SP's Land Forces 06-2008

Issue 6 • 2008

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See us at Aero India 2009, Bangalore, Hall C, Booth 14

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LandForces AN SP GUIDE

Special Issue: AERO INDIA ’09

ROUNDUP

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T h e O N LY j o u r n a l i n A s i a d e d i c a t e d t o L a n d F o r c e s

In This Issue

Special Forces need to be structured comprehensively for a full spectrum capability, trained and ready for victory, or in other words—a total force of quality officers and soldiers.

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P U B L I C AT I O N

LT GENERAL (RETD) VIJAY OBEROI ?

EEdi orial d ittorial

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GURMEET KANWAL ?

‘AAC equipped

for tactical &

operational roles’ Additional Director General Army Aviation Corps Major General Ajit Hari Gadre was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery on December 24, 1972. A keen flier and a qualified Flying Instructor, he has clocked over 5,000 hours of flying. Talking to SP’s Land Forces, the Major General outlines the various functions of the AAC which, he insists, is an extension of the land forces rather than an independent aviation arm.

SP’s Land Forces (SP’s): What is the role of the Army Aviation Corps (AAC)?

LT GENERAL (RETD) PRAN PAHWA Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor EDITOR

LT GENERAL (RETD) NARESH CHAND ?

Ex c l u s i v e I n t e r v i ew

Photographs: SP Guide Pubns

The preceding two months have witnessed momentous changes both within the country, and outside.

Terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26 and India’s poor and uncoordinated response put paid to all claims of being a regional power readying itself to occupy the high table in the UN Security Council. A country which boasts of one of the highest rates of sustained economic growth and possesses one of the largest military establishments in the world was caught unawares, as usual, and took more than 60 hours to eliminate a few terrorists holed up at three locations in the city, that too, after they had massacred all hostages in sight. The botch up was evident to any layman observing the sloppy operation live on television. Now, ineffectiveness has been rewarded with bravery and distinguished service awards conferred on Mumbai Police and the NSG in an exercise aimed at vindicating the guilt on part of our political leaders who are to blame for not training or arming the country’s security forces adequately. Similarly, a few weeks later, the army too did not cover itself with glory when after a nine-day gun battle in the Bhatidar forest of Jammu and Kashmir, having sacrificed two soldiers and a policeman, the units of the 16 Corps returned empty-handed.

It is hoped that all concerned will seriously introspect their shortcomings and take appropriate measures, including induction of new weapons and technologies to enable greater operational efficiency.

In the global arena, Barack Hussein Obama took the oath as the 44th President of the US on January 20, shattering American racial barriers as the first African-American leader of the nation. He has onerous responsibilities resting on his shoulders. India among a host of other nations has many expectations from the new President and is looking forward to a growing engagement with Washington.

We at SP’s Land Forces wish President Obama a triumphant innings at the helm of the world’s oldest democracy.

The Aero India 2009 Special Issue incorporates articles on India’s Rapid Response Capability; Interview of Additional Director General Army Aviation; Modernisation of Indian Army; Precision Guided Munitions; Need for Restructuring Special Forces; Latest Developments in UAVs; and Electronic Warfare.

With the onset of 2009, we wish our readers a Happy New Year.

Time India maintains small forces with rapid response military intervention capabilities to participate in international coalitions sanctioned by the UN. The aim would be to further national security interests.

Guns, missiles and radars are the crucial elements of Army Air Defence, critical to the army’s overall capability. The idea of air defence emerged during WWI when small arms and canons were used to engage enemy aircraft.

Additional Director General Army Aviation Corps (ADGAAC): The role of

AAC is to provide reconnaissance, surveillance, utility and combat aviation support for full spectrum operations of the Indian Army (IA).

SP’s: Is the AAC completely independent of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in terms of infrastructure, like helicopter bases, overhaul and maintenance?

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entire range of servicing except base overhaul. Hence, maintenance of the Cheetah/ Chetak fleet over the long term is not envisaged to pose any problems.

“AAC is to expand exponentially with an increase in pilot and ground staff training requirements... Number of pilots being trained has almost doubled.”

ADGAAC: Over the past two decades, ever since its inception on November 1, 1986, the AAC has grown exponentially to cater for divergent requirements of the IA in the Tactical Battle Area. Along this path of growth, we have established our own bases, our own infrastructure and training facilities for both aircrew and ground crew, with a sound techno logistic support system.

With these developments and support systems, our operational capabilities have been greatly enhanced. AAC has also established its own aviation school to train pilots as well as provide specialised training for instructors. Thus, AAC has emerged as an independent entity fully integrated with the IA’s philosophies and doctrine.

SP’s: Does the AAC’s operational philosophy include integration with other services?

ADGAAC: AAC is a specialised arm suitably equipped with capability to operate across the entire conflict spectrum. It has the capability to operate at the tactical level and also in conjunction with other services at the operational level. Integration of AAC into all facets of operational and tactical scenarios is a major factor in achieving overall success in modern combat. The operational philosophy hinges around this fact during joint and combined operations as well as sub-conventional operations.

SP’s: What role is the AAC performing in the ongoing low intensity conflict in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast? Will this role expand in the future?

ADGAAC: Low intensity conflict has been going on in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast for some time now. AAC is an extension of the land forces rather than an independent aviation arm. We regularly undertake missions in support of ground

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forces and also in aiding civil authorities as and when required. Transportation of stores, troops and surveillance are part of our employment philosophy.

SP’s: If India were to acquire rapid reaction capability for the plains and the mountains, what would be the role of AAC and how does Dhruv fit in, given its capability to carry 12 to 14 personnel?

ADGAAC: The dynamics of modern day battlefield demand that in order to exploit the opportunity in time and space, speed and flexibility must characterise the field commander’s response. Timely application of resources in the tactical battlefield area in a faster time frame is possible with aviation support. Integral tactical lift capability is planned to be provided to field formations

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SP’s: Is your training infrastructure adequate, including simulators?

ADGAAC: AAC is to expand exponentially with an increase in pilot and ground staff training requirements. We have addressed these areas well in time. Number of pilots being trained has almost doubled. We are also conducting ab initio training of pilots at HAL, Bangalore and in combat squadrons. A helicopter simulator has been installed at Combat Army Aviation Training School at Nasik. A separate Faculty of Aerospace Engineering has been established at the Military College of Electronic and Mechanical Engineers, Secunderabad, to train technical officers and technicians thereby supplementing various technical training activities. With all training activities having been timely planned, we envisage smooth induction of pilots and desired standard of training of ground staff.

With SP’s Land Forces Editor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal

“To fully exploit the non-linear battlefield, it is essential that attack helicopter resources be an integral component with the field force commander.” which will form an important part of the rapid reaction capability. Dhruv helicopters will form an integral part of such an effort, as and when required.

SP’s: Have you acquired attack helicopters?

If so, are your pilots fully capable of operating them?

ADGAAC: AAC has not acquired attack helicopters. As of now, IAF provides the attack helicopters support as per our requirement.

However, modern warfare philosophy envis-

ages integration of attack helicopters with mechanised formations and employment in consonance with operations carried out by the ground forces. To fully exploit the nonlinear battlefield, it is essential that attack helicopter resources be an integral component with the field force commander. Our pilots are posted with the IAF in attack helicopter squadrons and we also have a nucleus of suitably trained aviators. Therefore, transition will not be a difficult process, as and when it is approved.

SP’s: What are your modernisation plans and how are they progressing?

ADGAAC: All our modernisation plans are based on the simple fact that future conflicts are likely to be short, swift and violent.

Hence, the field force commanders must have

dedicated and integral resources available to them to influence battles favourably. The following acquisitions are in the pipeline regarding various assets for the IA: • Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopters: These helicopters will replace the existing fleet of Cheetah/ Chetak helicopters. While some helicopters will be procured as ‘Buy’ category, others will be ‘Designed and Developed’ by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as ‘Make’ category. RFP for the former has been issued and the procurement is likely to commence soon.

• Utility Helicopters: Three squadrons of indigenously developed state-of-the-art Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs) are already in service (one under raising).

Additional squadrons are planned and will form an important an integral part of Field Formation Commander’s Order of Battle.

• Armed Helicopters: ALHs (weapon system integrated) are being developed by HAL. Integration of weapon systems on

the ALHs is already under way, including test firing of weapons. The helicopter is likely to be ready by 2009.

• Tactical Battle Support Helicopter: This is being developed as a tri-services project by HAL. The helicopter will be called Indian Multi Role Helicopter.

Necessary procurement procedure for the same has already commenced.

SP’s: The Chetak and Cheetah fleet is obsolete and considering the long gestation period of new acquisitions, how do you plan to maintain them in the interim?

ADGAAC: HAL has been entrusted with the major repairs and base overhauls of aviation fleet and there are no plans to stop this at present. Adequate spares exist with units and depots for repairs at unit levels including the

SP’s: What has been AAC’s role in the recent floods in Bihar and Orissa?

ADGAAC: AAC had deployed the integral resources of the Central Command. In addition, a detachment of two ALHs and four Cheetah/Chetaks were deployed in support of flood relief. Additional helicopters were kept on standby. The detachments undertook missions like casualty evacuation, search and rescue, aerial survey, supply dropping and transportation of relief material and relief workers. We also undertook communication duties for civilian and military officials connected with relief operations.

SP’s: Are you facing any shortage of pilots due to greener pastures in civil aviation?

ADGAAC: Civil aviation prospects for pilots from the helicopter stream have grown exponentially in the past few years. Majority of officers who leave service are in the service bracket of 20 years and above. At this level of seniority, the officer is past the stage for utilisation in active flying units and, therefore, an exit at this stage does not make any difference. Hence, the strength of pilots in active flying units are unaffected by what you call the ‘greener pastures’.

SP’s: What do you think is the future of civilian helicopter industry in India? Any suggestions to improve its prospects?

ADGAAC: Future of the civilian helicopter industry at present looks bright. The industry has tremendous potential for growth and absorption. Helicopter, being a versatile machine, can be employed in tasks limited only by imagination. Helicopters can form a vital cog in the national disaster management scheme. Helicopters can also be exploited for varied other tasks, such as policing, surveillance, air ambulances and heli-tourism. However, adequate infrastructure to include additional heliports and creation of a separate control agency akin to the Airport Authority of India will go a long way in promoting the development of helicopter industry in India. SP

Precision Pays

Vehicle with ATGM launcher

Advent of sensors affording accurate target intelligence, coupled with Precision Guided Munitions, has led to “effect-based operations” gaining predominance in speedy conflict resolution, with minimum collateral damage BRIGADIER (RETD) VINOD ANAND

H

uman warfare, as is widely acknowledged by military planners, is metamorphosing into information warfare. Driven by revolution in information technology in the field of warfare, weapons and equipment have become more intelligent, wherein precision guided long distance attacks are increasingly playing a critical role in operations and emerging the main form of attack. The use of precision munitions, for instance, has been following an upward trajectory since Operation Desert Storm. The percentage of precision guided munitions (PGMs) used in Gulf War I was nine, thereafter the figure leapfrogged to 35 in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

A relentless quest is underway to improve the accuracy of weapon systems and ammunition, with dramatic strides in the arena since World War II. In World War II, the Circular Error of Probability (CEP) for an airdelivered bomb was 1,000 m; in the Korean War, this was improved to 300 m, and by the time of the Vietnam War, it had progressed to slightly over 100 m. In Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), the CEP was only a few metres or, as claimed by the US forces, it was around one ‘bomb length’. Further, in OIF the use of PGMs climbed to 68 per cent versus 32 per cent of dumb bombs.

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Effects-based operations

Precision weapons substitute mass with effects. The advent of sensors affording accurate target intelligence, coupled with PGMs, has led to “effect-based operations” gaining predominance in speedy conflict resolution, with minimum collateral damage. The use of PGMs also satisfies one of the fundamental principles of war: economy of effort. Further, these enable concentration of effects from geographically widely dispersed forces. Since a lower number of ordnance or weapon platforms is required to achieve the same effects at the target end, these enable reduced signature of own forces for adversary’s sensors to detect.

Considering that less number of ordnance and munitions are required, PGMs also contribute to reduced logistics tail thereby increasing the agility of a force. Further, since logistics have a great impact on strategic formulation, it stands to reason that

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In the Indian context, a larger inventory of PGMs along with associated infrastructure becomes more relevant for the execution of the country’s ‘Cold Start’ doctrine and Joint Doctrine PGMs would have an important bearing on planning at strategic, operational and tactical levels. These can be quickly transported to the battlefield for generating force levels equal to or more than a force equipped with dumb bombs. Thus, these would be key components of force projection capabilities which, of late, the Indian armed forces have been focusing on.

PGMs are essential tools for engineering Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA). Without adequate numbers of PGMs in the inventory, a force cannot be said to have moved up the RMA scale. Further, since these enable reduction in number of ordnance or platforms required, PGMs also contribute towards reduction in manpower. One of the key benefits visualised by militaries across the world of ongoing RMA has been its contribution towards reducing manpower without losing the combat edge. It is a different matter that India’s military force has been unable to reduce manpower because of involvement in low intensity conflict operations/counterinsurgency operations. In 2007, then Indian Army chief General J.J. Singh had observed: “My focus has also been in making full use of precision guided ammunition and firepower rather than manpower.”

objectives in a reasonable timeframe.

When force has to be used selectively, in the backdrop of possible international intervention, then it is imperative that force be wielded in a manner so as to achieve political aims through short, swift and precise military operations. This is the general premise of political, strategic and international ambience which is likely to prevail in the subcontinent in the near future. In the Indian context, a larger inventory of PGMs along with associated infrastructure becomes more relevant for the execution of the country’s ‘Cold Start’ doctrine and Joint Doctrine.

According to a Rand Corporation study, the PGM-enabled calculus has changed and air power’s ability to contribute to the joint battle has increased. Not only can modern air power arrive quickly where needed, it has become far more lethal in conventional operations. Equipped with advanced munitions either in service or about to become operational and directed by modern C3I systems, air power has the potential to destroy enemy ground forces either on the move or in defensive positions at a high rate while concurrently destroying vital elements of the enemy’s war fighting infrastructure. In short, the mobility, lethality and survivability of air power makes it well suited to the needs of rapidly developing regional conflicts.

For the IAF, a larger inventory of PGMs would enhance its strategic agility, reduce the sizes of aircraft packages and decrease the logistics requirements. This in return would release additional air effort which would become available to be exploited for other strategic, operational and tactical tasks. For instance, in OIF, F-16, F-18, B-1, B-2 and B-52 aircraft were armed with multiple Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), enabling these to strike multiple targets during a single sortie. This economy of effort provided the joint forces an opportunity to engage a wider spectrum of target systems and an increased capability to fight close, rear and battle in depth simultaneously.

It would also be possible to engage multiple targets with new variety of PGMs from stand off distances. Precision attacks from stand off distances would enable the air support to be provided in close vicinity of land forces. Therefore, close air support missions, hitherto not preferred by the IAF, can now find more acceptability among its planners. With a suitable percentage of PGM in the IAF inventory, it may be possible to commence counter air and counter surface campaigns almost simultaneously, thus accommodating the needs of land forces in the likely battlefield scenarios of the Indian sub-continent.

Focus on land forces

Similarly, increased inventory with land forces of integrated battle groups would add additional punch to arsenal and may reduce requirement of air support. Armed

helicopters with Fourth Generation missiles, cannon-launched guided projectiles and missiles of various types, including air defence missiles and even multi-barrel rocket launchers with PGMs, would enhance the joint and integrated effort required for attaining goals in short and intense conflict.

In the Second Gulf War, by adding inexpensive cheap strap on kits for GPS guidance, the US armed forces’ weapons and weapon platforms achieved precision capabilities. The US Air Force used a wide variety of PGMs; over 6,000 of JDAMs, 1,000 Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (including Sensor Fused Munitions) and a variety of laser guided bombs. The army used Sense and Destroy Armor along with long range acquisition system and Hellfire missiles, besides many other kinds of PGMs. The navy used cruise missiles, besides a number of other PGMs. In India, some of the smart munitions, like the laser guided bombs, were used by the IAF in the Kargil conflict with a telling effect.

The use of PGMs, by their very nature, may involve joint planning and joint targeting in most of the cases, especially so in the tactical battle arena. There would also be a need for formulation of joint procedures for enabling cross-services sensors and target designators to effectively utilise the precision platforms and weapon systems of the other services.

Employment of precision weapons also leads us to look for precise information.

Therefore, one of the main requirements for application of precise force is developing an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance network dovetailed with shooters and decision makers’ grid with real time response capabilities. Intelligence, sensor development and targeting have always been key issues in warfare, but are becoming increasingly important.

Continued introduction of advanced weapon platforms and the integration of critical force multipliers will augment the capabilities of India’s forces against China.

Timely intelligence and adequate precisionguided munitions would enable the forces improve combat edge over Pakistan as never before. It must be noted that China has achieved capabilities in producing numerous type of PGMs. Some of the PGMs, like precision guided mortar bombs, have so far not even been produced by the US. Further, Islamabad is in the process of acquiring the most effective JDAMs and other assorted munitions from the US as part of the F16 package. Timely targeting intelligence, adequate precision-guided munitions and emphasis on joint operations are the missing ingredients from India’s forces.

Further, it is generally believed that PGMs are very expensive. A cost benefit analysis, however, may prove that PGMs are more cost effective because these help reduce the large infrastructure associated with dumb bombs and an industrial age force. Yet, PGMs can not be a panacea for all the problems associated with persecution of war and conflict. SP

Boost to inventory

In air-land operations or tri-service operations, the benefits of PGMs can be jointly exploited to reinforce and complement the unique characteristics of each service.

Increasing inventory of precision weapons in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and surface forces would enhance the force multiplier effect of the existing weapon platforms. This would be very relevant in short duration conflicts when speed, shock action and accurate long-range fires become essential to achieve worthwhile

Photograph: www.defenseindustrydaily.com

Photograph: www.hrvatski-vojnik.hr

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Special Forces

Revamp & Restructure The SF needs to be structured comprehensively for a full spectrum capability, trained and ready for victory, or in other words—a total force of quality officers and soldiers LT GENERAL (RETD) VIJAY OBEROI

into a conquering army.

Unfortunately, the SF of the Indian Army, as structured at present, are not capable of doing this.

However, if restructuring is carried out with vision and all likely contingencies are catered for, no reason why our SF cannot meet such challenges.

Photographs: NSG

SF of India

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T

he November 26 terrorist attack in Mumbai and related events have brought into sharp focus the Special Forces (SF) of the nation. India fields a variety of SF, of which two— the Marine Commandos (MARCOS) of the Indian Navy and the National Security Guards (NSG) of the Cabinet Secretariat— operated against the terrorists at Mumbai.

While the personnel of both the forces displayed exceptional bravery in tackling the terrorists, lacunae in the deployment and employment of these forces need early rectification in order for the SF to respond with alacrity the next time a similar situation arises. Details of what needs to be done to increase the efficiency of these forces must necessarily be preceded by an elucidation of what the SF are all about.

Most professional militaries field special units, with specialised, highly focused capabilities. Known as SF, these are small, elite military units, with special training and equipment, capable of conducting a variety of operations. SF personnel undergo rigorous selection and lengthy, specialised training. SF are the nation’s penetration and strike forces that respond to extraordinary contingencies across the conflict spectrum, with stealth, speed and precision. Their operations differ from conventional operations in the degree of physical and political risk, operational techniques, mode of employment, independence from friendly support and dependence on detailed operational intelligence of a very high order. SF may be used against a wide range of adversaries, including terrorists, insurgents, guerrillas, or regular combatants. SF can also be used to support insurgents, guerrillas, or regular conventional operations.

In our country, a proliferation of SF types reduces focus on certain essential tasks, undermines cost-effectiveness and sullies accountability. Weaknesses and chinks in the system need to be identified and highlighted while deliberating on the changes needed to evolve the nation’s SF structure of the future.

Changing nature of threats

Ambiguity and a marked divergence from traditional risks characterise security challenges today and in the future. Consequently, military contingencies require multi-faceted

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The biggest component of SF is fielded by the Indian Army, but other forces too have these forces of varying capabilities. Currently, the SF component of the Indian Army comprises a number of Para (SF) battalions. While five such NSG in action at Nariman House battalions have existed for over a decade, the others forces, like the SF, as they are able to respond were converted by re-designating all parato a wider spectrum of crises. Terrorism, subchute battalions about three years ago. The version, insurgency and proxy war by neighother SF of India include a battalion of the bouring countries or by non-state actors from Rashtriya Rifles, the 31 RR (Commando); the their soil, will continue to be major security Navy’s MARCOS; two forces operating under challenges for India. The recent terrorist the Cabinet Secretariat—the NSG and the strike at Mumbai is an appropriate example.

Special Frontier Force (SFF); and the Garuda In this type of proxy war environment, the Commando Force of the Indian Air Force.

SF, given its low profile, may well be the force Some states have designated police units as of choice for conducting operations, includcommandos but these are of little value. All ing across the border, without inviting the these forces have different tasks, ranging political, economic and military risks of war.

SF can also assist in deterring, destroying or defending against attempts aimed at nuclear or radiological material or weapons of mass destruction, especially from non-state actors.

Several constraints impede employment of conventional forces to resolve security issues.

With asymmetric opponents such as terrorists, insurgents and rebel groups increasingly holding the nation to ransom, dealing with them in a conventional manner has many pitfalls. In such an environment, SF becomes even more important. SF are also necessary to meet transnational threats resulting from the diminished authority and capacity of governments beleaguered by social, political and cultural unrest and inadequate governance.

Asymmetric opponents do not attack the strengths of the nation, but target its vulnerNSG Commandos- Aware and Alert abilities, with unorthodox measures. Such attacks can be best tackled by the SF. Preparing for the conflicts of the next decade and beyond, we need to invest heavily from counter-insurgency to anti-hijacking, in the right kind of SF, which has the agility to guerrilla warfare and so on. The total to perform a task, disengage, regroup and strength of all the different forces combined, be ready for the next mission. SF to tackle not counting the so-called police commandos, low intensity conflicts of the future must be would be fairly substantial, and would compurpose-filled organisations, possessing both pare favourably with the strengths of the SF human intelligence and signals intelligence of the US and Russia. capabilities; scientific and analytical skills; Capable of carrying out only ‘direct and ability to use information technology action’ type of operations, like raids, direct optimally. They must also possess language and indirect assaults, and other attritionskills and knowledge of the cultural, social oriented tasks, the various SF forces of India, and behaviour patterns of the adversary. however, are neither organised nor doctrinIn future, SF will become more relevant ally prepared to carry tasks which their counbecause they can respond to a wider specterparts in some other countries are capable trum of crises than conventional forces. of conducting. These include tasks like The 2002 operations in Afghanistan by the unconventional warfare, special deep reconCoalition Forces, for instance, were brought naissance, psychological operations, counter to a dramatic and early conclusion because proliferation and sensitive special operations. the SF managed to bring in the forces of Unfortunately, earlier attempts in the army the Northern Alliance for the dénoueto form SF units in the genre of Special Air ment. They turned the Northern Alliance Service of UK, or the Special Operations

Forces of the US were met with scepticism, if not downright hostility.

The major reason is the focus of the Indian Army on attrition-oriented operations and linear thinking. Consequently, Para Commandos of the past, or Para (SF), as they are now termed, have largely been employed as super or elite-infantry, with a focus on attrition-dominated tasks. No doubt they have performed well, but they still are not trained for typical SF roles. On occasions, they have also been employed on mundane and wasteful tasks, such as VIP protection or protective tasks at higher headquarters.

Future dispensation

Fragmented, the structure of India’s SF is not conducive to efficient management and needs reorganisation. As an immediate measure, the SF of the army, navy and air force need to be placed under the command of a

Now that the strategic focus of the nation is not confined only to South Asia, language capability and regional and cultural orientation for the SF is also important

separate tri-service command controlled by the Chief of Defence Staff, once that appointment becomes a reality, and in the interim under the Integrated Staff and the Chiefs of Staff Committee.

In most countries, the SF is also tasked with anti-hijacking and hostage rescue.

However, in India, these tasks have been assigned to an independent organisation, the NSG. Besides not being a cost-effective option, these tasks are actually carried out by personnel of the army, who constitute the entire complement of the Special Action Group (SAG) of the NSG, and are on deputation from the army. The other portion of the NSG, the Special Rangers Group, which is manned by personnel from the central police forces, has over the years degenerated into a force almost exclusively assigned to VIP security. Proximity to politicians, who constitute the bulk of the VIP’s, has an adverse

NSG commandos are brave and well trained on account of being selected personnel of the army, but the leadership does not inspire confidence impact on their primary function, as well as on their discipline, deportment and professional efficiency.

At this stage, let us take a deeper look at the actions of the NSG during the recent Mumbai mayhem. Although the SAG did clear the three buildings that had been occupied by a total of eight Pakistani terrorists, it took them three days and nights to do so.

Earlier, the NSG took nearly 10 hours to reach Mumbai. Now, four hubs are being created to pre-position NSG commandos, so that in future time can be saved in mobilising the commandos of the NSG. However, no effort is being made to rectify systemic problems of leadership, structures and decentralisation of authority. Although the commandos are brave and well trained on account of being selected personnel of the army, the leadership does not inspire confidence.

Leadership comes from professional experience and not by wearing the rank badges of a three star General. Under a seasoned army leader, the task at Mumbai would have been accomplished in 24 hours at the most. In this context the following aspects need to be highlighted: • Although the main SAG group is located at Manesar, a small immediate response team is always stationed at the Palam airport to respond at short notice. This should have been despatched immediately by commandeering an aircraft. They would have acted as the advance party, collected vital information and would have

NSG: Training for Crises

set the stage for the main body.

• There was no need to wait for a slow flying aircraft to fetch up from Chandigarh, when the NSG is empowered by law to requisition any available aircraft, without waiting for any permission. Such on the spot decisions are the forte on which SF is organised, but policemen who head this elite force do not have the sense of urgency or the capacity to take such decisions.

• As complete information will never be available when the operations are launched, plans must exist to get reinforcements.

First of all, a three star officer of the army should be handed over command of the NSG. This should have been done long ago, but the lethargy of a status quo bureaucracy and vested interests of the Indian Police Service lobby have acted as bottlenecks. Personally, I had tried to do so on three separate occasions while holding important appointments at Army Headquarters, but was stymied every time.

There is a strong case for withdrawing the SAG complement from the NSG, and assigning the anti-hijacking and hostage rescue roles to the reorganised SF. The residual NSG can be restructured for the exclusive role of VIP security. This is not a new proposal.

I have myself proposed this twice, once

when I was the Director General, Military Operations, and again when I was the Vice Chief of Army Staff. However, on both occasions, when I moved out of the scene, the army succumbed to the entreaties of the NSG and reverted to status quo.

Coming to the second SF component in the Cabinet secretariat, the SFF, the special role for which it was raised, has changed over the years. However, the force still has value and needs to be retained, perhaps with some restructuring and a reorientation of its manpower policies. Its grouping as a separate force under the cabinet secretariat, however, is now meaningless. It should become part of the SF of the army, albeit retaining its distinctive structure and ethos, and assigning it a changed role, which is more relevant to current and future realities.

Need to evolve & improve

Most analysts agree that sub-conventional operations are likely to be the norm in future, wherein SF is likely to play a major role.

Therefore, it is important that India evolves a suitable doctrine, concept of employment and organisational structures for the SF, which are relevant and best suited to meet future security challenges. In the coming years and decades, SF is likely to be in great demand, as it will be particularly suited for many emerg-

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ing missions. Many such missions will require traditional SF capabilities, while others, such as counter-proliferation and information warfare are relatively new and are the subject of developing SF doctrine.

SF has to be ready to meet two major challenges. While it must integrate with conventional forces, government agencies, other forces and international agencies, when needed, it must also preserve its autonomy to protect and encourage the unconventional approach that is the soul of the SF. Now that the strategic focus of the nation is not confined only to South Asia, language capability and regional and cultural orientation for the SF is also important.

An SF which is merely better infantry will not meet the requirement. The need is for a SF, which is structured comprehensively for a full spectrum capability, trained and ready for victory, or in other words—a total force of quality officers and soldiers.

The future organisational structure must be a value-based organisation, which is fully joint, is equipped with the most modern weapons and equipment the nation can provide, and is able to respond to the nation’s needs. The nation’s SF must change to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. SP The writer is a former Vice Chief of Army Staff.

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1. Defence Minister A.K. Antony at a demonstration conducted by Indian Army near Jaisalmer to commemorate the battle of Longewala in 1971 2.BAE Systems unveiled its latest Unmanned Autonomous System Fury on June 11 in San Diego 3.

SP’s Editor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal and CII delegation met French Major General L. Valler, Deputy Chief of Staff-Global Initiatives (second from left) on June 18 during Eurosatory 2008 held in Paris. 4. Consent for transfer of technology for indigenous production of T-90 tanks was received from Russia where Russia promised to share the specifications of the gun barrel and will transfer all relevant documents by the end of the year. 5. DRDO successfully tested the anti-tank NAG missile on August 5 at Pokhran Range in Rajasthan 6. Defence Minister A.K. Antony inaugurated Defexpo 2008 in Delhi on February 16 7. SP’s Editor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal flanked by dignitaries at the launch of SP’s Airbuz in New Delhi 8. Sri Lankan Army Chief Lt General G.S.C. Fonseka on a visit to Jammu & Kashmir on March 3 with Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor for a briefing on the Indian Army’s anti-militancy operations. 9. US Defence Secretary Robert M. Gates with India’s Defence Minister A.K. Antony in Delhi during his two-day visit to India in February

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Operations

Time India readies and maintains small forces with rapid response military intervention capabilities to participate in international coalitions sanctioned by the UN Security Council GURMEET KANWAL

Contingency planning

Time India readies and maintains small forces with rapid response military intervention capabilities to participate in international coalitions sanctioned by the UN Security Council. The aim of intervention operations

The Globemaster transport aircraft

framework will eventually emerge from the ashes of Gulf War II. The concept of cooperative security also requires collective intervention when it is inescapable.

External threats and challenges are gradually increasing. When the Taliban first came to power in Afghanistan, a perplexing question was what India would do if it ever became necessary to launch a military operation to rescue the Indian ambassador or members of his staff from Kabul. Would India ask for American or Russian help? What would the response be?

Or would India have no option but to leave the embassy staff to the mercy of jihadi terrorists?

That contingency, fortunately, did not arise, but another one did. Indian Airlines’ flight IC814 was hijacked to and parked at Kandahar airfield for several days in December and the nation looked on with helpless rage as virtually no military options worth considering were available. Hopefully, the ignominious surrender to the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists has prompted some soul searching and the govern-

Aboard the IN aircraft carrier INS Viraat (left); An Amphibious Assault

will be to further India’s national security interests and foreign policy objectives, support international non-proliferation efforts and join the global community to act decisively against banned insurgent outfits, like the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka.

International non-proliferation initiatives, such as the Proliferation Security Initiative and the Container Security Initiative, in particular, cannot succeed in the Southern Asian and Indian Ocean regions without Indian participation as a member or as a partner providing outside support. As a regional power, India will also need to consider its responsibilities towards undertaking humanitarian military interventions when these are morally justified and will need to prepare for large-scale disaster relief operations such as those undertaken in the wake of the Southeast Asian Tsunami. The expeditionary forces required to discharge these responsibilities will have to be maintained in a permanent state of quick-reaction readiness.

A resurgent India that is already a dominant power in South Asia, may also need to join other friendly countries to intervene militarily in its area of strategic interest.

While India would prefer to do so under the UN flag, it may in future even join ‘coalitions of the willing’ when its national interests are threatened and consensus in the UN Security Council proves hard to achieve. Though it will be a gradual and long drawn process, it is quite likely that a cooperative international security

Photograph: www.miami.about.com

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omali pirates seized an Indian merchant ship off the Horn of Africa and were reportedly paid a huge ransom to obtain the release of the Captain and the crew in October 2008. A month later, INS Tabar, an Indian Navy ship patrolling the pirate-prone area in keeping with India’s growing stature as a regional military power, sunk a pirate mother ship in the same area. These two incidents highlight the need for tri-service military intervention capability to meet the emerging needs for contingency planning. Given the experience in the Congo and earlier in Sierra Leone, such capabilities will also be required in support of Indian forces deployed for UN peacekeeping duties and for limited power projection.

Photograph: www.defencetalk.com

Shores

ment will no longer neglect its responsibility to create the required air assault capabilities.

Contrary to populist notions of the nation being imbued with a pacifist strategic culture, the Indian government has not hesitated to ask its armed forces to intervene militarily several times since Independence, both internally and beyond India’s shores, when such intervention was considered necessary. The army was ordered to forcibly integrate Goa, Hyderabad and Junagadh into the Indian Union as part of the nation building process. The Indian armed forces created the new nation of Bangladesh after the Pakistan army conducted genocide in East Pakistan in 1971. India intervened in the Maldives and Sri Lanka at the behest of the governments of these countries and was ready to do so in Mauritius when the threat to the government there passed.

reality. Besides being necessary for out-of-area contingencies, air assault capability is a significant force multiplier in conventional conflict as well. Despite what the peaceniks may say, substantial air assault capability is not merely essential for furthering India’s national interests, it is now inescapable.

For intervention operations, the immediate requirement is for an air assault brigade group with integral heli-lift capability. This capability should be in place by the end of the ongoing 11th Defence Plan, that is, April 2012. The first air assault brigade should be capable of short-notice deployment in India’s extended neighbourhood by air and sea. Comprising three specially trained and equipped air assault battalions, integral firepower component, combat service support and logistics support units, the brigade group should be based on transport helicopters equivalent to MI-17s. It should have the guaranteed firepower and support of two to three flights of attack and reconnaissance helicopters. The air assault brigade group should be armed, equipped and trained to secure threatened islands, seize an air head in enemy territory and capture a value objective such as a bridge that is critical to furthering operations in depth.

For ready deployment as part of international coalition forces responding to speedy military interventions, it will have to be provided with sufficient air and sealift capability and a high volume of close air support till its deployment area comes within reach of the artillery component of ground forces.

Since the raising of such a potent brigade group will be a highly expensive proposition, its components will need to be very carefully structured to get value for money. Such a brigade will afford immense strategic reach and flexibility to military planners and the Cabinet Committee on Security in the prevailing era of strategic uncertainty.

Simultaneously, efforts should commence to raise a division-size rapid reaction force, of which the first air assault brigade group should be a part, by the end of the 12th Plan by 2012-17. The second brigade group of the Rapid Reaction Division (RRD) should also have amphibious assault capability with

the necessary transportation assets being acquired and held by the Indian Navy, including landing and logistics ships. The brigade group in Southern Command, designated as an amphibious brigade but devoid of adequate amphibious capabilities, could be suitably upgraded. The amphibious brigade should be self-contained for 30 days of sustained intervention operations. The third brigade of the RRD should be lightly equipped for offensive and defensive employment in the plains and mountains as well as jungle and desert terrain. All the brigade groups and their ancillary support elements should be capable of transportation by land, sea and air.

With the exception of the amphibious brigade, the division should be logistically selfcontained for an initial deployment period of 15 to 20 days with limited daily replenishment. The infrastructure for such a division, especially strategic air lift, attack helicopters, heli-lift and landing ship capability, will entail heavy capital expenditure and fairly large recurring maintenance costs. However, funds will need to be garnered by innovative management of the defence budget and additional budgetary support. The second RRD should be raised over the 13th and 14th Defence Plans by about 2027.

The only airborne force projection capability that India has at present is that of one independent Parachute Brigade with three parachute battalions. Since the organisational structure of this brigade is more suitable for conventional operations, this brigade should be retained as an Army HQ reserve for strategic employment behind enemy lines.

However, when necessary, the brigade could be allotted to the RRD for short durations to carry out specific tasks.

India cannot aspire to achieve great power status without getting politically and militarily ready to bear the inherent responsibilities.

Unless the country becomes the undisputed master of its own backyard in Southern Asia, including the northern Indian Ocean Region, it will not be recognised even as the numero uno regional military power, leave aside a power to reckon with on the world stage. SP The author is Director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi.

Operational capabilities the key

Military planners acknowledge that the need to join future international coalitions, with or without UN Security Council sanction, cannot be wished away. The late General K. Sundarji, former Chief of the Army Staff, had often spoken of converting an existing infantry division to an air assault division by the year 2000.

Though the idea was certainly not ahead of its time, the shoestring budgets of the 1990s did not allow the army to proceed in that direction and it could not implement the concept. Now the time has come to translate his vision into

Photograph: wikimedia

Photograph:Boeing

Beyond Home

The Akula Class submarine

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Ai r Defence

LT GENERAL (RETD) NARESH CHAND

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ir defence (AD) is essentially tasked to deter or destroy aerial air breathing platforms attacking ground targets or deny them passage through a specific air space. The idea of AD emerged with the advent of air power during World War I (WWI) when small arms and canons were used to engage enemy aircraft. Aircraft could also be used to counter enemy aircraft but it was not practical to employ these for around-the-clock AD. Aircraft were better employed in the offensive role. At that time, AD was called anti-aircraft artillery, or AAA, by the British and Flak by the Germans taken from Flugabwehrkanone, denoting aircraft defence cannon.

Other countries, except Germany, did not appreciate the potential of airpower till a German spotter aircraft brought accurate artillery fire. Quick solutions were found by using or adapting smaller calibre artillery guns for this role. Subsequently guns were specially designed for anti-aircraft (AA) role.

By the end of WWI, role of military aircraft emerged more clearly in the battlefield, thus warranting a serious response to counter them. During the period, between the wars, it was Germany which developed a number of new AA guns, at times in collaboration with Swiss and Swedish companies. Other countries like UK and Sweden followed but some countries still thought that the aircraft were too fast and beyond the reach of guns thus it was pointless to develop them.

Guns: Rapid evolution

The US (Union Army) used balloons during the American Civil War which forced the Confederates to employ artillery, small arms and even saboteurs to counter them.

The earliest known use of an AA gun was a modified Krupp’s one pounder gun drawn by a horse drawn carriage to destroy balloons in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Germany continued with the development with Krupp leading in their design, some examples of which are 75 mm, 12-pounder and 105 mm gun. During WWI, 75 mm had become the standard German weapon.

Any firearm with adequate range and a reasonable calibre could be used against the earlier aircraft but matching capability was required when they became more advance.

In the evolutionary phase of AD weaponry, adaptations of the standard automatic cannons and heavier artillery systems were com-

mon. The ammunition and shells fired by these weapons were normally fitted with different types of fuses to spread the shrapnel over a larger area. For shorter ranges, guns between 20 mm to 40 mm calibre were being widely used. Apart from L60, other examples of large calibre guns are the Bofors 8,8 cm FlaK 18, 36 gun and the American 90mm AA Gun. AD came to its maturity during World War II (WWII) when use of air power became more extensive and mature. Bofors 40mm L60 and 3.7 inch Heavy AA (HAA) guns became the mainstay of ground based air defence of the Allies with the Axes having their own versions. The 40mm L60 gun

India inherited L60 and 3.7in guns after partition and the 40mm L60 destroyed many Pakistani aircraft during 1965 and 1971 operations became so vital to the British war effort that they even produced a movie, The Gun, to motivate factory workers to work harder. The US also started manufacture of these guns. It was adopted by 17 countries and is still in use in some navies and coast guards. An effort was made to develop a system which should have single shot kill probability. A 55 mm gun used a centralised control system, including both search and targeting radar, which calculated the future aiming point and then sent this data electrically to the guns which used hydraulic system to point the gun towards the target. This was the first attempt to really modernise AD gun systems.

It was not possible to engage fast moving aerial targets manually, thus a mechanical computer, the Kerrison Predictor, was developed. The operation was simple and required the crew had to point the Predictor at the target which then calculated the aim off automatically and displayed it on the gun as a pointer. The crew had just to follow the pointer to aim the gun (dubbed ‘follow the pointer’). Mechanical computer was replaced by the analogue computer which preceded the modern digital computer for calculating ballistic data. The major breakthrough for AD weaponry came with the advent of the radar, affording superior capabil-

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State of un-preparedness Recent media coverage of the state of preparedness of the armed forces clearly brought out the glaring voids existing in the army, navy and air force. The status of Army Air Defence which has inadvertently been overlooked is even more startling and depressing. The current state of equipment is as under: • 40mmL70 gun entered service during 1963 and although operationally obsolete, after 45 years, its replacement is yet not in sight.

• 23mm twin gun is also about 25 years old with a high accident rate but replacement not in sight.

• Kvadrat missile system (medium range) has been in service for 25 years and more but the process of choosing a successor is yet to start.

• OSA-AK (short range) missile system is on its last leg.

• Tank mounted AD system Schilka is 35 years old with no successor in sight.

• Battle management system is not even on the horizon.

The above covers almost all the AD equipment of the army. There are just no spares for equipment of Russian origin. The threat from air now includes Fourth Generation fighters, UAVs and Short Range Ballistic Missiles. Night capability is a mandatory. A terrorist attack from air cannot be ruled out for which Army Air Defence forms an integral part. It is already providing AD in the capital for all important functions for many years. It is sad to see the utter state of neglect of this critical element of the army’s overall capability. SP

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The Skyshield gun system

ity in detection and tracking of targets which could be applied equally to guns and missiles.

India inherited L60 and 3.7in guns after partition and the 40mm L60 destroyed many Pakistani aircraft during 1965 and 1971 operations. The 3.7 inch HAA was used in lieu of a medium gun as an interim solution till replaced by 130mm guns. The guns, by and large, have reached a plateau in development where the effective range and rate of fire is at its upper limit. Only improvements possible are in fire control radar and ammunition. In service in India for four decades, the 40mm L70 has had its fire control radar upgraded periodically and ammunition improved by adding radio fuse but is in urgent need of replacement.

Skyshield of Rheinmetall Defence is a modern example of a gun system which has Advance Hit Efficiency And Destruction technology ammunition. It contains 152 heavy tungsten metal, spin stabilised sub-projectiles and ejected by a time fuse which are very effective against small targets. This gun can be considered a suitable replacement for L70.

Missiles: Fast forward

The use of rocket-powered missiles for shooting down aircraft began during WWII. The Germans took great interest in this field and developed a missile like the Wasserfall based on a scaled-down V-2, but none of these was ready for service before the war ended. The British started with an unguided rocket, the 2 inch RP which was fired in large numbers. By the end of the war, the British had developed a surface-to-air missile, Stooge, which would have been launched from Royal Navy ships against the Japanese Kamikaze attacks. The US Navy also started missile research to deal with the Kamikaze threat which fructified during 1950 with systems like the US Army’s Nike Ajax, the navy’s “3T’s” (Talos, Terrier, Tartar), and soon followed by the Soviet S-25 Berkut and S-75 Dvina and other French and British systems. The research and development for surface-to-air missiles continued with missiles being developed for firing from the shoulder to ballistic missile defence. Nike Ajax replaced the 75 mm Skysweeper system, an almost fully-automated system which included the radar, computers, power lay and auto-loading gun on a single platform.

Similarly, SA-2 Guideline systems were deployed by Russia for AD of its assets and later used by the Indian Air Force. There have been developments in the guidance systems, warhead, propellant, surveillance and fire control radars making the missile capable of engaging fighter aircraft, helicopters, UAV’s and short range ballistic missiles. Missiles can also be mounted on mobile platforms like tanks and other AFV’s. The Indian Army holds primarily Russian missile systems, like OSA-AK and Kvadrat, which are long due for replacement. Some of the latest missile systems are SLAMRAAM, HawkXXI and PAC-3 of the US; Spyder of Israel; Tor M-1 and Buk –M1 of Russia; and Aster series of Europe which could be could be considered as successors.

Radar: New milestones

The radar uses electromagnetic emissions to detect an airborne object. This capability has got translated into innumerable functional uses, like detection, identification, tracking, threat assessment, navigation and forecasting

weather conditions for firing. Many scientists and engineers have contributed to the development of radar but Christian Hülsmeyer was the first one to use radio waves to detect metallic objects. In 1904, he demonstrated the possibility of detecting a ship in dense fog. He patented it and further improved it to add ranging which was also patented. During 1917, Nikola Tesla established the fundamentals for frequency and power output.

Before WW II, the US, Germany, France, Russia and UK contributed to the development of radar as we see it today. The year 1934 saw some momentous developments like when Émile Girardeau of France stated that he was building a radar system based on the principles of Tesla and obtained a patent. Part of the system was installed on the Normandie liner in 1935. The same year, US Dr Robert M. Page tested the first monopulse radar and the Soviet military engineer P.K. Oschepkov, in collaboration with Leningrad Electrophysical Institute, produced an experimental apparatus RAPID capable of detecting an aircraft in an area within a radius of 3 km. Hungarian Zoltán Bay produced a similar working model by 1936.

However, the British were the first to

The Aster

understand and fully exploit its potential for AD which got added impetus due to the fear that Germany was developing death ray.

However, after a detailed study by the British scientists it was concluded that death ray was not feasible but detection of aircraft was possible. Robert Watson-Watt demonstrated the capabilities of a working prototype radar and patented the device in 1935. This system formed the basis of the famous Chain Home system of radars for the defence of Britain.

The war triggered research in many fields and radars are now widely used in diverse fields for surveillance, fire control, air traffic control, weather monitoring, astrometry and road speed control, besides other functions.

Army Air Defence has very good fire control radars of European origin like the Flycatcher series and Reporter for surveillance. The Russian systems have their integral surveillance and fire control radars. Flycatcher radar is due for replacement in the near future. SP

Photograph: MBDA

Army Air Defence is a critical element of the army’s overall capability with the crucial components: guns, missiles and radars

Photograph: Rheinmetall

Protective Shield

Technolog y

Photographs: USAF

The

Power of E-Waves

A quick reckoner of the vital components that enable comprehensive and effective control of the electromagnetic spectrum to facilitate electronic warfare LT GENERAL (RETD) NARESH CHAND

“The electronic warfare system is a force multiplier system which needs high level of secrecy for maintaining surprise against adversary actions. In such a situation, it is essential that the system design, architecture and deployment knowledge is generated within the country and maintained as a closely guarded information by the services. This is essential to ensuring tactical and strategic advantage for our armed forces during an operation.”

—Dr Abdul Kalam, former President of India

E

lectronic warfare (EW) is essentially use of the electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny it to an adversary, while optimising its utilisation by home forces. The ultimate goal of EW is to control the electromagnetic spectrum. It has three main components: Electronic Support Measures (ESM), also called Electronic Support; Electronic Counter Measures (ECM), also called Electronic Attack; and Electronic Counter Counter Measures (ECCM), also called Electronic Protection.

ESM: Passive detection

ESM provides the necessary intelligence and threat recognition in order to carry out ECM and ECCM. It is the passive detection of signals in order to intercept, identify, locate, record, and/or analyze sources of radiated electromagnetic energy for the purposes of immediate threat identification (such as warning that a fire control radar has locked on a fighter aircraft). ESM includes signal intelligence (Sigint), which has two components, communications intelligence (Comint) and electronic intelligence (Elint). ESM equipment should be able to cover a wide range of frequency bands, good dynamic rang, narrow band -pass to discriminate the signal of interest and a good angle-of arrival measurement for direction finding.

Comint: It deals with all forms of communications, including voice, messages and traffic data. Primary means of military communications was by physical dispatch till 1860, when telegraph took over until 1915, and then by the telephone until recently. A common Comint technique is to listen to voice communications, usually over radio but also possibly “leaking” from telephones or from wiretaps. If the voice communications are encrypted, the encryption must be deciphered. A typical command and control structure is made up of various tactical and strategic radio networks that support data, voice and images, and operate over point-topoint links and broadcast. Without intelligence the commander is blind as he has no information to base his decisions upon.

Elint: It deals with all non-communications signals intelligence by trying to identify hostile radars and other non-communicating sources of electromagnetic energy. The main methods used to detect hostile targets and guide weapons to them are sonar, radar, and infrared although a few do use passive systems. The first of these to be developed was sonar, which was invented and deployed in World War I.

Samyukta Electronic Warfare System Samyukta is a mobile integrated electronic warfare system developed for the Indian Army and considered to be the largest of its kind. It was developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation and manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited and ECIL. Many other private companies, like CMC and Tata Power Company Limited, contributed by jointly developing command and control software having 10 million lines of code and manufacture. Another 40 companies produced components indigenously. The system is fully mobile and is meant for tactical battlefield use. It has a wide range of frequencies to cover the communication and the non-communication segment. Its functions include Elint and Comint ECM activities.

Each system operates on a large number of mobile vehicles which has communication and non-communication segments. The system has the capability to carry out electronic surveillance, analysis, interception, direction finding and position fixing, listing, prioritising and jamming of all communication and radar signals from HF to MMW. Samyukta system will ensure dominance over electro-magnetic spectrum which basically means it will jam enemy surveillance signals and voice and radar signals while ensuring its own signals are not jammed by the enemy. SP

However, except for submarines, the key sensor is radar. Although radar was invented by Christian Hülsmeyer in 1904 as a maritime anti-collision device, but its true potential manifested only during World War II. Laser is also now part of any electro-optronic aiming device.

ECM: Employing deception

ECM is the active or passive use of the electromagnetic spectrum to deny its use to an adversary. It includes any type of electrical or electronic device designed to deceive radar, sonar or other detection systems like infrared and Laser. Basic radar ECM techniques incorporate jamming, deception, target modification by transponders to, for instance, increase their return echo strength to make a small decoy appear to be a large target. ECM can be active or passive:

• Active ECM includes jamming, deception, active cancellation and electronic magnetic pulse use.

• Passive ECM includes such activities as the use of chaff, balloons, radar reflectors, Faraday cages, winged decoys and stealth.

ECCM: Protection shield

Employing measures taken to reduce or eliminate the effect of ECM on electronic sensors on vehicles, ships, aircraft and weapon systems, ECCM makes the adversaries’ ECM less successful by protecting friendly personnel, facilities, equipment or objectives. ECCM can also prevent friendly forces from being affected by their own ECM. What could possibly be considered as the first example of ECCM, the Germans increased their radio transmitter power in an attempt to ‘burn through’ or over-

ride the British jamming, which by necessity of the jammer being airborne or further away produced weaker signals. Super Fledermaus fire control radar, in service with the Indian Army till recently, literally had brute transmitted power thus was difficult to jam. This is still one of the primary methods of ECCM even today. ECCM can be active as well as passive: • Active ECCM includes such activities as having radio sets with frequency-hopping spread spectrum.

• Passive ECCM includes education of operators for enforcing strict electronic discipline and modified battlefield tactics or operations.

Some ECCM techniques used are: ECM detection: Sensor logic may be programmed to be able to recognise attempts at ECM like an aircraft dropping chaff during terminal homing phase and ignore them.

Another application of ECCM could be to recognise the type of ECM being used and be able to cancel it.

Pulse compression by “chirping”, or linear frequency modulation: One of the effects of the pulse compression technique is boosting the apparent signal strength as perceived by the radar receiver. The outgoing radar pulses are varied within the pulse. When the pulse reflects off a target and returns to the receiver, the signal is processed to add a delay as a function of the frequency. This has the effect of stacking the pulse so it seems stronger, but shorter in duration, to further processors. The effect can increase the received signal strength to above that of noise jamming.

Frequency hopping: Frequency hopping or agility may be used to rapidly switch the frequency of the transmitted energy and receiving only that frequency during the receiving time window.

Polarisation: Polarisation can be used to filter out unwanted signals, such as jamming.

Radiation homing: The other main aspect of ECCM, is to program sensors or seekers to detect attempts at ECM and possible even to take advantage of it. For example, some modern fire-and-forget missiles like the Vympel R-77 and the AMRAAM are able to home in directly on sources of radar jamming if the jamming is too powerful to allow them to find and track the target normally. This mode, called ‘home-on-jam’, actually makes the missile’s job easier. Some missile seekers actually target the enemy’s radiation sources and are, therefore, called “anti-radiation missiles”. SP 6/2008 SP’S LAND FORCES

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The

Leap Forward

The first indigenously assembled T-90S rolled out from the Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi on January 7, 2004

Manifold increase in threats and the diverse nature of new age combat necessitates urgent revamp and re-equipment efforts to transform the Indian Army into a modern fighting force LT GENERAL (RETD) V.K. KAPOOR

Army’s equipment

WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET

The army’s modernisation plans have created a $20 billion (Rs 98,360 crore) opportunity, propelling India to the centrestage of all big arms manufacturing establishments. Key features of the plan have been chalked out and several steps taken for acquiring equipment.

Armour: The army has received 14 of the 124 Arjun Main Battle Tanks (MBT) ordered by it. These are undergoing sub unit trials before further induction of the entire lot.

From Russia, 310 T-90S tanks had been ordered. Of these, 124 fully assembled tanks were directly imported from Russia and 186 kits imported for assembly in India. The first indigenously assembled T-90S rolled out from

Skyshield Gun System

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the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Avadi on January 7, 2004. These tanks have now been operationalised. Defects in the fire control systems of T-90S tanks due to excessive heat in the turrets during the summers is being remedied through air-conditioning the interior. An additional 347 T-90S tanks have been negotiated for induction into the service, bringing the total to 647. In all probability, the strike formations of the Indian Army will be equipped with these tanks.

Simultaneously, a programme has been launched to modernise the T-72 M1, Ajeya, MBTs. Around 1,700 T-72 M1s have been manufactured under licence at HVF, Avadi.

The T-72 M1 modernisation programme under Project Rhino will extend the service life of the MBT by 20 years, enhance their accuracy with the new Drawa-T fire control system (FCS), and give a night fighting capability through a thermal imager integrated with the tank’s FCS. The tanks are additionally being equipped with explosive reactive armour (ERA) for better protection, along with a laser warning system and new, frequency hopping, tank radios sets from Tadiran for more secure communications.

A new power pack is also under consideration to further enhance mobility, especially with the heavy ERA packages that are being strapped

Photograph: Rheinmetall

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ndia’s one million-plus army, second largest after China, is one of the most experienced and professional forces in the world.

However, its requirements and financial outlays to transform the army into a modern fighting force are huge, thus enlarging the induction period and extending the procurement process at a time when the challenges to the military are increasing manifold. In that light, it would be pertinent to analyse the direction taken by the Indian Army for its modernisation needs.

on. However, fact is modernisation of the T-72 is behind schedule due to complicated procurement procedures exacerbated by delayed decision making. The T-90 and the improved T-72 M1 tanks will constitute India’s armoured might in the future till a new MBT is chosen or designed indigenously.

Mechanised Infantry: The mechanised infantry is currently equipped with the BMP-2 Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) “Sarath.” Over 1,000 of these have been manufactured since 1987. A new variant is the 81 mm Carrier Mortar Tracked based on the chassis of the Sarath ICV and indigenously developed to enhance the integral firepower available to mechanised infantry battalions. Other variants include a command post, an ambulance, armoured dozer, and engineer and reconnaissance vehicles. The ICVs are being equipped with thermal imaging sights and image intensifiers. The army had ordered 198 Carrier Mortar Tracked, which have since been delivered.

Reconnaissance and support battalions need better surveillance radars, fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and effective night fighting capability. Upgradation of these is also on the anvil.

Artillery: In keeping with the policy that 155 mm will be the standard calibre for the artillery, Israeli firm Soltam was given the contract for upgunning 180 M-46 130 mm guns acquired from Russia. After some initial hitches, all 180 guns have been successfully upgraded and operationalised. This will extend the range of the erstwhile 130 mm guns from 28 to 40 km with extended range ammunition.

Two regiments of Smerch Multi-Barrel Rocket Launchers (MBRL) have been procured from Russia through Rosboronexport.

This will enhance the reach of the artillery considerably, thus giving commanders multiple options for offensive operations in enemy’s depth.

Extended range rockets are also expected to boost the range of Grad BM-21 rockets from 22 km to about 40 km. The indigenously developed Pinaka MBRL has been accepted for induction into service. Two private sector companies are taking part in the production of Pinaka.

Two missile groups of Prithvi surface-to-surface short range ballistic missile and one of Agni have reportedly been

already raised. Agni-II intermediate range ballistic missile has been successfully test-fired and is undergoing further trials. These missiles may be placed under the Strategic Forces Command for command and control purposes.

The army version of BrahMos cruise missile, developed jointly by India and Russia, has been successfully tested and inducted into service.

From the US, 12 AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder radars have been received; additional radars of the same class are planned to be acquired through indigenous development.

In January 2008, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) floated a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 140 pieces of ultra-light 39 calibre 155 mm towed howitzers for use by the Indian Army’s mountain formations. Presumably, these will also be employed by its rapid reaction divisions—as and when these are raised—as these howitzers will be easy to transport by air.

To equip seven medium artillery regiments, 140 howitzers will be adequate and will cost approximately Rs 3,000 crore. The RFP has been reportedly issued to UK’s BAE Systems (which now owns Bofors) for the M777 howitzer, claimed to be the lightest in the world at under 4,220 kg, and to

Photograph: wikimedia

Moder nisation

Singapore Technologies for the Pegasus SLWH. India has floated a global tender for the purchase of 400 155 mm towed artillery guns for the army, to be followed by indigenous manufacture of another 1,100 howitzers, in a project worth Rs 8,000 crore.

The RFP was issued to eight prospective bidders, including BAE, General Dynamics, Nexter (France), Rhinemetall (Germany) and Samsung (South Korea). An RFP has also been issued for 180 wheeled self-propelled guns for around Rs 4,700 crore for employment by mechanised forces in the plains and semi-desert sectors.

Surveillance: The Heron UAV (medium-altitude, long endurance) from Israel has been acquired in addition to the Searcher I and II. Medium range battlefield surveillance radars have been introduced into the inventory of the army’s surveillance and target acquisition units for enhancing the medium range ground

T-90- Main Armament: 125 mm smoothbore with ATGM capability

surveillance capability of the army. The LORROS, or Long-Range Reconnaissance and Observation System, provides day and night surveillance capability up to a range of about 11 to 13 km. It is performing well, especially in counter-infiltration operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Most of these sensors are currently functioning in a stand-alone mode as there are no arrangements to link them together on a networked surveillance grid.

Development of Nishant remotely piloted vehicle, designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), to undertake battlefield surveillance, reconnaissance, real time engagement of targets by artillery fire and laser designation has been successfully completed. It has been approved for induction through limited series production. The Artillery Combat Command and Control System has been successfully developed and is under production. Trial evaluation of Terminal Guided Munitions, Trajectory Guided Munitions, Velocity Enhanced Long Range Artillery Projectiles and Anti-Radiation Ammunition is also in progress.

Air Defence Artillery: The Corps of Army Air Defence holds a large variety of guns and missile systems. It has 40 mm L/70, Zu-23-2 Twin gun, ZSU-23-4 Schilka and Tunguska in its inventory. The 40 mm L/70, which is about four decades old, needs immediate replacement. Considering the high costs of new weapon systems, the army is going in for weapon upgrades for L-70, ZU-232 Twin gun, and ZSU-23-4 Schilka.

Meanwhile, the army is also looking for successors to L-70 and the ZU-23-2. Successor to Schilka (ZSU-23-4) already exists in the form of Tunguska, but in limited numbers.

In the missile systems, Kvadrat (medium range) and OSA–AK (short range) are also at the end of their life cycle. These were to be replaced by Akash and Trishool surfaceto-air missiles but since these DRDO projects have been inordinately delayed, they will also require replacements from abroad. One major weakness in the overall air defence matrix is the lack of a battle management system which is also linked with the national air defence network.

Infantry: The combat potential of the infantry, particularly in the areas of firepower and surveillance for counter-insurgency and conventional operations, is being significantly enhanced. The 20 mm and 14.5 mm AntiMaterial Rifle, Automatic Grenade Launcher30, Multiple Grenade Launcher, 84 mm Rocket Launcher Mk II and Kornet-E ATGM with thermal imaging night sights are some of the new systems introduced. Surveillance equipment include Battlefield Surveillance Radars, Hand Held Thermal Imagers and various types of Unattended Ground Sensors.

Army’s Engineers

Equipment has been procured to assist in demining operations. Equipment is also being procured to improve the capability of engineers for disaster management. Protective equipment, to enhance the fighting capability of the army in the nuclear, biological and chemical scenario has been procured.

Protection against improvised explosive devices (IED) in counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations is also being enhanced through procurement of a sophisticated range of counter IED equipment. New assault bridging equipment has also been procured.

Communications in the army

A countrywide, secured, value-added backbone for data and voice transmission in a networked architecture is being established to connect the army’s important formation headquarters.

Strategic broadband satellite network, the first of its kind connecting 22 locations, has recently been commissioned, with the project christened “Mercury Flash”. On February 24, 2006, erstwhile President of India Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam dedicated the Army Wide Area Network (AWAN) to the nation. AWAN is designed to connect all field and peace-time formations, training establishments and logistics installations in the country. It is a major step forward in preparing the army for the information age and for the future high technology battlefield. As regards electronic warfare, it has been reported that the defence Acquisition Council of the MoD has approved the acquisition of electronic warfare equipment worth $333.3 million (Rs 1,600 crore).

Information Systems: A new organisation, the Director General Information Systems, has been established in the army under the Deputy Chief (Policy and Systems). The objective is to vigorously pursue the establishment of the Command Information Decision Support System for the army to link together all other automated communication and information systems such as the Battlefield Surveillance System, the Artillery Combat Command and Control System, the Air Defence Control and Reporting System, and Battle Management System in an effort to present a holistic picture to a commander and his senior staff officers to ease the decision making process. This will also link the communication system at strategic, operational and tactical levels and enable the army to fight network enabled warfare in the future. Developments in these fields are slow but steady, and it seems the army expects to achieve the first stage of network enabled capability in about a decade or so. SP 6/2008 SP’S LAND FORCES

13

Equipment

Unmanned Wonders Foremost Unmanned Aerial Vehicles that can fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic automation systems LT GENERAL (RETD) V.K. KAPOOR

Little Bird Helicopter Demonstrator, USA

The Boeing Unmanned Little Bird (ULB) demonstrator is a modification of the MD 530F single-turbine helicopter, designed for both manned and unmanned flight. The ULB can be remotely operated or programmed for autonomous operations in any of its three operational modes: dual pilot, single pilot or unmanned flight operations. The high payload capacity allows missions to include long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions using heavy, high-capability sensors.

The ULB helicopter demonstrator successfully completed its first flight in September 2004 and the first autonomous take-off and landing was carried out in October 2004. During this phase of testing an on-board test pilot monitored the helicopter’s performance but did not actively fly the aircraft. The first truly unmanned flight was completed in July 2006. Since its first flight in September 2004, the ULB demonstrator aircraft has safely conducted more than 500 hours of UAV technology flight testing and won the American Helicopter Society’s AHS 2005 Grover E Bell award for the best advancement in rotorcraft research.

Fire Scout MQ-8B, USA

The MQ-8B Class IV vertical take-off and landing tactical UAV, developed by Northrop Grumman, is based on the highly successful RQ-8A developed for the US Navy, which is currently in test and evaluation having successfully completed over 245 test flights since May 2002. The US Army selected the MQ-8B in August 2003 for its Class IV UAV, which is part of the US Army’s future combat systems (FCS) programme. The system provides the army with real-time imagery, data collection and dissemination at brigade level. The MQ-8B was also

ordered by the US Navy in 2005 and 2007. The army and navy are exercising a joint acquisition strategy of the MQ-8B to maximise commonality between the two services.

Watchkeeper, UK

In July 2004, the UK Ministry of Defence announced that Thales UK had been selected as the preferred bidder for the Watchkeeper tactical UAV system. Watchkeeper will provide the UK armed forces with intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capability. In August 2005, Thales UK was awarded the contract for the development, manufacture and initial support phases of the Watchkeeper programme. The number of Watchkeeper systems has not yet been formally announced, but the figure is reported to be around 54. Watchkeeper is a tactical system that will be operated in theatre by the British Army Royal Artillery. Thales UK’s Watchkeeper proposal included a large UAV and a smaller UAV, support equipment and ground stations. The MoD has decided that a single UAV solution is more cost effective and only the larger WK450 UAV will be developed.

The air vehicle will be capable of carrying a range of sensors, including day and night cameras and surveillance radars. Two WK450 air vehicles will be able to operate in tandem, with the second acting as a communications relay.

Barracuda Demonstrator, Europe The Barracuda demonstrator unmanned air vehicle has been developed by EADS Military Air Systems in Germany and Spain, with an industrial team of about 30 aerospace companies and specialised suppliers. The air vehicle has a radius of action of more than 200 km and a maximum speed over Mach 0.6. The operating ceiling is 20,000 ft. The purpose of the Barracuda demonstrator is to demonstrate and test technologies for future agile, autonomous and network-capable UAV systems. The first flight of the air vehicle took place in April 2006 at the San Javier Military Air Base in southern Spain. During one of the flight trials in 2006, the Barracuda crashed into the sea.

Incorporating swept wings, the demonstrator air vehicle is entirely carbon-fibre construction. The air vehicle, of length 8.25 m and wingspan 7.22 m, has a maximum take-off weight of 3,250 kg. The vehicle has a swept horizontal tail and outwardly canted

Photograph: Thales

U

nmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are remotely piloted or self-piloted aircraft that can carry cameras, sensors, communications equipment or other payloads. Used for reconnaissance, intelligencegathering, real time imagery, surveillance of a designated area and attack, more challenging roles envisioned include combat missions with specialised platforms.These can fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic automation systems.

The Watchkeeper tactical UAV system

India’s Quest for UAVs India has acquired Searcher I, Searcher II, and Heron UAVs from Israel. These are being used by all three services in various modes and configurations. Indigenous production is briefly described in the ensuing paragraphs.

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed the Lakshya, a pilotless target aircraft. It is used for training of land or ship based gun and missile crew and combat pilots in weapon engagement. All weapon engagements are made on two targets that have radar, IR or visual signature augmentation with a tow length of 1.5 km. They can be launched from ground or ship. The DRDO has also developed Nishant a field mobile system consisting of air vehicle, ground control station, antenna tracking system, launcher and mission support vehicles.

Each air vehicle carries a stabilised steerable platform (called Gimballed Payload Assembly) with electro-optic payloads for surveillance, target acquisition and target tracking. It has five hours of endurance and 65 kg payload capability.

Recently, Defence Minister A.K. Antony in a written reply in the Lok Sabha stated that the Government of India has allowed the Aeronautical Development Establishment to co-opt a partner from the Indian industry to join in the development and production of the Rs 1,000-crore indigenous medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV. In order to reduce the time for design, development and subsequent transfer of technology to the industry for bulk production of MALE UAV, DRDO has been authorised to associate with a Production And Development Partner (PADP) from eligible Indian industries on a competitive basis. The PADP would work with DRDO during the design and development phase and absorb technologies. These would become the System Integrator and provide product support after induction. DRDO has short listed four Industries Consortia through a transparent process and released Request for Proposal for PADP. SP

fins and rudders. EADS Military Air Systems at its Augsburg (Germany) site is responsible for manufacturing the fuselage and EADS Military Air Systems in Getafe (Spain) for the construction and manufacture of the swept wings.

Shadow 200 RQ-7, USA

Shadow 200 is the smallest of the Shadow family of tactical unmanned aircraft systems developed by AAI. It is in operational service with the US Army and US Marine Corps. Shadow 200 is used to locate, recognise and identify targets up to 125 km from a brigade tactical operations centre. The system recognises tactical vehicles by day and night from an altitude of 8,000 ft

WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET

UAV SPECIFICATIONS Specification

IGNAT-ER

Shadow

Barracuda

Watch Keeper

Firescout

Unmanned Little Bird

Wingspan

17.9 m

4.27 m

7.22 m

(WK180) 6.00 m; (WK450) 10.51 m

-

-

Length

8.70 m

3.4 m

8.25 m

(WK180) 4.43 m; (WK450) 6.10 m

-

9.94 m

Fuselage Length

-

-

-

(WK180) 3.47 m

-

7.49 m

Height

-

0.86 m

-

-

2.9 m

2.67 m

Empty weight

540 kg

90 kg

2,300 kg

-

-

-

Max Payload

-

25.3 kg

300 kg

-

-

-

Max Take off Weight

1,025 kg

127.3 kg

3,250 kg

(WK180) 195 kg; (WK450) 450 kg

-

-

Max Gross Weight

-

170 kg

-

-

-

-

Max PiN

204 kg

-

-

-

-

-

Max UWP

2 x 65 kg

-

-

-

-

-

Type/Engine

Rotax 914 turbo engine

-

Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5C turbofan

-

Rolls-Royce 250C30 turboshaft

14

SP’ S L AN D FO RC E S 6/ 2 0 0 8

and at a slant range of 3.5 km. Imagery and telemetry data is transmitted in near-real time from the Shadow ground control station to joint stars common ground station, all-sources analysis system and to the army field artillery targeting and direction system. Shadow is in operational service in Afghanistan and in Iraq.

By the end of December 2007, it had amassed more than 234,000 flight hours in over 55,000 missions. The Shadow family of unmanned aircraft systems is produced at AAI’s facilities in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

IGNAT-ER, USA

The US Army’s IGNAT-ER extended-range UAV has been deployed in Iraq since spring 2004 and has recently increased the operational tempo from 12 to 20 hours a day, every day, on reconnaissance and surveillance missions.

The system has successfully achieved a sustained full mission capability rate of 95 per cent. In March 2003, the US Army awarded General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. in San Diego, California, a contract covering three IGNAT-ER air vehicles, a modular ground control station, portable ground data terminals and ground support equipment. The contract was originally placed to provide the US Army with a UAV system. An urgent operational requirement emerged resulting in an accelerated manufacturing, testing and delivery schedule. The first air vehicle trial was successfully completed in March 2004. A contract for two more systems was placed in February 2005 and the three systems have completed over 850 combat missions. In April 2008, two IGNAT-ER air vehicles had completed 10,000 flight hours each, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The system has a maximum endurance of 40 hours at an altitude of 8,000 m. SP

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal

News i n B r i e f Spider Light Strike Vehicle, Singapore

The changing face of warfare has spawned new requirements for vehicles. While there is still an overwhelming requirement to protect troops from mine and roadside bomb attack using highly armoured patrol vehicles there is also a need for much smaller, lighter, relatively unarmoured vehicles to transport small bodies of men over short range for strike and reconnaissance missions. The light strike vehicle (LSV) was born for fast hit-and-run raids, scouting missions, special forces support, and low-intensity guerrilla warfare. A number of versions of this ‘dune buggy’ type of vehicle have been produced, notably the Blackwater (US) and the Spider from ST Engineering (ST Kinetics) of Singapore (adopted by the Singaporean armed forces). Other forces using this type of light attack vehicle include the US Marines, US Army, Greek forces, Mexican Army, and forces of Oman, Portugal and Spain.

One of the latest examples of the LSV is the Spider, designed to be light, fast, powerful and easily transportable by helicopter (six Spiders can fit into one C-130 transport plane). The 4×4 vehicle has tubular space frame chassis allowing a light weight of only 1,600 kg and a maximum payload of 1,200 kg. This small vehicle (4,500mm long and 2,030mm wide) carries a crew of three to six men depending upon the armament, and carries a foldable roll cage for protection (1,900mm). The Spider has been equipped with a range of refined technology such as semi-automatic transmission, double wishbone front suspension with a single shock absorber, and trailing-arm rear suspension as well as hydraulic power-assisted steering, all around power-assisted ABS brakes.

■ EADS wins Brazilian helicopter deal

European aerospace group announced that its Eurocopter business had won an order for 50 military helicopters from Brazil. EADS said Eurocopter and its Brazilian subsidiary Helibras would make the EC725 aircraft in Brazil and would begin delivering them to Brazil’s armed forces from 2010. EADS did not give a value for the deal, although a source close to the company said it was worth about €1.9 billion (Rs 12,168 crore). The contract will double the production capacity and the number of staff at Helibras’ plant in Itajuba, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, the group said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil announced the contract following a summit between Brazil and the EU.

■ US defence officials keen to resume military ties with China

The US hopes China, which suspended military contacts with Washington in October, will soon resume ties to work together against piracy in the Gulf of Aden, US defence officials have said.

Beijing took the action to protest a $6.5 billion (Rs 31,775 crore) US arms sale to Taiwan. “It is a fact that the Chinese suspended ‘mil-to-mil’ dialogue with the Department of Defense in general and US Pacific Command,” said Navy Admiral Timothy Keating, who commands all

US forces in Asia and the Pacific. A defence official said the suspension occurred after the US announced the arms package, including 30 Apache attack helicopters and 330 Patriot missiles. The sale angered Beijing, which has in the past vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary. Keating said prospects of China sending warships to the seas off Somalia to help international efforts against piracy could provide a ‘springboard’ for resuming ties.

“We are in dialogue in various agencies and commands in an attempt to provide information to the People’s Liberation Army Navy should their country decide to deploy ships,” he said. “This augurs well for increased cooperation and collaboration between the Chinese military forces and US Pacific Command forces.

So I’m cautiously optimistic.”

■ Lockheed Martin agrees to acquire UNITECH

Lockheed Martin Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Universal Systems & Technology, Inc. (UNITECH) which provides interactive training and simulation, homeland security, and technical solutions to the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, and other US and international government agencies. UNITECH’s core service offerings include multimedia training and performance support systems, three-dimensional weapons simulations, security strategies and information technology services. Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

The transaction is subject to government approvals, including a review under the HartScott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and satisfaction of other closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close by early 2009.

■ Thales Raytheon Systems to upgrade US’ Firefinder radar

Thales Raytheon Systems has been awarded a $217 million (Rs 1,060 crore) US Army firm-fixed-price contract to provide production modification kits and power amplifier modules as part of the Reliability Maintainability Improvement programme for the AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder weapon locating radar. This contract follows the April 2008 initial production award. Combined, the AN/TPQ-37 RMI production contracts total more than $285 million. The AN/TPQ-37 is the world’s premier long-range weapon locating radar, deployed worldwide by the US Army and 11 international customers. It locates the position of hostile artillery, rockets and mortars so friendly forces can quickly and accurately return fire.

Arms makers predict slower US defence growth

The Pentagon’s top contractors expect US defence spending to grow more slowly in coming years than at any time since the September 11, 2001 attacks. “I think the budget will likely be sustained,” Robert Stevens, Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon’s top supplier, said at the Reuters Aerospace and Defence Summit this week. “I think the rate of growth will probably decline.” Boeing, the number two supplier, predicted some arms development programmes may be delayed because of budget pressures. “While the defence budget may continue to go up, it’ll be incremental increases rather than the dramatic increases we’ve seen,” said Jim Albaugh, Chief Executive of Boeing’s Integrated Defence Systems. Ron Sugar, Chief Executive of third-ranked Northrop Grumman, said US defence spending would remain at a high level in coming years, although the rate of growth would decline. “The environment is a little more uncertain today as we look longerterm for the defence industry than it’s been in quite a number of years,” Sugar said.

■ Hand in Hand 2008 culminates successfully

The first ever Sino-Indian Exercise held in India “Hand in Hand 2008” has concluded successfully at Belgaum. The exercise was aimed at enhancing inter–operability in countering terrorism. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Lieutanent General Noble Thumburaj, GOCin-C Southern Command said: “The exercise has nurtured strong bonds amongst the troops which will further augment bilateral relations between the two nations. Both the armies are part of universal forefront to eradicate anti social malice from the present world scenario through collective operational capabilities.

This has been possible through the joint India-China military exercise wherein we have been able to hone out tactical abilities at grass root level.” Expressing similar sentiments Lieutanant General Ma Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of General Staff, People’s Liberation Army said that “as good neighbours and friends we will take the road to peace and harmony in the region and the world”.

■ Oerlikon Contraves rechristened Rheinmetall Air Defence

Beginning January 1, the General Dynamics presence in India has been formalised with Subimal Bhattacharjee appointed Country Head of General Dynamics International Corporation-India Liaison office located in Suite 1907, Shangri-La Hotel, New Delhi.

General Dynamics is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat vehicles and systems, armaments, and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and mission-critical information systems and technologies. The company employs approximately 91,200 people worldwide. The company’s major products include the Virginia Class nuclear-powered submarine, Arleigh Burke Class Aegis destroyer, Abrams M1A2 digitized main battle tank, the Stryker eight-wheeled assault vehicle, medium-caliber munitions and gun systems, tactical and strategic mission systems, information technology and mission services and the Gulfstream® family of business jets. SP

Assistant Editor Arundhati Das Senior Technical Group Editor Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand Contributing Editor Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia Sub-Editor Bipasha Roy Contributors India General (Retd) V.P. Malik Lt General (Retd) Vijay Oberoi Lt General (Retd) R.S. Nagra Lt General (Retd) S.R.R. Aiyengar Air Marshal (Retd) Vinod Patney Major General (Retd) Ashok Mehta Major General (Retd) G.K. Nischol Brigadier (Retd) Gurmeet Kanwal Brigadier (Retd) S. Mishra Rohit Sharma Europe Andrew Brookes (UK) USA & Canada Lon Nordeen (USA) Anil R. Pustam (West Indies) South Africa Helmoed R. Heitman Chairman & Managing Director Jayant Baranwal Admin & Coordination Bharti Sharma Design Associate Art Director: Ratan Sonal Graphic Designer: Vimlesh Kumar Yadav Published bimonthly by Jayant Baranwal on behalf of SP Guide Publications Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, photocopying, recording, electronic, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers.

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by Rave India (www.raveindiapress.com) © SP Guide Publications, 2008 Annual Subscription Inland: Rs. 600 • Overseas: US$180 Email: subscribe@spguidepublications.com For Advertising Details, Contact: guidepub@vsnl.com shikha@guidepublications.com r.ranjan@guidepublications.com SP GUIDE PUBLICATIONS PVT LTD POSTAL ADDRESS Post Box No 2525, New Delhi 110 005, India Corporate Office A 133 Arjun Nagar, Opp Defence Colony, New Delhi 110 003, India Tel: +91(11) 24644693, 24644763, 24620130 Fax: +91 (11) 24647093 Regd Office Fax: +91 (11) 23622942 Email: guidepub@vsnl.com

■ General Dynamics launches India operations

Editor Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor

Oerlikon Contraves AG, headquartered in Zurich, is a global leader in short-ranged air defence. It is also an essential component of Rheinmetall’s Air Defence unit, the division that unites the Group’s full spectrum of air defence activities. Rheinmetall Air Defence AG now offers the company’s global client base a complete array of air defence assets ranging from stationary cannon-based systems to mobile guided missile-supported solutions, together with sensor technology and associated networking solutions. Armed with an expanded portfolio, Rheinmetall Air Defence will continue in future to be a robust and reliable partner of the world’s armed forces. The globally renowned Oerlikon brand name will live on in connection with a series of important products: Oerlikon Skyshield, Oerlikon Skyranger and Oerlikon Skyguard. A guided missile system previously marketed internationally under the name ASRAD-R—closely related to the Bundeswehr’s LeFlaSys—will in future be known as the Skyarcher ASRAD-R.

Representative Offices BANGALORE, INDIA Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey 534, Jal Vayu Vihar, Kammanhalli Main Rd, Bangalore 560043, India.

Tel: +91 (80) 23682534 MOSCOW, RUSSIA LAGUK Co., Ltd Yuri Laskin Krasnokholmskaya, Nab., 11/15, app. 132, Moscow 115172, Russia.

Tel: +7 (495) 911 2762, Fax: +7 (495) 912 1260 www.spguidepublications.com www.spslandforces.net RNI Number: DELENG/2008/25818

6/2008 SP’S LAND FORCES

15

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