it needs to prosecute him.

In March 2017, former Pakistan National Security Advisor (NSA) Mahmud Ali Durrani blamed his own country for the role in the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Durrani said the commandostyle terror attack was carried out by a

Hemant Karkare

Sandeep Unnikrishnan

group based in Pakistan.

"26/11 Mumbai attack carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan is classic trans-border terrorist event," Durrani said at the 19th Asian Security Conference organised by the Institute of Defence and Studies and Analyses.

However, Durrani stressed that neither the Pakistan government nor the InterServices Intelligence (ISI) was aware of the terror plot hatched on its soil.

Durrani was Pakistan's NSA when the 10 terrorists launched coordinated attacks on Mumbai. It took security forces three days to flush out the terrorists, as they opened indiscriminate firing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal, the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the Oberoi Trident Hotel, Leopold Cafe and the Nariman House Jewish Centre. Durrani was removed from the post in 2009.

New Delhi has provided ample evidence to Islamabad over the involvement of top Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders in the November 2008.

However, Pakistan has denied all such allegations blaming 'non-state actors' for the incident. American citizen David Headley, who admitted scouting targets for the 2008 attack, has testified that the plot was hatched with at least one Pakistani intelligence official and a navy frogman.

If former US ambassador to India Timothy Roemer is to be believed, the 26/11 attacks brought India-Pakistan on the brink of a nuclear war. "Those attacks almost started a war between Pakistan and India that might have resulted in some kind of a nuclear war," Roemer had said.

The positive fallout of the Mumbai terror attacks was that it brought the importance of maritime security, in particular, the coastal security, to the forefront and into the consciousness of

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Tukaram Omble

the Indian security establishment and political leadership. This resulted in the then government signalling a complete overhaul of its maritime and related coastal security apparatus.

The national security establishment decided and assigned the overall responsibility of coastal security, both coastal and offshore, to the Indian Navy, as the Mumbai terror attacks exposed the shocking lack of coordination among maritime and security agencies of the country. The Indian Navy will be assisted

by Coast Guard, State Marine Police and other Central and State agencies for the coastal defence of the nation.

The government also appointed the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) chief as the head of the newly set up Coastal Command. It also created a new north-western region for the Coast Guard in Gujarat. Apart from designating naval commanders as Coastal Defence Commanders, the government said it would also provide the Navy with a 1,000-man 'Sagar Prahari Bal' for securing its installations. The government has since moved ahead in putting these decisions into effect and to augment the force accretion such as an increase in the number of ships, aircraft, helicopters, bases and manpower for both the Navy and the Coast Guard.

The 26/11 attacks had "shaken" the country and highlighted the need for strengthening the maritime security set up. The government approved certain important measures for strengthening maritime and coastal security against threats from the sea.

The government decided to establish a national Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (3CI) network for real-time maritime domain awareness linking the operations rooms of the Navy and the Coast Guard, both at the field and apex levels. The

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Ajmal Kasab, the terrorist from Pakistan, who caused mayhem during the Mumbai 26/11 attack WIKIPEDIA

Navy would control all joint operations, conducted along with the Coast Guard, to ensure that assets were optimally deployed and synergy was maintained between the two organisations. With these measures, the government felt that a new focus was given for effectively managing threats from the sea and security for India's long coastline.

With these measures, the government felt that a new focus would be given for effectively managing threats from the sea and security for the over 7,500-km coastline. The specialised 'Sagar Prahari Bal' force has been established for the protection of naval assets, and bases on both the East and West coasts, as well as the island territories of the country. The Navy has been provided with 80 new Fast Interception Craft for seafront patrolling by the new force.

The setting up of a new North-West Region for the Coast Guard, with the responsibility to secure the Gujarat coast that shares maritime borders with Pakistan, would see the creation of a new post of Coast Guard Commander for the region. The government has also decided to install Vessel and Air Traffic Management System for all offshore development areas, as has been done in the western region by the petroleum ministry.

Along with this, the government procured Immediate Support Vessels for offshore security by both the Petroleum Ministry and the Navy. In the interim, patrolling using hired crafts was done.

To strengthen the Coast Guard, the government set up nine additional Coast Guard stations to integrate into the 'hub and spoke' concept with coastal police

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stations along with manpower. These stations are located at Karwar, Ratnagiri, Vadinar, Gopalpur, Minicoy, Androth, Karaikal, Hut Bay and Nizampatnam.

For the Coast Guard, new posts of an additional director general and three deputy directors general were sanctioned. The force has also seen an expansion of its fleet by 20 percent and a 30 percent increase in shore support. To improve the intelligence set-up of Coast Guard, adequate manpower resources was also sanctioned.

Among the decisions taken in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks and implemented over the last nine years include the creation of Joint Operation Centres (JOCs) at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Port Blair under the charge of existing Naval Commander-in-Chiefs. The JOCs are jointly manned and operated by the Navy and Coast Guard, with inputs from diverse agencies including Coast Guard, Navy and concerned Central and state government agencies. The Naval Commander-in-Chiefs were designated as the Commander-in-Chiefs for Coastal Defence too.

The Indian Coast Guard was additionally designated as the authority responsible for coastal security in territorial waters including areas to be patrolled by the Coastal Police. The Director-General Coast Guard was designated as Commander Coastal Command and given responsibility for overall coordination between central and state agencies in all matters relating to coastal security.

The government also approved and funded the proposal for setting

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up of Static Coastal Radar Chain and a comprehensive network chain of AIS stations along the entire coast as well as island territories. This project was handed over to the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways for implementation, in coordination with Coast Guard. Further, the decision was taken to install AIS Transponders on vessels below 300 tonnes. This work too is being done by the Ministry of Shipping, in coordination with the Coast Guard.

The operational decision that has been implemented over the last nine years include the regular conduct of Coastal Security exercises in all states, in conjunction with the Coast Guard, State and Central government agencies. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard also enhanced their surface and air surveillance using their ships and aircraft along the coast and in all offshore development areas.

The two forces, along with the state government agencies, have conducted awareness drives to sensitise the fishing and coastal community and coastal/port authorities on issues related to security against threats from the sea. There has been progress on registering of all vessels and issue of identity cards to all fishermen/ coastal population is well underway and is being closely monitored by the Ministry of Home Affairs. This is a bid to get help from the fishing community to act as the eyes and ears of the national coastal security agencies.

The Navy conducts five courses a year for the personnel of CISF and Marine Police at its training institution at INS Chilka. This course is of two weeks duration. The training is imparted in general seamanship, maintenance and boat handling. In addition, each Command has also undertaken training of Marine Police and Customs personnel on being requested for the same. No request for training has been turned down so far.

The country's maritime interests encompass maintenance of the territorial integrity of India against all types of seaward challenges and threats as well as protection of our maritime trade and the merchantmen that embody it. The Indian Navy is fully prepared to safeguard the maritime interests of the nation. The agencies have the adequate capability and are also continuously evolving to meet the new challenges. Since the security challenges are only bound to increase in the times to come, the Indian Navy's assets acquisition plan has also been tailored to meet this requirement.

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TECHNOLOGY HELPS INDIA SET UP IOR-WIDE RADAR NETWORK

BEL-INDIA.COM

The Coastal Surveillance System developed by BEL

The impact of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai has led to India depend on technology to set up a foolproof radar surveillance network, not just along its coastline, but also integrate data from neighbouring countries in the region too. A Geopolitics Bureau compilation on the work done by the Indian agencies to set up the Coastal Surveillance Network

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f there is one Indian coastal security project that showcases its strategic reach and long-term thinking, it is the idea of a Coastal Radar Network that is now a reality. This idea, conceived and executed following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, is a masterstroke that has made the world sit up and take notice of what India can do to secure the Indian Ocean beyond its immediate coastal areas. The Coastal Radar Network project has digital signature spread over the vast Indian

Ocean Region, with key shipping lanes of the world under its direct gaze. That's the Indian genius of the Coastal Radar Network or Coastal Surveillance Network, as the government calls it.

Post 26/11, the Government has taken several initiatives to strengthen coastal security. Coastal Surveillance Network (CSN) Phase-I is already in place and comprises of 46 coastal radars including 10 in the island territories. The Phase-II of CSN with 38 coastal radars and eight mobile stations has also been approved

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by the government. The project will act as a "force multiplier" in the coastal security apparatus.

In August 2012, nearly four years after 10 Pakistani terrorists struck at Mumbai, India opened its surveillance radar network clusters that cover the coasts of Maharashtra and Gujarat to plug the gaps in the security apparatus exposed by the 26/11 attacks. The then Defence Minister, A K Antony, inaugurated the clusters at Mumbai and Porbandar, marking a major step forward in the security mechanism

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The boat hijacked by terrorists for launching attacks on Mumbai in 2008

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for India's 7,500-km coastline.

The static sensors project of coastal surveillance network aims at providing a gap-free coastal surveillance completed both on the mainland and the islands.

Pioneered by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the Network augments the force's shore-based electronic surveillance capacity along the entire coastline, including Maharashtra and Gujarat that witness a high traffic density and are too close to Pakistan across the Arabian Sea. As the western coastline is a highly sensitive one, India decided to operationalise this Coastal Surveillance Radar chain in Maharashtra and Gujarat ahead of the completion schedule of the project. The objective was to have this mechanism available for immediate utilisation. Under the Maharashtra cluster, the sensors are operational with radar stations fitted at Tarapur, Korlai, Tolkeshwar and Devgad and envisage real-time surveillance cover up to 25 nautical miles.

With the coastal radar network's help, the maritime forces will surely be able to devise an objective-based, rapid and effective response mechanism against perceived threats. The maritime forces will utilise their surface and air assets in such a way that they can derive maximum benefit from this surveillance network.

The government had signed the contract with the state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in September 2011 at a cost of `602 crore ($108.5 million) considering the strategic nature of the turnkey project and with an aim to develop indigenous capabilities in the field. Under Phase-I of the network, static sensors have been put up at 46 locations along the Indian coast, including on island territories.

In the aftermath of 26/11, the apex Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) issued detailed orders, and allocated funds, to implement a Coastal Surveillance Network, to ensure a 24x7x365 watch over India's 7600-kilometre coastline to ensure that no hostile elements could sneak in by sea again.

The Coastal Surveillance Network relies on a chain of electro-optic sensors, such as radars, and day and night vision cameras that are being installed on lighthouses and towers that look out at the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

The key challenge in setting up the scheme has been in transmitting the data picked up from multiple sensors along the coast to surveillance centres located in the interior and integrating the data into a coherent operational picture.

That problem was solved by the defence public sector undertaking, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which developed the software for the Coastal Surveillance Network. The Remote Operating Station, the name for the Coast Guard surveillance centre, would receive data from the lighthouses and radar towers along the coast through an advanced 'data fusion' techniques employed to integrate all the information.

Data fusion was a key design challenge. If two adjoining radars pick up a single boat, which often happens, the software must recognised that and combine those two images into that of a single boat. Fortunately, BEL had built up enormous experience in data fusion while developing the Navy's Combat Management Systems, which also integrates inputs from multiple radars on board a warship; and while building an Integrated Air Command and Control System for the IAF. Besides integrating multiple inputs into a common operational picture, the software allows the Remote Operating Station to remotely manipulate its coastal radars and cameras — through a Camera Management System — to observe suspicious objects in greater detail. In a quick demonstration staged for Business Standard, an oil tanker, which had been detected by a thermal-imaging night vision camera at a distance of 36 kilometres from the coast, was declared a suspicious vessel.

A click by the operator on the oil tanker's screen image automatically fed

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its coordinates to the camera, which zoomed in quickly, giving the operator a detailed look. The cameras and radars are Israeli, but BEL worked on developing them indigenously too. The software also performs other tasks that include monitoring the health of the remote systems; and an alarm system that alerts the operators when a vessel enters a designated “sensitive zone”.

In Phase I, the coast guard is setting up, along with 46 electro-optic sensor stations in high-threat areas, 12 Remote Operating Stations. This is being expanded in Phase II to cover the entire coastline. For example, radar stations in Dwarka and Navodra feed into a Remote Operating Station at Porbandar, about 100 km away. Distance is irrelevant, with data being transmitted through two dedicated lines of 2 MBPS each.

The 12 Remote Operating Stations feed into one of the four Regional Operating Centres at Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai and Visakhapatanam. Finally, all this information is fed in real time to the apex Control Centre at New Delhi, where it is integrated into a single national-level picture.

For this, the Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal agency but coordinates with multiple agencies, including the coastal state governments; the fisheries department; the department of lighthouses and lightships; and port authorities, among others.

The mainland radars in various coastal states of India have been operationalised in 2012, while the island territory radars

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Malhosmadulhu Atoll in the Maldives

The larger purpose and strategic reach for India's planned coastal surveillance network came during Modi's one-day visit to Seychelles, where he publicly launched the first of a planned 32 coastal surveillance radar stations in the Indian Ocean. On March 11, Modi tweeted that he had unveiled the Plaque and Operationalization of Radar for the coastal radar network India-Seychelles Cooperation Project.

The public nature of the CSR deployment highlights India's eagerness to signal its enduring security interest in the Indian Ocean. The radar deployment in Seychelles comes as China has increased its naval operations in the eastern Indian Ocean. In 2014, India grew particularly concerned when a

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting the President of Seychelles, James Michel, at State House, Mahe, in Seychelles in March 2015

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Chinese submarine was spotted docking at a port in Colombo in Sri Lanka. China has additionally announced its intention to invest in port facilities in and around the Indian Ocean. Since then, China has also opened a turn-around base for its warships at Port de Djibouti.

Modi told senior Indian Navy and Seychelles Coast Guard officers during his visit that India would work to set up radar stations across the region, including in Mauritius and Maldives.

"We regard Seychelles as a vital partner in our Indian Ocean neighbourhood. Our relationship is unique and special. It is founded on a deep sense of mutual trust and confidence. Our security partnership is strong and has enabled us to fulfil our shared responsibility to advance maritime security in the region," Modi said. Modi expressed the hope that "Seychelles will soon be a full partner in the maritime security cooperation between India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka."

India had set up a coastal surveillance radar system in the Mauritius group of islands in 2011. The system is automated and has significantly enhanced coastal surveillance capabilities of Mauritius Coast Guard. To expand the maritime picture and enhance maritime security capabilities, India and Mauritius have commenced sharing of 'White Shipping' data between Indian Navy and National Coast Guard, Mauritius. This was formally inaugurated by the Indian Chief of Naval Staff during his visit to Mauritius Coast Guard Headquarters in January 2015.

Taking forward the coastal radar network project, to effectively plug the gaps witnessed after implementation of the phase-I, the Modi government in February 2017 approved 38 additional coastal radar stations with the cost of `800 crore.

The Defence Acquisition Council, the highest body for approval of defence programmes led by the Defence Minister, gave its nod to the acceptance of the necessity for the Phase-II of the 38 radar stations. In addition, the Ministry of Defence also approves four mobile surveillance stations along with the integration of vessel traffic management systems in two places on Gujarat coastline.

With this chain of coastal radars coming up, the Indian security agencies assure the nation that they would possess 24 X 7 X 365 days of radar coverage that will ensure terror strikes and illegal activities in the seas along the Indian coastline would be prevented and the nation is secure from such threats.

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were operationalised in 2013. However, some gaps were still found in the radar coverage of the entire Indian coastline and a gap analysis was carried out by the Coast Guard, based on which the Phase-II of the project was conceived and planned.

The linking up of the National Automatic Identification System Network (AIS) and Vessel Traffic System (VTS) of Gulf of Khambat with the Coastal Surveillance Network would help the security forces in identifying a friend or foe in the Indian waters. This project is part of the intensive efforts to achieve complete Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) so that all security agencies, state governments and central government have real-time pictures and data of Indian waters.

In March 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on a tour of the Indian Ocean region that was long overdue and was keenly expected by the nations he was visiting. During this trip, Modi visited Sri Lanka, Seychelles, and Mauritius. He had to leave out Maldives from his original itinerary after the government there in the atoll nation jailed a key opposition leader.

While on those visits to the three nations in the Indian Ocean Region, Modi addressed defence and security cooperation in each capital. In concrete terms, Modi's visit highlighted India's continuing interest in deploying and maintaining a network of coastal surveillance radars across the region.

The coastal surveillance network has led to heightened intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and maritime domain awareness for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, and the nations in the region that are now part of this network.

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COVER STORY

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SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS FOR ISLAND TERRITORIES GET PRIORITY

The Union Minister for Defence, Nirmala Sitharaman at the head of the ANC crest along with the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Admiral (Retd) D K Joshi and the Commander-in-Chief Andaman & Nicobar Command, Vice Admiral Bimal Verma on her visit to Andaman & Nicobar Command, in Port Blair on October 19, 2017

What has India been doing in the two island territories on the East and West to not only secure them from threats but also to make use of the benefits and advantage these territories provide the country to dominate the Indian Ocean region? Geopolitics Bureau takes a look

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ndia is blessed with a geographical location that juts out into the Indian Ocean and provides a strategic reach in the region that is unmatched by another nation.

Add to the Indian mainland the island territories on either side and the depth of the strategic reach amplifies multifold.

With the advent of the 21st Century,

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India has awakened to the strategic potential of its island territories and have since been making efforts to exploit this geographical advantage it has, primarily to dominate some of the crucial sea lanes of communication in the Indian Ocean region.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands on India's East is much closer to Indonesia

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and the South East Asian nations that to its mainland. But that's the geographical position that gives India a stationary aircraft carrier overlooking the world's busiest of sea lanes passing through the Malacca Straits, a gateway to energise security to several key nations in Asia, particularly India's archrival China.

India's Defence Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman visited the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on an official visit on October 18 and 19, to coincide with Diwali celebrations with the troopers posted there. During her stay there on an official visit, she visited the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the tri-service military formation that looks after the security of the island territories there but also secures Indian interests in the region. She also paid a visit to the Air Force Station at Car Nicobar, which was badly affected by the December 2004 Tsunami.

The Lakshadweep and Minicoy Island on India's West offer another distinctive advantage. It not only straddles the Eight Degree Channel that separates Minicoy and the Maldives atolls in the SouthEast region of the Indian Ocean but also overlooks into the key sea lanes that pass through the Suez Canal and from ports in West Asia to the Far East. The Eight Degree Channel, which separates Minicoy Island and Maldives, witnesses maritime traffic of about 30 to 40 merchant vessels a day.

A look at what India has been doing in the two island territories on the East and West to not only secure them from threats but also to make use of the benefits and advantage these territories provide India to dominate the Indian Ocean region.

Andaman & Nicobar

First landing of the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, at Car Nicobar airbase on May 28, 2012

km from Myanmar at its northern-most island. Some estimates put it that around 80 percent of China's energy security imports pass through the sea lanes of Malacca Strait from the Middle East.

Around 40 percent of the world trade in value pass through this strait, carried by over 50,000 commercial vessels annually.

One of the most important appoints that the present government has made to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which is about 1,200 km away from the mainland, is to appoint former Indian Navy Chief Admiral D. K. Joshi (retired) as its Lieutenant Governor. Interestingly,

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The 750-km long Andaman and Nicobar archipelago comprise a chain of 572 islands, of which a little more than 30 are inhabited. The island territories of India's East are a mere 90 km from Indonesia from its southern-most point and 50

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COVER STORY

The Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Admiral (Retd) D K Joshi calling on the Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, in New Delhi on October 11, 2017

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Joshi has eight years ago served in the island chain as the Andaman and Nicobar tri-service military Commander-inChief. That gives him a vast knowledge of the island territories and its military advantages to the nation.

The archipelago is also India's eastern-most defence post that helps it take a more decisive military role in its Act East policy to build on the relationships with the ASEAN nations. Most of the ASEAN nations, apart from Australia and New Zealand, send their warships to Port Blair, the seat of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, every two years once for the MILAN naval drill that has gained prominence and importance in stature over the years now.

Port Blair and Car Nicobar are important staging posts for India's warships and military aircraft in the region. That's a huge military strength and asset for India to counter the growing assertiveness of China that has been venturing into the Indian Ocean Region, considered India's backyard, for the last 10 years now. Several key nations from the region that have disputes with China, such as Vietnam, Philippines and others, join the Indian Navy's MILAN drills, apart from Indonesia, which conducts joint coordinated patrols of the region with the Indian Navy warships.

India has plans to increase the number of warships, which will call Port Blair as their home base. The Indian Navy also has the advantage of having floating docks for repairs at mid-sea only under the Andaman and Nicobar Command, in

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Ships participating in PASSEX at Andaman Sea as part of multilateral naval exercise MILAN-2012, on February 6, 2012

view of its distance from the mainland, where homeports of warships provide ample repair and maintenance infrastructure. The Army has a brigade strength on the island chain, but will also include an amphibious warfare force that will be permanently stationed here.

Even otherwise, the island chain provides the amphibious units with a very ideal location for training of their unique manoeuvres.

About the air element of security, the Air Force has repaired and got the Car Nicobar air force station and runway back in order after the Tsunami on a war footing. But the added strength for the Andaman and Nicobar Command is the raising of a new air station at Campbell Bay at the southern-most tip of India, also called the Indira Point. INS BAAZ, the airstrip at that point, has been raised into a launching pad for India's surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft such as the Boeing P8I, providing India with the advantage of keeping a watch on any Chinese submarine that may enter the Indian Ocean region, as was seen earlier in 2017. The airstrip was activated half a decade ago and has been serving the Indian military well.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands air defence infrastructure was bolstered with the tri-service military command working on projects to strengthen a string of airstrips for operating both transport and fighter aircraft. The strategically important archipelago has airstrip also at Shipur in the northern Andaman that has recently got approval for expansion of

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the length of the runway from the current 1,000 metre to a bit more so that it can accommodate larger transport aircraft such as IL-76, AN-32, C-17, C-130 and the P8-I naval aircraft.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administration has submitted a comprehensive security plan after consulting Coast Guard, Navy and other stakeholders, for implementation over a period of eight years, in three phases 2012-2015, 2015-2017 and 2017-2020.

The comprehensive security plan for Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been approved.

Lakshadweep & Minicoy

In December 2010, India's coastal security apparatus around Lakshadweep chain of islands received a boost when a new Coast Guard (CG) headquarters and a station were inaugurated at Kavaratti and Minicoy respectively. The Coast Guard headquarters and station came up at a time when the Indian waters off Lakshadweep Islands chain in the Arabian Sea had witnessed increased pirate activity. The pirate threat in the region has been successfully warded off and the security notification from the global maritime authorities have moved far away from the Indian territorial waters now, all due to the intensive naval action from Indian warships in the region.

The new Coast Guard district headquarters at Kavaratti and the Minicoy station were part of the service's expansion plans for the Eleventh FiveYear Plan that ended in 2012. The two

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new establishments in the strategically located islands provide the muchneeded teeth to Coast Guard operations and enhance safety and security of Lakshadweep Islands.

The new establishments of the Coast Guard in the island territories also facilitate greater synergy between Coast Guard, administration of Lakshadweep and other agencies. It is important to have effective coordination and sharing of intelligence to have an effective response to any fast developing security challenge at sea. With these establishments in proximity to Maldives, India will now be capable of responding to any security situation in the atoll nation too, as has been witnessed in the late 1980s when India had to send its special forces to ward off a terrorists group's coup bid.

The coastal security set up in Lakshadweep chain is undergoing major modifications and restructuring so as to keep a check on pirate and illegal activities in and around the Indian waters and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Lakshadweep already had a Coast Guard station functioning at Kavaratti. Apart from the Minicoy Coast Guard station, Lakshadweep already got a Coast Guard air station there, with another one at Androth has come up in April 2012.

The two air stations also aid in civilian air traffic to the island chain. At the air stations, the Coast Guard operates its Dorniers, apart from its helicopters.

The Indian Navy too uses the facility to operate its helicopters in the region.

The Lakshadweep Islands chain is also part of the Coastal Surveillance System plan that was approved after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. The island chain on India's West has got six coastal surveillance radars set up at centres there, as part of the network that the government set up to improve intelligence gathering and maritime domain awareness, to share information with all security agencies of any suspicious movement and to all maritime stakeholders.

The Arabian Sea, closer to the Indian mainland and Lakshadweep Islands, had witnessed a few Somali pirate attacks on merchant vessels in 2010. The Indian Navy vessels had chased away two mother ships of the pirates who were operating in the area.

For these reasons, the Lakshadweep Island chain's security is critical for India to maintain dominance in the region and on the shipping traffic through the Eight Degree Channel, apart from walking the talk on its stated role as the net security provider to the Indian Ocean region.

SPECIAL REPORT

ENHANCED AIR DEFENCE The modernised OSA AK SAM System is a viable option to enhance the combat effectiveness of the legacy system, writes MIKE RAJKUMAR. The 9K33M2 OSA-AK (SA-8B) SAM is a highly mobile, low-altitude, short-range tactical surface-to-air missile system

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familiar sight to observers of the Indian armed forces is the 'OSA-AKM’ mobile short range surface-to-air missile (SAM) air defence system that is in use with the Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF). The OSA-AKM was acquired by the Indian armed forces in the mid-eighties and an estimated 56 systems split almost equally between the IAF and the Army are still operational. The ‘Cold War’ era SAM system was designed to defend troops and facilities against attacks by low-flying assault aircraft during all types of military operations and during transportation.

As an autonomous all-weather selfpropelled SAM system, it is also used to protect small-sized installations against air attacks of aircrafts, helicopters, cruise missiles and other aerodynamic threats flying at medium, low and ultra-low altitudes. The OSA-AKM system remains in widespread use despite its age and remains in service with Azerbaijan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Jordan, Cuba, Poland, Syria, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Ecuador, Libya. It remains in use as the basic short-range SAM system for the militaries of many countries as because of its ability to still deal with classic air

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threats. However, it is understood that many of these countries are looking to replace or upgrade the SAM system.

While considered a capable and effective short-range SAM system in its prime, the OSA-AKM system is now in need of upgrades to retain its combat effectiveness and improve reliability and maintainability by introducing new digital systems and obsolescence management.

Legacy OSA-AKM SAM systems have low jamming immunity and survivability against the present generation 4th and 5th generation fighter aircraft in addition to poor reliability due to obsolescence of parts and equipment. As the modern air warfare environment will also see use of stealth aircraft and precision guided weapons and extensive active and passive jamming of all types SAM systems, an OSAAKM upgrade is being offered to existing users of the SAM system. While still providing a more than useful capability as part of an overall air defence network, it is expected that OSA-AKM systems that are not modernised will be totally ineffective against the latest airborne threats within the next 10 years. The major problem with the system currently and one being experienced in no small measure by the IAF and the Army is that, most of spares

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associated with the OSA-AKM are no longer produced or the small volumes needed are driving up prices. The other option of restarting production is an expensive alternative. Hence, the IAF has asked for the modernisation of its OSAAKM SAM systems.

The solution being offered by Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant KUPOL, JSC which is the manufacturer of OSA-AKM and part of the AD Concern AlmazAntey is to replace the old parts with new technologies, which deliver the additional benefits of faster operation of the system and reduction in size, weight and number of crew (reduced from four to three) and superior reliability and maintainability.

The upgraded OSA-AKMM1 SAM system was first presented at the International Aviation and Space Show MAKS-2015.

Field tests and state tests of the upgraded OSA-AKM system have been completed successfully. According to company officials, on completion of the state tests, the production rate of the systems will be increased to cater for demand. In the context of the Indian armed forces, the upgraded OSA AK SAM system can ably function alongside AKASH SAM, SPYDER SAM and MR SAM. While the proposed JSC KupolOSA-AKM modernisation

SPECIAL REPORT

does not include the missiles or radar upgrades, the new Electro-Optical/InfraRed (EO/IR) sensors deliver substantially improved capability, especially at night.

After replacement/upgrade of obsolete parts and equipment the OSA-AKM1is to increase reliability and jamming immunity it is additional value from upgrading the OSA system.

The fitment of new parts and introduction of new technologies will extend the life of the OSA-AKM systems by minimum 10-12 years enabling them to remain operational till 2030 and beyond without problem. As part of the modernisation effort the vacuum UHF amplifiers are replaced with semiconductor low-noise amplifiers in input units of receiving systems of target acquisition radar (TAR) and target tracking radar (TTR). Also replaced are ten units of the old analogue computer with a modern digital computer which increases jamming immunity of the receiving systems, signal-processing system, in addition to improving target tracking accuracy and missile guidance.

The introduction of modern digital systems which replace legacy analogue and hydraulic systems also significantly improve the performance of the shortrange SAM system, most notably in the areas of increase in number of targets that can be engaged, a greater noescape envelope (velocity and altitude), in addition to adding the capability to engage and destroy small-sized low speed targets like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Short range SAM systems and Man Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) are last ditch defences and hence of utmost importance is quick identification of airborne threats, fast reaction time and first shot first kill ability.

The modernised OSA-AKM makes use of new digital technology and automation to reduce reaction and time and reduce the combat crew by one person, from three operators to two. According to company official, “If previously the system operation depended directly on combat crew teamwork. Nowadays the dependency has been decreased essentially. LCD-indicators provide better information capacity, telecode equipment is installed for communication between the command vehicle (CV) and command post for guided further operation.”

The new LCD monitors improve the information content and visualisation of commanders and operators’ workplaces (CWP, OWP). The additional workspace liberated can be used to maintain a technical operator for prompt estimation

9K33M3 Osa AKM missile launch and, (below) a mobile missile tableau at a Republic Day parade

of technical condition and repair of the CV if required as well as for recording and analysis of combat operation results. JSC Kupol has also used the modernisation opportunity to enhance the SAM system’s immunity against active and passive jamming and the new integrated is the day-and-night electronic-optical system provides an additional acquisition channel by delivering angular coordinates, hence enhancing the first shot first kill probability. The present outdated TVoptical channel has been replaced with a new EO system which allows automatic lock-on and tracking of targets during

day/night time. Upgraded OSA-AKM systems will more lethal against airborne threats as a result of the greater kill-zone from ranges of 1.5 km to 7 km with ability to hit targets moving at a velocity of up to 700 m/s. From ranges of 1.5 km to 10 km and up to 6 km in altitude the system will be able to hit targets moving at a velocity of up to 300 m/s. Each vehicle carries six 6 missiles and the OSA-AKM has a reaction time of 26-40 seconds. A missile vehicle can be prepared from travelling position to combat ready position within four minutes.

Upgraded OSA-AKM systems will also have access to simulator training facilities, enabling training of the combat crew without use of real targets and missiles. The simulator training ability

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will allow simulated launch of air targets to be performed along various flight paths, imitating various air situations and allowing the operators to train for launch of missiles against the selected simulated targets. The distinctive looking OSA combat vehicle also receives an upgrade to the Saman-M target system with the installation special-purpose software. The combat vehicle can be also be equipped with air conditioning as an option, which provides a temperature gradient between the environment and operator's compartment up to 15°C.All upgrade work will be carried out by the Kupol plant - manufacturer of SAM OSA-AKM providing high quality, a corresponding warranty package, deliveries of SPTA sets and training of specialists. The OSA and TOR SAM systems were designed by the Moscow Scientific Electromechanical Institute.

The OSA-AKM has proved its combat capability in several conflicts around the world since it entered operational service and offers a unique combination of a short-range SAM system mounted on a wheeled chassis, which provides high cross-country capability and manoeuvrability, capability to overcome water obstacles without preliminary preparations and the ability to perform launches from the unprepared positions.

It also features a high level of autonomy during combat operations and the rugged Russian design allows it to operate in any terrain. With the ability to conduct radar reconnaissance at stop and on the move and then engage the target with one or two missiles from stationary position or from a short halt, the upgraded OSA-AKM SAM system is a cost-effective air defence upgrade for defence against modern airborne threats, precision munitions, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Russian army decided to continue using the OSA system till 2030.

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SPOTLIGHT

WIKIPEDIA

GLIDING AROUND A HYPERSONIC WEAPONS CARTEL

With hypersonic glide weapons having the potential to upend the existing system of nuclear deterrence, the influential Rand Corporation has recommended a US-RussiaChina cartel to prevent other countries from acquiring this technology. India must act quickly to make any possible sanctions redundant, writes RAKESH KRISHNAN SIMHA

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ith the US, Russia and China leading the race to build the world’s fastest nuclear delivery system, fourth placed India could find itself blocked by the big three. The California-based Rand Corporation proposes that the world’s leading powers should create a cartel to prevent the proliferation of hypersonic missiles.

In the backdrop of India, Europe, Japan and Australia beginning to explore

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hypersonic technology, the report says there is probably less than a decade available to substantially hinder its potential proliferation. The think tank recommends that: (1) the United States, Russia and China should agree not to export complete hypersonic missile systems or their major components, and (2) the broader international community should establish controls on a wider range of hypersonic missile hardware and technology.

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A new apartheid is sought to be created, with the haves possessing hypersonic weapons while the have-nots are armed with comparatively low-tech ballistic missiles. The call for a ban is a reprise of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which was established shortly after India’s atomic test in 1974 and was specifically aimed at denying nuclear fuel and reactor technology to India.

The equally devious Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which was set

SPOTLIGHT

up in 1987, successfully delayed India’s cryogenic rocket programme by at least 15 years.

Clearly, hypersonic technology is to the twenty-first century what nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles were to the twentieth.

Hypersonic missiles are capable of travelling over 5,000 kph, which gives them tremendous kinetic energy. To illustrate, a 500 kg projectile travelling at Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound) will have an explosive power less than half a tonne of TNT, but the same missile with an impact speed of Mach 8 will deliver a TNT equivalent of 3.5 tonnes. Also, unlike ballistic missiles, hypersonic projectiles are capable of manoeuvring multiple times in their trajectory. These features enable such missiles to penetrate most missile defences and to considerably reduce the response time for a nation under attack. (For comparison, the BrahMos cruise missile flies at 3000 kph; the American Tomahawk has a speed of around 900 kph.)

There are two primary types of hypersonic weapons. The first, hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs), are launched by rockets into the upper atmosphere. Unlike ballistic missiles that travel in a parabolic – and predictable – path to the target, HGVs glide through the stratosphere after they are released from their missile boosters. The glide phase allows HGVs to accelerate to hypersonic speeds and manoeuvre aerodynamically to evade interception. HGVs are unpowered vehicles that are designed to produce lift that is equal to their weight to keep them aloft at hypersonic speeds. They travel outside the altitude and speed envelopes of most modern air and missile defence systems.

Terminal air defence systems would be challenged because a HGV can vary its impact point and associated trajectory throughout its flight time. HGVs also fly at lower altitudes compared with ballistic missiles.

The second type of weapon is the hypersonic cruise missile (HCM), which is powered all the way to its target by rockets or high-speed jet engines. Basically, a HCM is a cruise missile that operates at hypersonic speeds.

Cruise missiles are already difficult to counter because of their unpredictable trajectories, low profiles and below the radar flight. Even the slower, subsonic ones such as the Tomahawk are deadly.

For instance, in the 1991 Gulf War, it

WIKIMEDIA

Game changer

Tomahawk cruise missile

took 80-odd Tomahawks just four hours to destroy Iraq’s C3 (command, control and communications) systems that had been built over several years and at considerable cost. The additional speed provided by an HCM will only shorten response times.

Hypersonic Vs Ballistic

For more than half a century, the world has lived with the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD. The trajectory of most ballistic missiles give early warning systems a window of 15-30 minutes to verify if it’s a massive missile launch or a false alarm due to a meteor shower, an unusual cloud formation or a computer glitch. If it’s indeed a doomsday scenario, you say your prayers and launch a counter strike, and pretty much everyone ends up dead. Bizarre as this strategy sounds, it is MAD that has prevented the outbreak of World War III. Hypersonic technology is disruptive because it could upend this balance.

Because hypersonic vehicles could do the rendezvous in a fraction of the time taken by ballistic missiles, it gives the other side little warning time. One is faced with the dilemma of launch or die. In the coming years, hypersonic technology could become a scare word like atomic bombs were during the Cold War.

How disruptive?

The US is currently the leader in space-based weapons technology. Its hypersonic glide programme is intended as a key component of its Conventional Prompt Global Strike system, which aims to hit any target on earth in less than 60 minutes.

The devious part is that American strategists have proposed that hypersonic weapons could be used for “conventional prompt global strike” without the risk

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of being mistaken for a nuclear attack.

For instance, armed with conventional warheads, hypersonic missiles could destroy the enemy’s critical C3 (command, control and communication) nerve centres, airfields, aircraft carrier battle groups, armour concentrations, missile launchers and other strategic assets.

But that’s probably not where the conflict would end. For, the temptation to escalate would be too great. Before the enemy knows what hit him, a second volley of nuclear-warhead carrying HGVs could fly in under the radar – that are only equipped to detect ballistic missiles – and deliver the death blow.

The acquisition of such missiles by the United States, Russia and China could result in other powers compressing their response timelines in ways that set their strategic forces on hair-trigger states of readiness — such as a strategy of launch-on-warning. At the same time, the proliferation of hypersonic weapons beyond the big three could enable other countries to more credibly threaten attacks on major powers.

The Rand report says: “We believe that the unpredictable trajectories, resulting in target ambiguity, and the ability to penetrate most defences, will affect some nations’ defence postures and increase instability in some regions.

We note that these new missiles will almost exclusively affect nations that are otherwise equipped with effective defences against ballistic missiles. This may be a substantial number of nations over the coming decades.”

Trust deficit

The genie is out of the bottle. The only way the US, Russia and China can cobble together a hypersonic cartel is if Moscow is able to trust the US. That looks like a huge task in view of America’s deployment of

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SPOTLIGHT

WIKIPEDIA

The first of two Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) interceptors being launched during a successful intercept test by the US Army

India’s position

Despite a late start, India has made tremendous progress in R&D in hypersonic missile technology. “While India remains behind the United States, Russia, and China in their development, close cooperation with Russia has made India a leader among the second tier of states pursuing hypersonic technologies,” it says.

India and Russia are currently working together on the hypersonic BrahMos II – the new improved version of the already successful BrahMos cruise missile. The BrahMos II is likely to achieve speeds greater than Mach 7, or seven times the speed of sound.

For all practical purposes BrahMos II is an unstoppable project. One, after India’s entry into the MTCR, all caps are gone. There are no restrictions on the range or speed of any missile that India

Shaurya ballistic missile

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the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in South Korea.

In view of the growing intersection between China’s and Russia’s strategic postures and threat perceptions in the Asia-Pacific, the two countries may even be jointly working on hypersonic programmes.

In a study titled ‘Factoring Russia into the US-Chinese Equation on Hypersonic Glide Vehicles’, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says Russia is a factor that is shaping Chinese hypersonic research.

According to SIPRI, two signs point to a Russia-China nexus. One, there are as many as 872 Chinese-language texts on HGVs that mention Russia, constituting 52 per cent of the total number of Chinese articles and papers on hypersonic glide.

Secondly, China’s flight test of its DF-ZF hypersonic glide system in April 2016 occurred just days after Russia carried out its own test.

This is more than mere coincidence.

According to Professor He Qisong, a defence policy specialist at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, “The hypersonic tests by China and Russia are aimed at causing a threat to the US, which plans to set up a missile defence system in South Korea. China has no other choice, especially as the US has taken a series of provocative moves to get involved in China’s territorial disputes with other Asian countries in the South China Sea. The (HGV) is so far one of the offset weapons owned by China that could break the THAAD system.” In this scenario, it could take a leap of faith for Russia and China to join the US.

can jointly produce with any country.

Secondly, BrahMos Aerospace is an IndiaRussia joint venture, with top Russian and Indian aerospace scientists working together in India. It has set an established pattern of Russian intellectual capital flowing into India’s aerospace sector. If Moscow places curbs on this technology flow, it will create considerable bad press in India and loss of income for Russia’s cash-starved enterprises.

BrahMos II is reportedly an adaption of Russia’s Zirkon hypersonic missile while the first generation BrahMos is an adaptation of Russia’s Oniks missile.

Further, a technology-sharing agreement with Belarus (a close Russian ally) may further spread the diffusion of hypersonic technology.

A parallel effort is taking place at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The HyperSonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) is India’s indigenous effort at building a hypersonic cruise missile using scramjet technology. It is separately researched and funded from BrahMos II and entirely indigenous. The programme’s goal is to develop a scramjet capable of speeds of up to Mach 7 and a hypersonic cruise missile altitude of 32 km.

The programme’s first wind tunnel test was conducted in 2007 in Israel and the second in Russia in 2009, as India lacked a testing facility with a sufficient cross section. India recently completed construction of a hypersonic wind tunnel, inaugurated in April 2014, which will fill some gaps in their testing capabilities.

As well as a Hyper-Sonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), the DRDO is developing the Shaurya ballistic missile, a two-stage, solid fuel, surfaceto-surface missile. One of the test flights

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SPOTLIGHT

THE RAND RECOMMENDATIONS A two-tiered approach to containing the spread of hypersonic systems and components appears to be the most promising.  First, we recommend a policy of export denial for complete hypersonic delivery vehicles and enough major subsystems to effectively provide access to complete hypersonic missiles.  Second, given dual-use concerns, we also recommend a policy of caseby-case export reviews for scramjets and other hypersonic engines and components, fuels for hypersonic use, sensors, navigation, and communication items for hypersonic flight, hypersonic flight controls, design tools and modeling for such uses, and ground simulation and testing for hypersonic systems.  The necessary first step is for the United States, Russia, and China to agree not to export complete hypersonic missiles or their major subsystems. Beyond that, the control list recommended in this report can be the basis for international discussions.

WIKIPEDIA



HSTDV model displayed at the ILA Berlin Air Show ILA 2012

of this missile on November 12, 2008 was a depressed trajectory flight (at Mach 6 and 50 km altitude). The missile is known to have attended the speeds of Mach 7.5 during the third test in September 2011.

The seriousness with which India is pursuing this technology can be assessed by the fact that India has built at least 12 hypersonic wind tunnels across the country.

Challenges for India

While developments in the US do not directly impact India, it must factor in Chinese hypersonic research as well as the very real possibility of Russia passing on the crown jewels of its weapons industry to Beijing. Russia’s primary motive would be to ensure cash flowing to its sanctions hit defence sector.

China recently supplied Pakistan with CM-400AKG high-supersonic (Mach 4) rocket-powered cruise missiles.

While one can speculate that this is an attempt to balance the Russian-Indian cooperation on the BrahMos family of missiles, it potentially suggests a future in which supplier states compete in offering hypersonic missiles to their friends and allies.

A massive multidisciplinary effort is required to ensure that India does not lag behind in this critical sector. Only when India graduates to the HGV and HCM stage can it counter Chinese adventurism.

Hypersonic missiles can also be used as leverage to ensure the dragon’s good behaviour. That is, prevent Beijing from exporting advanced weapons to Pakistan.

India’s traditional reticence towards arms exports is hopefully a thing of past, never to return. Since New Delhi

CM-400AKG missile

has tentatively offered the BrahMos for export, it is possible the BrahMos II will also be put on the market. In an article titled ‘Analysis and Localisation of Communications Emitters in Strategic and Tactical Scenarios’, in Naval Forces, Ulla Uebler writes: “Thus far, both Russian and Indian officials have said that they do not intend to export BrahMos II, but it is reasonable to expect that the decision is subject to change.”

Simply by threatening to supply these missiles to Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Japan – countries that are feeling the dragon’s pressure – India can stop the Chinese from running amok in its neighbourhood.

Rand-om research

It is a mystery what weed the people at Rand Corporation are smoking. It would be entirely counter-intuitive for China – a notorious proliferator of nuclear and missile technology to rogue states like Pakistan, Iran, North Korea and Saudi Arabia – to be part of a hypersonic cartel

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while India is excluded.

India had recently joined the MTCR whereas China’s credentials to be in the grouping were found lacking. Meanwhile, China has been trying to ensure that India does not gain entry into the NSG. Instead, it wants Pakistan to gain entry into the NSG, fully aware of its highly questionable non-proliferation record.

If there’s any country that should be part of a weapons cartel and is guaranteed to not proliferate weapons of mass destruction, it is none other than India. It could take several more years – by which time the remaining Cold War detritus would have retired from western think tanks – before such a view becomes mainstream in the western elites.

The author is a New Zealand based journalist who covers defence and military history. He is on the advisory board of Modern Diplomacy, a Europe based foreign affairs portal

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AIR DEFENCE

TRAINING FOR TOMORROW

The IAF needs to induct more basic trainers and find a solution for its Stage II training requirements, reports MIKE RAJKUMAR The HJT-36 Sitara intermediate jet trainer is in serious trouble and has forced the IAF to continue with the venerable Kiran and utilise the PC-7 MKII for Stage I and Stage II training

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he Indian Air Force (IAF) has a fleet of Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA), Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) and Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) aircraft, which comprise of the Pilatus PC-7 MKII; HAL IJT-16 Kiran and BAE Systems Hawk Mk132 aircraft. These trainer aircraft are used for Stage I (Basic Flight Training), Stage II (Intermediate Flight Training) and Stage III training respectively. The IAF’s training aircraft fleet has been in a continuous state of flux since the nineties and this is an undesirable situation for an air force which requires stability in its training aircraft to ensure a steady pipeline of pilots for a varied fleet of fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The BTA fleet was impacted by mid-air engine cuts which occurred on the Hindustan Piston Trainer 32 (HPT-32) and ultimately result in the entire fleet of more than 100 aircraft being grounded due to flight safety concerns a few years ago. Before the decision to ground the HPT-32 ‘Deepak’ was taken, the basic trainer was involved

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in a total of 189 incidents/accidents July 2009 which were caused by engine cuts.

In December 2009, a High Power Study Team (HPST) was constituted by Air HQ and HAL recommended in December 2009, that since the HPT-32 aircraft was designed and developed in the early 1980s and it did not meet present day standards. The IAF grounded the HPT-32 fleet in June 2012.

The procurement of the Swiss PC-7 MKII BTA temporarily stabilised the situation related to Stage I flight training with the induction of 75 aircraft. The usage of the PC-7 MKII till 2019 is bound to impact Stage I training until sufficient numbers of the HTT-40 are inducted.

The basic and intermediate flying training role is undertaken by a fleet of 75 PC-7MKIIs, which were ordered in 2012 (with an option clause for 38). All 75 aircraft were delivered by November 2015. The Swiss type introduced the modern training era into the IAF for basic training, not only did the aircraft deliver excellent performance, but it also had a modern glass cockpit and avionics.

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Pilatus also delivered flight simulators and training devices along with the aircraft. The PC-7 MkII has a lifespan of 10,000 hrs/30,000 landings. The IAF has a requirement of 183 BTA, which has now been increased to more than 200 as these aircraft will have to perform Stage I and Stage II flight training. The IAF currently operates 75 PC-7 MkIIs trainers and the procurement of an additional 38 PC-7 MKIIs now appears unlikely. HAL was tasked to make 68 HTT-40s in 2015 and total orders for the type could increase to as many as 120.

The Hindustan Turbo Trainer 40 (HTT-40) could go into production as early as next year and the all-important Stall and Spin trials will be completed before the end of the year. Approximately 100 hours of flight testing will be required to complete these tests. The aircraft’s initial performance has exceeding expectations, raising hopes that this indigenously developed aircraft will complete its developmental and certification task within planned deadlines. Development of the HTT-40 started in 2013, when HAL has

AIR DEFENCE

The IAF uses the BAE Systems Hawk Mk132 AJT for advanced jet training or Stage III training

The HAL Hawk-i is a cost-effective indigenous upgrade to the Hawk Mk132. Should the IAF so desire, the Hawk-i can be configured to carry air-to-air missiles, precision munitions, rockets and bombs

sanctioned an amount of `176.93 crore for preliminary design phase and detailed design phase activities. Once the HTT-40 completes development and enters IAF service, it is likely to join the PC-7MKII in undertaking both Stage I and Stage II training. Unlike the Swiss made PC-7 MKII, weaponisation of the HTT-40 will be possible. Production HTT-40 aircraft will be available at a later stage with an armed variant fitted with unguided rockets, iron bombs and a gun pod.

Stage II flight training has been impacted by the delay of the Hindustan Jet Trainer 36 (HJT-36) ‘Sitara’. As a result, the workhorse Kiran trainers continue in service and in 2015, the IAF started using the PC-7 MKII for Stage I and Stage II flight training. The IJT has been under development since 1999 and the original Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) date was March 2004, a milestone that has yet to be reached more than 13 years later.

The IAF was to have received 73 Sitara IJTs between 2013-2014 to replace its Kiran fleet. The major issues with the HJT-36 were stall related problems which were overcome, but Spin trials could not be completed and production of the Sitara has since been stopped since the many issues plaguing the type are resolved. The Sitara was to be manufactured at HAL’s Kanpur facility. The Kiran has proved tough, robust and reliable and must be considered a successful design. HAL has also extended the life of Kiran aircraft and the aircraft will now be phased out from service in 2019. The Kiran Mk-I has a life of 8000 hrs.

The induction of the Hawk AJT was

also delayed by decades, however, its entry into service where it undertakes Stage III flight training and operational flight training conversion at Kalaikunda has stabilised this aspect of IAF training.

The air force has a sanctioned strength of 388 trainer aircraft across all types and the IAF currently has approximately 70% of the sanctioned strength. The Hawk Mk-132 has a lifespan of 30 years/ 6000 hrs. The BAE Systems Hawk fleet was acquired in two tranches of 66 (2004) and 57 aircraft (2010) out of which 106 were allotted to the IAF and 17 for the Navy. The delay in concluding a 3rd contract for 20 Hawk Mk132s for the ‘Suryakiran’ display team has also resulted in a production gap at HAL’s Hawk line in Bengaluru.

Additional Hawk Mk132s are also said to be in consideration, though no formal announcement of this requirement has been made till date. HAL is also seeking an IAF order for its Hawk-i upgrade, which features a modernised cockpit.

The Hawk-i is an indigenous effort by HAL to modernise the Hawk Mk132 by upgrading the cockpit, displays, avionics, mission computer, head-up display (HUD) and replacing equipment facing obsolescence. Hawk-i is basically an avionics upgrade and no structural upgrades have been done, the avionics upgrade on the aircraft is similar to what was shown at Aero India. The Hawk-i will be able to carry air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground weapons and it will have self-defence capabilities through Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, digital map generator. Other additions are a new dual hot stand-by mission computer

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The HTT-40 is an indigenously developed basic trainer aircraft and could enter production next year

avionics architecture, high altitude radio altimeter, IFF MKXII, Data Transfer system, CMDS and RWR. Integration of indigenous HUD, RLG based INS and Anti Airfield missiles are currently underway.

While the IAF has not issued a formal requirement for upgraded Hawks, HAL is hopeful of the IAF deciding to upgrade its Hawk aircraft as they return for major overhaul. HAL also proposes to add weapons capability to the Hawk Mk132 in terms of carriage of air-toair missiles (MBDA ASRAAM) and precision munitions, unguided rockets and bombs. The Hawk-i demonstrator unveiled at Aero India, is owned by HAL, which will use the aircraft as a test bed.

The Indian Hawk fleet which completed 100,000 flight hours in last year, started to return for major overhauls earlier this year and in 2015, BAE Systems was contracted by HAL to provide support to the establishment of the dedicated major servicing facility at HAL’s Overhaul Division in Bengaluru. This included provision of Ground Support Equipment, Spares, Training and Technical Support based both in the UK and India.

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FOCUS

DEFENCE PROCUREMENTS

HOW BUREAUCRATIC MORASS SQUANDERED 15 YEARS Though the Defence Procurement Procedure has been in operation for the last 15 years, it has failed to deliver. India, writes MAJ GEN MRINAL SUMAN (RETD), has not been able to carry out any major defence procurement in a competitive environment without ensuing controversies

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rior to 1990, most of the imports were from the erstwhile Soviet bloc and were always on government-togovernment basis. India had no other source for procuring weaponry.

However, the breakup of the Soviet Union caught India unprepared. It had to seek alternate sources and soon realised that procurement of new weaponry in an environment of open multi-vendor competition is a long, convoluted and arduous process. A need was felt to evolve a detailed and well-structured procedure to facilitate decision making and ensure expeditious procurements.

Consequently, Defence Procurement Procedure 1992 (DPP-1992) came into being in February 1992. However, it suffered from some major deficiencies, which affected its implementation.

After the Kargil war, a new set-up was established in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in October 2001. Soon thereafter, a comprehensive procurement procedure DPP-2002 was put into effect on 30

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December 2002. It has since been revised eight times and the current version is DPP-2016.

The defence procedure mandates that all procurements should be carried out in an open, transparent and free competitive environment with maximum number of vendors participating in the bidding process. The procedure repeatedly stresses the importance of generating maximum competition.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that DPP has been in operation for the last 15 years, it has failed to deliver, sporadic euphoria notwithstanding. India has not been able to carry out any major defence procurement in a competitive environment without ensuing controversies. Every inked deal has been on single-vendor government-togovernment basis, showing total failure of the much-vaunted procurement procedure. During the period 2003-14, only one major deal was concluded in open tendering – helicopters for VVIPs and it had to be terminated prematurely

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in ignominy due to allegation of corruption and procedural irregularities.

Two issues get flagged. The first one relates to India’s inability to put the system on an even keel; 15 years is a long period to streamline any procedure. Although a public policy should be dynamic and interactive in nature, it should provide reasonable continuity. Biennial reviews of DPP create an environment of uncertainty and unpredictability. Entrepreneurs get deterred by frequent changes in various provisions. The second issue is about the desirability of excessive dependence on government-to-government deals to meet critical requirements.

FOCUS

Failure to Evolve a Workable Procedure

DPP lacks focus, coherence and rationality.

Worse, it has been encumbered with many irrelevant provisions. Through frequent reviews, MoD has been firing shots in the dark to discover the elusive ‘winning formula’.

Unfortunately, it does not possess the necessary acumen, expertise and domain knowledge. It is only in India that drafting of the procedure that governs defence procurements worth billions of dollars is assigned to functionaries who possess no knowledge of economics, financial management and military systems. No wonder that some provisions of the procedure defy logic and are in fact detrimental to Indian interests.

The whole procurement regime is characterised by bureaucratic stranglehold. Very limited powers have been delegated to the services.

Bureaucrats call all the shots. To start with, all procurement proposals are submitted to the Defence Acquisition Council or the Defence Procurement Board for approval. Both function under MoD. The Acquisition Wing of MoD is the executive arm and is again headed by a bureaucrat.

It controls issuance of tenders, opening of technical/commercial proposals, conduct of commercial negotiations and signing of the contract. Even the list of vendors who can be called for field trials is approved by MoD. Furthermore, MoD retains the authority to accept Staff Evaluation Report that shortlists technically successful vendors. In other words, bureaucrats of MoD have made the whole system totally captive to their dictates.

In addition, the entire procurement regime functions without any semblance of jointness between MoD and the Services Headquarters (SHQ). MoD

initiates procurement process on the basis of parameters evolved by SHQ. Thereafter, there is no dialogue between the two. No market survey is ever carried out to provide feedback to SHQ as regards cost-performance relationship of equipment in the world market.

SHQ is never asked to reconsider some parameters that may result in huge savings. Most shockingly, after field trials and staff appraisal, SHQ cannot prioritise its selection. All equipment that meet SQR are considered at par. It is for MoD to select the cheapest out of them. In the process, the country suffers as it misses an opportunity to buy the most advanced equipment available in the market with minimal cost accretion.

Indian offset policy has huge impact on all major procurements. Since its introduction in 2005, it has undergone many major revisions. The whole policy has turned out to be an amateurish and disjointed effort. It contains many unintelligible and indefinite provisions.

Lack of effective monitoring mechanism of offset programmes is another area of concern. It will not be incorrect to state that the offset policy has proved to be a big encumbrance, without

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commensurate benefits.

Defence procurements in India are handled by functionaries drawn from the services, bureaucracy and Defence Finance. They are not selected for any special educational qualification or demonstrated capability or displayed flair. They are assigned acquisition functions in routine. Most have no prior experience of handling military hardware and are unable to comprehend intricacies of competing technologies and their inter se evaluation. Worst, no training is imparted to them to prepare them for such critical appointments.

This is the single most important reason for the failure of DPP to deliver. After all, a policy is as good as the people who implement it.

Dependence on Government-to-Government Deals

Starting with the purchase of 8 AN/TPQ37 Fire Finder counter-battery artillery radar sets in 2002, India has procured numerous major systems from the US through the Foreign Military Sales route.

The list includes Amphibious Troop Carrier Ship USS Trenton (now INS Jalashwa), Maritime Patrol Aircraft P-8I Poseidon, C-130J Hercules Transport Aircraft, C-17 Globemaster Heavy Transport Aircraft, Paveway Guided Bombs, Apache Combat Helicopters, Chinook Transport Helicopters and 155MM Ultra Light Howitzers.

Government-to-government deals with Russia continue to follow the same arrangement as with the erstwhile Soviet Union. Recent major purchases include Aircraft Carrier Admiral Gorshkov (now INS Vikramaditya), BMP-2 IFV, Su-30 Fighter Aircraft, T-90 MBT, RBU-6000 ASW MRL, Smerch Self Propelled MRL, MiG 29 SMT, 9M119 Avir/AT-11 ATGM, Tanguska SA-19 Mob AD System, Mi-8

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FOCUS

Helicopter and Mi-17 Helicopter.

T-50PAKFA Fifth Generation Stealth Fighter is being jointly developed by the two governments.

Though a comparatively late entrant, Israel has rapidly established itself as a major supplier. Important deals include Phalcon Airborne Early Warning System, Super Dvora Patrol Craft, Barak-8 SAM, EL/M-2084 Air Search Radar, Searcher UAV, Heron UAV, Griffin Guided Bomb and EL/M- 2221 STGR Fire Control Radar.

A number of joint development projects are also under implementation with the government owned companies.

India signed a contract with DCNS of France for the construction of six Scorpene submarines at the Mazagon Dock Ltd with imported technology.

DCNS is a government owned company and the deal was vigorously promoted by the French leadership, akin to government-to-government trade.

Recent purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from the French government is considered to be a landmark deal.

Government-to-government route does have many major benefits. Most importantly, there are no middlemen.

The price is generally reasonable as the seller government negotiates the price with the manufacturer. India is saved considerable time, effort and expenditure. With sovereign guarantees, quality, performance parameters and after sales support are assured. India gets complex weapon systems fully integrated and configured. Hence, this route is ideal in respect of the latest systems, which no other nation possesses or is ready to offer. It implies that the equipment should undisputedly be the best available and there should be no need to carry out comparative trials.

On the other hand, government-

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to-government deals suffer from some serious handicaps as well. All countries develop defence equipment keeping in mind their capabilities, doctrine and envisaged operational exploitation.

It is not feasible for any seller to modify an existing weapon system to suit Indian parameters – both on account of expediency and economic considerations. If India wants any equipment, it has to accept it as it exists.

In other words, it becomes a ‘take it or leave it’ situation.

In a multi-vendor environment, India can ask all vendors to submit techno-commercial proposals as per the parameters evolved by it to suit its operational needs. As it is a buyers’ market in the world arms trade, competition and market dynamics of multi-vendor open bidding allow a purchaser to drive hard bargains to get most favourable commercial terms through adroit negotiations.

India’s much hyped defence procurement procedure is based on the fundamental principle of transparency, free competition and impartiality. On the other hand, every governmentto-government deal violates the said principle. It must nonetheless be admitted here that even DPP recognises the fact that the standard procedure cannot be followed in cases where procurements are required to be done from friendly foreign countries on a single vendor basis on mutually agreed terms between the two governments.

Whereas the desirability of procuring equipment in an open and competitive environment cannot be disputed, government-to-government deals prove beneficial for complex hi-tech defence systems. India gets the benefit of the seller country’s experience as regards

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logistic support, training and operational exploitation.

Such deals are invariably based on politico-military decisions. These include accruing geo-strategic advantages; imperatives of strategic partnerships; and major diplomatic, political, economic, technological and military benefits. In other words, governmentto-government deals promote national foreign policy objectives and generally form a part of larger packages to cement ties between the two countries.

Government-to-government route precludes wider competition and trials.

Thus, this route should be adopted after due diligence and not as a matter of routine convenience. It should normally be adopted to procure cutting-edge equipment that is unavailable from any alternate source. Absence of middlemen is another factor of overriding consideration. Allegations of corruption and slush money have been plaguing every deal concluded with business houses.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”

The current system has been in place for 15 years and has failed to deliver. A complete change-over is overdue. Minor modifications and cosmetic changes mean little and result only in selfillusion and complacency. Governmentto-government route should be an exception rather than the rule. India must curb its penchant for resorting to this route to circumvent convolutions of DPP. There is no substitute for a wellevolved procurement procedure.

The author is a retired Major General

FOCUS

PROCUREMENT ON OVERDRIVE The pace of defence procurement has picked up, reports MIKE RAJKUMAR

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he Indian Navy has emerged as the beneficiary of the latest Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) led by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, with "Acceptance of Necessity” (AON) being granted for an urgent Naval Aviation requirement for 111 naval utility helicopters (NUH) as also procurement of nine advanced active towed array sonar (ATAS) systems for the Navy.

The NUH tender gains importance as it is the first contract that will be concluded under the new ‘Strategic Partnership’ model mooted by the Government. The `27,736 crore contract for 111 helicopters requires 15 helicopters to be delivered directly from the manufacturer and the remaining 96 to be produced in India.

With a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) expected to be issued next year, it would take a minimum of three to five years for a formal contract to be awarded if past procurements are any indicator. A contract award by 2020 and entry of the first helicopters by 2021-2022 would be the ideal scenario. The Navy is also looking to acquire 123 naval multi-role helicopters (NMRH). To bolster its existing fleet of obsolete fleet of utility helicopters, the Navy had placed an order with HAL for eight Chetak helicopters and two spare engines in August this year.

A proposal worth approximately `8,000 crore was cleared earlier in March for purchase of 32 Dhruv helicopters for the Navy and Coast Guard. Of the 32 helicopters to be built by HAL, 16 each would be shared by both the services. HAL also received a contract for 41 Dhruv helicopters in September for the Army and Navy.

The contracts for supply of 41 ALHs are worth approximately `6100 crore and delivery of the helicopters will be completed by 2022. The Ministry of Defence (MoD)

issued a Request for Information (RFI) for 22 helicopter mounted machine guns (HMMG) in October. It is expected that the pintle-mounted machine guns will be installed on air force Mi-17 V5 helicopters or the Dhruv. The 7.62 x 51 mm machine guns must have an effective range of 1000 m or more and a cyclic rate of fire of not less than 3000 rounds/minute. The procurement process is to start next year and it is planned to commence fitment of the machine guns onto the helicopters with 3-6 months of the contract signature.

Another sign of greater urgency related to defence procurement has been the inking of contracts by the MoD for the procurement of 1746 Commander Thermal Imaging (TI) sights from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for Army T-72 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). The Coast Guard has also been another beneficiary of the improved procurement climate, having taken delivery of six new interceptor boats over the last few months and also adding new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs). In addition to the latest DAC approval for procurement

of nine ATAS systems for `450 crore, AON had been granted earlier in September for procurement of upgraded indigenous sonars for Navy destroyers and frigates through the ‘Buy Indian’ route at a cost of `200 crore. Atlas Elekronik had bagged the original contract for six active towed array sonar systems (ACTAS) for the Navy in May 2014. The towed array sonar ACTAS operates in the low-frequency range and permits surveillance of the sea space at ranges in excess of 60 kilometers, depending on the sound propagation conditions of the water. ACTAS provides warships with an exceptional operational range advantage over both the operational range of radars and weapons systems employed by submarines. The Navy has also signed a contract with Ultra Electronics for procurement of 12 New Torpedo Decoy Systems (NTDS) worth approximately `298 crore.

The pace of defence procurement has picked up and must continue to allow the armed forces to recapitalise their assets, that have drawn down due to retirement of platforms and obsolescence

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STRATEGY

HOW INDIA CAN PREPARE FOR WAR ON TWO FRONTS

PIB

India must rely on innovation, bold tactics and intense training to defeat a joint China-Pakistan attack, writes RAKESH KRISHNAN SIMHA

Union Minister for Defence Nirmala Sitharaman and the Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat at Pokhran Field Firing Range, Rajasthan on September 23, 2017

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an India fight a two-front war? If tiny Israel with its back to the sea can repeatedly defeat much larger Arab countries in multi-front wars over the past 70 years, India with virtually unlimited resources should at the very least achieve a Mexican standoff in a

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shootout with China and Pakistan.

In the 1973 Arab Israeli War, Israel single-handedly defeated a joint attack by Egypt and Syria, which was supported by the expeditionary forces of Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan and Cuba. To top it all, the expeditionary forces were reinforced by air force

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contingents from North Korea and Pakistan. It was superior training, tactics, morale and equipment that ensured a Jewish victory.

The two-front threat is not new.

Since the Sixties, the prospect of the Dragon intervening to bail out Pakistan has been a constant factor in India’s war planning. In the 1965 War, the

PIB

STRATEGY

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewing the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of terror attack in Uri, in New Delhi on September 18, 2016. The National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, Defence Secretary G. Mohan Kumar and other senior officers of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Defence are also seen

Indian Army moved divisions from the mountains to the Lahore front only after it was convinced that the remaining forces could undertake a holding operation if the Chinese opened a second front. Again, in the 1971 War, the Indian Army waited until the Himalayan passes were snowed under – effectively blocking out the PLA – before launching its blitzkrieg into Pakistan.

Enemies grow closer

How realistic is the two-front scenario?

In the past, India’s political leadership ignored a number of red flags raised by forward thinking generals. For instance, in 1951 when the political leadership led by Jawaharlal Nehru was singing ‘Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai’, Army Chief K M Cariappa saw the looming threat and presented an outline plan for the defence of Arunachal Pradesh.

Nehru snubbed him, saying that it was not the commander-in-chief’s business to tell the Prime Minister how to defend the country. “He advised Cariappa to worry only about Pakistan and Kashmir; as far as (Arunachal Pradesh) was concerned, the Chinese themselves would defend our frontiers” (from Leadership in the India Army by General V K Singh).

In 1958, during a banquet organised for a Chinese military delegation, a PLA general remarked that “China would never forget that Indian troops took part in the sacking and looting of the Summer Palace during the Second

Opium War.” The late Lt General J F R Jacob writes in ‘An Odyssey in War and Peace’ that he reported the matter to his superior B K Kaul (a relative of Nehru), who admonished him for having “misunderstood” the Chinese.

Considering how often the military leadership has been right – and how often the politicians have blundered – it would be ill-advised to disregard the statements by both the army and air force chiefs that India must be prepared for a worst case scenario.

On September 6, 2017 Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said the country must be prepared for a potential twofront war with China and Pakistan as reconciliation with the latter looked bleak. Referring to the 10-week Doklam standoff in the Himalayas, Rawat said the situation on India’s northern border could worsen in future, in which case Pakistan on the western front could take advantage of the situation.

Similarly, IAF Chief B S Dhanoa sent a personal letter to 12,000 officers, asking them to be prepared for operations “at a very short notice”.

While the Chinese are clearly rattled

by India’s uncharacteristic aggression, the Pakistan Army’s pride has taken a huge knock by the Indian Army’s surgical strike in PoK. With the signing of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the equation between the two virtual dictatorships has become even more skewed in Beijing’s favour. It has come to the point that Pakistani commentators are describing

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it as a master-client relationship, where Pakistan has no choice but to dutifully follow China in all strategic matters.

After the sixth iteration of the Shaheen exercise, conducted by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and its Pakistani counterpart, the PAF, in Xinjiang in September, a Chinese air force office remarked that pilots of both countries had become “buddies” after training together.

According to Colonel Wu Qian, “Speaking of Pakistan, the first word that comes to my mind is Iron Pak. If we characterise Pakistan-China militaryto-military relations, the three key terms are all-weather brotherhood, high-level mutual assistance and support and deep-rooted strategic mutual trust.”

Such statements are hardly new and in fact have been parroted for decades.

This is because the Chinese and Pakistani world views are uncannily similar. The Chinese elites want to restore the country to the glory days of the Middle Kingdom, implying that the country occupies a central position in the world, and therefore China is superior to all other nations. Similarly, many Pakistanis dream of restoring the Mughal Empire over the Indian subcontinent. Because the Chinese cannot become masters of the world if there’s a powerful India next door, and Pakistanis cannot reinvent the Mughals until India is balkanised, these views neatly dovetail into a common hostility against India.

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STRATEGY

Dassault Rafale Aircraft

Author F S Aijazuddin’s writes in his book, From a Head, Through a Head, To a Head – The Secret Channel Between the US and China Through Pakistan, that in the early 1960s Chinese Premier Zhou-Enlai had travelled to Pakistan and suggested to President Ayub Khan that Islamabad should prepare for prolonged conflict with India instead of short-term wars, and raise a militia force to act behind Indian lines.

Considering such deep-rooted hostility from two nuclear armed adversaries, India should be in a state of constant battle readiness. The government should be prepared to spend at least 5 per cent of its GDP on defence. This isn’t as big as it looks.

For, it is better to spend 5 per cent on defending all that is dear to us than to lose 50 per cent of it in war. Sparta, the warlike Greek state, was in a perpetual state of war readiness. On several occasions Greece was saved from defeat because, unlike the other city states, Spartans trained for war 365 days of the year.

Two enemies – two strategies

A few months after the 1971 victory, the late K Subrahmanyam wrote: “India will have to develop and keep at readiness adequate forces to deter China and Pakistan from launching an attack either jointly or individually and in case deterrence fails to repel aggression effectively…faced with the possibility of two adversaries, our aim must be to hold one and reach a quick military decision with the other.

It is obvious that the latter can only

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be Pakistan. Consequently, our force requirements must be planned to achieve this aim.”

The lynchpin of India’s strategy in the event of a joint China-Pakistan attack should be two-fold. One, launch a multipronged blitzkrieg into Pakistan and capture bite-size (60-80 km) chunks of territory. This will ensure a quick capitulation without setting off fears in Islamabad that India wants to break it up like in 1971. Only if Islamabad wants, will the war escalate to the nuclear stage.

Two, against China the Indian strategy should be offensive defence – absorb the initial wave of attacks, decimate the adversary’s forces massed in Tibet, his airfields, highways and support infrastructure, without escalatory attacks on the Chinese heartland. Quick reaction mountain divisions should be able to form an impenetrable wall that acts as a meat grinder for the invading forces.

New approach to war

This might come as news to many.

During the 1971 War, Army Chief Sam Maneckshaw and IAF Chief P C Lall “were not on speaking terms”, writes Lt General Jacob. As the chief commander of the Eastern Army, Jacob had to deal with two IAF command headquarters – one in Shillong and the other hundreds of kilometres away in Allahabad – which posed coordination problems for the army. Because Maneckshaw refused to speak to Lall, Jacob had to meet the Air Chief Marshal in person in order to sort out the issue.

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Such decision making paralysis could prove suicidal in a future highintensity war that may be fought in a nuclear environment. With both China and Pakistan aiming for fourth generation warfare capability, operational synergy among the three forces must be at the heart of strategic planning. According to former Army Chief Deepak Kapoor, “For this, joint operations, strategic and space-based capability, ballistic missile defence and amphibious, air-borne and airland operations must be addressed comprehensively.”

The PLA is progressing towards full mechanisation and “informationalization” by 2020.

Spurred by the US pivot to the AsiaPacific, the Chinese are making big strides in imbibing information technology and science and technology in all their arms and service units.

India must also transform from having a military based on quantity to a military based on quality. Integration of network centricity, decision-support systems, information warfare and electronic warfare into operational plans will offer the technological edge required to sustain and win wars.

The creation of a new South-Western Army Command is an indication that the army has initiated the process of acquiring a greater offensive punch along the entire western front with Pakistan. After the harsh lessons learnt from the 2002 Operation Parakram – when it took the army's strike formations almost a month to mobilise at the international border – India’s Cold Start strategy (blitzkrieg style warfare) was taken out of the cold storage and repeatedly ‘wargamed’.

Once perfected, Cold Start will allow India to mobilise fast and strike hard.

India also has to strategically counter the military asymmetry with China in the eastern sector. The vast network of roads and railways developed by China in Tibet, which borders India from eastern Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, allows the PLA to easily mobilise forces quickly, thereby retaining the flexibility to field a balanced fighting force at a number of places. In contrast, border roads in India continue to be neglected and survey work for railway lines in the critical Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh started only this year. The equally important Bilaspur-ManaliLeh corridor is under way but it is in the slow lane. The Finance Ministry is

STRATEGY

sitting on a number of border rail links proposed by the Defence Ministry, saying not many people would travel by these trains, and hence they would be financially unviable.

While there is no need for Cold Start warfare in the Himalayas, the army must be able to amass forces quickly while the IAF strikes at advancing Chinese columns. In the words of General Kapoor, there needs to be “a proportionate focus towards the western and north-eastern fronts”.

Brahmos on Su30-MKI

Asymmetric warfare

Asymmetric warfare (or asymmetric engagement) is war between belligerents whose relative military power differs significantly, or whose strategy or tactics differ significantly.

This is best illustrated by easily quantifiable air power. For instance, China can throw at least 21 fighter squadrons against India, from its eight airbases in Tibet and other airfields to their north. Even more Chinese fighters can join forces if they are able to overfly Myanmar. Similarly, Pakistan can deploy as many as 25 fighter squadrons. India currently has 29-33 fighter squadrons. Considering such asymmetry, the country will have to rely on innovation rather than numbers. The following strategies will help India in the event of a joint ChinaPakistan attack.

Saturation missile warfare

Taking lessons from the 1991 Gulf War, India became the first country outside the two superpowers to go in for cruise missiles in a big way. More importantly, it is the only country that has gone in for supersonic cruise missiles, raising several regiments of the BrahMos. It is the BrahMos that is likely to be the Brahmastra (super weapon) that could swing the war India’s way. The sudden and stealthy impact of missiles can be highly demoralising to the enemy, eroding his resolve. When waves of BrahMos missiles start thudding into their defences, tanks, air bases, ships, and command and communication centres, it will hasten capitulation.

Against Pakistan, the targets are obvious. A saturation cruise missile attack will within minutes utterly cripple the country’s command and control centres; nuclear power plants, including the Kahuta ‘Death Star’ where the majority of the “Islamic” bombs are manufactured; the Sargodha Central Ammunition Depot west of

Lahore where most of these warheads are stored; ballistic missile bases in Gujranwala, Okara, Multan, Jhang and Dera Nawab Shah; Pakistani Army Corp headquarters in Rawalpindi; the Karachi Port, Pakistani’s only major harbour and its Naval HQ; and ordinance factories that manufacture tanks and fighter aircraft.

The supersonic Brahmos armed with a conventional warhead can theoretically penetrate hardened command, control and communication centres. However, if required the missile’s conventional warhead can be replaced with miniaturised nukes. A pre-emptive strike will therefore ensure that Pakistan’s offensive capability is effectively neutralised.

India has deployed the BrahMos Block III against China, and this version has "trajectory manoeuvre and steep-dive capabilities" for mountain warfare. With IAF Sukhoi Su-30s being configured to carry miniature BrahMos A, India will be able to reach Chinese territory in a 3000 km arc, which will include all of Tibet. India must have enough firepower to cause considerable damage to Chinese military assets in the Western Theatre Command (Tibet), forcing the PLA to replenish its forces from the Han heartland more than 1500 km away. These supply lines can then be re-targeted by Indian Sukhois.

Cruise missiles offer war planners a tantalising option compared with piloted jet fighters because you have

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zero risk to pilots, pinpoint accuracy and lower costs. A made in India Sukhoi-30 costs $75 million but a BrahMos missile costs $2.7 million.

India has five BrahMos regiments – each made up of four launch vehicles and 90 missiles. The supersonic strike option is probably the most inspired decision the Indian military and political leadership has taken in the past three decades.

Air power

Air power will play a critical role against both China and Pakistan as it is the IAF – plus anti-aircraft artillery – that will have to absorb the initial wave of attacks. If India’s land and naval forces are to operate at their full potential, they must have air cover.

It could take until 2030 – when all 36 Rafales, 126 MMRCA fighters and indigenous Tejas warplanes are inducted – before India finally has the optimum number of 45 squadrons which the IAF has been requesting since the 1950s! However, even with the current diminished IAF fleet strength of 29-33 fighter squadrons, India can neutralise Pakistan’s air power early on in a conflict.

Defence analyst Dr J A Khan writes in Air Power and Challengers to IAF, that in the event of a flashpoint with Pakistan, “its air power will be obliterated by the quality and quantity of air weapons India possesses”. He mentions: "With the present air power

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STRATEGY

LCA Tejas

preparedness, India will have the capability to hit every single important military and economic target in Pakistan. And given Pakistan's size, each target there is ten times as valuable as an equivalent target in India. As far as Pakistani attack capability, it can only be minuscule. Pakistani air power will have an extremely difficult time protecting Pakistan skies. The token numbers available for attack can, if at all, get to targets only in western India."

SFC Sukhois: India’s Mini Air Force

A key role will be played by a little known wing of the Indian military – a mini air force which is most likely under the Strategic Forces Command (SFC).

The SFC has asked for two squadrons of nuclear capable strike aircraft to be used conjointly with land-based and submarine launched ballistic missiles.

It is hardly a coincidence that 42 Su-30 MKIs are being converted at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to carry the BrahMos-A. This batch of Sukhois will also have hardened electronic circuitry to shield them from the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear blast.

A tactical nuclear warhead on an air-launched BrahMos-A fired

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from a super-manoeuvrable Su30 MKI won’t just further enhance the IAF’s strike capability (and the aircraft’s survivability because the pilot can fire it from Indian airspace) it would also complicate the enemy’s defence planning. It is a lot easier for India to destroy Pakistani war fighting capability because not only is Pakistan relatively smaller but it has also concentrated its defences in one province, Punjab.

Having a dedicated aircraft for the nuclear attack role offers India’s war planners strategic flexibility and increases the odds of success. They allow you to delay the use of your doomsday weapon – the ballistic missile. Because nuclear armed rockets are used only as a weapon of last resort, they cannot really be deployed at will.

Plus, once released they cannot be recalled, and if shot down are not easily replaced. Fighter aircraft, on the other hand, can perform repeated sorties and be vectored and re-directed as they travel.

Forward deployment: South China Sea

If China could have its way it would turn the South China Sea into a private

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lake. In July 2011, an Indian amphibious assault vessel on a friendly visit to Vietnam was contacted 45 nautical miles from the Vietnamese coast by the PLA Navy, which warned that Indian Navy ship was entering Chinese waters.

However, the ship continued on its journey as scheduled.

Two months later in a typically ludicrous statement that one has come to expect from communist regimes, a PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “China enjoys indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea” and that “China's stand is based on historical facts and international law”.

Since the PLA Navy has a permanent presence in the seas bordering India, the Indian Navy must create a task force specifically for the South China Sea. It doesn’t have to be based round the clock off China but (like the US Navy conducts submarine patrols in the Sea of Okhotsk bordering Russia) the flotilla can travel in and out of the South China Sea. The very mention of an Indian Pacific Fleet will set off the alarm bells in Beijing, but it would be the best way to show that two can play the game. A Pacific Fleet – able to rest and fuel in Japan or Vietnam – will allow India to target the Chinese from the east for the first time. Great nations – or nations that hope to be great – have to launch missions that signal the seriousness of their intent. Fighting China in the Himalayas is one thing but taking the fight to the Hans’ seaboard is what a great nation would do.

Endgame

Self-belief is a huge factor in winning wars. Unlike many sections of the leftist media and liberals who continue to belittle the ability of the armed forces, thankfully Indian soldiers do not subscribe to such defeatist views.

People forget that India has defeated Pakistan not once but in four successive wars. Against its larger adversary, the results have been mixed. In 1962 Jawaharlal Nehru threw the Indian Army into a war that it wasn’t prepared for. In 1968, India turned the tables on China at Cho La where a massive PLA force was battered into humiliation and forced to withdraw three kilometres from the border. The Indian Army killed as many as 340 PLA soldiers while losing only 65 of its own.

The moral of the story is that India’s soldiers will get the job done if given the right tools.

DIPLOMACY

CHINESE CHALLENGE ON THE LAC The Doklam face-off with China has been resolved but it is unlikely that the Chinese will forget it in a hurry. What is likely is that the LAC will be an alibi to signal disagreement elsewhere and influence an outcome suitable to China. That is why, LT GEN K G KRISHNA points out, the army could face complex situations on the ground and will need to have the power of freedom of action and the unambiguous backing of the Government to tackle such situations.

PIB

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi being received by the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, at the Dialogue of Emerging Markets and Developing Countries, during the 9th BRICS Summit, in Xiamen, China

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he Sino-Indian “face-off” in the Doklam area and the subsequent developments has brought to sharp focus the complex nature of our relations with China and nations in our immediate neighborhood. In the new age era of instant information and opinion formulation, the substantive issues get left out of the initial discourse as the focus mostly remains on the ‘incident’ and the immediate responses of the nations. Even as the nations’ armed forces deal with the tactical situations on the ground on a

daily basis, the bigger picture needs to be constantly in view and on the radar. Let it be said in the beginning that neither China nor India will want the border to become active – implying exchange of small arms fire – leave alone a conflict. Both nations are mature enough to resolve issues that arise out of our unsettled borders. That said, both the armies would remain ever vigilant and at loggerhead at times, to preserve and uphold the sovereignty. To rephrase another quote, for peace (or tranquility on the LAC/border) does not mean the absence of threat (or thereby of

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war) but of learning to co-exist with the differences – for now.

Doklam did not come about suddenly in 2017. Once Xi Jinping established his authority and consolidated his power by 2014, the Chinese posture changed from the persuasive to the aggressive and assertive. China has been on an overdrive the last few years in interpreting its ‘core interests’ and expanding its influence. In the South China Sea, it has progressively taken control of it through coercive, assertive and physical means since 2013. It even disagreed on a ruling

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of a Tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Hague, finding its historical claims based on a ‘nine-dash line’ not in conformity with legal foundations, on a petition by the Philippines. The regional and the international response had been muted due to the multinational claims on the region, the Chinese economic and diplomatic coercion, and an unenthusiastic US. With its chiefly economic clout backed by modernised armed forces and state controlled media propaganda, China has been on to assertive diplomacy especially in Asia.

Nearer home, on the Sino-Indian border, it flexed its muscles in the Eastern Ladakh Sector, an area where we were marginally tactically at a disadvantage; there was a three-week stand-off in Burtse in April 2013; Chumar, again in Eastern Ladakh followed in September 2014.

Even as the focus was on the Ladakh region, Western Bhutan too (which essentially borders the Chumbi Valley and includes the Doklam area) witnessed a distinct change of status quo (a map reference to that area is important for a clearer understanding of the issues).

In Western Bhutan, in the area claimed

by China, they have systematically improved their infrastructure leading to and within the camps they occupied in the 1970s, often referred to as intrusion/temporary camps but are now permanent. More significantly, after a long gap, Chinese patrols went right up to the Jampheri Ridge Line in 2013. And in 2014, they increased the frequency as well as behaved in a coercive and aggressive manner when confronted by the Bhutanese Army. A road/track exists across the Merug La ridge right up to the Doka La. It is the extension of this to the Jampheri ridge that has been contested.

These Chinese actions need to be seen in the context of the pressure being brought to bear on Bhutan to undertake the ‘Joint Survey’ and resolve boundary disputes of their Western Sector. The Chinese local military commanders might have misinterpreted our physical non-interference to the extended reach of patrolling in the last couple of years.

India and Bhutan are the two countries with which China’s land border disputes remain unresolved. While China has no direct diplomatic relations with Bhutan, both the nations have a mechanism to discuss the border disputes, including a joint survey. Bhutan has already given up some territory in the Kula Kangri area on their Northern border with China.

However, the Chinese accuse India of not letting Bhutan settle the border dispute

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DIPLOMACY

Consequent upon relocation of the Tri-junction point to Gymochen further down south, China now claims additional land, as indicated above

as well as of denying a direct diplomatic relationship. The intent to build a road in this area at this phase of relations must have been to test our resolve, drive a wedge in our relations with Bhutan and coerce Bhutan by a threat of conflict on its borders. It otherwise defies military logic in terms of preparation, contingency planning and response mechanism.

Though less likely, it could be a purely military decision by an over-enthusiastic commander (at whatever level) without reference to Beijing.

The incident has brought to the fore some positives: most important has been the projection of ‘National Will’ as it should; in more ways than one, borne out of strategic thought and timely response than of back-to-the-wall compulsion.

This also conveyed our resolve to stand by our treaty obligations. The next has been to convey to China that we too have our ‘core interests’ vital to our national security which they must recognize and not change the status unilaterally. This is consistent with the “Panch Sheel”. Also, the public postulation of Bhutan of its sovereignty over the territory on June 29, 2017, after a ‘loaded’ two weeks silence, has further clarified the status of the area to the world at large, not withstanding Chinese historical claims.

We must recognise that this “faceoff” occurred at a location where we had a distinct geographic, operational and logistic advantage. While that does not take away from the firm, correct

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and momentous decision taken by the Government, and the Army’s resolute and professional conduct, future potential conflict areas may not be as advantageous.

Also, this was in an area of trilateral dispute and hence of different dynamics, than would be of a bilateral one, either Sino-Indian or Sino-Bhutanese. Our response here was a shift in gear and a new benchmark.

The whole incident also brings to the fore some complex issues, especially for Bhutan; it would probably look at it as one that they could do without. For a country that prides itself in “Gross Domestic Happiness” than GDP, and peaceful coexistence despite its two huge neighbours, a near-conflict situation on its borders would be unwelcome to its people.

Doklam area is of trilateral interest, for us arising out of our understanding of the Tri-junction and the potential threat to the “Siliguri Corridor”. Our postulation was also of treaty obligations with Bhutan. Doklam apart, Bhutan has bilateral boundary disputes with China.

Chinese intrusions in Western Bhutan in the Dramana area are decades old and still under dispute and a potential area of Chinese assertions; away from the geographical/operational advantages that we now had and outside of a trilateral disputed area. We need to reassure Bhutan and must be prepared with our responses across the spectrum for any Chinese assertiveness to marginalise our stature or of our relations with Bhutan.

DIPLOMACY

The border problems obviously arise out of our history and with our understanding of the geography. It is very wisely said that if we forget our history we are likely to repeat our mistakes and if we forget our geography we are doomed in advance. The Late Jaswant Singh in his book, Defending India, aptly illustrates the complexities at the time of our Independence in understanding the issues related to geography and a sense of territoriality to Indian strategic thought and culture.

The concept of a nation-state came about with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648; of a nation’s sovereignty over its territory. It is extremely relevant that at the time of our independence, we were unaware of the exactness of our borders; a legacy left behind, deliberately or circumstantially or otherwise by the British. 70 years since, we are not only left with our problems arising out of the unresolved delineation of the mutuallyWIKIPEDIA agreed boundary with both our major Nine Dash Line neighbours but their friendship being ‘all weather’, the occupation of Aksai Chin, the illegal handing over of the Shaksgam neither heard the last on Doklam area nor Valley by Pakistan to China in 1963 and this going to be the last of such differences now the Chinese Economic Corridor involving the Bhutanese borders. It may through the POK and more, adds to the even be the beginning of a new phase of complexity of the security challenges of tactical jostling in all our disputed pockets our country. and elsewhere. The understanding arrived India and China share many areas at the present disengagement, may have of similarity and of divergence. We are been tempered by the BRICS summit in two huge nations with enviable past China in September this year, and must of civilizational knowledge; economic be further expeditiously worked on to strength of the 18-19th centuries and refine the existing Border Management catastrophic decline in the 20th century Agreements between India and China to until the growth curve of the past few maintain tranquility on the LAC/borders. decades; of scientific thought, commerce We have mutually accepted disputed and trade and cultural richness; of areas and some referred to as emerging population and poverty. From these would disputed areas with China. We must flow our areas of congruence for mutual work out practical operating procedures benefit and of the conflict of interests in these areas that deny a chance for vying for common resources, markets misunderstanding and misadventure; as and a place on the high tables of the world also avoid constant redefining of those organisations. These by themselves are areas by China. Not firing a bullet on unlikely to be the cause of war. Maturity the border since 1967, even during the and diplomacy would and should resolve Samdorong Chu crisis is no guarantee for issues to mutual satisfaction, if not a the future. When a push comes to a shove, typically win-win outcome. However the things could go wrong unintentionally.

Chinese sensitivities and vulnerabilities We have already witnessed “Banner Drill” flow from a threat to the divergences as go the stone pelting way at Pangong So are: single vs multi party system; central Lake area, Ladakh, some time ago. control vs democracy; single vs multi China is unlikely to let this incident ethnicity; their head start in economic fade away in totality. Even if they want recovery vs our catching up; that can to, the nature of the growth paths create serious situations of conflict. of our two countries is such that we While sovereignty is a core interest, so would have recurring instances of is ‘The Party’ control of the nation, Han disagreements and conflict of interests. domination and internalisation of Tibet.

An undesired complexity would creepGiven the nature of the fight for the in, if our improved relations with the strategic space in the region, we have US are seen as a direct threat to the

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Chinese strategic interests. It is extremely important that, in perusing our national interests elsewhere, we do not develop a Sino-Indian trust deficit (as we have with Pakistan), for we share a long geographical contiguity. Also our differences may not always be as easily recognisable as at Doklam nor they necessarily be involving the boundaries. However, what is likely is that the LAC will be an alibi to signal disagreement elsewhere and influence an outcome suitable to China. The Army especially, will be facing complex situations on ground that the commanders and the troops need to recognize and deal with. In the insurgency areas, we say that tactical actions have strategic impact. The situations on the LAC/border would pose such dilemma, for these could be complex, time sensitive and of multiministerial involvement. The Army needs to have the power of freedom of action and the unambiguous backing of the Government.

In this era of geopolitics and especially for us aspiring to be a regional power, the armed forces of the nation come into vital play, more often and more relevantly, in situations not necessarily purely military in content and context. A nation’s armed forces are a distinct, substantive and inalienable part of the Comprehensive National Power. An application of this ultimate state power – the armed forces– or an understanding of its limitations is vital to state craft; for their failure leaves lasting ill-effects both on the national psyche and future options. As we seek an enhanced geo-political role, comprehensive structures and resources are needed to first ensure the armed forces are nurtured consistent with national aspirations and second organisational robustness exists to exploit the potential.

Here are large and worrisome gaps; some perpetuated by design of the bureaucracy and some by the inadequate or unwilling understanding of the political leadership of affairs military. The issues involved are well known and discussed for decades, but have remained unresolved and even unimplemented; willingly or otherwise.

Regrettably we have not even been able to integrate the Ministry of Defence and the Service Headquarters, leave alone the North and the South Block ministries.

If anything, it has only retrograded. The next crisis may not come about with the advantages as at Doklam.

The author is former Director General, Military Intelligence

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TIME TO HALT THE KIM VS TRUMP SKIRMISHES Two leaders of nuclear armed countries – US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un – both given to bombast, have been exchanging nuclear loaded threats with each other. Their words and actions could hurl the Korean peninsula and much of the region into a nuclear battleground, writes AJAY SINGH

K

im Jong Un’s latest round of missile and nuclear testing has brought North Korea close (if not already there) to its professed aim of attaining the capability to strike the United States with nuclear tipped missiles.

Since he has taken over the reins of his country, his impoverished regime has already conducted four nuclear tests (in a total of six conducted by N Korea) and over 80 missile tests. What was most dangerous was the latest fission-fusion device tested in September 17, 2017, which reportedly attained yields of 120 Kilotons, or 16 times the power of the warhead used at Hiroshima. That was a significant improvement over the last test of January 16, 2017 which was a boosted fission device with a relatively low yield of 12-18 kilotons (although North Korea claimed it was a Hydrogen bomb). This latest test shows that North Korea is well on its way to acquiring true nuclear capabilities.

When coupled with its impressive record of successful missile launches, North Korea now has the reach to deliver its lethal arsenal. On September 3, its ICBM Hwasong 12 launched from Sunan airfield

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in North Korea, overflew northern Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean 3700 kms away attaining heights of 770 kms. This range would enable it to hit the US base at Guam with a slightly flattened trajectory. Its earlier test of an ICBM Hwasong 14 – launched on July 4 as a telling message on USA’s Independence Day – with estimated ranges of 10,000 kms when mounted with a 650kg warhead gives it the ability to hit mainland USA. If mounted with a nuclear warhead, it can flatten an entire city in Hawaii, Alaska and parts of the East Coast.

North Korea has not developed the terminal accuracy for pinpoint strikes, but if mounted with a nuclear warhead with a 70 kilometer radius of damage that would not be necessary.

How far it is from reaching the degree of miniaturisation to fit a nuclear bomb atop its ICBMs, is not clear. Nor is it clear whether it has perfected the development of a re-entry vehicle that will prevent the warhead from burning up during its re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere (the Hwasong Missile reportedly broke up during its re-entry phase in the last test). However, having come this far, it is only a matter of time before North Korea’s largely under-estimated scientists attain that.

North Korea backs up its nuclear and missile capability with a formidable conventional force. With a force of 9,40,000 active personnel and 5,50,000 reservists, it has one of the largest militaries in the world – albeit not a very modern one. Its 5025 tanks, 944 aircraft and over 10,000 artillery pieces give it an impressive strike capability and its 76 submarines and 11 frigates can cause considerable maritime damage. In case of a war, even without its nuclear and missile capability, it would definitely not be a pushover.

The isolated regime has only one ally – China – which also seems to have given up on containing its erratic leader. In fact, China, joined the UNSC sanctions imposed on North Korea after its latest test. Yet, there are limitations to what China can do (or is willing to do). It would definitely not want another war in the Korean Peninsula which would most probably end with a military defeat for the North, bring about Korean reunification, send millions of refugees streaming into China and bring South Korea and around 23,500 US troops stationed there in direct contact with China. Nor it is willing to push Kim Jong

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DIPLOMACY

Un too hard, knowing that even a small provocation can send the Korean peninsula hurtling into war – maybe even a nuclear one.

US President Donald Trump is not helping with his own erratic threats and tweets. By his own ill-conceived threat that ‘Mr Rocket Man is not going to be around much longer’ and that he will ‘totally destroy North Korea’ he has only invited more belligerence. North Korea has deemed his words to be an ’Act of War’ and threatened counter-measures like shooting down US aircraft even if they are not within Korean airspace. The war of words between two belligerent and not very mature leaders only heightens the tensions over the Korean Peninsula.

But then, what are the options before USA? Though they have proposed even more sweeping sanctions, sanctions do not work.

Cuba sustained a full 50 years of sanctions which only succeeded in making Fidel Castro appear as a hero. The effect of sanctions are only felt by the common populace and the Kim regime has little concern for that.

North Korea is not going to give up on its nuclear capability through sanctions or any other form of coercion. Kim Jong Un is canny enough to realise that his nuclear capability is essential for his own survival and that of his regime. Muammar Gaddafi, blinked under international pressure and gave up his nuclear capabilities, only to be ousted and brutally killed. The more Kim tests and the closer he gets to true nuclear capabilities, the stronger his position becomes. Even if somehow, Kim Jong is convinced to come to the negotiating table, he will never relinquish his nuclear capabilities. The most that can be expected is a freeze in his nuclear and missile programme in return for a removal of sanctions and resumption of economic aid.

The flip-flop over the US-Iran nuclear deal has also complicated the issue. With Trump repeatedly threatening to pull out of the deal, Iran, which has so far upheld its end of the agreement, too has gone the belligerent way. It tested a 2000 kms Khorramshahr missile capable of carrying multiple warheads, in September this year. Trump’s threats against Iran will be viewed

by North Korea as an example of how the USA can renege on a deal even after it is struck. It will push North Korea further down the nuclear path to ensure that its arsenal is primed and ready.

So, what is the way ahead? For starters, the war of words has to stop. But, what if North Korea tests again? Another test or two will give it the capability to strike not only the US bases in the region, but also hit mainland targets. Will another test make it cross the ‘Red Line’ then – if it has not already done so? Then how will the US respond? It could launch a pre-emptive strike on its launch sites, but North Korea‘s nuclear and missile arsenal are widely dispersed, hidden in a network of tunnels and decoys, and there is no guarantee that the strike would remove all Kim’s assets. It could disrupt North Korea’s programme with a massive cyber-attack as the Israelis did when they infected Iran’s software with STUXNET and put its programme back by two years. But whether that will work again with North Korea is debatable.

More so since North Korea has formidable cyber capabilities that enabled it to hack into South Korea’s military computer and extract 235 Gigabytes of classified data — including detailed operational plans and also plans to decapitate the leadership.

It could hope to intercept North Korea’s missiles with its exorbitantly expensive THAAD defenses, but at $300 billion they still have only a 50 per cent success probability in optimal conditions. There is no way of ensuring that the complete arsenal will be neutralised.

Launching a pre-emptive strike which has no guarantee of a 100 per cent success, will unleash a wave of missiles, both conventional and nuclear tipped, that will wreak havoc on Seoul, Japan and other US allies who will suffer the most in a

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miscalculation. Should the USA and South Korea launch a conventional attack on the North, there is little doubt that in spite of their numbers, the North will be ultimately defeated. But will Kim Jong then launch the remnants of his arsenal in a ‘Use-them-or-losethem’ move. The possibility of a nuclear tipped missile striking not only Seoul or Japan or even the US mainland may make Kim’s threat to ‘Sink the USA in a Sea of Fire’ come true.

The world can only hope that good sense will prevail. The rhetoric has to be toned down though, else it makes it even more difficult to back down.

Actions like the flying of US B-1B Bombers over Korea, and veiled threats only help ‘light the wick of war’.

It is unlikely that Kim Jong will halt his programme, but with psychological maneuvering can be persuaded to cap or freeze it. That would at least keep the threat dormant. Else the war of words could escalate into an exchange of bombs, rockets and missiles the consequences of whom will be most felt

by South Korea, Japan, the North Korean population and China. Nor would the US be completely insulated.

Should North Korea be able to strike US targets with their ICBMs, it will bring the spectre of war closer to USA than ever before.

The war would also suck in China and Russia and economically push the world back into another depression. So, while the missiles and nuclear tests have to stop so too does the war of words and tweets. Only then will calmer minds be able to make some headway to resolve the Korean impasse, and the threat it poses to world peace.

The writer is the author of books: The Battles that Shaped Indian History; A Spectrum of Modern Warfare; and Through Orphaned Eyes

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INTERNAL SECURITY

SMART BORDER MANAGEMENT

MANAGING BORDERS – THE SMART WAY

At the interactive session with senior officials of border defence and border guarding forces, (L-R) Y S Sehrawat, Director General-Systems, Central Board of Excise & Customs; Lt Gen Suresh Sharma, Engineer-in-Chief, Indian Army; Lt Gen Shokin Chauhan, Director General, Assam Rifles; Dr Subhash Bhamre, Minister of State for Defence; Maj Gen Dhruv C. Katoch, Director, India Foundation; R K Pachnanda, Director General, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP); and, Somesh Goyal, Director General of Police, Himachal Pradesh

The recent conference on how to manage our borders brought to the fore stakeholders – from the government as well as domestic and international companies – to find out ways on how to secure borders that not only allow movement of people while minimising the potential for cross-border security threats, reports ADITI BHAN

I

ndia’s borders are huge and complicated. ‘One border, one solution,’ doesn’t fit the country. Forces need real workable solutions while industry needs proper communication. These are some of the problems that were discussed during the two-day conference on ‘Smart Border Management

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2017’ organised by FICCI in partnership with India Foundation in New Delhi recently. Almost everyone, directly or indirectly related to border management, was present at the event. From union ministers to government officers, heads of various forces guarding the border to retired officials, Indian and international compa-

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nies – everyone came together to find solution to one of the country’s most important security challenges – how to create smart borders which, on the one hand, allow enhanced trans-border movement of people, goods and ideas, and on the other, minimise potential for cross-border security threats?

INTERNAL SECURITY

India’s border

India has over 15,100-km land border and a coastline of more than 7,500 km.

It shares its land border with seven countries namely Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan and Afghanistan. The border, spread across 92 districts in 17 states, runs through immensely varied and unfriendly terrain and presents numerous challenges before security agencies. The problem is further compounded by the fact that India shares its border with hostile countries like Pakistan.

Challenges

The major challenges in border security are cross-border terrorism, insurgency, infiltration, narcotics, smuggling, poor accessibility and inadequate infrastructure, among others (see table).

Also, there is no single force responsible for border security in the country.

While Border Security Force (BSF) takes care of border areas with Pakistan and Bangladesh, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) is the border guarding force at the Indo-China border. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) takes care of Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders even as Assam Riffles looks after the Indo-Myanmar border.

Speaking about the problems facing India, Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, said that the engagement of multiple agencies in border management was resulting in delay of implementation of policies and adoption of technology. Underlining the need for enhanced coordination and collaboration among diverse government agencies and stakeholders, Rijiju stressed upon the change in the mindset of people.

“Future of border surveillance lies in increasing technology than manpower,” said K K Sharma, DG, BSF. He spoke at length about the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS), which has been deployed on a pilot basis in select terrains to boost India’s security systems. Explaining CIBMS, Sharma said that the main components of the system are virtual fencing, command and control system, response mechanism, power-backup, maintenance and training. He added that with the adoption of CIBMS, India was looking at moving from human-centric to network-centric surveillance to counter the limitations of human resource. He also spoke about the need to focus on using renewable forms of energy as remote areas and unfriendly terrain do not provide for regular uninterrupted

TOUGH CALL Land border challenges:

1. Physical limitations: India faces unique problems: • Unfriendly/inundated terrains • Riverine • Marshy lands in states like Gujarat which makes technology redundant • Cross border terrorism • Smuggling/illegal activities • Mudslides • Extreme weather conditions like heavy rainfall, snowfall etc 2. General/administrative challenges: • Working in silos: There is a need for all the stakeholders in border management – armed forces, CAPF, defence industry to come and work together.

• No concept of continuity management in India: If an officer retires or is transferred, the work done by him suffers. Often, the next incharge starts from the beginning instead of

power supply.

While smart fencing is what India is looking at, it isn’t easy given the physical conditions in which the forces operate.

This was stressed by R K Pachnanda, DG, ITBP, when he said, “As of now, we have no car in India which can operate at -45 degrees celsius. Also, there are poor communication networks. We need real solutions.”

Highlighting the severity of problem due to extreme weather conditions in India, Lt Gen Suresh Sharma, Engineerin-Chief, Indian Army, said, “30-40 per cent of fence is lost every year due to floods, extreme weather, etc.”

The importance of smart fencing

Speaking about the importance of border management and how fencing aids security agencies, Lt Gen S A Hasnain (Retd) informed the audience how, during his tenure in J&K, good fencing aided the security agencies in killing infiltrators at the border itself, thus ensuring there were less militants inside the state.

“There is a need for intelligent fences. Depending upon the threat, the fences also have to reinvent themselves,” suggested Sandeep Kumar, CEO, Magal-

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November 2017

continuing from where the previous officer left.

• Ignoring industry concerns: Legitimate concerns like standardisation, easy access to geospatial data for private companies, etc., have still not been addressed.

• Inadequate electricity supply in remote border areas: With erratic power supply, how can technology assist?

3. Tech challenges: • Equipment should work in extreme temperatures.

• Security: Ensure sensors/ communication channels are not. hacked/jammed.

• Standardisation/ Interoperability still an issue: User is yet to specify standards to the industry. It is important that machines (acquired or to be acquired from various vendors) should be able to talk to each other

India.

Even as companies presented their solutions, showcasing technologies keeping in mind Indian terrains, the need was felt for both users and industry to come together and jointly devise solutions. “Uniform and industry need to sit together and discuss how we can improve, what needs to be done,” advised Lt Gen Shokin Chauhan, DG, Assam Rifles. Chauhan also familiarised the audience with the kind of problems that his force faced at the border. “IndoMyanmar border is an open border.

People on both sides are related/ linked.

So, how do we ensure that no insurgents enter our territory when there are no fences or when it rains eight months in a row?” he asked, adding, “We have to work with weather, people and culture to come up with a solution. We would, however, prefer virtual walls.”

BSF officials present in the audience too had a question for the industry. “Can a fence detect between a human and an animal?”

Threat of transnational crime in South Asia

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is formulating an action

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INTERNAL SECURITY

‘BIG CHALLENGE IS NO UNIFORMITY OF LAWS’ ANKIT MEHTA, Co-founder & CEO, IdeaForge on working with the government which is bad for business.

Battery is also an issue. Getting them onboard quickly is a very big problem.

We can only get them by sea and that’s challenging. We can’t wait for months for a battery. It is crazy. Nobody makes batteries in India and no one is going to sponsor us for making them. These are some challenges that we face.

IdeaForge is one of the successful stories under the ‘Made in India’category.

Tell us about your experience of working with the government? What kind of challenges do you face?

Largely, it has been a good experience.

There are challenges but they are systemic.

One of the challenges is that there isn’t uniformity of regulation and laws. There are laws but a lot of people following them are at a greater disadvantage than people who are not following. For example, a person who is producing something for a civilian market is not under any restrictions. Although he is supposed to be under restrictions, the law is not blind towards them, but implementation is blind. Because of such scenario, you end up in a situation where you are competing against those who have no regulation, no constraints on them while you follow every constraint that is imposed on you.

Also, often, we have found that during security checks, esp., at borders, security guards would either not check anything or be overzealous and hence won’t give clearance easily. This leads to uncertainty

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Do you plan to expand your operations outside India?

Right now, we are very focused on India.

Typically, one would assume that the world outside offers a bigger opportunity, but honestly, if we look at defence, India is a very important market. India is the largest UAV importer in the world. And one can make UAVs here as well – we are trying to balance the scale from that side.

There's enough demand in the country.

As of now, IdeaForge is only focused on UAVs… Yes, we are very focussed. We believe that it is very important to be known for something. Then eventually, you can build on your credibility.

What next?

We are focussed on high-performance systems. We are working on creating capabilities which do not exist in this country. We will have systems soon coming up with those kinds of capabilities.

Plus, we are working on a couple of new categories which would help us increase the usability of our platforms for our customers. Ultimately, what matters is whether the customer is successful in his mission or not. If he can detect Naxals digging the road, our job is done. After all, the reason we started this company was to be able to contribute something to society, help save lives.

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

plan for 2018-21 which will spell out the threat assessment of transnational organised crime in South Asia. The details of the plan will be shared with countries of the region to enable them to take effective and timely measures for putting in place an integrated border management system. This was stated by Sergey Kapinos, Representative – UNODC, Regional Office for South Asia.

Organised crime has diversified, gone global and reached macro-economic proportions: illicit goods may be sourced from one continent, trafficked across another, and marketed in a third.

Transnational organised crime can permeate government agencies and institutions, fuelling corruption, infiltrating business and politics, and hindering economic and social development. And it is undermining governance and democracy by empowering those who operate outside the law.

Kapinos said integrated border management needs to be developed as an integral part of the overall national security system in close coordination with neighboring countries as improving security unilaterally will amount to nothing if not implemented in cooperation with border states.

Coastal and Maritime Security

India’s long coastline, more than 7,500km, presents a variety of security challenges like smuggling, illegal landing of arms and explosives at isolated spots on the coast, infiltration/ex-filtration, use of sea and off shore islands for criminal activities, and so on. The absence of physical barriers on the coast and presence of vital industrial and defence installations near the coast only enhance the vulnerability of the coasts. Post the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in 2008, the government of India took several steps to strengthen coastal and maritime security but much remains to be done.

“India has hundreds of islands. Many of them are unmanned. Surveillance of these islands is important,” said Additional Director General VSR Murthy, Indian Coast Guard. “Also, given the fact that transponders are expensive, identification of vessels at sea remains a major challenge for us. The problem is further aggravated by the fact that people don’t carry smart cards with them despite having been issued by the government,” he added.

The occasion saw the release of FICCI-PwC report on ‘Smart border management: Indian coastal and maritime security.’ The report elucidated

INTERNAL SECURITY

‘WE MUST GIVE TIME TO MAKE IN INDIA TO STABILISE’ LT GEN SANJEEV MADHOK (RETD), Head of Defence Business, Dynamatic Technologies Ltd on the indigenisation initiative and time needed for it to work We hear a lot about standardisation/ interoperability. What do you have to say about it?

As a former military officer, I now work for Dynamatic Technologies Ltd. It is a

listed Indian company with a global brand, having its facilities stretching from the Americas to Europe to Asia. With respect to interoperability, I have been saying it all along that this aspect is not only ‘mission critical’ but also saves time, space and rupees, in terms of the logistics foot-print, training and life cycle costs. Take the case of UAVs. We already have searchers and herons, in our inventory from IAI, Israel.

To meet the challenging requirements of situational awareness in battle as also the proxy war, there is obviously an additional demand for various types of UAVs from the military customers, for example, Mini, MALE, NSUAS (for the Navy), etc. The CRPF too is on the lookout for UAVs that will help them in their operations in the red corridor. While fair-play, level playing field, competitiveness, etc., are well understood and need to be complied with, what I am concerned about is that though good quality UAVs would be selected by the respective customers, these UAVs may not be able to ‘communicate’ with each other, during war, because of lack of interoperability, due to being made

by different companies in the world.

Although, these UAVs would be ‘Made in India’, each of a kind or label will have a different protocol, since there is no standardisation. My suggestion would be that the military customers and others should purchase UAVs of similar standards, that is, similar to the UAVs that are already existing in our military inventory, so that the ‘family of UAVs’ are all interoperable.

Just to elaborate, during my younger days, in our military inventory, we had many different types of wheeled vehicles (B Vehicles) – TMB, Shaktiman, Jonga, etc. In recent times, we have put in place the standardisation process.

Now, there is a ‘system of systems approach’, with one family of B vehicles serving the military. With this methodology, logistics and training comes easy, lifecycle costs goes down, and repair and maintenance is within reach. There are a lot of advantages in this approach.

It is obviously, indigenisation. And this will happen with small steps – the user, industry, academia and R&D, all partnering and moving ahead, under the dictum – ‘one for all and all for one’.

As time passes, the policy makers will review, audit, devise and redevise ways to do business, thus, making it easier for all, with stress on indigenisation. For example, I made a point today, during the seminar, that we have a strategic partnership model for four segments – then why not for UAVs or unmanned systems? Situational awareness is one of the most important battle winning factors. So, while we move towards a unified ISR system, we need to prioritise, as to what is more important in terms of numbers in the battlefield. Is it tanks or UAVs; or aircraft or UAVs? The future is in unmanned systems and I am afraid that by not including this aspect as one of the segments for strategic partnership, we may miss the boat. It is still not too late to include it as a fifth segment.

I definitely see light at the end of the tunnel. My company, Dynamatic Technologies Ltd, has been ‘Making in India’, for India and the world, for last three decades and we have found the ‘Make in India’ initiative extremely positive.

We see a lot of hype around ‘Make in India.’ How do you think it can happen when we are still struggling with basics like interoperability, standardisation, etc? Frustration can already be seen among many vendors.

It is too early to talk of ‘hype and frustration.’

Our military industrial complex, with participation by private companies, is just about three decades old, with global defence companies celebrating their 100th or 150th anniversary. It takes time for such policies to stabilise. I feel that ‘Make in India’ is a very good initiative of the government of India. A lot of good things are already happening – let us give it time.

Remember, self-reliance is related to national security. What is self-reliance?

What do you think is preventing the ‘Make in India’ initiative to move on a faster track?

As I said earlier, we must give time to this great initiative to stabilise. The private industry is definitely keen to help and the slogan, ‘Fighting Indian wars with Indian solutions’ has caught the frenzy of all. Of course, more frequent interactions between the industry and the user are required. Now, military and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are talking to the industry more openly than before, explaining their point of view. To my mind, things are moving and I am positive about this initiative of the government. It is presently moving slowly, trudging the path with care; and as I said, give it time – the moment it stabilises, there is going to be a fast move ahead.

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INTERNAL SECURITY

(Clockwise from top left): 1. Rajan Luthra, Co-Chair, FICCI Committee on Homeland Security & Head-Special Projects, Chairman's Office, Reliance Industries presenting Green Certificate to Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs; 2. Keynote Address by K K Sharma, Director General, BSF; 3. Sumeet Gupta, Senior Director, FICCI presenting Green Certificate to Dr Subhash Bhamre, Minister of State for Defence; and, 4. Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, addressing the conference

the present status of various government programmes, the current challenges before the agencies and recommended the way forward. Some of their recommendations: • Consolidation of various stakeholders • MHA to concentrate on training of marine police with recruitment of talented local fishermen and provision of incentives such as sea duty allowance • Inclusion of private players in maritime security • Integration of marine police in the coastal security chain to track coastal fishing activity • Setting up of Central Marine Police Force to standardise equipment and seamlessly integrate all the realms of coastal security • All coastal states and UTs to set up maritime boards • Setting up of a multi-disciplinary National Maritime Authority (NMA) under the aegis of MHA • Deployment of a satellite constellation

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• •

for coastal surveillance Enactment of the Coastal Security Bill which has been pending since 2013 Creation of the National Coastal Security Corps of the National Cadet Corps

Solutions

Several suggestions popped up for smart border management. While development of these regions remains a top priority, majority of people were of the view that there needs to be just one body which looks after border area management.

Developing physical infrastructure in border areas: “Border areas of other countries are well-connected, complete with basic amenities and telecom services, whereas, India has isolated its border areas and restricted civilian movement and commerce,” said Rijiju, adding that the government had initiated work for the development of these regions. It hopes to connect each border post with a motorable road in the next three to four years.

Speaking about how infrastructure

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

development can lead to increase in trade and reduction in crime and smuggling/ trafficking cases, Y S Sehrawat, DG-Systems, Central Board of Excise and Customs, DoR, MoF, suggested that instead of check ports at borders there should be land ports, “something like airports.” He then demonstrated case studies of several such successful land ports developed by government like ICP Agartala, ICP Attari, ICP Petrapole, ICP Raxaul, etc.

“It is not just right infrastructure but we need smart people at border,” said Somesh Goyal, DGP, Himachal Pradesh.

“People are migrating from border areas. We have to stop that. We need to manage the perception of people living in border areas, that is, we need ‘positive subversion’. There is a need for sustained engagement of people to be on our side,” he said.

Kumar summed it best when he said, “Solution lies in people plus technology plus processes. There can’t be one border, one solution. Multiple pilots are needed for different terrains.”

DEFBIZ

PREPARING FOR PARTNERSHIP Adani and Saab are racing to secure a supply chain for Gripen in India, reports MIKE RAJKUMAR

The Gripen India Partnership Summit 2017 hosted in New Delhi last month sought to bring Saab’s global partners for Gripen and Indian industry together

A

dani and Saab are moving quickly following their September 1 announcement that they would partner to offer the Gripen multi-role fighter for an Indian Air Force (IAF) single-engine fighter aircraft requirement. The Gripen India Partnership Summit 2017 hosted in New Delhi in October brought Gripen’s global partners and Indian industry together in an effort to find a common footing and to secure the participation of companies that want to be part of the effort to bring Gripen to India.

“The aim of the whole event is to create the arena that will bring the existing international partners for Gripen to the table for discussions with the potential Indian suppliers to shape the eco-system and prepare for an outstanding make in India solution for Gripen in India,” said Mats Palmberg, VP Industrial Partnerships & Head of Gripen for India.

Despite the size of India’s defence market, decades of public sector largesse have meant that pool of aerospace companies and Small & Medium

Enterprises (SME) associated with supply of aerospace grade components and parts is a small one. The Adani-Saab combine will be competing with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL)-Lockheed Martin to sew up Indian companies for their India fighter offerings. Keeping this in mind over 100 Indian companies who represented a wide range of competencies within the aerospace sector were invited to the summit. The Gripen India Partnership Summit sought to form technological and industrial partnerships, with a focus on creating an industrial ecosystem to develop and produce Gripen in India.

“Gripen partnership summit is a big step in realising Adani’s vision of transforming India into a defence manufacturing hub. The event provided a platform to global and Indian players to collaborate and define an indigenisation roadmap for critical structures, systems and technologies foundations to Make in India initiative,” said Ashish Rajvanshi, Head, Defence and Aerospace for Adani Group. Among the international partners there were several European as well as

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American companies such as GE (US), Honeywell (US), Leonardo (UK), UTC (US), Harris (US/UK), Heroux Devtek (Canada/UK), Cobham (UK) all of which provide a substantial portion of the high-technology systems that go into the Gripen. Creating awareness amongst the international suppliers for Gripen was also the focus at the summit, “We have been talking about Make in India and global suppliers need to understand that there is a real tangible opportunity out here. This platform gives them an opportunity to interact with Indian companies,” Rajvanshi added.

Gauging Interest

With more than 80 per cent of the Gripen fighter aircraft being outsourced to Saab’s international partners and suppliers, it will be a complicated and timeconsuming task for the foreign OEMs to ascertain which Indian suppliers will be able to meet the process and certification standards for supply of parts for a complex 4th generation fighter aircraft. It is for this reason that Adani and Saab are

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DEFBIZ

(Left) Saab will highlight its Brazilian partnership as proof of its ability to successfully undertake the required ‘Transfer of Technology’ as per India’s requirements and, (right) Brazilian Air Force Gripen NG fighter jets are to be fitted with the full-colour, large-screen (19 x 8 in) Wide Area Display. The information on the screen can be accessed via the Hands On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) or touchscreen display

in the ointment here is that the Defence the opportunity that exists.” seeking early commitments from Indian Research Development Organisation An example put forward was that of companies that want to be part of the eco(DRDO) is making use of offsets from the General Electric (GE), which supplies system for Gripen in India. This process Rafale deal to complete development of F404IN20 engines for the Light Combat will continue as the two companies the indigenous Kaveri engine for use on Aircraft-Tejas Mk-1 and in 2010 was prepare for the fighter selection process.

Tejas MkII and AMCA. selected to supply F414-INS6 engines Gripen’s global suppliers at the event An encouraging aspect is the fact that for the Tejas MkII. GE is also expected used the opportunity to meet with Indian many of the Gripen’s global suppliers to supply the engines for the Advanced companies and gauge their capabilities, already have an India presence or are Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The identify gaps and will also exchange sourcing parts from here. Adani is Gripen E is powered by the F414-39E information about global and Indian counting on this to make the process engine which will be fitted on 60 aircraft best practices to enable potential joint of identifying Indian suppliers to for Sweden and 36 aircraft for Brazil. It operations. The possibility of a deeper the programme easier and less time has also been selected by the Republic of industrial cooperation between Gripen consuming. The ideal scenario system suppliers network and would be for foreign OEMs with Indian industry, will also be an existing presence in India to explored. “There was a large use the Gripen to further increase representation from Indian their in-country presence. “The industry and the purpose key here is that some of these of the summit was to create companies are already in India the foundation of industrial and ideal scenario is to provide cooperation in connection more opportunities from India with Gripen programme in in addition to supporting our India. This is the right time own efforts. If companies have to create an environment of a presence here that is good cooperation, we have the tools, enough for us, else we will have to we have the technology and explore on a case by case basis on have the means, hence it is how to proceed,” Rajvanshi said important to create a conducive while adding that it is important environment for cooperation,” It is likely that Indian firms will use the opportunity afforded by the Gripen programme to become more deeply integrated into the supply chain of global OEMs to work towards a sustainable Palmberg stressed. industrial solution. It is likely Spreading the message Korea (ROK) for supply of F414-GE-400 that the first suppliers to be certified for It appears that at the present moment engines for the KF-X (Korea Fighter Gripen work in India will be related to one of the more challenging tasks is to Experimental) programme. With engine aerostructures. In-fact Indian companies convince global OEMs to consent to orders for the LCA expected to cross are already developing significant move their production of Gripen parts/ 200 over-the-life of the programme, GE aerostructures for the LCA and SU-30 components to India. “It is important has a real opportunity to establish a MKI. Since aerostructures make up for for the large OEMs to understand and major engine facility that could supply around 20 percent of the cost of a modern capitalise on this opportunity and look engines for the LCA, Gripen and future fighter aircraft, in the longer term, the beyond Gripen,” stressed Rajvanshi, “at AMCA. The company could also use this supply of systems/systems integration this point I am not putting a number on opportunity to increase the quantity and for Gripen will prove lucrative as systems the table but I want OEMs to understand value of items sourced from India. The fly make up approximately 70 percent of the

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DEFBIZ

value of a fighter aircraft. However, there is also the matter of adhering to the strict timelines for indigenisation requirements for aircraft to be assembled in India.

Indigenisation conundrum

Another important aspect of producing either the Gripen or F-16V in India is the contradicting requirement of either procuring the aircraft quickly to meet IAF requirements to build-up its declining combat aircraft fleet strength or providing a longer timeline for delivery of fighter aircraft built in India so that indigenisation targets can be achieved.

Hence, the situation would be that of rapid delivery of fighter aircraft to the IAF at the lowest cost with minimal indigenous content or a more elaborate, drawn-out and more expensive aircraft delivery schedule which allows greater indigenous content and knowledge transfer to the Indian aerospace industry.

As things stand presently, the timelines for aircraft delivery and completion of indigenisation/transfer of technology requirements are ambitious and it was quite likely that some of the requirements for indigenisation need to de-linked from the aircraft delivery schedule. In the first phase, which will comprise of delivery of aircraft in ‘Fly-Away’ condition, almost all the parts will be sourced from the already established global supply chain, especially since this will also mean that all requisite certifications are already in place. “In the short-term we will try to optimise the level of Indian content, but we really want to achieve is share the know-how and know-why on how to really build aerospace capability in India and make India a substantial part of Saab’s global supply chain. This is our mindset,” Palmberg stressed.

By the fifth year of the fighter acquisition programme sufficient experience will have been gained to start exploring in detail as to how greater indigenisation of the aircraft can be accomplished in addition to introducing Indian companies into the supply chain. By eighth or ninth year of the project the Indian production line would have stabilised and this will allow greater participation from home-grown companies especially with regard to creation of support and maintenance infrastructure.

Saab is also unlikely to set-up another production facility for the Gripen outside of Sweden and Brazil, so an Indian production line should be able to generate viable production volumes in the future.

“We need capacity to meet the demand

Brazilian firm AEL Sistemas recently supplied the first prototype of the wide area display (WAD) that is to be integrated on the Gripen NG for Brazil

for the world market and will not expand our capacity in Sweden. So, India will be a partner in the global Gripen supply chain. We will definitely look to export out of India,” Håkan Buskhe, CEO and President of Saab had said in September, when the Adani and Saab partnership was announced. Commenting on demand for Gripen versions in the future he had said, “There is fantastic demand for Gripen in Europe, with at least 5-6 countries looking closely at the platform, he said. There is also interest from nations in Africa, a handful of countries in South America and least 7-8 countries in Asia. Sale and lease agreements for the Gripen C/D have been concluded with Thailand (12), South Africa (28), Hungary (14) and the Czech Republic (14).

India presence

The Saab India Technology Centre (SITC) completed five years of India operations in October and the joint venture between Saab India and Tech Mahindra, is an example of Saab’s in-country presence.

SITC has completed 600,000 hours of software development over the last five years and generated more than $5 million in cost savings in 2016 alone.

SITC has also made major contributions to the Gripen E. The centre is staffed with 150 consultants from Tech Mahindra, working in the areas of mechanics, stress calculations, software development and verification, Numerical Control Programming and technical publications.

“Via the Centre, we have access to a security-demarcated subset of Saab's IT infrastructure, which means that despite a distance of 7,000 kilometres, we can work efficiently.” says Bengt Rydh, Head of SITC. The Combined Team at SITC is capable of handling the entire life cycle of a project, and saves about 30 percent of the total cost. The Factor Team is best suited to well-defined repetitive tasks that are carried out in a continuous flow, like

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conversions or verifications, delivering cost savings of up to 50 percent. "Among Saab’s Business Areas, Aeronautics and Surveillance account for the most hours, but other Business Areas are also discovering SITC to a higher degree," Rydh adds. SITC plans to achieve 25,000 delivered hours during 2018.

Delivering on Brazilian promise

Saab is already delivering on its promises to develop indigenous capability in Brazil and Brazilian firm AEL Sistemas (AEL) recently supplied the first prototype of the wide area display (WAD) to be integrated on the Gripen NG for Brazil. AEL Sistemas (AEL) was selected by Saab as a new supplier for the Gripen NG in Brazil in February 2015. AEL will also develop a new HUD for Brazil’s Gripen NG aircraft. the head-up display (HUD) for the Gripen NG as part of the contract. The WAD and HUD development programme commenced in January 2015 and the new avionics systems programme which will conclude in 2019, and includes development, integration and production work to be performed in Porto Alegre. Saab will continue with development of the WAD, while the hardware related tasks for the futuristic display will be undertaken by AEL. System integration tasks are to be undertaken by Saab and Embraer. The WAD is a single intelligent and full-redundant multipurpose display system, full-colour, largescreen (19 x 8 in) with continuous image presentation and the state-of-the-art touch-screen controls capability. It is the primary source of all flight and mission information in the cockpit on Brazilian Gripen NG aircraft. The information on the screen can be accessed via the Hands On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) or touchscreen display. An extensive flight test campaign will be conducted in close co-operation with AEL at Saab’s site in Linköping, Sweden, to demonstrate and validate the new equipment.

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DEFBIZ

LOCKHEED MARTIN’S READY FOR TECH TRANSFER Building on its 25-year-old relationship with India, the US defence manufacturer is committed to shift its Fort Worth, Texas plant to India

“If selected, the partnership with Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems to build the F-16 in India will support the advancement of Indian manufacturing...”

MARILLYN HEWSON Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin

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D

efence manufacturer Lockheed Martin — one of the top manufacturers to supply 126 fighter jets to the Indian Air Force — is committed to strengthening and expanding its relationship with India. The company has partnered with India for more than 25 years and remains committed to fostering technology development, manufacturing and strategic collaboration.

This commitment is continued through the F-16 Block 70 for India where Lockheed Martin and the Tata Group signed a deal to jointly produce the F-16 fighter jets in India. This F-16 opportunity, according to Lockheed Martin, will deliver advanced defence capabilities and strengthen the strategic partnership between the US and India.

In a television interview, Abhay Paranjape, National Executive for India and Randy Howard, Integrated Fighter Group Director of Business Development, pointed out that the possibilities of transfer of technology had increased after the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit to India.

Paranjape, however, was quick to point out that the technology transfer for the production of the F-16s would not be a one-way affair; in fact, both

the US and the Indian sides would have to work together to protect their technologies in their interests.

As a part of the deal with the Tata Group, Lockheed Martin will shift its Fort Worth, Texas plant to India even as its top officials said that it was looking beyond the production of F-16 fighter jets in India.

Paranjape also said that Indian companies had developed a wide range of technology and Lockheed Martin could take it to the next level.

It had the experience of manufacturing F16s in a number of countries and it will use that experience to do the same in India. Block 70, he said was the latest of the F16s that was being offered to India. There would be technological upgrades to the Block 70 planes and Indian industry will be benefiting from those upgrades.

Speaking about the Tata Group, Paranjape pointed out that Lockheed Martin’s experience with the Tatas had been fruitful: the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) delivered quality work on schedule. Marillyn Hewson, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin, who was recently in India, mentioned that the

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

DEFBIZ

Russia wants to speed up Ka-226T project

R HC TIWARI

“F-16 is a combat-proven, multi-role fighter that will provide the Indian military with enhanced capabilities and foster greater collaboration with US forces. If selected, the partnership with Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems to build the F-16 in India will support the advancement of Indian manufacturing expertise while also generating new manufacturing and engineering jobs in the US... We are confident that this partnership will strengthen our alliance while advancing the national security and economic prosperity of the US and India.”

It was in June this year that Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems Limited signed a landmark agreement affirming the companies’ intent to join hands to produce the F-16 Block 70 in India. The F-16 production partnership was aimed to provide India the opportunity to produce, operate and export F-16 Block 70 aircraft, “the newest and most advanced version of the world’s most successful, combat-proven multi-role fighter”, according to Lockheed Martin.

N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons had said that the agreement built on “the already established joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Tata and underscores the relationship and commitment between the two companies”.

A similar partnership – and a competitor to the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 – was seen in September this year when Sweden’s Saab tied up with Adani Group to bid for a contract to make fighter aircraft in India.

ussian Helicopters (a Rostec subsidiary) CEO Andrey Boginskiy will meet India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and discuss the Ka-226T helicopter project that seeks to assemble the helicopter in India.

Specifically, Boginskiy will discuss which production facility to use for the JV to manufacture the Ka-226T helicopters.

Besides, he will also discuss the possibilities to increase import of helicopters to India and how to arrange aftersales maintenance for helicopters manufactured in Russia as well as supply of spare parts and components.

Speaking about the meeting with the Defence Minister, Andrey Boginskiy said: “Meetings at that high level are very important for our company, as they allow to establish direct relationship with our key partners, and India is undoubtedly one of them.

Our joint Ka-226T project is implemented in line with the schedule, however, it is much to be done and we are at the very beginning. We also have a huge potential for developing aftersales maintenance and we will certainly discuss this matter with Madam Minister.”

A cooperation agreement in the field of helicopter production between India and Russia was

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signed in 2015. According to that, “Russian helicopters” jointly with Rosoboronexport arrange supply and local production of Russian Ka-226T helicopter and its versions for 200 units, of which at least 140 units must be manufactured by a joint venture located in India. This joint venture established in June of 2017 will carry out assembly and repair operations and also be an integrator for Indian suppliers.

Ka-226T with its coaxial propellers has a substantial power reserve and high climb capability that increases the helicopter’s hover ceiling.

Aerodynamic symmetry and absence of cross-linkages in control channels make it easy to pilot the helicopter that is especially important for lowaltitude flights. Such rotorcraft is more maneuverable at any speed.

Ka-226T helicopter is capable of flying in mountainous areas and at high air temperature.

The chopper’s high performance characteristics and survivability are ensured by two powerful engines. In case of failure of one engine, the helicopter can keep on flying with the other. Ka-226T helicopter has features designed by the Kamov design bureau: it has low level of vibrations, it is modular, easy to operate, highly reliable and safe.

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DASSAULT AVIATION’S FIRM STEP IN INDIA T

he Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) manufacturing facility gets a go-ahead with the laying of the foundation stone in Mihan, Nagpur.

Eric Trappier, Chairman of Dassault Aviation and Anil D Ambani, Chairman of the Reliance Group recently laid the foundation stone for the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) manufacturing facility in Mihan, Nagpur.

The foundation stone was laid in the presence of Florence Parly, Minister of Armed Forces of the French Republic; Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways of India, who is also the Member of Parliament of the city of Nagpur; Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra; and Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India.

Also present were over 200 dignitaries from the state, the city administration and local industry.

The Dassault-Reliance manufacturing facility at the Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park is located in the Mihan SEZ adjoining Nagpur International Airport. A Joint Venture company, DRAL (51 per cent Reliance Aerostructure and 49 per cent Dassault Aviation), the facility will manufacture several components of the offset

obligation connected to the purchase of 36 Rafale Fighters from France, signed between the governments of India and France in September 2016.

DRAL will manufacture components for the Legacy Falcon 2000 Series of civil jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation and thus will become part of its Global Supply Chain. These first steps are expected to achieve, in the coming years, the possible setting up of final assembly of Rafale and Falcon Aircraft. The JV also represents a unequalled Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by Dassault Aviation of over 100 million Euros, the largest such defence FDI in one location in India.

The DRAL facility will train thousands of skilled workers in aviation assembly and integration and lead to

huge employment generation in Nagpur and its surrounding areas. It will also attract and house an organic ecosystem of over 200 MSMEs to secure the component and avionics manufacturing needs of Rafale and Falcon Jets.

Dassault Aviation Chairman Eric Trappier declared that “this foundation stone laying demonstrates Dassault’s firm commitment to implementing Prime Minister Modi’s “Make in India” programme. It gives the 65 year-long strong association of Dassault Aviation in India a new momentum and the will of future manufacturing developments.”

Reliance Group Chairman Anil D. Ambani, stated “this facility in Mihan, Nagpur within the Aerospace Park named after my Late Father Dhirubhai Ambani could not have happened without the strong and consistent support of Nitin Gadkari and Devendra Fadnavis. The Reliance Dassault partnership will bring high levels of Technology Transfer. It will make India a major supplier into the global aviation supply chain. It will be the endeavour of both Dassault and Reliance to fully support Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’ policies and to accelerate India’s pursuit of self sufficiency in the aerospace sector.”

MDL IMPRESSES FRENCH MINISTER F

lorence Parly, French Minister for the Armed Forces along with her team visited the country’s premier warship building yard, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, during her recent visit to India. She was received by Cmde Rakesh Anand, Chairman & Managing Director, MDL. The visitors were shown the yard facilities including production shops, modernisation project, etc. and a presentation was made to showcase MDL’s capability.

Parly was impressed with the facilities and professionalism of the workforce at MDL. She congratulated all contributors to the Scorpene Submarine Project

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which epitomizes the spirit of IndoFrench co-operation.

MDL had recently delivered the first Scorpene submarine Kalvari and the second will be delivered in early 2018. MDL is now waiting for further submarine orders.

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

DEFBIZ

Thales offers HAL radar for TEJAS

HAL hands over 50th Su-30MKI engine to IAF

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he 50th AL31FP engine, manufactured from raw material

by Sukhoi Engine Division of HAL (Koraput) has been handed over to IAF in Delhi recently as part of celebrations of 70th year of India-Russia diplomatic relationship.

“The AL31FP engine powers Su-30 MKI and is manufactured from raw material stage. All the components, including heavy forgings are manufactured at HAL,” said T Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL. He handed over the documents related to the 50th Raw Material Phase Engine of Su-30MKI to Air Marshal S B Deo, VCAS. A coffee table book was also released on this occasion by A K Gupta, Secretary (DP) to commemorate 70 years of cooperation between HAL and Russian companies to protect the Indian sky.

Speaking on the occasion, Gupta pointed out the whole-hearted support India has been receiving for the Russian platforms and said such a support was important in strengthening the bilateral ties.

AL31FP Engine: A twin spool, axial flow, low bypass turbo fan engine incorporating After Burner System, variable area Jet Nozzle with thrust vectoring, air-to-air heat exchanger, anti-surge system. A specific feature of AL-31FP is an axi-symmetric vectoring nozzle with a thrust vector angle of ±15° in the vertical plane providing super maneuverability of the aircraft. The vectoring nozzle control is integrated with the engine control system. The AL31FP engines ensure stable operation in all available evolutions of the aircraft in super maneuverability modes. Till date 357 engines are manufactured which includes engines of phase I to phase V.

o meet the needs of Indian manufacturer HAL, Thales is offering a lightweight, compact active array radar. The latter is a result of Thales’ unmatched expertise as regards the development and mastery of active array technologies – as demonstrated by the RBE2 radar installed on Rafale – combined with the operational reliability of this combat-proven technology. The RBE2 radar has actually been operated by the armed forces since 2012.

The tests conducted during summer 2017 at the Cazaux air base in France, on a test bench aircraft, focused on metrological analyses of the radar performance.

These test flights proved that the radar is fully operational and perfectly corresponds to the specific requirements of HAL for its combat and air superiority missions. It is, therefore, ready and able to adapt to the tight schedule imposed by the Mk1A LCA. Thales radar is an advanced Fire Control Radar (FCR) designed

for air-to-air superiority and strike missions, based on fully solid-state Active Electronically Scanning Array (AESA) technology, enabling the radar to achieve long detection ranges, high mission reliability and multi-target tracking capabilities.

The Thales radar is compliant with the requirement and provides simultaneous modes of operation supporting multi-mission capabilities for air-to-air, air-to-ground and airto-sea operation modes, and weapon deployment.

“In just four months, thanks to our solid, proven experience with the RBE2, we’ve been able to carry out successful flights to test the performance of the key features of the radar we’re offering for the TEJAS Mk1A light fighter. This is a clear guarantee of its extremely high degree of operational reliability, immediately, and clearly sets us apart from our competitors as regards this call for tender”, Philippe Duhamel, Executive Vice-President, Defence Mission Systems activities, Thales.

Russia, India to pursue creation of 5th gen fighter

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he Press Service of the JSC “Rosoboronexport” being a part of the State Corporation Rostec informed that the Russian-Indian agreement was in force and there were obligations, under which the joint project on creating the aircraft of the 5th generation would be executed by the parties in accordance with the agreed terms and stages.

The history of the Russian-Indian privileged strategic partnership goes back decades of successful

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November 2017

development. Within this period of time strong relationships of trust have been formed in various fields, including bilateral military and technical cooperation, which develops dynamically and progressively. An evidence to this are, for example, the agreements on the joint manufacture of modern helicopters Ka-226 and development of a new fighter of the 5th generation– one of the joint projects in the sphere of defence technologies.

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Russian Helicopters repair Mi-24P

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he Russian Helicopters group (part of the Rostec State Corporation) has completed repair of the first of the four Mi-24P transport and combat helicopters of the Myanmar Air Force under a contract signed previously. The repair was performed in St. Petersburg at Aircraft Repair Plant No. 419.

In October this year, a team of specialists of the group came to Myanmar to repair the three remaining aircraft on the client’s territory. Accessories repaired in the Russian Federation and spare parts necessary to restore serviceability of the Mi-24 helicopters and to establish a new overhaul operation time and service life for them have been delivered to the client.

“This contract is extremely important for us as we are implementing a procedure of complete overhaul of military aircraft with on-site visits of the group specialists to the client’s territory for the first time.

Successful completion of works will lay the foundation for further development of cooperation and signing new agreements with our partners in Myanmar,” pointed out Igor Chechikov, Deputy CEO for Aftersales Service, the Russian Helicopters group. At the moment, about 10 transport and military Mi-24P helicopters as well as multi-purpose Mi-17 and Mi-2 helicopters are being operated in Myanmar.

Honeywell empowers connected aircraft capabilities

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oneywell has released an upgrade to its popular CNX-900 router that allows business aviation operators to reap the benefits of wireless database loading. Connected Aircraft equipped with Honeywell’s Primus Epic avionics system can now remotely stage their flight navigation databases onto aircraft from Honeywell’s secure server.

This simple software upgrade alleviates the manual hassle and logistics of getting the database to the aircraft, thus enhancing the data- loading experience for operators and maintainers while also giving passengers more flexibility in their connectivity options.

“Traditionally, operators had to bring equipment onboard or strategically plan missions to be home every time they needed to load a database. Now, with Honeywell’s CNX-900 router, the database can be stored on the CNX-900 over WiFi or cellular remotely anywhere in the world, and customers can easily initiate loading of database,” said John Peterson, senior director, GoDirect Connectivity and Flight Support Services. “These types of aircraft upgrades demonstrate our commitment to deliver advanced services in the cabin and cockpit that help business aviation operators enjoy significant time and cost

savings.”

Today, aircraft in a hangar need to physically connect a laptop to a data loader to transfer their databases.

That transfer also involves logistics such as preparing databases onto media that need to be carried to the aircraft prior to commencing loading activities. Now, operators can save the time normally spent setting up equipment and scheduling flights around database loading. In addition, they can save the thousands of dollars needed to fly a maintenance crew to a site if data-loading equipment is unexpectedly required.

Offering one of the most advanced routing software application suites available today, Honeywell’s CNX-900 cabin network router provides a reliable, consistent and secure in-flight wireless connection while also enabling business aviation operators and passengers to control their costs.

With this new feature, Honeywell is the only hardware provider that helps operators have a seamless experience with database loading into a Primus Epic flight deck while also providing a cabin router, all from one box.

Aftermarket upgrades are available for business jets already equipped with Primus Epic, including Gulfstream G650 aircraft. Offerings for other platforms will soon be available.

Raytheon’s new facility in Albuquerque

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aytheon Company has opened a new facility in the Sandia Science and Technology Park, expanding its operations to develop and produce range monitoring and telemetry systems for the US and its allies. The expansion will bring 60 new high-tech manufacturing jobs to the state over the next six years.

The company employs more than 350 workers in science, engineering, advanced manufacturing and management jobs at its facilities in

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Albuquerque and Diné, located on the Navajo Nation.

“Raytheon is growing its high-tech manufacturing footprint in rural and urban New Mexico, where workers are producing vital national security technology,” said Todd Callahan, Raytheon Naval Area and Mission Defense vice president. “New Mexico has a long history of scientific excellence, and we value our strong partnership with this state.”

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

DEFBIZ

Rosoboronexport at Interpolitex 2017

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SC Rosoboronexport (part of the Rostec State Corporation) presented the entire spectrum of law enforcement, counterterrorist, facility protection and information security assets at Interpolitex 2017 – 21st International State Security Exhibition at Moscow from October 17-20, 2017.

Rosoboronexport’s display presented over 130 pieces of military equipment produced and developed

by Russian defence companies. “At Interpolitex 2017, Rosoboronexport’s delegation ran an active marketing

campaign to promote traditional military equipment and also pursued the policy of image repositioning that commenced earlier this year. We presented a wide range of security products designed both for foreign security services and our private partners,” said Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov, Adviser to Director General of Rosoboronexpor, who headed the company’s delegation to the exhibition.

Rosoboronexport’s new market product called the Russian Security Systems included a variety of special

Rosoboronexport in BIDEC-2017

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osoboronexport (part of the Rostec State Corporation) has participated in BIDEC-2017 – the first Bahrain International Defence Exhibition & Conference – held in Manama (Bahrain) on October 16-18, 2017. The exhibition held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was fully supported by the Bahrain Ministry of Defence.

“Perspective military-technical cooperation between Russia and Bahrain features strong upward dynamics stipulated by the Parties’ interest in the identification of new areas of cooperation and their implementation through the signing of contracts and supplies of military equipment under those contracts. Our partners have shown keen interest in a wide variety of Russian-made air defence

systems, armored vehicles, antitank weapons and small arms,” head of the company’s delegation to the exhibition,

Deputy Director General of Rosoboronexport Sergey Goreslavskiy said.

Rosoboronexport was the organiser

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assets and systems. It included the Safe City comprehensive computeraided system, law enforcement vehicles, including aerial ones, special operation vehicles, public order vehicles, non-lethal weapons, police small arms and body armor facilities.

The new area of activities was devoted to counterterrorism means.

Foreign customers could be supplied with special small arms, close combat weapons, special armored vehicles, search and inspection equipment, explosives and drug detectors, explosives equipment and robotic systems.

The security systems also included key facility and vast land/sea border security means. Considerable emphasis is placed on counter-UAV efforts.

“Information security is one of the new areas of Rosoboronexport’s activities. Increased frequency of threats emerging in this area induces the development and improvement of cyber security means. Today we are ready to export a wide range of information security products and services utilized by various governmental and military authorities following the successful accomplishment of a variety of tests. We hope that the number of company’s partners in this area will increase to include representatives of both governmental and private institutions representing banking, power and transport sectors,” Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov added.

of a joint Russian display at BIDEC-2017.

The company provided information on 200-plus pieces of military equipment at Stand E22, Exhibition Hall 1. The other participants of the joint display included the Military Industrial Company and Zavolzhsky Crawler Vehicle Plant presenting full-size models of the SPM-233136 special police vehicle and GAZ-3344-20 tracked tractor.

“The Middle Eastern countries have first-hand knowledge of the threat of international terrorism. Special emphasis here is placed on all levels of security.

That is why we were ready to present a new product developed by Rosoboronexport, namely, the Russian Security Systems. It included the entire spectrum of law enforcement, counterterrorist and facility protection assets as well as latest cyber security measures”, Sergey Goreslavskiy added.

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DRDO, MKU sign ToT agreement

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Chairman, Neeraj Gupta stated, “Our association with DRDO dates back to 2001, when we signed the first production agreement for body armour. The agreement was for the period 2001-2008 during which we manufactured and supplied BPJs to the Indian Paramilitary and Police forces through TBRL/ DRDO. We signed a ToT for Cool Vest with Defence Lab Jodhpur in 2016. Today we are receiving the ToT for Bullet Proof Jackets developed by DMSRDE/ DRDO. This is another step forward in this long relationship.”

He added, “MKU would like to combine DRDO technology with its own experience and knowledge to develop products suitable for our defence forces – we plan to combine the cool vest technology with ballistic protection technology to develop comfortable, ergonomic BPJs for forces operating in extremely hot and humid conditions. MKU as a company is focused on R&D as we feel investment in technology is the first step towards achieving excellence.”

He also pointed out: “MKU will constantly be on the lookout for new emerging technologies and looks upon DRDO for developing technologies and products to meet the emerging requirements of our defence forces – the experience of DRDO would synergize the development.”

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November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

RDO, one of the premier laboratories of NS&M cluster, has successfully designed and developed Bullet Proof Jackets as per GSQR 1438. After the successful ballistic trials, a ToT (Transfer of Technology) Agreement was signed with MKU, at a recent ceremony at DRDO Bhavan.

The Chairman DRDO & Secretary DDR&D, Dr S Christopher, who was the chief guest also handed over the ToT documents to MKU Ltd. MKU is a committed defence manufacturing company, focused on development of ballistic protection and electro-optics for soldiers and platforms. MKU is committed to ‘Make in India’ and is always on the lookout to bring the best manufacturing technologies into the country.

Dr Christopher stated that he felt confident that the technology was being given to good hands and MKU would ensure that the product quality was maintained over the years but also improvements were made on the product. He also mentioned that DRDO would support MKU in this process for product improvement by offering their facilities for testing and validation where required. He was hopeful that this association would grow and MKU would become associated with other DRDO labs also.

Speaking on the occasion, MKU

GA-ASI signs MoUs

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eneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA ASI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huneed Technologies establishing potential areas of future collaboration. GA-ASI is the leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems. Huneed is a Korean developer and manufacturer of airborne systems, defence communication systems, and commercial IT systems.

GA-ASI and Huneed are looking to identify common areas of technology, manufacturing, and strategic interests.

Execution of this MoU positions Huneed to become a key in-country strategic supplier for GA-ASI in Korea.“Huneed has a long track record of building successful business relationships with its industrial collaborators,” said Joseph Song, vice president of international strategic development for GA-ASI. “We are pleased to begin our strategic relationship with Huneed in developing business opportunities in the Republic of Korea.”

Eugene Kim, Chairman of Huneed said, “The opportunity to collaborate with GA-ASI, a leader in the mediumaltitude long-endurance RPA market, is a testament to Huneed’s capabilities.”

MoU with KAIST: GA ASI has also signed a MoU with the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. KAIST is host to CR2CENT, Korea’s Civil RPAS Research Center (CR2CENT), which provides advice and analysis to develop a legal and technological foundation for the safe and timely integration of RPAs into Korean civil airspace.

GA-ASI sees the collaboration with CR2CENT as an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the Korean civil airspace environment and its regulatory structure.“We recognize the importance of the contributions that institutions like CR2CENT make to aviation,” said Joseph Song. “We expect that aligning with CR2CENT and KAIST will help advance the ability of RPAS to fly in Korean civil airspace.”

“GA-ASI’s experience and knowhow on airspace integration, as well as civil certification, is important to us,” said Dr. Hyunchul Shim, Director of CR2CENT. “Our work with the company will set a great example of international collaboration in developing strategies for integrating RPAS in civil airspace.”

DEFBIZ

Thales Alenia Space wins contract for Biomass mission

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hales Alenia Space has signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space GmbH to develop the feed array

system for the antenna on the European Space Agency’s Biomass spacecraft. This equipment is essential to guarantee the full satellite performance. One of ESA’s

Earth Explorer missions dedicated to protect our planet, Biomass will help us understand the quantity of carbon stored in the world’s forests within the global carbon cycle.

Due for launch in 2021, Biomass is primarily designed to determine the distribution of biomass in the world’s forests and measure annual changes.

It will generate maps of forest biomass and forest height at a resolution of 200 meters and measure deforestation at a resolution of 50 meters.

Biomass marks the first spaceborne exploration of the Earth’s surface using a P-band radar. In addition to the primary mission goals, the data generated will be used to monitor the ionosphere, glacier and ice sheets, while also mapping subsurface geology in deserts and the topography under dense vegetation.

Airbus Defence and Space UK is the prime contractor for the Biomass satellite. Airbus Defence and Space GmbH is in charge of the main instrument, a fully polarimetric

Raytheon supports ballistic missile exercise

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Raytheon-built Standard Missile-3 intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile target at sea as part of a multinational operational exercise off the coast of Scotland. The NATO-led exercise, Formidable Shield 17, was an integrated air and missile defense exercise simulating real-life threat scenarios. The event, supported by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Navy, was designed to evaluate the ability of allied navies’ ballistic missile and air warfare defenses to work together quickly and effectively to defeat incoming threats.

In addition to the SM-3 intercept, Standard Missile-2 and Evolved Seas-

parrow Missile conducted simulated target engagements of cruise missiles.

“Real-world events demand real-world testing,” said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president.

“Strong cooperation between allied nations and industry helps ensure we are ready to defeat complex threats around the world.”

Raytheon’s innovative and trusted solutions are designed to protect the US and its allies from ever-advancing threats. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States were among the NATO nations that participated in Formidable Shield. The exercise built upon a previous At Sea Demonstration in 2015, with a focus on real-world operations. The SM-3 interceptor is deployed at sea as part of the U.S. contribution to Europe’s ballistic missile defense. The first land-based SM-3 site became fully operational in Romania in 2016, and the Poland site is expected to be in service next year.

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November 2017

synthetic aperture radar (SAR) operating in P-band (435 MHz).

Thales Alenia Space will provide the SAR Antenna Feed Array which radiates onto a 12m deployable reflector to generate the SAR beam. “Thales Alenia Space is proud to be selected as the supplier of this equipment, a key to the performance of this satellite, which will help protect our planet. It also illustrates our long-standing expertise in Earth observation satellites and instruments”, said Donato Amoroso, Deputy CEO of Thales Alenia Space.

This latest contract reflects the “new space” strategy being applied by Thales Alenia Space. The company’s products and projects are designed to meet key societal objectives for our fast-changing world: observe and protect our planet, connect and guide people, deliver data that can influence decisions impacting climate change, guarantee people’s safety in today’s tense geopolitical climate, save lives during natural disasters, and even explore new worlds that may one day be home to humanity.

Rosoboronexport’s no to automatic rifles’ tender

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ussia’s state arms seller Rosoboronexport has decided against participating in the tenders for the purchase of over 20,000 7.62x39 mm automatic rifles, a source in the system of military and technical cooperation told TASS recently.

“The tender documentation is 99 per cent specified by specialists of India’s Interior Ministry for the outdated Kalashnikov automatic rifles produced in Bulgaria under the expired Soviet license. The requirements of India’s Interior Ministry for the purchase of over 20,000 automatic rifles for the reserve of the national police and the border guard service do not allow Russian companies from the very outset to submit their commercial bids,” the source said.

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Naval Group exhibits at SMM INMEX N

aval Group exhibited at SMM INMEX in Mumbai, the international trade show and conference for the Shipping and Maritime Industry in India. As a world leader in naval defence, and based on long established relationship with Indian defence industry, Naval Group looks forward to expanding the equipment business in India while cementing long term partnerships with Indian companies in line with Indian Government’s ‘Make in India’ policy.

At SMM INMEX, Naval Group showcased equipment offerings including propulsion system, SAMAHE helicopter handling system, gearboxes and heat exchangers for wide range of naval platforms such as submarines and surface ships.

Moreover, Naval Group has a wide range of products and services including platforms, maintenance, naval infrastructure and high-tech naval systems.

At SMM INMEX, Naval Group and Naval Group in India organised ‘Interac-

tion with Indian Naval Industrial Ecosystem’, which was attended by several companies from defence industry. The industry meet resulted in fruitful exchange of information and acted as platform for future partnerships aimed at achieving maximum indigenous content in Naval Group’s future proposals for submarines, torpedoes and others. The occasion was marked by agreement of Naval Group in India, one with Kirloskar Pneumatic Company Limited (KPCL) and another with Vajra Rubbers to co-operate and find indigenous solutions for submarine applications.

Bernard Buisson, Managing Director of Naval Group in India noted, “Building upon the acquired knowledge and expertise, more technology transfers in equipment and design, under the ‘Make in India’ and DPP 2016, will be achieved for our future submarine and other naval programmes.”

Thales Alenia Space to provide X-band Transmitter T

hales Alenia Space has signed a contract with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, KARI, to deliver the communications equipment for the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter mission (KPLO), a lunar probe scheduled for launch on December 2020.

These equipment will be in charge of transmitting back to Earth the data collected by the instruments on-board the orbiter.

KPLO is the first step of the Korean Lunar Exploration Programme. The main objectives of KPLO are to secure the necessary basic technology for space exploration, to establish a deep space telecommunications network and to develop cutting edge technologies for specialised scientific exploration payloads. The mission will have six payloads, including a 5m high-resolution camera, a widefield polarized camera, a magnetic field sensor, a gamma ray sensor,

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space internet test equipment and a ShadowCam. “The signing of this contract reaffirms the confidence that KARI, one of the world’s leading space agencies, places on the experience and reliability of Thales Alenia Space, both in equipment manufacturing

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

and in the integration of payloads and subsystems,” said Eduardo Bellido, CEO of Thales Alenia Space in Spain.

“It’s a great satisfaction for us to contribute to the success of a scientific mission as important to South Korea as the Korean Lunar Exploration Programme,” he added.

DEFBIZ

P&WC receives Transport Canada certification for its PT6C-67A Engine

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ratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) has announced that its PT6C67A helicopter engine - that powers the AW609, an aircraft that flies both horizontally and vertically - has achieved certification from Transport Canada.

FAA validation of the PT6C67A engine is expected by the end of 2017 and supports FAA certification of the AW609 in 2018 as the first commercial tiltrotor to enter operation.

“We were presented with a special challenge by Leonardo Helicopters - design an engine to power an aircraft that takes off and lands vertically, and flies horizontally well above adverse weather conditions at twice the speed and range of a helicopter,” says Irene Makris, Vice President, Marketing, P&WC. “The PT6C67A eloquently answers that challenge with 2,000 shp output that provides exceptional power to weight ratio, and durability.”

The PT6C-67A has a new compressor with advanced aerodynamics and the engine’s new turbines are made with stateof-the-art materials. Together, the new compressor and turbine enable increased power and reduced fuel consumption. The engine has also been certified to allow for continuous operation in

Collins’s show at NBAA 2017 Convention and Exhibition

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ockwell Collins featured its enhanced portfolio of cockpit, cabin, connectivity and flight operations solutions at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) 2017 Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was the first time that Rockwell Collins made its debut at NBAA with a combined presence with its new Interior Systems business, created from the recent B/E Aerospace acquisition in April 2017. Highlights for Rockwell Collins at NBAA includes:

Cockpit •

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Pro Line Fusion aftermarket upgrade soon to be available for Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft, scheduled to be certified by fall 2018.

Challenger 604 installed with Pro Line Fusion will be on display in static booth SD28 at Henderson Airport.

New ADS-B Out transponder and certifications to make compliance easier for operators.

Pro Line Fusion and Pro Line 21 upgrade packages that are providing a modernised flying experience for pilots while keeping aircraft compli-

ant with aviation mandates.

Cabin •

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For the first time at NBAA, the company featured seating, lighting and oxygen system options that leverage quality, ergonomics and cutting-edge technology that set the bar in the industry.

Venue™ cabin management system continued to lead the industry with a new milestone announced at the event.

Stage™ content service brings an unrivaled level of luxury to cabin entertainment capabilities.

Connectivity and Flight Operations •

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New dashboard and other new applications that interface with our connectivity solutions such as Inmarsat’s Jet ConneX (JX) Enhancements to flight planning tools that include smart potential hazard alerts, filtering and integrated, cooperative environment of flight management services Next-generation scheduling service (FOS)

a vertical position.

“Enabling the speed and performance characteristics of the AW609, the PT6C-67A certification now drives tiltrotor development forward towards the future of aircraft transport,” said Gian

Piero Cutillo, Managing Director, Leonardo Helicopters. “This certification represents a milestone within the programme that will allow us to certify the aircraft by the end of 2018 and remain on schedule with initial customer deliveries.”

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DEFBIZ

AIRBUS RENEWS ITS TRUST IN THALES A

s part of a long-standing relationship between the two companies, Airbus has awarded Thales a contract for a further two new A400M military training simulators. The French and German air forces will benefit from these new simulators respectively in 2019 and 2020.The two new simulators will enable A400M crews to train in complex missions such as in-flight refueling and low-level tactical operations in a safe environment.

So far, Thales has previously delivered

five orders for A400M FFS and two flat Panel Flight - Training Devices to France, Germany, the UK and the International Training Center in Sevilla and a sixth FFS will be delivered to Spain in 2018.

“Thales is proud to have received such long-standing commitment from Airbus and we will continue to provide high-quality simulators to enable flight crews to train for their missions.

Thales is committed to supporting the Airbus A400M platform through its development cycle with Airbus,” said Stephen McCann, Vice President, Avionics activities at Thales in the UK. Thales is the only provider of A400M Flight Simulators through OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’ARmement). In France, Thales is also an Airbus industrial partner for support operations at the Airbus A400M training centre on the French Air Force’s Orléans-Bricy 123 base.

RAYTHEON OPENS NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP CENTRE R aytheon Professional Services, a subsidiary of Raytheon Company has opened a national apprenticeship centre in Doncaster, United Kingdom, primarily to train automotive technicians. It aims to deliver apprenticeship learning services to both apprentices and employers through classroom training, virtual learning and workplace visits.

RPS is one of the largest vocational training providers in the UK with a proven track record of delivering high quality apprenticeship programmes in the automotive and telecommunication sectors.

“With a capacity of about 70 students, the new centre will deliver apprenticeships to hundreds of automotive students a year, In addition, the high retention and achievement

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rates of our learners reflect the quality of our service,” said David Marriott, Operations Manager, Vocational Learning at RPS. In the last few years, the UK government has focused on apprenticeships for workforce planning and providing access to skilled workers.

The new centre will also be the only national training centre for Vauxhall retail apprentices, ages 16-18.

“Vauxhall is extremely proud of the quality training delivered by our apprenticeship programme,” said Graham Page, Vauxhall Retail Training & Process Development Manager. “The future success of Vauxhall depends on the people we employ in the retailer network and young people are a vital part of this.”

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

ACS UNVEILS GRENADE

TRIGGER POUCH AT AUSA 2017

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CS Industries Limited, a leading supplier of innovative grenade carriers, presented the ‘Grenade Trigger Pouch’, its unique rigid carrier for fast and safe handling of fragmentation and flash bang grenades – at AUSA 2017.

Enabling one-handed grenade retrieval, the pouch is intended for use by any fighter carrying a grenade, and was specially designed for military and police Special Forces and counterterrorism units.

According to Nir Shaul, the Founder and CEO of ACS, “The Grenade Trigger Pouch was designed to address a serious safety issue in the handling of grenades of various kinds. Unfortunately, there are dozens of accidents every year involving grenades. The solution we developed is the only one of its kind in the world – enabling secure carrying and quick, safe, one-handed grenade extraction and detonation.”

Custom-molded from composite materials, the Grenade Trigger Pouch can be customised to fit every type and model of grenade, and is already available for 6 popular grenade types.

The pouch has a unique ergonomic structure and employs five separate security measures which enable both safe handling as well as fast and efficient grenade operation – crucial when fighting terror. 6 times faster than conventional fabric pouches, the one-handed extraction and detonation enable the grenade operator’s eyes to remain on the target and to always keep one hand on his weapon.

DEFBIZ

Satair Group, UTC Aerospace Systems signs long-term distribution deal

JSC Rosoboronexport completes Mi-35M delivery

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S

atair Group and UTC Aerospace Systems signed at the MRO Europe and Helitech exhibitions in London a longterm distribution contract for Goodrich helicopter rescue hoists and winch systems. The contract covers worldwide distribution with the exception of the Asia-Pacific and Chinese markets.

Goodrich helicopter rescue hoists and cargo winch systems are used worldwide by military and paramilitary operators, coast guards, police forces, firefighters, medical evacuation crews and private operators. The equipment is used on a wide variety of different helicopter types, including Airbus helicopter models. The deal marks the first entry of Satair Group into the helicopter sector and introduces the company to hundreds of new customers among rotary wing operators and helicopter MRO service providers.

Signing the contract, Steen Karsbo, VP and Head of Business Development of Satair Group stated, “We are happy to improve Goodrich support of our customers in need of spare parts.

The helicopter sector has been on our strategy agenda for some time and

through this important new agreement we are now making our first entry into this sector. We have enjoyed a long-standing business relationship with UTC Aerospace Systems across other fixed-wing product lines and are determined to earn their continued business by delivering excellent service in the rotary wing sector. We will now add hundreds of new customers to our portfolio and through this introduction to the helicopter sector we hope to be able to expand our business dealings with these new operators by also introducing them to our existing product lines.”

Mark Skarohlid, VP of Business Development and Customer Support for Sensors & Integrated Systems at UTC Aerospace Systems added, “UTC Aerospace Systems is pleased to extend its customer support relationship with Satair Group into the rotorcraft sector.

Satair brings a unique logistics and component availability core competency in aftermarket support that directly aligns with our customer strategy. Under this new contract, our customers will benefit from both increased access to spare parts and shorter turnaround times.”

www.geopolitics.in

November 2017

SC Rosoboronexport (part of the Rostec State Corporation) has completed delivery of the Mi-35M transport/attack helicopters and associated equipment to the Republic of Mali.

“We have shipped two Mi-35 helicopters to Mali as was requested by our Malian partners. The Mali an Side has been very grateful to us for meeting its request and has also expressed satisfaction with the quality of equipment. I am confident that the helicopters will help the nation protect its sovereignty and successfully fight the main challenge of the 21st century, namely, terrorism”, Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport said.

Mi-35M is the world’s only multi role attack helicopter capable of effective fire engagement, transportation of upto 8 fully-equipped troops, munitions or other cargos weighing up to 1,500 kg inside a cargo cabin and up to 2,400 kg with an external sling, evacuation of the injured and delivery of technical personnel to the independent basing areas.

The Mi-35M boasts formidable fire power stemming from its hefty ammunition load and enables the helicopter to provide air support for ground troops. All-day and all-weather operation, enhanced flight capabilities, including take-offs and landings at concrete and unsurfaced helipods, and successful design solutions allow operating the Russian helicopter within a wide range of geographical and climatic conditions, including mountainous, hot and wet climate. The feature has been verified in the course of the Mi-35M’s successful operation in Syria, Iraq and other hotspots around the world.

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DEFBIZ

Safran unveils its new range of engine Aneto

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afran Helicopter Engines unveiled its brand-new Aneto high power engine family at Helitech International, in London. Designed for new super-medium and heavy helicopter market, it incorporates groundbreaking technologies, developed as part of the Safran Helicopter Engines R&D roadmap. Aneto family will feature several models covering 2500 to over 3000 shp power range.

Bruno Even, President, Safran Helicopter Engines said, “Launching the Aneto engine family here in Helitech marks a major milestone for Safran Helicopter Engines. It is the result of a long and sustained strategy of technology acquisition and maturation. Today we are in position to bring to the market a new generation and competitive engine solution for the super-medium and heavy helicopter market, ready to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2018. We are convinced that Aneto will offer a new level of performance coupled with reduced operating costs”.

First 2,500 shp model, named

Aneto-1K, has been selected by Leonardo to power its twin-engine AW189K. Gian Piero Cutillo, Managing Director Leonardo Helicopters, said “We are pleased that the AW189K will be the first helicopter to feature an Aneto engine. This new turbo shaft engine will offer our customers a high level of performance and further extend the capabilities and versatility of our super medium platform, particularly in hot & high conditions. Operators will also benefit from Safran’s longstanding experience in the helicopter market as well as from its strong worldwide support network.”

Aneto engine family bring significant benefits: Thanks to an exceptional power-to-volume ratio, it offers 25per cent greater power (when compared to existing engines of same

volume), contributing to increased mission capabilities especially during de-

manding missions requiring more power like offshore, search and rescue, fire-fighting or military transport, as well as better performance in “hot and high” conditions.

Todd Ernst to lead Corporate Development at Raytheon

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aytheon Company announced that Todd Ernst has been named Vice President, Corporate Development to succeed Michael J Cody, who is retiring after serving more than eight years in the role at the company. The change is effective Nov. 6, 2017.

Ernst adds oversight of merger and acquisitions while continuing his role as head of Investor Relations. He also continues to report to Toby O’Brien, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Raytheon.

“Todd’s expertise in finance, banking

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and strategy is ideally suited to his expanded role as we continue to position the company for global growth,” said O’Brien. “I want to thank Michael for his solid leadership of our Corporate Development function and congratulate him on an impressive career supporting our overall global growth, competitive advantage and enterprise collaboration goals.”

Ernst has led Raytheon’s Investor Relations since November 2010. He joined Raytheon in January 2010 as Director, Competitive Assessment

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

for Corporate Strategy. Previously, he held Senior Equity Analyst positions at Balyasny Asset Management and Neuberger Berman, covering aerospace and defence and other industry sectors.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from DePauw University and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance and Corporate Strategy from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He is also a designated Certified Treasury Professional.

Cody has led Corporate Development since June 2009 when he joined Raytheon. He was instrumental in shaping the company’s cyber and technology portfolios, leading 20 acquisitions including Raytheon’s $1.57 billion agreement with Vista Equity Partners to form a new company that combined Web sense (a Vista portfolio company) with Raytheon Cyber Products to become what is now Force point.

DEFBIZ

Naval Group’s Guillou forms small team to boost development

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fter the proposal from Hervé Guillou, the Naval Group General Management Committee approved the appointment of Alain Guillou as Naval Group Executive Vice President for International development. His mission will be to boost the group internationalisation in terms of business development and human and industrial presence. Alain Guillou, who is 58, spent most of his career in positions with an operational dimension and linked to social-change management, industrial management and international cooperation.

At a time when discussions on a possible industrial alliance with Fincantieri have been initiated and Naval Group’s internationalisation now constitutes a strategic priority to counter the competition of new entrants, Hervé Guillou has chosen to form a small and tight-knit team to boost the development of the group.

As a reminder the executive Committee is made up of eight people

Battesti International Trade Department, Philippe Sauvageot • Industry Division, Olivier de la Bourdonnaye • Programmes Division, Pierre Legros • Services Division, Nathalie Smirnov • Australia Programme. Jean-Michel Billig Alain Guillou underlined that “the aim is to transform Naval Group into a profitable international group to offer to our customers ships and equipment able to ensure sovereignty and possessing technological and operational superiority, with a high degree of availability and maintainability and at a price that is competitive on the market. To succeed, we must bring together and mobilise all our energy, first and foremost that of the Naval Group teams but also that of the DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement), French Navy and French government departments as well as that of our industrial partners”.

•

sharing a common objective focused on operational excellence and international growth: • Development Department, Alain Guillou • Financial, Legal and Purchasing Department, Frank Le Rebeller • Corporate Secretary, Jean-Yves

Safran Helicopter Engines appointments

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runo Bellanger (40) has been appointed Executive VicePresident, Programmes, succeeding Cyrille Poetsch who has been appointed to another position within the Safran group.

After joining Airbus as an air-ground communications systems engineer, and Eurogiciel as Project Manager, Bruno Bellanger joined Safran in 2004 as Manager of the Safran Electronics & Defence agency in Toulouse, dedicated to Airbus A380 Bruno Bellanger support. In March 2016 Bruno became General Manager of Large Commercial Engines within Safran Aircraft Engines.

François-Xavier Foubert (46) has

taken over as Executive Vice-President, Operations. He succeeded Laurent Mazoué who has been appointed to another position within the Safran group.

After working with the production

plant, dedicated to CFM56 parts repair.

In January 2014, he was appointed Executive Vice-President, Quality and Process Excellence.

Mathieu Albert (41) has been appointed Executive Vice-President, Quality and Process Excellence.

Albert started his career at Safran Aircraft Engines, in manufacturing activities. In 2003, he joined Safran Helicopter Engines where he took on several roles including, from 2014, worldwide Mathieu Albert François-Xavier Foubert responsibility for Supply Chain activities and MRO and development of special batteries services. On January 1, 2016, Mathieu for Alcatel, in 2003 François Xavier became CEO of Safran Helicopter Foubert joined Safran Aircraft Engines Engines Asia and the Safran General as Deputy Manager of the Châtellerault Delegate in Singapore.

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November 2017

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DEFBIZ

WAC Station Commanders’ conference

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t the recent Western Air Command Station Commanders’ Conference – attended by Air Officers Commanding/Station Commanders of all Air Force Stations under Headquarter Western Air Command and all Principal Staff officers at HQ WAC — Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC, Chief of Air Staff was received by Air Marshal C Hari Kumar, AVSM VM VSM ADC, Air Officer Commanding in Chief of Western Air Command.

Addressing the Commanders, the CAS emphasised the need to enhance mission capability of all platforms and weapon systems. He reiterated the need for development and upkeep of operational infrastructure and continuous orientation of human resource so as to absorb induction of new technologies for a smooth transition of the IAF into a potent Aerospace power. The Chief re-emphasized the importance and pivotal role of Western Air Command in all future conflicts and in humanitarian assistance and Disaster Relief Missions. He appreciated the aerospace safety record of WAC and urged the commanders to continue the earnest efforts towards creating an environment for safe operations. He appreciated the rapid response and untiring

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efforts of Western Air Command in providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in recent times, which included numerous casualty evacuation and transportation of live organs. He exhorted the commanders to revise their plans in consonance with lessons learnt during various exercises to bolster the mission capability of WAC. CAS made a special mention on the need to maintain very high levels of vigil to ensure security of our air bases in the backdrop of the existing internal security situation.

During the conference, discussions and reviews were focused on critical analysis and measures to enhance operational preparedness, further improvement in maintenance practices and ensuring fool-proof physical and cyber security.

The CAS was accompanied by Kamalpreet Dhanoa, President Air Force Wives Welfare Association (AFWWA), who was received by Devika Hari Kumar, President AFWWA (Regional). Mrs Dhanoa presided over the Board of Management Meeting of AFWWA (Regional) and reviewed various welfare activities undertaken by local AFWWA Units of Western Air Command. She also interacted with the Sanginis of WAC.

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

IAF participates in ‘Ex Blue Flag -17’ in Israel

45-member contingent of A the Indian Air Force left for Israel recently to participate in

exercise ‘Blue Flag-17’. Blue Flag is a bi-annual multilateral exercise which aims to strengthen military cooperation amongst participating nations. The Indian Air Force is participating with the C-130J special operations aircraft along with Garud commandos. The exercise would provide a platform for sharing of knowledge, combat experience and in improving operational capability of the participating nations. The exercise is being conducted at Uvda Air Force Base in Israel. The team consists of personnel from various combat elements of the IAF and is led

by Gp Capt Maluk Singh VSM. This is the first time that the Indian Air Force is operating with Israeli AF in a multilateral exercise setting. Exercise Blue Flag will aid the IAF to share and learn best practices with some of the best professionals from other air forces.

DEFBIZ

Minister visits Ordnance Factory

First-ever Indo-Russia Tri-Services exercise

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inister of State of Defence, Dr Subhash Bhamre, visited Ordnance Factory Khamaria. He reviewed the exhibition of products made in the factory. Accompanied by Rakesh Singh, MP from Jabalpur and Ashok Rohani, MLA of Jabalpur Cantt area, the minister took keen interest in the 125 mm FSAPDS anti-tank ammunition mango project.

Later, he inaugurated the state-of-the-art new production line for manufacturing of new variants of 84 mm ammunition.

Dr Bhamre appreciated the efforts made by the Ordnance Factory Khamaria for 106 mm RCL and safe disposal of other rejected ammunitions. He was appreciative of the facilities for the production of new ammunitions. The Senior General Manager presented a mementos of the factory to the Minister, MP and MLA. Dr Bhamre also visited the Vehicle Factory at Jabalpur. He saw the assembly line of Mine Protected Vehicle and appreciated the work and motivated production line workers to put in their best. At the end, he visited Gun Carriage factory where, he tried his hands on the Pride of Gun Carriage Factory, the “Dhanush ”155 mm Gun. Later, he addressed the large gathering of Journalists at the press conference.

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iving the Indo-Russian defence cooperation a major boost, Exercise INDRA-2017, the first ever Tri-Services Joint Exercise between Indian and Russian Armed Forces was conducted in the Eastern Military District of Russia from October 19-29, 2017. Exercise INDRA in its previous nine avatars had been conducted as a single service exercise alternately between the two countries. This year marked a major milestone as this Exercise was upgraded to involve all the three services of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force), which further accentuated the importance of Joint Services in the present world environment.

Exercise INDRA-2017 was conducted at the 249th Combined Army Range Sergeevisky and in the Sea of Japan near Vladivostok. The Indian contingent comprised 350 personnel from the Army, 80 from the Air Force, two IL 76 aircraft and one Frigate and Corvette each from the Navy. The Russian Federation Armed Forces was repre-

AL celebrated the Gandhi Jayanti HAL’s ‘Swachata Hi Sewa’ Hby undertaking ‘Swachata Hi

Sewa’ campaign. T Suvarna Raju, CMD, led the large number of employees and their family members in cleaning the part of the garbage filled arrival road of HAL Airport on the day.

“We are happy to join the Government’s Swachh Bharat Mission on this day by taking cleanliness

www.geopolitics.in

November 2017

sented by approximately 1000 troops of the 5th Army, Marines and Ships of Pacific Fleet and aircraft from Eastern Military District.

Addressing the Indian Contingent, Lt Gen Satish Dua, UYSM, SM, VSM, CISC reminded them of the importance of the upcoming Exercise which would provide an opportunity to the armed forces of both countries to train in counter-terrorism operations in a multinational scenario in a joint tri-service environment. The scope of the Exercise included professional interactions, establishment of joint command and control structures between the Indian and Russian forces and elimination of terrorist threat in a multinational environment under the UN mandate.

Exercise INDRA-2017 strengthened mutual confidence, inter-operability and enabled sharing of best practices between both the armed forces. It was a landmark event in the history of Indo-Russian defence cooperation.

drive. I appeal to nearby residents and business establishments to contribute their bit in maintaining the clean surroundings. HAL takes pride in keeping its area - be it townships or manufacturing hubs - neat, clean and green. We will continue to contribute to the cleanliness drive as we have been doing through our social services across the country”, said T Suvarna Raju.

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OPTIQUE

RIGHT MOVE AT THE RIGHT TIME I n the two months since she took over as Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has made the right move at a time that is seen to be right.

The present government at the Centre has just about 18 months left before it faces the next general election. So, that leaves the government just about a year to ensure its words also translate into deeds.

At this juncture, Sitharaman met up with a bunch of industry leaders, initiated by the Confederation of Indian Industry, on October 28 in New Delhi to thrash out issues that they had with the Defence Ministry’s military-industrial policies. This, according to officials aware of what’s happened at the meeting, has gone down well with the industry and has sent out a message to the bureaucrats in the Defence Ministry.

The Defence Minister, after hearing the 30-odd defence industry representatives, gave three key directions to the officials of the Defence Ministry. The three measures are aimed at improving the participation of the private sector in the defence sector, apart from increasing the made in India military products, with a lot of indigenous content in them.

One, the Defence Minister has asked the officials to prepare a note for the Ministry of Home Affairs, headed by Rajnath Singh, to consider a proposal to provide a time-bound defence industrial license to the applicants and if that timeframe is not met, then the license is deemed to have been approved for the industry, and for them to go ahead with manufacturing.

Sitharaman has assured the industry that she would be personally meeting Rajnath Singh to impress upon him to find a way to ensure time-bound approval for defence industrial licensing. This could be done easily in the case of small and medium enterprises.

At face value, this seems like a reformatory move by the Defence Minister. But there are several practical problems that could crop up, for reasons such as the defence sector requiring huge investments. No industry would be willing to invest huge funds in defence production unless they have concrete approvals in hand. Additionally, they could get into trouble for violation of the arms-related laws if the license doesn’t come through at all or if the application is rejected by the government at a later stage.

Though these are some of the pitfalls, the Defence Ministry needs to think through the matter before it proceeds to the Home Ministry with a proposal on “deemed licensing” particularly for military manufacturing. If these hurdles are overcome, then this policy could easily be one of the most defining reforms from the present government for the defence sector.

Sitharaman is also understood to have told the industry representatives that the local, domestic manufacturers of defence equipment would get parity with the foreign original equipment manufacturers and tier suppliers on the taxes that they get concessions

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on. The taxation part is a perennial problem that the domestic industry has always faced. This is certainly an interesting and much-needed reform area that the present Defence Minister should spend time on and gets it going for sure.

The third and the most important direction that Nirmala Sitharaman has given her bureaucrats is to gets the Defence Research and Development Organisation to prepare a list of technologies and product that they have shared with the Indian industry till date. There should also be a master list of products and technologies from the DRDO stable that have the potential to be transferred to the domestic defence industry for commercialisation purposes.

The Minister instructed the officials after she had the experience of meeting some Indian industry representatives on her recent foreign visit who were exporting spares and parts for defence equipment to some foreign countries. These technologies, as she got to know during her interaction with those industry representatives, belonged to the DRDO and these were transferred to the domestic private industry in India for manufacturing.

This, according to the Defence Minister’s directions, was a good way to measure how much of the DRDO technologies have been commercially exploited and how much more could be exploited. This was a direct action for indigenisation and for contribution to the ‘Make in India’ initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Another interesting move that Nirmala Sitharaman did in October 2017 was to have her first fullfledged interaction with the defence correspondents, about which she has tweeted from her official Twitter handle. That interaction was an ice-breaker session for both her and the regular defence correspondents, who are the messenger who takes the work of the Defence Ministry to the people, which includes the defence industry.

The Defence Minister has promised to have monthly interactions with the media, which is a very positive move and should happen apart from her byte sessions at public events that she goes to. That way, she will not only be interacting with the media but also be reaching to the right audience on matters of strategic importance, national security, industrial policies, procurement, armed forces matters and defence diplomacy.

Both these interactions of the minister in October are most welcome and it is expected that such interactions in the future bring out the best for the armed forces, the ministry, the industry and the nation. More power to the first full-fledged woman defence minister of India.

November 2017 www.geopolitics.in

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