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THE COMPLETE NEWSMAGAZINE ON NAIIONAL SECURITY

VOLUME6 NO9 MAY2OO9

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--Air
Chief Marshal F.H. Major
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Volume 6 No 9 May 2009

F(ilHTE
Editor PRAVIN SAWHNEY
Dear Readers
It seems to be getting hotter and hotter. As the mercury continues its jour-
Executive Editor GHAZALA WAHAB ney north, excitement over the Multi Role Combat Aircraft also seems to be
Sr. Consulting Editor ADM ARUN PRAMSH (Retd): boiling over. The IAF has indicated that chances of doum selection (inviting
AIR MARSHAL G.S. CHAUDHRY (Retd) only a select number for flight evaluation which will start by the end of May)
Consulting Editor BRIG. ARUN SAHGAL (Retd)
are very bright, throwing the contenders in a lizzy.Tlire guessing game has
Associate Editor SANJARI CHAITERJTE
begun with periodic leaks in the media. We bring you all the hard details on
Special Correspondent ADIII BHAN
the mother of all deals. This will indeed be a keenly watched and comment-
Correspondent VIDHI UPADHYAY
ed upon competition. Our special report on the MRCA lists the capabilities
Srinagar Correspondent FAYM WANI
Bangalore Conespondent ANIL KUI/IAR
of the competitors, as well carries an in-depth story on AESA radar. We will
Photographers AlVllN WAR, HEI/IANT RAWAT continue to revisit this subject with more details as the trials begin.
Design Consultant DHARANA The other story we are looking at in this issue is the recent visit of the US
Manager Marketing JAMES RAIAN special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan (AfPak), Richard Holbrooke and
Asst Marketing SWEETY SINGH the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Admiral Mike
Puhlisher and Printer PRAVIN SAWHNEY Mullen to New Delhi. This is another story that we will keep tracking regu-
larly as Pakistan has made it clear that India will be an important player if US
Force is available at:
Abdullah News Agency,
AfPak policy is to be successfully implemented. However, in this story we
Lal Chowk, Srinagar, 190 00i
look at how the US plans to make Pakistan's nukes secure; unfortunately, at
Phone, 0194-2472621 Mobile, 9419074859 the same time making them dangerous for India. It is indeed ironic that we
Contact, Amin War; M0bile: 9419000630 believe what the US thinks, that the Taliban will soon overwhelm Pakistan
and India would be next on their agenda. We need to step back and wonder
Modern Book Depot why this scenario is not troubling the Pakistan Army, which through its
SadarBazar, Agra Cantt., Uttar Pradesh proxy civilian government, continues to extract more than has already been
Telephone, 0562-?225695 given by the US.
Nataraj Publishers
The special report is an encouraging one, on the growing relations
I7. Rajpur Road, Dehradun 248001 between India and Russia. This bilateral relationship, we believe, comes
Telephone: 0135-2653382 7.654584 closest to a strategic partnership that India has ever had with any country'
We have our differences, all of which are such that can be overcome. We have
Capital Book Depot
handled this story by deliberately concentrating more on the Russian per-
SC0-3, Sector 17E, Chandigarh 160017
spective of the relationship. There is a comprehensive interview with the
Telephone, 017 2-7 02260
Russian ambassador in India, who has the distinction of having spent near-
Book Palace ly five years in India. We also bring you Russian viewpoint on the bilateral
The Mall (Near Railway Station), Bhatinda, Punlab defence cooperation, the cornerstone of the relationship. Yet another piece
Telephone: 2237609 is on the restructured Russian military forces. This should provide a few
Editorial 0lfice good ideas to our armed forces.
B-28, Sector 6 Noida 201301, In addition, we bring you plenty of news on the defence industry. Despite
Uttar Pradesh the global economic meltdown, this, we believe, is one Indian industry sec-
Telephone: 91-120-4278691-93 tor, that will continue to flourish. The reasons for this are rather simple:
Fax 9I-120-4278692 India has the means and the need to restructure its armed forces, the Indian
tmail: writeback@forceindia.net industry needs a makeover, and global defence players are vying for part-
Printed at Tara Ad Printers Pvt. Ltd., B-4,
nership with India. We only hope that the India defence media responds
Hans Bhawan, 8Z Marg, New Delhi - 110 002 equally responsibly to this growing challenge. So, keep the excitement going!

O 2OO9 FORCE Editor

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part
,',,ihout permission is prohibited

Rl{l No. DELENG/2nffi112712

ISSN 0972-9453 Force
l'ri:u.f o rc eind ia. net

l\4ay 2009 F0RCE 1

SPECIAL REPORT
Ties that Stick
lndia-Russian relations

Partners Now
Challenges and opportunities for Russian-lndian millech Cooperation

Smash Hit 44
Army and the navy to induct BrahlVlos Block 2 cruise missile

INIERVIEW
'Russia and lndia Share a Partnership of a Genuinely Strategic 36
Natu re'
Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Vyacheslav l. Trubnikov

I
%
C()VER ST()RY

I t r The Race Begins

Field trials for MRCA to start in a few weeks

0ptimistic About lndia 13

/1
Boeing gears up for the MRCA competition

1) '\
Challenging Radars l4

fel
AESA increases pilot's opiions

FRt]M J&K
\ A Hero's Adieu
Mass outpouring at Kashmir: s s: : :' :

GUESI COLUMN
?rc Welcome Change
Sajad Lone s entry

FEATURVREPORT
Pushed to the Edge
in:: a- ''2, -.'..
76

26

Eye on the Future US mulling ici-*a --: :.' ,,::- -- :

Nivedita Das Kundu
Playing Catch-up 2S
T:a :-: n
A New Dawn
_ . ...- rr-:
Ruslan Pukhov

2 F0RCE lVay 2009

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:rfciiihiali Typi:*rl: a llrr;.: io ne lec{i:llr:'.i l'i!ii. Siratr:gil !tliin{.ii, dc:i*r'J',:r,
::iiri:loi:. tht rilil'nals;lir-ic:ir'::rd air-ll'groijrj rJ*jenr:s pialilt'r:. Agiie
:rd aiiapl;:l-:i+ wiiir i: i.,i'*ver s*1ng-roli; crllbilily io !',-lftl. aly flsi-ch;r:glrg
cr,.r:l-i:i:*ri:i tnvir.*nlnert. irglrlli- wiih ll* le assl:rencl ci il':e silleci be lte f 11:
,:r oxnri::hil, *cilrliv lrd th:.oui;l-liic slppr-.tl lil:i .cilre i:'*r belrg c::* ci
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www.eurof ighter.com nothing comes close
I
0ver the Horizon 52
Two-pronged plan for procuring new-generation UAVs

Neighbourly Visit 55
BDR grateful for BSF's 'wisdom and prudence'

Private Cover 56
lndia lnc. makes bee line for CISF cover

Hero's Tale 75
The authorised biography of Marshal ofthe Air released by ACM EH. Major
.: :::::: "

Mulling over Media 71 The Saga Continues 68

Media is a necessity not a force multiplier The government issues RFI for Advanced Jet Trainer

INTERVIEW Farther And Beyond 6S

'With Existing Deficiency ol 0ver 27 Per Cent, Providing 0fficers 32 IAF's A330-200 MRTTs will each be fitted with advanced mission systems
for Augmentation of NSG is Difficult'
Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Noble Thamburaj, PVSM,AVSM VS[/] News 70

INI] USTRY CO LUMNS

Guest Column 59 Vigil at Sea 17
By Maj. Gen. Mrinal Suman (retd.) Adm. Arun Prakash (retd)

Future Communication 62 The Morning After 22

Cll organises seminar to focus on communication to support BMS Gen. Shankar Roychowdhury (retd)

Secure Seas 65 First Person 82

Lockheed Maftin hard-sells its Aegis BMD System to lndia Ghazala Wahab

PIRAIE Leads 66 Bottomline 83

IAF seeking passive target recognition system Pravin Sawhney

letters
Kashmir Resolution Agreement with Pakistan is not correct. UN Resolutions stay there
Dear Sir, Apropos your cover story ofAprii 2009, I notice that you till such time the Security Council feels that these need not be
are anguished that even after 60 years, we have not been able to pursued. So either $ray we have shot ourselves in the foot.
find a solution to the vexed I&K problem. So far so good. But it The only solution to J&K problem is to tell Pakistan to vacate
seems you have also joined the ranks of a large number of arm- Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Northern Areas in accordance
chair strategists and others who periodically sigh about lack of a lvith the UN Resoiutions. This would put the ball back in
solution but have never cared to spell out what this solution Pakistan's court. To show our reasonable face, we should say that
could be which would be acceptable to India, Pakistan and the we are ready to hold a plebiscite provided Pakistan first vacates
Kashmiri people. POK and the NorthernAreas. Since that is not going to happen, we
May I suggest to you that it is entirely due to India's lveak-kneed remain rvhere we are but would have regained the moral high
policies and lack of an aggressive approach that we seem to have ground; send a correct signal to the world community, Separatists
lost our case in the eyes of the world. Not many people know that and the people ofJ&K.
the UN Resolutions, while recommending plebiscite in J&K have I knorv that Indian leadership, advised by the cautious man-
in an earlier clause stipulated that before that can happen, darins of the foreign office will not make a drastic shift in our pol-
Pakistan needs to stop aggression and remove all its regular and icy if at all we have one. So the chances are that lve rvill continue
irregular forces from l&K. We never concentrated on this part and to drift and armchair strategists will continue to suggest imprac-
instead started trashing the UN Resolutions. In the meantime, tical solutions like no borders, people to people to contact, com-
Pakistan, very cleverly, never mentions the force vacation part but mon currency etc. Eventually, the Line of Control lvith minor
concentrates only on the self-determination part. The result is adjustment will become the international border, the only practi-
that most of the people, including some of our countrymen cal solution. Though what the Taliban, LeT, Hizbul Mujahideen
believe that we are in illegal occupation of J&K and in all fairness and company think of it, is another matter altogether.
should vacate it. Moreover, saying that the UN Resolutions have Maj. Gen. Sheru Thapliyal (retd)
become irrelevant merelv because rve signed the Shimla New Delhi

4 F0RCE l\4ay 2009

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Mass outpouring at Kashmiri's soldier's death raises hopes

I Fayaz Wani joined the Indian Army after passing his being able to join the army, Yasin said,
l2th class examination. A resident of Dab in "Even now I have a desire to do something
s hundreds of men, women and chil- Ganderbal, he had studied at the prestigious for the country like Shabir, who has
dren in Kashmir gathered to mourn the Sainik School in the district. become our hero. He died an honourable
death of a Kashmiri soldier, who was Shabir's brother, Ghulam Mohammad, is death. No doubt we are pained and
killed while fighting Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba proud of his brother's sacrifice for the anguished at his separation but at the same
militants in the Hafruda forests in border country. "l wanted him to become a doctor time I am happy for the sacrifice he has
district of Kupwara, the event signaled a but he had a passion for joining the army. made for the country". Another local, Aijaz
change in the mindset of the people, who He wanted to complete his graduation so Ahmad, 28, said, "I have never in my life
have been witness to death and destruc- that he could become an army officer. seen such a funeral. Such death is pride-
tion for the past 20 years in the Valley. Since childhood, he was very patriotic and worthy. Every family here is bereaved and
The phenomenon is unusual in theValley wanted to do something for his country. He every family is mourning for Shabir."
because usually, such outpourings are has sacrificed his life for the country and The slain soldier's parents were incon-
reserved only for slain militants. It is for the has made us all proud". Shabir's entire vil- solable at the funeral. "I was with him at
first time that people in large number lage attended his funeral amidst pro- the passing out parade. He used to call me
attended the funeral of a Kashmiri soldier lslamic and pro-Indian slogans like 'Long thrice a day. Now that he is no more, who
(belonging to Shia community) killed in the Live Shabir' and 'Hindustan Zindabad'. rvill call me," Shabir's mother Raja Begum
militant fire. Earlier, people used to shy Women showered confetti and flower said, lvith tears rolling down her cheeks.
away from attending such functions for fear petals on the coffin while it was being "He was a brave soldier and was air-
of facing reprisals at the hands of militants. taken for burial. Prior to his burial, Shabir's dropped into the jungles to might the mili-
Shabir Ahmad Malik, 22, a paratrooper, body, wrapped in tricolour, was kept in the tants. He killed some of the militants before
was among eight soldiers killed in a fierce Imambara (religious place of Shia his death," said SP Ganderbal, Mir Imtiyaz,
seven-day-long gunfight with a group of Muslims), where locals poured in to pay adding, "It is for the first time that hundreds
well-trained and battle-hardened Pakistani their last homage to the brave soldier. of people have participated in the funeral
militants of LeT. Seventeen militants were Mohammad Yasin, Shabir's friend procession of a soidier. This has made us
also killed in the fierce gunfight. Kashmiri remembering the day he had accompanied proud of our profession and job". The mass-
youth in the army are not unusual. Horvever, him to army recruitment rally reminisced outpouring of emotion at Shabir's death has
in Shabir's case, he wasn't a recycled militant that only three boys including Shabir were given a hope for Kashmiri youth, who in
and neither a pro-government gunman selected while he rvas left out because he future might be more willing to opt for a
(commonly knornn as lkhwanis) but had \'\ras over age. Expressing his regret for not career in the army. o

6 F0RCE lVay 2009

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RUSSIAN AIRCFAFT CORPOFATICIN MiG"

Tel. +7 499 7g5 *0 1*
Fax +7 495 653 14 47
wwlv.migavia.ru
THE RAO NS
Field trials for
MRCA to start ,#
in a few weeks

r Prasun K. Sengupta
he Indian Air Force's on-going and
fiercely competitive evaluations of six
different types of fourth-generation
multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) rvill
enter a decisive phase by the month's end
when, following the completion of exhaus-
tive evaluations of the technical offers, the
flight-test regimes will kick off. At stake is
the procurement of about 250 MRCAs
(betrveen 2012 and2022) that will not only
replace the MiG-2Is, MiG-23MFs, MiG-
23BNs and MiG-27Ms, but rvill also be
used to fill the void made by the delayed
induction of the indigenous fourth-gener-
ation 'Tejas' light combat aircraft (LCA),
about 28 of rvhich are expected to enter
service starting 2011. The fourth-genera-
tion MRCAs presently on offer comprise
the Anglo-S',vedish Gripen International's
Gripen NG, Boeing Integlated Defence
System's F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet,
Lockheed Martin's F-16IN Super Viper,
Eurofighter GmbH's Tranche 3-standard
EF-2000 Typhoon, United Aircraft Corp
(UAC) of Russia's MiG-35, and Dassault
Aviation of France's Rafale F-3.
To get a rough idea of horv exactly the IAF
urill conduct flight and ground evaluations
betr"".een June and September this year of
the six contenders, it rvill be n orth taking a
look at horv the Sntiss Air Force evaluated
tl.re three principal contenders for replacing
its existing fleet of 54 Northrop Grumman
F-5E Tiger 2 combat aircraft. Follor,ving the
issue of RFPs in Janualy 2008, each of the
contenders rvas subjected to a four-r'r,eek
period of test-flights betneen last July and
December', with a total of 100 sorties being
logged in. The Glipen D tandem-seat MRCA

8 F0RCt lVlay 2009

 was the first to be evaluated between July
Clockwise: Eurofighter, Gripen, F-l 6lN,
Rafale, Super Hornet, MiG-35 28 and August 28 last year, follolved by the
DassaultAviation's Rafale between October
13 and November 7, and the Eurofighter
F.F-2000 between November 10 and
December 5. All three candidates, togeth-
er with their air and ground crews, were

-gtrk= ffi based at the Emmen air base, and all test-
flights undertaken during the test and
evaluation phase were flown according to
a plan specified by the Swiss Procurement
Agency, with specific tasks for every flight,
in oldel to give the Swiss evaluation
team all the necessary information about
the multi-role capabilities of aircraft,
including air defence, air policing and
reconnaissance.
In parallel r'vith the flight evaluations,
there rvere also very intense ground evalu-
ation activities undertaken. \A,4rile one of
the aircraft was in the air, the second air-
craft rvas used for evaluating the handling
ofthe aircraft on the ground, including pre-
flight preparations, re-armament, mainte-
nance and logistics routines. The Swiss Air
Force supported the evaluation with about
50 F-sE/F and F/A-1BC/D missions each
for target simulation and formation flying.
Night and supersonic flights were also car-
ried out. The Gripen D rvas subjected to 30
flights (lasting a total of 35 hours), while
the Rafaie was subjected to 39 flights last-
ing about 60 hours (including an extended
phase to test rhe Thales-built RBE-2 AESA
radal). The EF-2000 provided by EADS flew
3l sorties lasting 45 flight hours. Earlier, on
April B last year, Boeing decided not to
enter the competitive bidding process, say-
ing that 'after a thorough review of
Switzerland's requirements for partial
replacement of its Tiger fighter aircraft,
Boeing has decided not to enter the com-
petition due to the disparity between the
requirements for an F-5 replacement air-
craft and the next-generation capabilities
of the F/A-IBE/F Block 2 Super Hornet'.
c After completion of the flight and ground
tests the collected data will be evaluated
and the three manufacturers will be invited
to submit a second offer. After submission
of the second offer and the subsequent
evaluation report this May, the selection of
type is planned for this Iuly.

Competing Bids
Gripen International had on April 28 last
year handed-over its compiiant response
to the RFP that was issued by India's min-
istry of defence last year for an initial 126
MRCAs. The company has offered the IAF

May 2009 F()RCE I

the next-generation Gripen IN, which 2005, is currently being produced by con- includes flight envelope expansion, valida-
inciudes increased combat range and sortium of US companies Boeing tion of high angle-of-attack flight profiles,
endurance, a more powerful General Integrated Defence Systems, General aero database validation, external stores
Electric F414-GE-400 turbofan (rated at Electric, Raytheon and Northrop carriage with emphasis on weapons quali-
97kN thrust with afterburning), additional Grumman. It is not only an all-weather fication and stores separation, wake mod-
weapons carriage capability, and increased MRCA that performs fighter escort, fleet elling and penetration flight tests, and
payload. The offer is supported by a long- air defence, force projection, interdiction, refinements to existing flight/mission sim-
term programme of industrial co-opera- and close air support; it has also been opti- ulation models. EADS is now negotiating a
tion and offsets, and oftechnology transfer. mised for operating within the 21st centu- separate follow-on contract (to run for 48
Saab's International industrial network will ry network-centric warfare battlespace, months) with ADA under which the former
provide substantial and long-term joint and is the only operational MRCA that can will assist ADA in areas like brake manage-
venture growth for the Indian aerospace neutralise the beyond-visual-range air ment, and redesign of the naval variant of
and defence sector. The Gripen IN is based warfare threats posed by MRCAs like the the'Tejas' LCAs reduced weight nosewheel
on the newly-launched Gripen NG, an Chinese Su-30MKKs and Su-30MK2s. Its and main undercarriage. EADS has also
enhanced version of the well-proven battlespace interdiction radius is 1,300km, offered to help ADA redesign the 'Tejas'
Network-Centric Warfare Gripen. The and it has 11 weapon stations to carry a full into a Mk2 variant that will feature bigger
Gripen IN variant has been optimised to range of guided and unguided armaments rvings and conformal fuel tanks, and be
provide full operational sovereignty to the weighing a total of 18,9001b (8,573kg). The porvered by a single Eurojet EJ-200 turbo-
IAF in terms of weapons and sensors, and a aircraft's powerplant comprises trvin F4l4- fan equipped with 3-D thrust vectoring
sustained sortie generation rate through GE-400 turbofans, each providing 22,0001b nozzles, all of which rvill also be on board
high operational availability. The complete thrust with afterburning. The Block 2 the Tranche 3 EF-2000.
Gripen IN solution includes an AESA air- Super Hornet also comes equipped rvith Of all the contenders r,ying for the con-
borne radar (the SelexVixen 5000e) and a Boeing's Ioint Helmet-Mounted Cueing tact to supply lourth-generation medium
nose-mounted IRST sensor, as well as a System, and Raytheon's AN/ASQ-228 multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) for the
wide range of precision-guided munitions. ATFLIR precision targeting pod and IAB there's only one - Lockheed Martin -
The Gripen IN's air-to-ground configura- SHARP multi-function reconnaissance that has to date established five highly suc-
tion equips it with two RAFAEL-built pod. For air dominance operations, the cessful international F-16 licensed-manu-
Python V within-visual-range air combat F/A-1BE/F's Raytheon-built APG-79 active facturing lines (in Belgium, The
missiles on Station l, eight GBU-12 laser- electronically scanned array fire-controi Netherlands, Turkey, South Korea and in
guided bombs on twin-store carriers fitted radar uses a 'search-while-track' method- the US), that has implemented
to Stations 2 and 5, plus two 300 US gallon ology that significantly improves the track indirect/direct industrial offsets pro-
fuel drop tanks on Station 3, Station 4 fitted quality of multiple airborne targets, and grammes worth more than USD37 billion
with the Litening-3 laser designator pod, offers very high-resolution ground-map- in 40 countries, and has successfully part-
with Station 5C remaining empty. In the air ping. If the Super Hornet is selected, the nered with its counterparts in South Korea
dominance configuration, the Gripen IN US Nar,ry as lead contractor under the and Japan to co-develop high-tech aero-
comes armed with two Python Vs on Foreign Military Sales programme lvill space solutions - these being the T-50
Station 1, six RAFAEL-built Derby beyond- then reconfigure an entire existing IAF supersonic lead-in fighter trainer and the
visual-range air combat missiles on twin- Base Repair Depot (BRD) to undertake the F-2 MRCA. And believe it or not, the most
launchers on Stations 2 and a single intermediate-level maintenance of the advanced variant of the F-16 produced to
launcher on Station 5, plus twin 300 US gal- Super Hornet fleet, similar to what the date by Lockheed Martin is not owned by
lon fuel drop tanks on Station 3, with IAF's Nasik-based 11 BRD does for the MiG the US armed forces, but by the United
Stations 4 and 5C remaining empty. In the and Sukhoi family of combat aircraft. Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF). Two such
multi-role configuration the Gripen IN The twin-engined EF-2000 Tranche 3 tandem-seat Block 60 F- 16F 'Desert
would be armed with two Python Vs on Typhoon being offered by the European Falcons' were 'borrowed' by Lockheed
Station 1, four Derby missiles in Station 2 Aeronautics & Defence Systems (EADS) Martin from the UAEAF and were used last
on twin launchers, four GBU-I2s on twin- group will have the option to be equipped February during the Aero India 2009 expo
store carriers fitted to Station 5, plus two with 3-D thrust vectoring nozzles. in Bangalore for familiarising the IAF with
300 US gallon fuel drop tanks on Station 3, Incidentaily, EADS was last February the various cutting-edge technologies that
Station 4 fitted with the Litening-3, with selected as the winner of a USD20 million Lockheed Martin is offering as part of its
Station 5 staying empty. The Gripen is contract (over Saab of Sweden, Dassault bid for the MRCA contract. The UAEAF
presently in service with the Swedish, Aviation of France, Boeing IDS and acquired 55 single-seal and 25 tandem-
Hungarian and Czech Republic Air Forces, Lockheed Martin of the US and UAC for seat Desert Falcons between 2004 and
and has also been ordered by the South assisting the DRDO's Bangalore-based 2007. The UAE invested almost USD three
African Air Force and Thailand. The UK- Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) billion of its own money into research and
based Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) too in expediting the airworthiness certifica- development for the'Desert Falcon'. The F-
is operating Gripen as its advanced fast jet tion process ofthe 'Tejas' LCA and ensuring 16IN SuperViper being offered to the IAF is
platform for test pilots worldwide. the successful attainment of initial opera- a derivative of the 'Desert Falcon'.
The F/A-IBE/F Super Hornet Block 2, tional clearance (IOC) and final opera- It is this kind of a CV that makes
which was approved for export to India by tional clearance (FOC) over a 25-month Lockheed Martin the most towering and
the US State Department on 25 March period. EADS' scope of consultancy work formidable party in the MRCA competition

10 F0RCE May2009
 re range, positive identification of targets and
possessing a video dorvn link (VDL)
equipped with the 'Rover' ground receiver
to relay high-resolution streaming video to
forrvard-deployed forces for NT-ISR and
rapid target coordination. The Sniper AIP
also provides essential non-traditional
inteiligence, surveillance and reconnais-
sance using high-resolution, mid-wave
FLIR and TV sensors, lvhich operate in con-
junction rvith a dual-mode laser, permit-
ting eye-safe operation and precise geo-
location in urban environments. For target
coordination, the Sniper pod possesses a
laser spot tracker to acquire other laser
spots from air and ground assets, an infra-
red marker visible to night vision goggles
and a video down-link to ground forces.
The Sniper ATP is also the only targeting
pod fielded that incorporates meta-data in
every frame of video. The date/time stamp
and coordinate information further
ensures accuracy throughout intelligence
:-:re. Earlier, on March 29 last year, modes of operations u'ith automatic ter- and command-and-control functions. The
- --i]reed Martin was awarded a USD596 rain following; and air-to-air tracking of F-16IN's weapons package includes
--..--ion Foreign Military Sales contract by multiple targets. The fusion of net-centric Raytheon-built AIM-I20C AMRAAM and
:--. US defence department for supplying operations and on-board data provides a AIM-9X Sidewinder air combat missiles
. ,. C- 130J-30 stretched Super Hercules mil- total battlespace picture (ivith help from (the latter being used with Boeing's joint
:::r'
iransport aircraft for the IAE this AEW&C platforms) and optimises mission helmet-mounted cueing system, or
:..:.iq India's first major military purchase accomplishment. The F-16 n'as the first IHMCS, for high off-boresight targetting),
' :: the US for more than 40 years. For the MRCA to incorporate a data link capability, Boeing's AGM-B4K SLAM-ER network-
'.1::\, competition, Lockheed Martin has and the F-16IN builds upon this capabiliry enabled standoff precision-guided air-to-
: =::d the single-engined F-16IN Super by enabling the IAF's o\\'n operational data surface missile with a l50nm range, BLU-
:=r in both single-seat and tandem-seat Iink (ODL) to be integrated, thereby ensur- I00/110 bombs equipped rvith Boeing-
:r-rrr.riS. Lockheed Martin claims that the ing interoperability lvith other IAF combat built joint direct attack munition (IDAM)
:--::\ has been packaged and tailored aircraft and AEW&C platforms. Data inte- GPS guidance kits, Boeing's Small
. -^,:sivelv to meet or exceed all qualitative grates through all phases of the mission - Diameter Bomb, and Raytheon-built AGM-
:j---,i:fements of the IAF. Additionally, from mission planning, navigation, com- BB high-speed anti-radiation missile, and
* :.-leed ivlartin has prepared a technolo- munications and target prosecution to AGM-154 joint standoff weapon (ISOW)
: : ,admap for a robust upgrade capacity return to base - transforming the F-16IN that enables precision air strike launches
: : iire continuous insertion of technolo- pilot from an aircraft systems manager to a from ',vell-beyond most hostile air
.. :. the)'mature and become available, tactician. Pilots r,vould receive easy-to- defences, at kinematic standoff ranges of
:.::ring that the F-I6IN can be readily interpret information via the all-digital up to 70nm (130km). If desired, the F-l6IN
- ---rped rvith emerging capabilities cockpit and a helmet-mounted cueing sys- can also be equipped with Northrop
': --sl.rout its life-cycle. The SuperViper is tem. The large AMLCDs rvill be capable of Grumman's pylon-mounted AAQ-32
- :-.: proposed with the Northrop fusing data from on-board and off-board Internal FLIR targeting system (IFTS),
-::rman-builtAPG-80 radar (which is the sensors, thereby reducing the lvorkload which includes a navigation FLIR sensor
:,'. iDerational AESA system to be export- and enabling the pilot to focus on the mis- and a targeting FLIR both mounted within
: : - iiate, this being to the United Arab sion. The F-16IN's Falcon Edge defensive a single pod. It allows the aircraft to detect
.-.-:aies), rvhich in future could be aids suite will include Raytheon's ALQ- and identify both ground and airborne tar-
. : ,ced n'ith the scalable agile beam radar 184(V)9 jamming pod (lvhich can also con- gets, even at night or in adverse weather.
- -:l . an AESA system that can also be tain the ALE-50 towed decoy). Powerplant Once series-produced, the Super Viper
: l on board other aircraft platforms. As for the F-I6IN will comprise a General will become the seventh major 'block
: -,'.. no other MRCA contender can even Electric FI I0- 132A turbofan rated at 32,000 change' of the F-I6 since its inception in
, ::: :irat its combat aircraft platform has pounds of afterburning thrust and having the late 1970s, and incorporating four-and-
''*rerational AESA-based fire-control full authority digital engine controls for a-half generations of core avionics, five tur-
::' on board. The APG-80 provides maximum fuel efficiency and perform- bofan versions divided between two parent
- ::=cedented situational awareness and ance. For all-weather precision strike, the models (Pratt & Whitney's F100 and
: :,-lion: ultra-high-resolution synthetic F-I6IN rvill be equipped rvith Lockheed General Electric Aero Engines' F110), six
- :- -',rr€ radar mapping, fully interleaved Martin's Sniper ATP pod, capable of long- radar versions. five electronic r,varfare

l\4ay 2009 F0RCE II

 :i3 at**o*o
\---: .=:-l.-

suites, and two generations of other sub- tiveness, the single-seat, trvin-engined UONIZ-built l3SM infra-red search-and-
systems. The Super Viper's core avionics MiG-35 and its tandem-seat operational track sensor combined r,vith a laser target-
suite has more than 2,000 times the memo- conversion trainer from Russia's UAC u'ill ing s1'51sm t-111 be installed. For making the
ry and more 260 times the throughput of be more advanced derivatives of the 12 \IiG-35 super-manoeuvrable, the Klimov
the original production Block 15 F-16 sup- MiG-29Ks and four MiG-29KUBs (both Engine Design Bureau has already devel-
plied to Pakistan in the early 1980s. T'he der.eloped undel Projects 9-41 and 9-47) oped the RD-133 turbofan incorporating a
Super Viper's trvin conformal fuel tanks that rvili be delivered to the Indian Narr. thrust-vector-control (TVC) nozzle. The
mounted above the wing root rvill allo',v for latel this 1'ear. The MiG-35 rvill have a four- RD-133, delivering Bl.4kN of thrust with
a mission radius of 1,025 miles rvith no in- channel digital fly-by-r'vire flight control afterburning, rveighs 1,145kg, and its 3-D
flight refuelling. On the issue of releasing system, N,IIL-STD-15538 digitai databus, nozzle can be deflected by up to 15 degree
the'source codes' for the'SuperViper's dig- open-architecture mission computer in any direction. Thrust vecloring is
ital data bus, mission computer, integratecl developed by the Bangalore-based Defence achieved by controliing a short inner seg-
electronic rvarfare suite, and SABR, it is Aviorrics Research Establishment (DARE), ment of the nozzle, and consequently the
cleal that the US Defence Department u'ill ergonomic hands-on-throttle-and-stick RD-133's nozzle is a sirnpler and more
never autl'rorise anyone, including (HOTAS) configulation, and advanced nav- compact design than that on the NPO
Lockheed Martin and Nolthrop Grumman, igation-attack avionics for conducting all- Saturn-built AL-31FP engine used on the
to release them to anyone - no exceptions, weather precision strikes agalnst mobile Su-30MKI. Other advanced features of the
period! Horvever, there is a r,vay out of this and static ground-based targets. Both the RD-133 rvill include single-crystal turbine
logjam and it involves the OEMs releasing MiG-35 'wiil have up to l1 \veapon stations blades, and a full-authority digital elec-
customlsed 'object codes' that r,r,rill allorv (10 underrving and one centreline, ventral) tlonic contlol (FADEC) system for regulat-
the Super Viper's operator to add data to rvl'rich, togethel, rvill be able to carry rnore lng and optimising the turbofan's fuel-florv.
the aircraft's electronic threat library on its than five tonnes of air combat missiles and Among the advanced technologies
own. Along rvith the 'Super Viper', precision- guided air-to- ground munitions. plar.rned for incorporation on the MiG-35
Lockheed Maltin is also ploposing an array The principal mission avionics suite on rvill be on-condition and predictive main-
of advanced training tools for the air rvar- board the aircraft lr,ill be Phazotron ISC's tenance sensors and health-and-risage
rior. This includes the creation of a 'mission Zhuk-AE active pl.rased-array, multi-mode monitoring avionics similar to those on
training centre' housing a full-flight simu- radar, rvhose air--to-ground modes of oper- board the Su-30MKI, as well as all-compos-
latol and its blief/debrief station, cockpit ation rvill include leal-time ground map- ite airframe structures.
procedures trainer, part-task trainers relat- ping (1ike an airborne synthetic aperture The dark horse in the MRCA competition
ed to PGM weapons targetting and deliv- radal or SAR) for detecting and tracking is Dassault Aviations Rafale F-3 'ornni role'
ery, and maintenance procedures trainers. static/mobile ground-based targets from combat aircraft, lr,hich has to date lost out
In addition, Lockl'reed Martin is also pro- standoff distances. Also to be offered on in competitive evaluations conducted
posing to reconfigure an existing IAF Base board the MiG-35 rvill be secure on-board since the late 1990s in South Korea,
Repair Depot to undertake both intermedi- tactical data links for receiving targeting Singapore and Morocco. The latest F3 vari-
ate-level and depot-lcvel through-1ife data frorn AEW&C syster-ns as r'veil as ant, available since July last year, can carry
l-realy maintenance of the airframe, unmanned aerial vel.ricles employed for precision-guided payloads of more than
engine, avionics, instrumentation and real-time battlespace surveillancc using nine tonnes on 14 hardpoints. The Rafale is
accessories, all of r'r,hich u,i11 be undertaken optronic and SAR sensors. For decisive air porvered by t',vin MBB-2 turbofans built by
by dedicated rvorkshops and labs. combat operations both ivithin and SNECMA Moteurs, rvith each engine pro-
In terms of reliability and combat ef'fbc- be1'ond visual rat'rge, a tterv-generation viding an afterburning thrust of 75kN.o

l2 F0RCE lVay 2009

 defence ministry had issued request for

0ptimistic About lndia proposal (RFP) to AgustaWestland, Boeing,

Eurocopter, Russian Kamov and Bell
Helicopter but only three responded -
Boeing and Bell had pulled out of the race.
Boetng gears up for the MRCA competition Boeing cited less response time for not bid-
ding for the attack helicopters then. This
time, however, the company is not willing
to repeat the past.
"We look forward to an opportunity to
review any new request for proposals and
follow up based on that," said DrVivek Lall,
vice president and country head, India,
Boeing IDS. "I think the RFPs this time will
be different as India will want more com-
panies to participate. We do plan to bid for
the attack helicopters," said Chadwick.
Fresh tenders for the attack helicopters are
expected soon. The contract is estimated to
be about USD I billion.
Apart from attack helicopters, Boeing
plans to bid for heavy-lift helicopters. It is
offering its CH-47 Chinook in this catego-
ry. The Chinook is a twin-engine, tandem
rotor heaqr-lift helicopter whose primary
role includes troop movement, battlefield
re-supply and artillery emplacement.
India, at present, plans to buy l2 heavy-lift
helicopters.
Boeing is also very optimistic about its
Llditi Bhan Asked how the company will discharge military-transport aircraft C-17 Globe-mas-
its offset obligations if it wins the bid, ter IIL "We believe the C-17 is very unique in
:e 126 Multi Role Combat Aircraft Chadwick said, "We are in negotiations terms of its access to runaways, ability to
]lRC"{) competition worth USD 10 bil- with a number of companies - we are trying survive in a combat environment and also
-:on, is termed as the 'mother of all to look at it with a more holistic view. provide. humanitarian relief work," said
:*=nce deals' in India. And with each pass- Offsets allow us to provide product servic- Chadwick. This four-engine, T-tailed aircraft
:-€ da1', the competition is just hotting up. es, and expertise in a number of areas." He is capable ofcarrying 102 passengers at one
Iie ield trials are expected to begin in three added, "My focus at this point is two-fold: time. The company had also bought C- 17 to
--::ihs' time and already one player, One, for each programme, we need to exe- India in the recently held Aero-India 2009.
:::::ch fighter Rafale has been knocked out cute on-cost, on schedule so that existing "It is a capability that you don't know how
-i race. The reason is reported to be that and future customers know that we can many ways you can use it until you have it,"
=e
:ea.ie did not clear all the requirements deliver on our promises. And the other is added Chadwick.
:',:--rg the technical evaluation of the bids focus on productivity." Meanwhile, with President Barrack
:-:::rined by the six contenders. Little won- Meanwhile, having alreadywon the USD Obama replacing George Bush in the US
:e: :hen that the activities within other 2.1 billion order for eight P-BI long-range and the US economy in shambles, appre-
: :::lerirors, namely, Boeing (F/A-IB Super maritime reconnaissance and anti-sub- hensions about the new President's policy
:r:,=et), Lockheed Martin (F-16 Falcon), marine warfare aircraft from Indian Navy towards India are still very much there. "It is
'--=:ed
-\ircraft Corporation (MiG-35), Saab early this year; Boeing now wants to target still too early to tell," said Chadwick.
.:::en) and EADS (Eurofighter Tlphoon) the helicopter market in India. "There is a Moreover, with India also going to polls this
-;',: siarted gathering momentum. huge demand for helicopters in the coun- season and a new government, may be a dif-
3:eing's Chris Chadwick, president, try," said Chadwick. To begin with, the ferent one, expected by the end of May, does
:,:e:ng \Iilitary Aircraft was in India company is serious about bidding for Boeing fear about the future of Indo-US
::::::l| and talked about the company's attack helicopters this time. Boeing is relationship? "Civil nuclear deal really
r,L::-":iies in India. "We expect the field tri- offering its AH-64D Apache Longbow cemented the relationship between the tlvo
ili :r start sometime in May in northern attack helicopter to India. countries. I think India has time and again
:,,:,:es in India where one can touch the A tender for the purchase of 22 attack shovrn that it has a stable democratic gov-
::i=:ent angle of requirement - cold, hot, helicopters issued in May 2008 was can- ernment, and it is a stable country," clarified
--= and lorv," said Chadwick. The comple- celled last month by the government as Chadwick. He also added, "One of the rea-
- -:- :i \I-MRCA deal is expected to take at some companies did not meet the require- sons to participate now in India is that it is
i:_i: n{o more years. ments and others did not respond. The worth the expanse." o

lVlay 2009 F0RCE I3

Challengi ng Radars
AESA increases pilot's options
I Prasun K. Sengupta air-to-air and air-to-surface cockpit dis- Raytheon supplies the APG-79 for the
plays, the aircrerv rvill thus be able to main- Boeing-built F/A-lBE/F Super Hornet
fierce competition is now underrvay for tain situational arvareness while executing Block 2, and the APG-63(V)3 for the
supplying up to 450 active phased- air-to-surface missions. AESA radars also Boeing-built F-lSSGs of the Republic of
array radars (AESA) for the lndian Air offer better air-to-ground resolution (three Singapore Ail Force. Raytheon has also
Force's (IAF) future combat aircraft acquisi- times higher) than MSA radars, particular- repackaged itsAPG-79 AESA as the RANGR,
tions, with the principal contenders hailing ly using their synthetlc aperture radar a next-generation radar sized to fit the F-
from the US (Northrop Grumman and (SAR) mode. 16, Saab's JAS-39 Gripen and Korea
Raytheon), Europe (EADS Defence The current market leaders in terms of Aerospace Industries' A/T-50. Competing
Electronics, THALES and SEI.EX Galileo), confirmed orders for AESA radars for com- against the US aerospace giants is France's
Scandinavia (Ericsson Microu'ave), Israel bat aircraft are Northrop Grumman and THALES Group, rvhich is proposing its
(Israel Aerospace Industries), and Russia Rat.theon. The former has unr-eiled a nen' RBE-2 AESA, rt4rich has been under devel-
(Phazotron JSC and Tikhomirov lillP). The AESA radar it is developing rvith companv opment since 2003, and will be available
enabling technology for AESA is Gallium funds to equip the Lockheed \lartin F-16 iiom next vear. The RBE-2 along with the
Arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microrvave and other aircraft. The Scalable Agile Beam OSF infra-red sealch-and-track system is
integrated cilcuit (MMIC),lvhich uses lith- Radar (SABR) is currentlv undergoing being proposed for installation on board 90
ographic-type processes to produce flight-tests and rvill be available b1' 20I1. of the IAF's 230 Su-3OMKIs on order'. Also
microrvave circuits on chips at vely high Northrop Glumman presentll' supplies tlie being proposed are SELEX Galileo's Vixen
levels of integration. A modern X-band APG-77 AESA for the Lockheed Martin Fi A- 5000e AESA, Israel Aerospace Industries'
transmit/receive (T/R) module, in addition 22 Raptor, APG-80 for the UAE Air Force's F- ELIN|-2052, and the Caesar from EADS.
to radiating element, contains up to eight
a 168/F Desert Faclons, and APG-81 AESA The X-band EL/M-2052's array comprises
chips (MMICs) produced in a foundry and for the Lockheed Nlartin F-35 JSE, tvhile 'bricks' of 24TlR modules, making it easy
later integrated into a substrate :: to assemble the AESA in different
APG.T9;
rvith a few discrete components (below) Eaesar configurations to match the size
and cooling provisions, all filling and shape of an existing fighter
nose,up to I,290 modules.
a space on the order of 1/4 cubic
a conventional
inches. Unlike
mechanically steered-array
II Smaller, lower-module-count
versions can be air-cooled, reduc-
(MSA) radar, the antenna array of ing rveight and making integra-
T/R modules is fixed, rvith no { tion simpler. The Caesar is being
moving parts. The radar can steer proposed for both retrofit as rvell
its agile beams electronicaliy - at 1
as on board the Eurofighter EF-
nearly the speed of light - and 2000 Typhoon Tranche 3. The
redirect them instantaneously Euroradar consortium-built
from one target to another. In Captor Active ElectronicallY
MSA radars, a circular or elliptlcal Scanned Array Radar (Caesar),
antenna plate in the nose of the which has been co-developed
aircralt is moved rapidly using a since 2003 by the UK's SELEX
gimbal system u'ith three or four Sensors & Airborne Systems,
drive motors to scan an area of Galileo Avionica of Italy, EADS
airspace or on the ground, a sin- Defence Electronics of Germany
gle flashlight-like beam at a time. and INDRA of Spain, is a modular
AESA radars on the other hand AESA comprising six line-
can track significantly more tar- leplaceable units (LRU) and
gets and can operate in multiple r,veighting around l70kg. The six
modes simultaneousll,, such as LRUs include twin transmitter
air-to-air search (in lor'r,-, medi- and receivel units, the radar com-
um-, and high-PRFs) and digital puter and the antenna block. The
glound mapping. The AESA also radar computer comPrises 17

automatically establishes track- individual processors and is able

ing files for each detected target to perform up to three billion
(more than 24), thereby reducing florv-point operations Per sec-
pilot rvorkload. with interleaved ond. As the radar computer's sig-

14 F0RCE May 2009

 -
.]ata processor ls program- EVN|-2052
contact by sending out a crypted
.:' .'.it is easy to upgrade the signal torvards the contact and
:, bl sirnply uploading new ar'vaiting a correct response.
. ..:re. Tlle Caesar's soltware is Targets will be shown as different
i:'n ro MIL-STD-2167A. stan- symbols in different colours
-: .rnd comprises 1.2 million according to their identitication
.- ricode. The antenna can be status, which could be friendly,
.--:: around by at least +/-70'in hostile or unknown. TheVS mode
, :zimuth and elevation. The rvill be normally interleaved rvith
: 1- e
mploys trvo data process- the TWS mode to determine the
-:-,annels for target detection contacts' closure speeds. In TWS
- :ackir.rg, and uses a third one mode every tracked target will be
:entilication and suppres- automatically priorised taking
i irostile electronic counter- into account a target's distance,
:::-.r€S (ECM). The combina- flight direction, closure speed,
,i high scanning and pro- altitude and identification. Every
-- :-q speeds with a dedicated talget will be marked with a letter
-. :r:ocessing channel provides depending on its priorisation.
iaesar rvith exceptional Despite the fact that the VS mode
capabilities. For beyond
1.1 will be normally interleaved with
--.. :ange (B\/R) aerial engage- the TWS or even RWS mode there
-.:: :ire Caesar provides three is also a separateVS display mode
-. ::rodes. The range-while- showing contacts in relation to
- ::cde (RWS) is used to scan their closure speed rather than
. :: ield-of-view for detecting range. The Caesar is able to track
- - aircraft at the longest pos- at least up to l2 high-prioriry tar-
: :-stance. The track-while- gets. Normally, the contacts pos-
'': ,de rl'\VS) is uscd ro give ing the highest threat r'vill be
:.- 'i a better picture of the assigned by the system as high-
, .--: ahead thereby increas- priority targets, but the pilot can
--. situational awareness
- also select any target he wants as
'.:rile the velocity search a high-prioriry target using the
'. , S is used to determine radar cursor. If the priorities
:tile contacts' closure change,the pilot will be automat-
.-- :rlr target priorisation. In ically informed. He can easily
' .-: io other radars oflering slvitch to the nerv priority target
,: rnodes, the Caesar via a voice recognition system.
- :: :rte pilot to define a sec- High-priority targets rvill also be
.::e the radar should look tracked outside of the scanning
' ,rr:,i: and also determine if a sector as long as they stay rvithin
: - :r cont&ct should be auto- the scanning angles ofthe anten-
-..--. tracked or not. na. This technique is called data
- - .'. . ihe Caesar rvill work in
- adaptive scanning (DAS) and
r :::ie to detect aircraft as improves the tracking perfolm-
' .,. possible. The antenna ance at longer distances. Thanks
'': :riionlatically steered to to its high scanning speed the
,,.' cletined sector and the Caesar is able to track u,hile scan
,' ,li automatically choose rvithin the full azimuth coverage
. - :iired PRF depending on if required, in comparision to
{-on direction and the targets' With every electronic sweep the Caesalwill other systems which are rnostly limited in
- , .::qies to optimise performance. If a check and update the targets position that direction. For all high-prioriry targets
-: :s detected the pilot rvill be again and again. Ttacked contacts are the fire-control system will automatically
- ^
r 3nd the contact rvill be shorvn on
. : sho,"vn rvith their flight direction and iden- calculate firing solutions, enablir.rg the
-. .-.i: 2-D horizontal display format tification. The Caesar is at least able to Typhoon to pelform multiple target
- - -:r io its position in azimuth and track up to 40 targets at once, rvhile search- engagements.
-. ,:-iiomatic target tracking is select- ing for additional targets, even under look- The Caesar also features an aircraft-to-
. -.:.ar n'ill then track the contact by up/look-dolvn conditions. missile data link that lvill provide mid-
-... ;ailv srvitching to TWS mode. To For target identification the Caesar fea- course guidance updates for active radar-
- .'-., radar \vill generate a track file tures an integrated IFF system rvhich rvill guided B\RAAMs launched towards high-
r: .i !li\'€s the position of the contact. automatically try to identi$, every tracked priority airborne threats. In addition to the

May2009 F0RCE l5
three main modes, the Caesar aircraft. According to Phazotron,
features a single-target track by selecting the proper range
(STT) sub-mode that enables it to bet'rveen radiating elements, the
concentrate on a single target by antenna beam can be deflected by
increasing target data update +/-60 deglees without palasitic
rates and countermeasures sidelobes. The radar can track up
resistance. The Caesar also fea- to 30 airborne targets and engage
tures a non-cooperative target sk of them simultaneously. The
recognition (NCTR) capability 'second stage' radar designated
that allows it to identit'a tracked Zhuk-AE/FGA-35 will be fitted to
contact as a specific aircraft type the production MiG-35 M-MRCA.
by comparing the characteristic .1
It will leceive a new computing
radar returns to examples stored system and nerv multifunction
in a programmable data library r,videband generator. The FGA-35
Another feature is the raid assess- rvill feature a 700mm-diameter
ment mode that enables the radar zhuk.s
to identif, and tlack single targets ;[",:llf'.l.'i]'","]lil:,lJ[:
within a verv close formation thanks to its ming and data transmission are perfornred best method of heat dissipation- a critical
high-resolution. The trace fitnction allon's simultaneously. issue for the success of future develop-
the pilot to identif-v enemv alrcraft Russia's Phazotron JSC is offering its ments. The range of the Zhuk-AE/FGA-35
manoeuvres and tactics. Another unique Zhuk-AE AESA, nhose full-scale rnock-up rvill be 200km, it rvill be capable of tracking
feature of the Caesar is its ability to gener- rvas first displayed during the MAKS aero- up to 60 airborne targets and engaging
ate a 3-D picture of the airspace, thus mak- space exhibition at Zhukovskl in August eight of them. Phazotron JSC has designed
ing threat analysis and target acquisition 2005. At that time, the radar featured a and manufactured all radar components
much easier and enhancing the pilot's SA. 700mm-diameter antenna compri.ing in-house, except for the T/R module. In
Next to the 2-D horizontal display mode f,0BB T/R modules (272 packs, each cot.t- 2002, the Almaz-Phazotron subsidiary in
there is also a 2-D elevation mode shoi'ving taining four modules); the antenna mirror Saratov tried unsuccessfully to produce its
contacts in relation to their position in was set at a 20" look-up angle. Tl.ris design, onrn T/R module. Phazotron JSC subse-
range and altitude. As both display modes horvever, turned out to be too hear'1' (450k9). quently engaged two companies from
can be simultaneouslv shou,n on tivo indi- In the next version the lveight of indir.idual Tomsk: Mikran and NIIPP (Nauchno-
vidual multifunction head-down displays, components rvas reduced, cutouts \vere Issledovatelskiy Institut Poluprovodni-
the pilot gets a complete 3-D picture of the made in the radar body and a lighter rnag- korrykh Priborov, Scientific Research
airspace ahead.'I'he Caesar's tracking range nesium alloy was introduced. Finallrr the Institute of Semicon-ductor Instruments)
is rvell beyond 200km against combat air- antenna diameter rvas reduced to 575mm to produce the T/R modules. Mikran
craft-sized targets, r,vith a range of more and the number of T/R modules trimmed to designs Russian monolithic microlvave
than 300km against large targets like trans- 680 (170 packs of four modules each); the integrated circuits (MMIC) and TR mod-
ports or aerial refueling tankers. The antenna itself rvas set in a vertical positior-r. ules, n4.rile NIIPP undertakes production
Caesars antenna, using a liquid cooling The overall radar r,veight rvas reduced to on an industrial scale.
system, comprises 1,500 Gallium-Arsenlde 220kg.The definitive design of the Zhuk-AE fikhomirov NIIB on the other hand, is
T/R modules. Each of these active, finger- rvill eventually have a 700mm-diameter busy developing its X-band AESA radar for
sized and I5-gram light modules provides a antenna rvith 1,100 T/R modules. Last 1'931 fitment on to both the Su-3SBM and the
power output of i0 Watts and is able to an initial batch of 12 Zhuk-AEs radars rvere Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft that will
generate, s\\reep, send out and receive built. The so-called 'filst stage' Zhuk-AE be co-developed by Russia's United
radar signals. To optimise performance, (also designated FGA-29 rvith 1,064 T/R Aircraft Corp and India's state-owned
single modules can be formed into groups. modules) that was shown in Bengaluru in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Thus
Thanks to electronic scanning the Caesar February 2007 was a modernised version of far, three prototype AESAs have been built
can instantaneousiy scan the entire field- the mechanically-scanned Zhuk-ME radar and are now undergoing laboratory tests,
of-vierv u,ithin some milliseconds, vastly fitted with an AISA antenna. It retained the rvith the first functional unit due to enter
increasing reliability, countermeasures existing computing system rvith data the flight-test phase in 2010, and the
resistance and target data update rates. It is processor, s'ignal processor and softnare, as series-produced radars entering service
even possible to form a number of primary rvell as the clock generator. The Zhuk- by 2015. The AESAs front-end antenna
beams of different shapes and srveeping AE/FGA-29 radar can be series-produced by array will also be offered for integration
them in diffelent directions for undertak- retrofitting the present Zhuk-ME radar. rvith the existing NO-1lM 'Bars' PESA
ing various tasks simultaneously'. The rapid Phazotron rvill probably offer such an radars by 2014. Yet another AESA variant
scanning in combination rvith the use of option for Zhuk-ME users such as Yemen being designed by Tikhomirov NIIP is
frequency hopping technologies and healy and Eritrea. The Zhuk-AE/FGA-29 is a mul- called the 'smart skin' in rvhich the T/R
sidelobe suppression dramatically leduces tifunction X-band radar (3cm rvavelength), modules can be located anyrvhere on
the radar's detectable emissions, rvhile rvhich can track and engage air, ground and board the aircraft to generate the relevant
increasing the countermeasures resistance. naval targets. The radar in its present form radiation fields required for almost 360-
Even lunctions like threat rvarning, iam- has a search range of l30km against combat degree airspace surveillance coverage. o

16 F0RCE May 2009

 I

Vigi I at Sea
Seueral false starts and a beginning
n the summer of 1588, sharp eyed look-outs on of the terrorists, based on a satellite-phone inter-
the cliffs of Cornwall detected the distant cept. The naq/ countered that the location report
approach of the Spanish Armada, and lit a received by them in mid-November 2008 had put
chain of beacons which rapidly conveyed the the boat's position just a few miles south of
news to London. According to legend, this early Karachi, well inside Pak territorial waters'
warning gave English Admiral Francis Drake Moreover, this single report had not been amplified
enough time to finish his game of bowls before and hence the intelligence was'un-actionable"
sailing out with his fleet to score an historic victo- Navies deal with such situations on a daily basis
ry over the Spaniards. and their responses cannot be impromptu' Every
Three and a half centuries later, the Americans location report regarding enemy or hostile forces is
were not so lucky. Admiral Kimmel of the Pacific evaluated to check for three essential components:
Command received no warning at all, as Vice \A/hat (description), Where (position) and \A{hen
I Adm. Arun Prakash Admiral Nagumo's huge task force of six aircraft
carriers steamed through Pacific waters on a
(date and time of detection) . In the case of a mobile
target like a ship or boat, it also needs a fourth
(retd) ingredient: \,Vhither (course and speed). If one or
southerly course, on 7 December 194I. The sur-
prise attack by over 400 aircraft of the Imperial more of these components is missing, the user
Japanese Navy on Pearl Harbour inflicted heavy would be justified in classifiring such intelligence
damage on the US Pacific Fleet, and catapulted as 'un-actionable' because pursuing it would only
USA into'rMW II. result in a waste of tesources in a futile pursuit'
'surprise'was first enunciated by the 19th centu- Moreover, if an intercept is considered significant,
ry Geiman strategist Carl von Clausewitz as a it must be followed up by the originating agency'
Principle ofWar. From the Trojan horse episode to
the Pearl Harbour attack, historyhas demonstrated Monitoring the 0ceans
0ne positive outcome that it is a key factor in the success of any well- Considering the fact that the atms and explosive
planned and professionally executed operation' for the 1993 Mumbai blasts, too, had been landed
of P-3 fiasco was that Experience has also demonstrated that the obvious by sea on the Ratnagiri coast, it becomes obvious
antidote for surprise is sound and timely intelli- that the sea routes have now become a conven-
the lN request for an ient highway for terroiist traffic; especially since
gence supplemented by effecti"'e reconnaissance,
entry into the Boeing at all levels ofwarfare; from tactical to strategic. ourWestern land borders have been sealed' \A/hile
the Indian Naqr (IN) and the Coast Guard (CG)
P-8 MR-ASW pro- Do We Learn From HistorY? each have their or,rryr operational rationale for
In this context, reflection should remind us that, exercising wide-ranging reconnaissance at sea,
gramme received suP- the events of 26111 have now added a crucial
from the stealthy Chinese PIA infiltration of Aksai
port from Pentagon, Chin between 1959 and 1962, to the surreptitious homeland-defence dimension and brought the
penetration of Kargil heights by the Pakistani issue into sharPer focus'
keen to make amends. Northern Light Infantry in 1999, with numerous In today's technology-enabled environment,
other instances during the intervening four comprehensive national security demands that
The airborne MR-ASW decades; it has been ineffective intelligence and we have a clear understanding of all activities tak-
tardy reconnaissance that has repeatedly jeopar- ing place within a relevant domain; on land, at
field represented a
sea, in the air and in space as well as in cyber-
dised India's national securitY.
golden opportunity for The 26111 terrorist strikes in Mumbai were sim- space. Such domain awareness enables early
ply more of the same. They demonstrated that peo- identification of potential threats and aids deci-
HAL to enter the ple like us who'...fail to learn from history'will' as sion making as well as resource allocation' In the
predicted bywinston Churchill,'be condemned to naval context, such a capability' termed maritime
lighVmedium trans- re-live it': over and over again' Even the 'blame- domain awareness or MDA, implies knowledge of
port aircraft business, game' which followed, was depressingly familiar to the constantly evolving multi-dimensional (i'e'
the thinking Indian. In this instance, since the sui- surface, underwater, airspace, electronic and
and for DRD0 to cidal marauders had obviously landed on our cyber) picture in the maritime area of interest'
seashote, it became a slanging match betlveen the While satetlites, unmanned aerial vehicles
embark upon develoP- intelligence agencies and the seagoing Services (UAVs) and a range of electronic sensors carried
(the Indian Nar,Y and Coast Guard). by ships and submarines contribute to building
ment of airborne sen- a MDA picture, the use of fixed-wing patrol air-
The intelligence agencies made it known to the
sor and weapon suites media that that they had provided timely warning craft for maritime teconnaissance (MR) still

May2009 F0RCE l7
 tL-38S0

:.
''ff.f,
*!

ffix

,w

remains a salient instrumentality for brings home not just the extent of India's and the Horn of Africa shows, it will need
information gathering over extended stake in the seas around the peninsuia, and monitoring and protection, as much in
ocean areas. Since MR aircraft are large diverse nature of maritime challenges that peace as in r,var.
multi-engine airframes capable of carry- face us, but also the enormiry of the task o India's central location in the Indian
ing a considerable payload, they are fre- involved in keeping vigil over the vast Ocean, about half way between the Persian
quentiy equipped, in addition, with the reaches of the Indian Ocean. Gulf in the west and the Malacca Strait in
sensors and rt'eapons necessary for anti- the east, places her in a dominant position
submarine warfare (ASW), and thus desig- lndian 0cean Security lmperatives astride vital international sea lanes of com-
nated N{R-ASW aircraft. Among many factors that compel the IN munication (SLOC). Annually, over 100,000
A single MR-ASW aircraft, using all its to deploy MR assets in an endeavour to merchantmen transit these waters, carry-
sensors; i.e. radar, electlonic-warfare suite, maintain a holistic maritime picture of the ing cargo worth about a trillion dollars, and
sonobuoys, infra-red and electro-optical surrounding seas, a few are worthy of men- any disruption in the supply of commodi-
devices as well as magnetic anomaly detec- tion here. ties - especially energy resources - would
tors, could search thousands of square o A long peninsular coastline studded rvith destabilise economies worldwide. This
miles in a typical B-I2 hour patrol. But deep-water ports, a well-endowed EEZ, a casts a heavy mantle of responsibility on
given the vast oceanic spaces to be cov- rich hinterland and island territories on India's shoulders; to maintain vigilance
ered, and the intensity of maritime traffic both seaboards are all valuable assets, and and ensure stability in the Indian Ocean as
prevalent, the levels of ambiguity remain as demonstrated by the events of 26lIl an international obligation.
very high at sea. Duling hostilities, the they also represent i,ulnerabilities. India's . Low intensity maritime conflict waged
additional challenge of distinguishing war- dependence on the sea for food, energy by non-state entities continues to be a grim
ship from merchantman and fishing boat and minerals will grow in the coming years, reality in our region. Such conflicts cut
from submarine periscope adds to the 'fog not just because of necessity, but also across state boundaries and require multi-
of war' which must be penetlated before because evolving technology will bring its national response. In the coming decacies,
the MR-ASW aircraft launches an attack exploitation rvithin realms of possibility. the chailenge of threats such as terrorism,
with weapons ranging from anti-ship mis- o With a large merchant fleet, rvhich has piracy, gun-running and drug smuggling
siles to torpedoes and depth charges. It is just crossed nine million GRT; India ranks r,vill only grow requiring the cooperative
also customary for our MR-ASW squadrons l5th amongst seafaring nations. This fleet, use of maritime forces to counter them. A
to be tasked with the international Search operating out of 12 major and lB4 minor good example is the role played by MR
and Rescue (SAR) commitments in the Indian ports carlies about 20 per cent of (backed by sound intelligence) in bringing
Indian Ocean Region. our seaborne trade, and as the recent spurt the LITE to its knees by interdicting its
A briel survey ol the maritime scene in piratical activity off the Somalian coast maritime activity in international lvaters.

18 F0RCE May 2009

r ::nally; the past few years have seen The Super Constellations, although retro- progressively phase out the Tu-142s and
.-ehbouring China launch a significant fitted with belly-mounted radar of \\rW II seek a replacement, the Il-3Bs were ear-
--.:itime build-up which includes a large vintage, were ill-equipped for maritime marked for a refurbishment and mid-life
-.el submarine force, amphibious ship- operations and were, in1977, supplemented update programme in Russia. As it tran-
--:q. surface escorts and naval aviation. by a squadron of five Illyushin-38 MR-ASW spired, this programme ran into innumer-
: .erious concern to India is the growing aircraft that the IN had already contracted able delays and problems, and the new Sea
:.-rese force of ballistic missile-armed as from the USSR. The graceful'Connies'rvere Dragon ASW/EW mission system equipping
attack nuclear submarines. There is phased out by 1984, and this squadron re- flve Il-3Bs does not seem to have come up to
=-- as
firm evidence that China has also
.-.',' equipped, four years later, by eight Tupolev- IN expectations so far. Some incremental
::arked on a construction programme 142 (M) versions of the Soviet long range upgrades were also incorporated into the
:- :uild five-six aircraft carriers. A-ll this bomber, the largest combat aircraft in the Tu-142s with assistance from FIAL.
:.::ages the entry of the Pl,A. Naly into world, modified for the MR-ASW role.
':-= Indian Ocean, and a possible bid at In 1976, the IN had acquired 13 BN-2 The Hunt for a Replacement
:--rC domination. Britten Norman Islander twin-engine The degradation in MR-ASW capability led
-- rhe face of these challenges, the patrol aircraft from the UK. Equipped with the IN to urgently explore alternatives
:=:e$'ithal for mounting and sustaining a weather-radar, these simple machines which would essentially release them from
:L--{S\\r in areas of vital concern for were deployed for navigation training, fleet Russian clutches; the most obvious ones
- -::s security interests have remained out tasks and coastal MR. By the early 1990s being to seek second hand P-3 Orions from
, : :=ach of the IN so far. the license-built twin turbo-prop Dornier- the US or Breguet Atlantiques from France.
228 light transport aircraft began to be Also available were some less capable
lr; 1n ;n6't inducted for medium-range MR duties. Dutch, Canadian and French options. For
, .-: genesis of MR aviation in India can be \A{rile the MR version Dorniers were one reason or another, none seemed to be
:.:ed back to the formation of No.6 equipped with modern surface-search working out.
: ::adron IAF in I950, equipped with B-24 radar, others were fitted out with multi-role The navy's preferred solutionwould have
- : =:aror bombers, subsequently
. sensors and converted to the electronic/ been an indigenous one, and for this they
:::-aced b1.the L-f049 Super Constella- information warfare (EW/IW) role. approached FIAL. This PSU had, for many
- ,::. er-Air India. A quarter of a century By the turn of the century both the long- years, been exploring the possibility of
-:=: in 1975, the MR role was transferred, range MR-ASW squadrons were facing seri- undertaking the design or license manu-
. ::-e rvith the aircraft, from the IAF to the ous problems, arising from attrition, obso- facture of a medium-range passenger air-
l' :iis1 a long and acrimonious battle lescence and serious deficiencies in Russian craft (whose capacity kept varying between
- :.'.i 3e fl ihe t\vo Services. product support. -W4rile it was decided to 50 and 100 seats) and was keen to involve

May2009 F0RCE 1S
the armed forces in the project. Since most Pokhran II phase, appeared to have disappointed (but not surprised) to be
MR-ASW aircraft are military versions of reached a high plateau around 2004-05, informed that the US Nar,y could not spare
airliners, such an option was exactly what and out of the blue NHQ received an any aircraft.
the IN was looking for, and NHQ outlined unprecedented offer for sale of surplus A little later, it was learnt that some old
its broad requirements to HAL, for an order Lockheed P-3 Orion MR-ASW aircraft. The models of the P-3 had been located, and
ofup to 50 aircraft over 10-15 years. offer appeared to be too good to be tlue; the offer was being renewed. However, a
The conversion of an airliner into a com- and as we found later - it was! closer look at the proposal revealed that
bat aircraft essentially entails three major At this point in time thele lvas a feeling the lease terms excluded weapons and sen-
design modifications. One is to accommo- in the Pentagon as well as South Block sors, and NHQ had no choice but to reject
date the sensors and antennae either inter'- (both in MEA and MoD) that something it. Some furious lobbying by the US Nar1,
nally or externally in blisters, pods or tangible needed be done in the defence leadership managed to revive the case one
domes. The second is to wire the wings and arena to make a much needed symbolic last time, towards end-2005. This time,
equip them with hard-points to carry ord- 'breakthrough'. Of the three armed forces, NHQ found that the cost of a three-year
nance. The last and perhaps most complex the IN-USN relations being the ciosest, lease, calculated by department of defence
change required, is, to create a hydraulical- the focus naturally turned on NHQ; which accountants, exceeded the price of a brand
ly operated rveapons-bay in the belly. suited the IN fine. nerv aircraft! The matter rvas therefore
To the nar'y's sincere regret, llAL could Consequently, the IN mooted a proposal given a quiet burial.
typically muster neither the interest and with the US Navy and the Pentagon that in
enthusiasm, nor perhaps design skills to order to hasten matters they should look at The Future
take up this challenging project of vital a three year dry-lease (rather than sale) of India's extensive maritime interests and
interest to national security. The IN had no some Orions to tide over our current international responsibilities, and the
choice but to resume exploration of the predicament. The proposal r'vas received emerging hazards of diverse nature in the
lbreign market. enthusiastically since it rvould have not \rast Indian Ocean demand that a vigil be
only boosted defence ties, but also placed maintained on activilies in its \vaters.
The P-3 0rion Fiasco the US in an advantageous position when Countries like Japan and Australia have
The rvarmth in Indo-US relations that had the IN rvent to the market for acquiring declared a maritime 'cordon sanitaire'
proglessively been building up in the post- such ailcraft. Tfto months later', NHQ rvere around themselves, and enforce it by

*";€ > .':;r'1

 the threats at sea require the splitting up of
P3 l)rion
effort into coastal, medium-range and
long-range patrols; implying capabilities
embodied by UAVs, twin-engine and multi-
g engine aircraft respectively, with the num-
bers in each category running into high

=E--
double-figures.
One positive outcome of P-3 fiasco was
that the IN request for an entry into the
Boeing P-B MR-ASW programme received
support from Pentagon, keen to make
amends. The airborne MR-ASW field repre-
sented a golden opportunity for HAL to
enter the light/medium transport aircraft
business, and for DRDO to embark upon
development of airborne sensor and
weapon suites. Both missed the bus due to
their self-centred approach, and disinter-
est in immediate operational needs of the
armed forces. One can only hope that these
organisations will shed complacency and
use the work-share opportunity presented
':=:ns of intensive maritime reconnais- to follow suit, but the Indian Nar,y's plans by the P-BI Poseidon project to make up
-.',-e: Japan deploys about 100 P-3 Orions to establish a network-centric operations some lost ground. o
:--e -{ustralia has out-sourced MR to a model will inherently contain a compre- (Tlrc ruriter is a member of the National
- :.'.3ie company. hensive MDA capability with embedded Seatrity Aduisory Board cmd a former chieJ
' of rnual staff)
', e ma1, 161 lave the means or resources MR-ASW forces. The nature of traffic and

\ I "F'
€ % 1*
EADS
j:,5 A330 400M MET'OR
EUROCOPTER €C'] 35 n EUROFICHTER
"^,r:
I
The Morning After
Lessons to be learnt and put into practice, especially after Mumbai 26/11
he media impact of 26lII Mumbai attacks weapons too are ultimately weapons, and hence
may well have been unprecedented, but in al\vays potentially usable.
terms of actual casualties (I73 killed, 308 Also, a new feature has entered into the old-
injured), it was of lesser dimensions than its now, style conventional wars generally between state
forgotten predecessors - Mumbai 1993 (1213), the parties, rvhich are usually played dovm and dis-
original serial bomb blasts which left 257 killed counted. 'Non-state actors' of yore, Iihadis and
and 7i3 injured; and Mumbai 2006 (11/7), the insurgents, have graduated to the status of quasi-
suburban train bombings that left 181 killed and state entities, organised and powerful enough to
890 injured. By some counts, 26111 was the 33rd confront established governments; bring them
major terrorist attack in the country since 1993, dou'n or force them back. In this context, perhaps
and the 12th incident of this tlpe specifically tar- the tin"re has also come to acknowledge that the
geting Mumbai alone. As the old saying goes, tidal n'ar,e of crime rvithin the country - organised
I Gen. Shankar "Once is an accident, rwice is a coincidence, but as rvell as unorganised - can now be taken on-
Roychowdhury (retd) the third time it's enemy action." The natural board as a groning component of the national
question that arises from these attacks is: is India threat perspective. Terror is a noxious effluent
facing a war and who is the enemy? common to both terrorism and organised crime,
\rVhatever the answer to that question, 26llI n'hich is graduall-v overrvhelming the forces of law
attack has certainly exposed chinks in the coun- and order in large parts ofthe country, holding the
try's security systems. However, it is also impor- life, safeh-, property and honour of communities
tant that the shock of Mumbai must not divert literalll'to ransom. To the common citizen, the
attention from the fact that terrorism is only one need to control crime can at times acquire more
It is important that facet - albeit major - of an overall threat whose full urgencY than to fight terror; until, as it sometimes
dimensions are more extensive. An obsessive does become a moot point to determine which
the shock of Mumbai focus on this single incident may dilute or divert one constitutes the more immediate threat. There
must not divert atten- attention from other equally dangerous and have aln'a)'s been strong linkages between politics
urgent threats confronting the country. There is a and crime, rvith political-criminal-terrorism rein-
tion from the fact need to move beyond Mumbai, and address the forcing each other to achieve common objectives;
broader perspective in a more holistic manner. and hence a determined effort to combat crime as
that terrorism is only To begin rvith, traditional perceptions and part of civil governance will undoubtedly have its
mindsets regarding threat perceptions and con- corresponding effect on fighting terrorism as well.
one facet, albeit flicts perhaps require a rethink. Consider the issue The Kargil Review Committee was the first for-
major, of an overall of nuclear weapons, which are now generally con- mal and comprehensive post-Independence
sidered solely as instruments of deterrence rather revie\r' of India's national security systems. The
threat whose full than war-fighting, with possibilities of nuclear Committee's report, submitted in 2000, urged a
conflict more or less dismissed out of hand as thorough reappraisal and overhaul of the securi-
dimensions are more unfounded panic-mongering, bordering on the tv systems, based on which the government of
absurd. Nuclear weapons come packaged for India established a Group of Ministers (GoM) in
extensive. An obses-
blackmail and coercion, as well as nuclear terror- April 2000, who in turn set up four mission-ori-
sive focus on this sin- ism and black marketing of nuclear materials and ented Task Forces headed by eminent specialists
technologies, which can all escalate tension. to revielv specific aspects of national security in
gle incident may However, the rise of radical quasi-state entities the areas of intelligence apparatus, internal
like the Taliban, Iihadi multinationals like al security, border management, and defence. The
dilute or divert atten- Qaeda, and the spread of fundamentalist religious Task Forces made many recommendations,
tion from other equal- ideologies in Pakistan have introduced new reali- some of fundamental significance, others rela-
ties in South Asia where the possibility of rogue tively mundane and routine. However, many of
ly dangerous and nuclear establishments ideologically linked to these fundamental changes could not be imple-
Jihadi elements in the armed forces responsible mented due to the failures of political and
urgent threats con- for safeguarding Pakistan's nuclear arsenal can no administrative systems; resistance to change
Ionger be discounted as total fantasy. Hence, the within the bureaucratic ruling classes, involun-
fronting the country. traditional soothing nostrums may require revi- tarily reinforced by 'terrain friction' within the
There is a need to sion in the context of emerging realities. It is also defence services themselves.
well to remember that like the forbidden Prominent amongst these aborted launches
move beyond Mumbai Brahmastra of Hindu mytholog],, nuclear were the recommendations for a Chief of Defence

22 F0RCE l\4ay 2009

 Staff, and functional merger of service and
defence ministry headquarters. The Task
Forces also drew specific attention to the
Indian nuclear weapons programme and
its decision-making process, remarking
that successive prime ministels had kept
this as a private dialogue outside the r,vhole
formaiised process of government, lvhich
only a small group of confidantes were
pri\y to, and liom rvhich the defence forces
in particular had been kept rigidly and
noticeably excluded. The Task Force rec-
ommended the publication of a White
Paper on the subject, rvhich has also not
seen the light of day.
India's national security apparatus is
generally patterned on that of the United
States, rvith necessary variations for the
Cabinet system of decision-making. Like
all structures, physical or organisational, it
does require peliodic refurbishment and
upgradation, rvhich has to extend to attitu-
dinal overhauls as rve1l. In organisational
metaphor, the current state of the seculity
mechanism in India resembles a pent-
house apar-tment supported on precarious
jerry-rigged bamboo scaffblding. Thus, at
tl.re penthouse level of the Central govern-
ment, the requisite instrumentalities of
geo-political and strategic decision-mak-
ing have been put in place since l99B after
the nuclear tests at Pokhran, including a
Cabinet Committee on Security headed by
the Prime Minister, suppolted by a

F*,q#
,*z fiatr
ru National Seculity Advisory Boald headed
by a National SecurityAdvisor, and an over-
ffi
'
lapping Nuclear Command Authority for
** handling nuclear policy. It is procedurally
€u
jst q#ffi' ffi
-. +.9- l
satisfactorl', but its inner rvorkings on for-
mulation of national security doctrines
have to be calibrated and optimised.
F*8.''j ffi
.: Needless to say that the recommendations
j:
of the Kalgit Committee Task Forces should
'-

be implemented as early as possible,

notabiy in respect of a genuine integration
I
of Service Headquarters and the ministry
of defence, rather than the shoddy bureau-
t'l cratic subterfuge adopted at present.'fhe
imbroglio over the Chief of Defence Staff
') also needs to be satisfactolily resolved, but
the biggel fear is that even if these issues
" ,** ## are somehow addressed and even resolved,
the outcome will be so trvisted and mis-
retI es: shapen by internal pulls and pressures
from a variety of sources within the estab-
lishment that the spirit and objective of the
oliginal proposals may become rvarped. It
"'tk 3l |ll
:li.llP * has to realised, that in the intensely politi-
*.'
ti ier il ll1* I
cised environment prevailing in the coun-
try, the ultimate factor in all decisions

May 2009 F()RCE 23

affecting national security has to be its The main resources with state govern- is really a paramilitary constabulary, with-
domestic acceptability. Even otherwise, ments are their state police and intelli- out investigative capabilities or prosecut-
Iogical and straightforward issues with gence bureaux, along with the civil defence ing authority, which in any case functions
regard to national security, obviously in the forces comprising home guards, fire under directions of the state governments
national interest, may still end up as unac- brigades, medical infrastructure and other wherever deployed, and subject to many of
cepted because of vocal opposition from specialised components. Of necessity, it is the same handicaps as the local police
sectarian or ideological lobbies. the state police which has to be the lead forces. There is also the Central Bureau of
But the real black hole in national securi- agency as immediate responders to inter- Investigation (CBI), originally designed for
ty lies at the level of the states, the bamboo nal crises or emergency, but it must always white collar crimes, not operationally ori-
scaffolding supporting the penthouse be kept in mind that rvith a police-to-pop- ented or culturally attuned for hard edged
complex. Security architectures at state ulation ratio of 0.956207 police per 1000 criminal/terrorist investigations, and also
level are utterly rickety and indeed barely persons, India takes the runners up place requires permission from State
functional, creating structural contradic- amongst the least policed countries in the Governments before being deployed with-
tions at the very primary levels. The organ- lvorld (the world title for this dubious hon- in their domain. Its functioning is restrict-
isational building blocks for holistic our going to Costa Rica!). It is also no news ed by the many procedural and iegal
national systems are all available, but that state police forces and intelligence restrictions. The recently instituted
untidily strewn like children's toys, of agencies in h.rdia have been systematically National Investigative Agency Act 2008
which some pieces may even have been misused ever since Independence, to ser\re hurriedly prepared after the 26111 attacks
misplaced. Deficiencies in security organi- the agendas of the political parties in and rushed through as part of the 'new
sations at state level rvere on public dispiay porver, leading to a general degradation of look' policy of the nerv Home Minister,
in the confusion and incoherence of professional, ethical and moral standards. cannot Vet be visualised as'India's FBI'.
responses in the single state affected by Another glaring shortcoming in this Effective crisis management is an
Mumbai 26111, rvhich can safely be taken respect in ail states across the board is the intensely netrvork-centric activity based on
asrepresentative of affairs in other states as standards of personal leadership and moti- a national net\\'ork of command, control
well. Under the Seventh Schedule of Article vation. The degeneration in police stan- and coordination centers interlinked and
246 of the Constitution of India, the states dards brought about by politicians seems integrated from district headquarters to
of the Union hold the constitutional irreversible, and should be a matter of huge the nationai capital, where the Ministry of
responsibility for preservation of 'public concern, because without a credible police Home Affairs could possibly be designated
order' rvhich is the corner stone of internal force, security issues will never be full-v as the apex nodal agency at national level.
securiry. States are the base-plates of the under control. Corresponding security structures at state
federal system of national governance, and The humble thana or local police station government level in parallel with those at
require to be seamlessly incorporated into is the basic and critical institution in the the central government have to be devel-
an overall securiry edifice designed and internal security system, but the very large oped as part of integrated national securi-
constructed from the foundations majority across the country are grossly ry such as State Committee for Securiry
upwards, a basic principle which has never understaffed, and manned by police n'ho State Securitv Advisory Board as well as a
been consciously adhered to since inde- are under-equipped, ill-trained and demo- State Security Advisor. But the ultimate
pendence. State governments require to be tivated. This is the weakest link in the solution lies in changes to the Seventh
closely connected with the Centrai upwards chain, and puts the entire nation- Schedule ofArticle 246 ofthe Constitution
Government and resources and capabili- al security effort on the wrong foot at the of India, either transferring Public Order to
ties at both levels integrated into a vertical- very outset. This is unfortunate, because the Concurrent List, or, creating a new sub-
ly patterned overall system combining given the necessary inputs and impetus, ject of Internal Security on the Central List
both bird's and worm's eye views. \.A,Ihat is there is no reason why selected units of of the same schedule. Its scars are still rela-
really necessary is a basic change at state police forces cannot perform as rapid reac- tively fresh but fading, but action to estab-
level to a generally laid-back mofussil work tion special forces just like designated lish such an infrastructure along with its
culture. It is undoubtedly a steeply uphill Special Task Forces, Special Operational human resources needs to be taken while
task, but one iong overdue, without which Groups, Greyhounds, commandos, SWAT vestiges of the impetus still remain.
no amount of reorganisation, refurbish- (Special Weapons and Tactics, American Intelligence is another national security
ment or modernisation will be effective. No police) or any other. Police Special Forces shortcoming repeatedly highlighted after
improvement will be possible without an in the initial stages at Mumbai, might rvell each major strike, whether terrorist or mil-
energetic, enlightened, and indeed pro- have succeeded in containing or eliminat- itary, as was very evident in the failure to
active political leadership at state level ing some or all the terrorists, before the sit- prevent the 26111 attacks or Kargil i999,
which has traditionally been really uation escalated with the passage of time. besides other terrorist incidents. This was
involved or even concerned about issues of By all accounts, there has been no dearth of one of the issues specially examined by a
overall national security. As things stand, resource allotments to states for refulbish- special Kargil Committee Task Force. Their
the weakest girder of the system is the ment of police forces but the majority have recommendations do not appear to have
inability or reluctance of state govern- not utilised them for the intended purpose. taken seriously, given the series of success-
ments till date to undertake their constitu- There is no police force with national juris- ful jehadi attacks since 1993. Many of the
tional responsibilities as an integral com- diction on the lines of the American recommendations pertain to basic short-
ponent of the national security system, Federal Bureau of Investigation. The so comings that have been around for a long
ascending from the basic grassroots. called Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) time and are well known. \A,hile intelli-

24 F0RCE May 2009

 requirement for multi-state'special security
zones' to allow them the required opera-
tional freedom. The alternate could be a
Central force with multi-state jurisdiction
like the CRPF to function as the lead agency
on the pattern of theArmyin the North East.
In times of crises, our politicians gener-
ally revert to reflexive knee jerk statements
such as Aar Paar ki Ladai' or All Options
Are Open', verbal flatulence which betrays
their essential ignorance of strategic reali-
ties. India is definitely capable of offensive
action and'surgical strikes' onto any target
in the Pakistani heartland, but the political
leadership must also understand and
accept the possibility of escalation into a
general Indo-Pak war with the potential of
crossing an indeterminate'nuclear thresh-
old'. This is a risk factor inherent in
responses to terrorism which have to be
calibrated accordingly. But this also serves
as a convenient fig leaf for the political
-r :- gathering using technical systems Indo-Bangladesh border. Ifstate policing is leadership to rationalise and take recourse
--:-:llNT) is beyond the capabilities of properly implemented in the border dis- to the traditional Indian inclination for
-: :irte apparatus and must rest with the tricts, an additional border security zone is compromise and dialogue even under the
, ::al authorities, Human Intelligence created in depth, which can break the most severe provocations, in the tradition
:,'l.ll\T) should have become the basic activities of foreign agents, guides, srnug- of 1962 during the time of Panchsheel and
. -::--qih of state level police and intelli- glers and other criminal elements tvho the Se la, 1999 and the Kandahar hijacking
-, --: establishments, but surprisingly this facilitate illegal immigration, infiltration of IndianAirlines IC 184,2001 orthe attack
- :: irot generally appear to be the case. and criminal activities in these areas. This on the Indian Parliament, and now
:::' again the thana or police station problem is particularly acute along the Mumbai 26l11. Capability for appropriate
:-.-: back into the picture as the primary extended stretches of the Indo-Bangladesh retaliation is an essential part of national
.:iion center for HUMINT at locai border, where border fencing has not -vet security strategy and it is surely insuffer-
been carried out. able to al1ow India, with its ambitions for a
: .:ds to district and beyond for collec- Naxalite militancy has taken root over permanent seat on the Security Council of
- :,rllation and analysis, which is again a large stretches of the Indian heartland the United Nations, to be taunted and
: lacuna in the system. spread over several states, (165 districts in 14 humiliated with impunity without fear of
-: 11 also demonstrated that while states by some counts) which has tlrro\\in up retribution. If circumstances preclude
-:::ral security of the country's territorial issues of multi-state jurisdiction of state immediate conventional counter-action,
- - r.iaritime frontiers might be the pri- police forces, an issue not encountered then those at the helm of affairs in India
- :. iesponsibility of the Central govern- before. Jammu and Kashmir is a single-state rvill definitely have to seriously consider
- r.:. the governments and the civil insurgency, rvhile in the North East, rvhere other alternatives, amongst which could
--:-,ristrations of coastal and border local insurgencies also extend across multi- be the 'Long War' - a defensive shield of
- :i Also have a special responsibility in ple states, jurisdiction is not a problem for intensive homeland defence employing all
. :.gard. Border and coastline districts the Indian Army lvhich is the lead agency possible resources, state as well as central,
- - ---;e special attention from their states there. However, in the case of Naxalite with a covert plausibly deniable sword (or
:.':ms of additional policing, surveil- extremism, the Ministry of Home Affairs possibly dagger) offensive of'death by a
--,: orrd intelligence coverage to create a (MFIA) is experimenting with a new and thousand cuts' targeting the military-ISl-
,-1. :iop security zone in the proximate indeed somewhat perplexing concept, jehadi establishment in Pakistan. Lessons
.=:land of the international border or under which Naxalite violence is to be dealt from Mumbai26lll should be clear, espe-
-r.r,rre coastal waters being manned by with by state police forces as a larv and order cially to our politicians - until the country
: ::-r Security Force (BSF) or the Coast issue in each of the affected states, with develops the capability and the will to
.:i. -\t present, illegal migrants or infil- inter-state cooldination through mutual respond in kind against terror attacks, a
-, :s have to merely negotiate a thinly consultations. State police forces are handi- philosophy of 'turn the other cheek' will
::-',',.atched line of border outposts on capped by their inability to foilow up remain a compulsion for India under all
.. : or coast guard patrols at sea, before extremist groups who often move into circumstances.
--:ssfully reaching a network of safe neighbouring states to escape police pres- Meanwhile, whatever happens, India
-.es and sanctuary amongst elements of sure. Hence, if state police forces are to func- should prepare for a long, hot summer
'. -rdian population in close depth ofthe tion as lead agencies in anti-militant opera- ahead. I
::ir. as is fiequently experienced on the tions, operational logic indicates the (The writer is a fonner Chief of Anny Staff)

May 2009 F0RCE 25

Pushed to the Edge
US mulling formal nuclear weapons status for Pakistan
r Pravin Sawhney the US and Pakistani media, ask the duo if Pervez Musharraf, it is evident that the
the US ."vas considering a nuclear deal for National Command Authodty, having civil-
he Indian media and experts failed to Pakistan similar to the one rvith lndia. This ian leadership as members, has been
grasp an important purpose of the was an easy question, and Holbrooke's rvrapped up. The command and control of
recent visit (April B) of the US Special response was an emphatic no. fhe right Pakistan nuclear weapons is with the army
Representative for Afghanistan and question rvould have been rvhether the US chief, General Ashfaq Kayani and is exer-
Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, and the US n'as norking to legitimising Pakistan's cised through the Strategic Plans Division
Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral nuclear \veapons status, for this is precise- headed by Lt Gen. Khalid Kidwai. This
Mike Mullen to New Delhi after their' l], n'hat is being done, rvith far-reaching arrangement is not institutionalised and is
stopovers in Kabul and Islamabad. The t$'o operational implications for India. dependent on Kayani's men. Considering
met the National Security Advisor, NI.K. The US' biggest \\'orrlr is Pakistan's that the Pakistan Army has become a rogue
Narayanan and the foreign secretary', Shiv nuclear \\,eapons lalling in the u'rong arm)r \vith a proven capability to fight a
Shankar Menon amongst other officials hands. This fear is accentuated bv US conventional and irregular (terrorism) war
and debriefed them selectively about their experts rvho rvorry that Pakistan is headed at the same time, it is perfectly possible for
talks rvith the Afghani and Pakistani leader- torvards becoming a failed state and, if not the Taliban, u'ho have deep-rooted links
ship. Later at the media interaction, an helped, may disintegrate in six-months to a n'itl.r the ISI, to get hold of nuclear
Indian reporter, based upon reports from year's time. After the exit of President \feapons. Once done, all that remains is for

Asian Loop
US Special Enuoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan uisits India
US Envoy for AfPak Richard Holbrooke's threat. "For the first time since partition for Afghanistan. And the plan is impres-
wrapped his three-nation, five-day tour of India, Pakistan and the United States are sive." The envoy said that India's efforts to
Afghanistan, Pakistan and India earlier facing a common threat and a common bring economic stabiliry match with simi-
this month. Even before the diplomat challenge...but now that we face a com- lar US plans.
arrived in New Delhi, the press was abuzz mon threat, we must work together and in Holbrooke, a former President of the
with thaw setting in the Indo-US rela- the centre of that area is Pakistan." Asia Society for seven years, said he was
tions, of Pakistan's ISI chief snubbing Reacting to the media reports in India not in the region to negotiate India-
Holbrooke by refusing to meet him. that ISI's chief had refused to meet Pakistan relationship, which "we woke up
Holbrooke, who arrived late on April 6 in Holbrooke, the envoy said it was not true. to see the TV that is what we are supposed
New Delhi, met National Security Advisor "We met the ISI chief in Pakistan and had to be doing." Asked if US was considering a
M. K. Narayanan and foreign secretary elaborate discussions with him." He also nuclear deal with Pakistan on similar lines
Shivshankar Menon during his visit. went to great lengths to stress that his visit as US, Holbrooke said the issue did not
Addressing the press here in New Delhi, to India was to inform the officials in New come up for talks. "We continue to seek a
he said, "Regional challenges require Delhi and not anything else. stable regime in Pakistan and my discus-
regional solutions. Military power alone is "Let me just be clear on my one rvord sions throughout have focussed on that,"
powerless. Civil-military integration is answer. We did not come here to ask the he said.
very important for good governance and Indians to do anlthing. We came here to Explaining the US' AfPak policy, the
good leadership is absolutely vital. We inform about our trips (to Afghanistan and diplomat said that, in the new administra-
cannot settle Afghanistan and many other Pakistan) as we always do and to get their tion under Obama spent first seven weeks
world problems without India's full views. We did not come here with anY on developing a strategy and is in the
involvement." Holbrooke was accompa- requests," said Holbrooke. beginning of the implementation stage.
nied by US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Referring to his meeting with Indian Both Holbrooke and Mullen stressed that
Staff Admiral Mike Mullen. Recollecting Ambassador to Afghanistan Iayant Prasad their India visit was regarding this very
that the region has a great deal of com- in Kabul, Holbrooke said, "Issues in implementation process and they were
mon in terms of history, its past, between Afghanistan and other issues can't be set- encouraged by the fact that India and US
Afghanlstan-Pakistan and Paksitan-India, tled without India's full involvement and shared some plans for Afghanistan, and
Holbrooke said that it is the first time their own expressions of views, when the visit would promote coordination in
since the partition of the two countries Mullen and I met Ambassador Prasad in those plans. o
that they along with US face a common Kabul, he outlined India's assistance plan Vidhi Upadhyay

26 F()RCE May 2009

 I

{
i,':='

==-Er.*

ing proportions. reactors under the supervision of the IAEA'

.r' terrorists to activate the timer of the
--lclear \'\reapon and walk alvay The situa- The ideal answer fbr the US is to provide the US is in a good position to monitor and
Pakistan rvith Permissive Action Links or thereby control India's nuclear weapons'
is grave for the US as the Pakistan
'n PALs technology, rvhich rvill ensure that activities. This cannot be done i'r'tith
':nv has refused Washington's help in Pakistan as its nuclear programme is solely
-:'.-rlring its nukes for fear that they may only a small authorised group rvhich knon's
the secret cocles can detonate a nuclear for rveapon purposes.
:-iall some hidden technology to control
weapon. Anyone lvho does not know the Even as the US is considering on how to
.-ease of their ultimate arsenal' This is not
codes and does guessrvork lvill after a ferv legitimise Pakistan's nuclear u/eapons sta-
- . -{ccording to US reports quoting senior tus by other methods, the travelling of
::lcials, Pakistanis have hidden their false attempts, disable the nuclear lveapon
permanently. As the Pakistanis do not $'ant Pakistani scientists to US laboratories to
-.clear arsenal in scattered undelground
'.^nkets the US scientists to fix PALs on their nukes, understand functioning of PALs and their
to avoid Washington's scrutiny' eventual handover to the Pakistan Army
'.1
,reover, Pakistan, rvith Plutonium pro- the Pakistani scientists rvould have to be
trained in the US on hor'v to fix PALs them- rvould not remain hidden from India' If
,-.ction, is making a new generation of
selves on the nukes. There are, ho'"vever, India is not put into this picture well in
:npact nukes which are sn-raller rvith bet-
trvo problems rvith this approach. The first time, this rvould have implications for
.: r'ields than the earlier ones based on grorving Indo-US relations' Thus, a key
-:.rnium fissile material. The Bush admin- and the more important legal one from the
US perspective is that giving PALs to purpose of the two senior Obama officials
- :ation since the end of 2006, r'r'hen it
Pakistan is against US domestic larv: in meeting the NSA in New Delhi rvas to
:horised limited US air strikes inside
Pakistan's nuclear weapons status is not apprise him about what options
,r ,.i:tan's tribal areas by CIA operatives,
legitimised. The reason rvhy Pakistan can- Washington has been mulling over to
-,. grappling'"vith the problerr of how to official
-.:itutionalise Pakistan nukes' seculity' not be considerecl for a similar nuclear deal secure Pakistan's nukes. New Delhi's
response rvill only be available after a nert'
' -ili the Obama administration, having that the US did rvith India is because it does
not serve US' non-proliferation objectives' government is sr'vorn in by end-May'
---;ided to disregard the Durand Line for' Hor'vever, should this happen, it would
: itan'operations and conduct air strikes lndia's nuclear \veapons progt'atnme is an
off-shoot of its civilian nuclear pro- disadvantage the Indian armecl forces tur'-
parts of NWFP and Baluchistan, the
gramme, and hence by seeking a separa- ther in a conventional wat rvith Pakistan'
:iitmarish scenario of Pakistani nukes India has a nuclear no-first-use policy and
-,ching the terrorists has acquired alalm- tion of its civilian and military nuclear
May 2009 F0RCE 27
 :',:.,$oldier$:,sJ Afghan.
' flational lrmy

r'"'_4- 3*--
':r?trt*!&l.'v

_&;*
''1:.
.t::-- "* * -'1
--" *:;a--'+-
5'-.f*?a,*:c :;,
."- "q* .-1* t "
t.. - "-€! _$.-*.. :,::
\\ ---r:----
S:: .; .'j5

\,)=tr
" .,-n"----&r*.
.igqii':1'. ',.
consequently has ruled out acquisition of Army rvill be severely disadvantaged. rorists and extremists within its sovereign
Tactical Nuciear Weapons (TNWs). tellitolies. It is evident that the Pakistan
Pakistan, on the other hand, has a nuclear The lndian Stopover Army does not agree with the US' estimate
first-use policy and is known to possess In Nerv Delhi, Holbrooke said that the that its nation is coming apart.
TNWs (technology acquired from China). Obama administration rvanted Indo-US Why is it so? Three reasons: One, an army
As TNW have sub-kiloton nuclear yields relations to include 'regional and global trained to use its ISI-aided terrorists
which rvould result in limited area devas- strategic issues' to go beyond the bilateral (lihadis) as its first line of offence in a con-
tation, they are certainly useable in battle- relationship. As Holbrooke's brief is lirnited ventional war with India cannot undertake
field conditions rvhere, let's say, in a given to Afghanistan and Pakistan (AfPak), get- counter-terrorism operations against its
theatre, Indian armed forces manage to, ting India onboard should be difficult as orvn elements. Hence, the ruse of asking
wittingly or unrvittingly, cross Pakistans Washingtons AfPak policy is premised on US' assistance to resolve the Kashmir issue.
nuclear threshold. Moreover, as both rveakness and not strength. Horv else can it (Resolving the Kashmir issue should be
countries do not have a formalised nuclear be explained that Pakistan as a'disinteglat- Indla's prioriry but it should not be done
control and verification centre, the temp- ing' nation is actuall-v placing conditions under any outside pressure). TWo, the ISI
tation for Pakistan to stop an Indian thrust on the US for its help in eliminating terror'- has links with the Afghani Taliban and by
rvith TNW would be great. Hor,vever, fbr ist and extremists from its soil? Probabll,, extension with al Qaeda as it hopes to have
this to happen, Pakistani operational the most audacious one is the recerrt call a role in a future Taliban government in
forces in the field must have TNW rvith made by Pakistan's ambassador in the US Afghanistan. And three, while the Pakistani
them well in advance once the war is Hussain Haqqani, that military and non- Taliban headed by Baitullah Mehsud are
joirred betr'r,een India and Pakistan. This militaly aid to Pakistan should be creating mayhem in Pakistan's Punjab
l'ras been the rub for General Headquartels enhanced to US30 billion dollars from the province, their ultimate demand, if agreed,
in Ran alpindi: rvhat if someone in offered USt0 billion dollars. Earlier, the rvould help the Pakistan Army as well.
Pakistani field forces rvith Taliban iinkages, Pakistan Army l.rad put two conditions for Mehsud is asking for stoppage of US air
as the latter rvould also fight against India its role in AfPak; that US should tell India to stlikes on Pakistani territories, and seeking
shoulder-to-shoulder rvith regular forces, reduce its troops on the Line of Control peace deals in FATA like the one in the Swat
hands ovel TNIV to unauthorised persons? (and the US should mediate on the region of N\.&TB which is inimical to the
The ansrver to this dilemma would be Kashmir resolution), and India should cur- US. Thus, Washington may do well to
found in PALs, as orrly the authorised per- tail its role in Afghanistan. Speaking for his revierv its AfPak policy, which at present,
sons rvould be able to activate the nukes. army, President Asif Ali Zardari has said appears to be rewarding Pakistan for all its
Thus, the Pakistan Army r'r'ould be more that the US should provide the Pakistan misdeeds. If this continues, the US AfPak
confident of using its TNWs secured rvitlr Armyrvith armed drones and night fighting policy will do little good to bilateral rela-
Pakistani-PALs. Converselv, the h.rdian capabilities, and ir.rtelligence to fight ter- tions betrveen India and the US. o

28 F0RCE lVlay 2009

Playing Catch-Up
Pakistan Army to induct 36 launchers of the L}-barrel, 300mm A- l00E MBRL
t Prasun K. Sengupta lollorved the round of competitive evalua- 155mm/52-calibre horvitzer underrvent
tions conducted by the Pakistan Army of extensive mobility and fireporver trials in
etermined to maintain its
already the A-100E and the competing NORINCO- December 2007 in Pakistan's Northern
cornmanding lead in the arena of long- built AR-z, another 300mm MBRL also of Areas, and undern'ent similar lield trials
range field artillery over its Indian Chinese origin. The A-100E comprises a last June in the Thar Desert. The SH-l can
.rnterpart, the Pakistan Army is gearing Iaunch vehicle, and reloading vehicle and fire rocket-assistedV-LAP projectiles out to
-: ro ir-rduct into service tr,vo Regiments (or command-and-control vehicles, all of 53km, as r,vell as laser-guided projectiles
.. iaunchers) of the lO-barrel, 300mm A- rvhich are mounted on the WS-2400 BxB like NORINCO's 'Red Mud' and KBP
rE rnulti-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) wheeled chassis (the same truck also torvs Instrument Design Bureau's Krasnopol-
-:'i its related ground-based fire-control the launcher for the Babur multi-role M2. The SH-I can also fire base-bleed
- .:enls from China's China Precision cruise missiie). A11 l0 r'ockets, each 155mm rounds out to 42.skm, and its truck
l.,lirinery Import-Export Corp (CPMIEC) equipped r'vith a 200kg rvarhead, can be chassis houses a fibre-optic gyro-based
.r CETC. Also being acquired are approxi- fired rvithin 60 seconds out to a range of north positioning-cum-navigation system,
'.-...ielr' 90 SH- I l55mm/52-calibre 100km, and it can be reloaded in 20 min- battiespace management system,
- iorised horvitzers from NORINCO of utes. The NORINCO-built AR-Z NIBRL, on autonolT10us orientation-cum-muzzle
: .:a, plus three Regiments of the the other hand, has 12 launch tubcs from velocity radar, gun loader's display-cum-
, l.llEc-built HQ-9 long-range suface-to- r'vhich rockets armed rvith a rvide variety of ramming control box, ammunition box
:rissile (LR-SAM) system (these being warheads are fired. The rvarhead options housing 25 rounds (of seven different
- -:uired by the Pakistan Air Force, or PAF), for the A-100E include fragmentation sub- rypes) and their modular chalges, and a
: .e f}om Ukraine the Pakistan Army will munitions lvarhead, anti-tank nine scat- netr,vork-centric artillery file direction sys-
r lcquiring about 400 T-84U rnain battle tering rvarhead, shaped-charge fragrnen- tem. A complete SH-l Regiment comprises
. .is (NIBT) off-the-shelf. tation submunitiot-ts r'r,arhead, separable 24 SH-1s, four Battery Command Post
-: rtas during the visit last October to HE-fragmentation r'varhead, tuel-air vehicles, one Battalion Command Post
..:ra of Pakistan's Chief of Arm-y Staff, explosive rvarhead, and HE-fragmentation vehicle, one road-mobile CETC-built lY-30
.-:reral Ashfaq Parvez Kayani that r'varhead. The target acquisition ar-rd fire- C-band meteorological radar, four 6xG
- ,:ritbad and Beijing inked the contracts control system elements include tl-re rvheeled reconnaissance vehicles, and an
: :ire lnitial 36 A-100Es and trvo CETC- CETC-built 702D meteorological r-aclar sta- S-band CEI'C-built Type 904-1 artillery
.r SI.C-2 passive phased-array weapons tion and SLC-2 \&T-R. locating-cum-fire correction radar. Earlier,
riing radars (WLR), plus the SH-ls. This The NORINCO-built SH-1 motorised on September 9, 2007 the Pakistan Army
-..!

:',.;;:.t1.
,:

:;!i:;! t ':
q'.fl

May 2009 F0RCE 29

accepted at its Nowshera-based School of control of all automated functions. The ballistic/cruise missile launchs (launches),
Artillery the first of twelve l8-tonne T-155 ECC communicates with all HQ-9 Fire along with direction and time-of-arrival
Panter I55mm/S2-calibre torved howitzers Units as well as rvith highel-echelon com- data. Target engagement can be carried out
from Turkey's state-owned Machines and mand headquarters, and has on board an by the HI-233 in manual, semi-automatic
Chemical Industry Board (MKEK). The Air Situation Display console and Tracking or automatic mode. When the decision has
Panter was co-developed in the late Display console that adopts customised been made to engage the target, the ECC
Nineties by MKEK and Singapore BITE technologies, and has embedded selects the Launch Battery or Batteries to
Technologies Kinetics. For producing the simulated trainlng softrvare for engaging be used and pre-launch data is transmitted
155mm family of munitions, Wah more than 100 airborne targets in various to the selected missile via microwave line-
Cantonment-based Pakistan Ordnance flight profiles, all of which can be used for of-sight data links. The target position data
Factories (POF) has teamed up witl.r South opcrational training in peacetime. The HT- is dorvnloaded to the missile to aid the mis-
Korea's Poongsan and on April 12 last year, 233, operating in the 300MHz bandrvidth, sile's target acquisition. After launch, the
General Kayani symbolically received the has a detection range of l50km and track- missile is acquired by the HT-233 radar.
first lot of licence-assembled K-307 BB-HE ing range of 100km. The radar antenna has The missile's track command up-link and
and K-310 155mm BB dual purpose impro- 4,000 active ferrite phase shifters. It can dorvn-link between the missile and the HT-
vised conventional munitions (DPICM) detect targets in azimuth (360') and eleva- 233 allows the missile's flight to be moni-
Ammunition from POF Chairman Pakistan tion (0' to 65"). It can simultaneously toled and provides missile guidance com-
Lt Cen Syed Sabahat Hussain. engage more than 50 targets when used in mands from the ECC's weapons control
l'he three HQ-9 LR-SAM Regirnents are conjunction with a Brigade-level ECC computer. As the missile approaches the
being procured for the alr defence of static (lvhich can handle automatic command- target, the active radar-based terminal
strategic targets that may be targetted bV and-control of three subordinate HQ-9 guidance svstem on the missile is activated
India's BrahMos supersonic muiti-role Regiments). In some cases a HQ-9 Fire Unit and the missile is steered torvard the target.
cruise missiles. The HQ-9 rvas jointly devel- receives early warning of hostile .\s the missile's closest approach to the
oped by CPMIEC, the China (l(lE MBRL
missile is reached (50 metres), a
Aerospace Science & Industry
A1
RF proximity fuze detonates the
Corp (CASIC), and the Shaanxi directional high-explosive blast
l'lanhe Industry Group. Series- fragmentation rvarhead. The mis-
ploduction of the l0Okm-range sile's engagement zone is
LR-SAM rounds ls being under- betlveen 300 metres and 50km in
takenat the Gui Yang-based terms of altitude, ,"vhile it has a
Guizhou Aerospace Industry slant range of between 7km and
Company Ltd, rvhile the TWS-312 100km, and a maximum speed of
engagement control centre (ECC) 1,600 metres/second.
and its SJ-231 missile guidance The HQ-9 Fire Unit can deploy
system and the TWS-312 Air in three ways: the vehicle mode,
Defence Command System's the trailer mode, and the stand-
Battery Control Centre (that alone mode. It carries four ready-
includes the C-band HT-233 pas- to-fire missiles, and is capable of
sive phased-arlay tracking-cum- remote operations. The two-stage
engagement radar from which LR-SAM is'cold-launched' verti-
the SLC-2 \,VLR is derived) are cally from a tubular launcher. The
series-produced by the Xi'an- missile s first stage has a diameter
based Shaanxi Tianhe Industry of 700mm while the second stage
Group. All elements of the HQ-9 has a diameter of 560mm. The
re-mounted on TAS-5380 BxB total launch mass is two tonnes,
heavy-cluty cross-countly vehi- whiie the missile's length is nine
cles. The HT-233 radar carries out metres. It is armed with a t8Okg
airspace search, target detection, HE fragmentation warhead and
target track. identification. mis- has a maximum speed of Mach
sile tracking, missile guidance 4.2.The missile's guidance mech-
and electronic counter-counter- anism comprises initial inertial
measures (ECCM) functions. The navigation, radio command mid-
HT-233 radar is automatically coulse correctiOn, and active ter-
controlled by a digital \veapons minal guidance. Wihen in range
control computer housed rvithin for an effective lock-on rvith the
the ECC, and cable link is used to on-board X-band monopulse
connect the Sl-231 to the T'WS- radar, the terminal guidance
312, rvhich is the only manned phase, lasting 20km, gets under-
station in a I{Q-9 Battery and it way. For iong-range target acqui-
provides the human interface for sition and tracking, the Jiangsu

30 F0RCE lVlay 2009

 I
Panter

I:rvince-based Nanjing Research microwave line-of-sight data links as n'ell Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau
r.iitute of Electronic Technology (NRIET, as TS-504 mobile troposcatter communi- (KMDB). Series-production of these vehi-
: --: also more commonly known as the cations terminals. When an entire cles n'ill begin later this year at the
-:h Institute) has co-developed with Regiment of HQ-9 is deployed, use is made Malyshev Plant in Kharkov. Each T-B4U
-:TC the road-mobileYLC-2V S-band 3-D of aYLC-2V radar to provide a single inte- MBT will have on-board a commander's
:-:>Dace surveillance radar (six of which grated airspace picture to the Regimental panoramic sight incorporating a laser
.:= being acquired by the PAF), which has ECC. TheYLC-2V and up to four SJ-231 sta- rangefinder, daylight and thermal imagers
- :rarimum range of 450km, a maximum tions can be networked with a Sector (this being the high-resolution MAIIS-STD
:..rlution of 0.5 metres, and can scan a 0- Operations Centre (SOC) via a CETC-built from France's Sagem D6fense S6curit6,
-,-degree arc in azimuth and 0-90 DA-6 tactical internet controller using which is also on board the Arjun Mkl
-:itces in elevation. either underground fibre-optic links or MBT), a smoothbore 5I-calibre l25mm
-r all its deployment patterns, the HQ-9 land-mobile broadband, multi-channel, KBA-3 gun (containing amlzzle reference
:.-S,\NI offers a multi-target and multi- beyond tine-of-sight, TS-504 terminals. system) housed within a welded turret that
: ::ciional area air defence capabiliry. A1l This same type of systems architecture will also house a laser warning system, a
:- qround-based and airborne compo- using the above-mentioned tools can be bustle-mounted autoloader, separate crew
.::iS dr€ integrated in a plug-and-flight employed to develop an integrated, hierar- and blow-out ammunition compartments,
.::irirecture under which the software- chical air defence network that seamlessly new-generation non-explosive reactive
:::d integration of all hardware-based integrates the LR-SAM, E-SHORADS and armour plates based on a new principle of
:: :::rents permits the autonomous man- VSHORADS into one monolithic guided- defeating kinetic and chemical energy
-.:rent of various functions such as pro- missile-based air defence system. To make attacks (with special focus on increasing
the HT-233 radar virtually inlrrlnerable to the hull's sides and turret's protection lev-
-:.nmable surveillance, target detection,
.::er acquisition, target identification and hostile electronic jamming, a number of els to enhance the MBT's survivabiliry),
:. -'si n g, threat evaluation, threat prioriti- ECCM features have been incorporated, Kontakt-s explosive reactive armour plates
-,- .ra, interception assignment and target including narrow transmit and receive on the frontal hull, environment-friendly
. :3gement. Depending on the opera- beams, very low sidelobe antenna, auto- 1,200hp 6TD-2E two-stroke, multi-fuel, liq-
::al scenario - whether to defend a lul- matic frequency selection mode, interfer- uid-cooled 6-cylinder diesel engine, a new
- -::ble area or r,ulnerable point - up to ence analysis and mapping, and random- steering wheel and an upgraded digital
panel equipped with GPS-based land navi-
-- HQ-9 Batteries (with 96 ready-to-fire ness in frequency, space and time.
'-,.siles and four SJ-231 stations) can func- The T-B4U MBTs and related Atlet gation system and a digital battlespace
.: together seamlessly even when armoured repair-and-recovery vehicles management console for the driver and
: ::.oved over a wide area and are linked to being acquired from Ukraine have been commander', new radio equipment, and a
- I =:iment-ievel ECC by CETC-built secure developed by the state-owned Kharkov IOkW auxiliary power unit. o

May 2009 FORCE 3l

'With Existing Deficiency of Over 27 Per Cent, Providing
Officers for Augmentation of NSG is Difficult'
Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lr Gnw. Nonrn Tuaununtt, PVSM, AVSM,VSM
range rockets and missiles.
A programme has also been undertaken
to upgrade the in-service 155mm guns,
rr4'rich is the main stay of Indian artillery.
Surveillance and battle field transparency
has also been considelably upgraded by
induction of long range state of the art air-
borne sensors like UAVs, radars on elevated
rnasts and electro optical dcviccs. Artillery
is n'ell-poised to takc on an adversarv rvith
the existing equipment in its present state
of ongoing modernisatior-r.

It seems that project Future lnlantry Soldier is mov-

ing slower than planned? What all is envisaged to be
accomplished on this in the 1 lth defence plan?
Ploposal fbr FINSAS has been approved by
the Cl'rief of Arrny Staff. In the l lth Plan, the
induction of the rveapon sub-system (r'\rhich
includes the CQB carbine and assauit rifle),
the body armour clothing and individual
equipment sub-system (including modular
load carrying equipment, hydration pack,
ballistic heln'ret, body armour, boot anti
mine and superior quality clothing) as
Pl.rase I
of the Project is envisaged. Further,
researcl-t rvolk and analysis of programmes
Post 2611 1 attacks, it was reported that the armed l2th Army plan. Ground basecl surveillance of other countries is simultaneously being
forces had asked for certain acquisitions on the sensors have bcen procured for sun,eil- undertaken to finalise GSQRs for the other
fast-track basis. What items has the army asked for lance units. In addition, night binocLrlars sub-systems rvhich nould be inducted in a
on this basis? u,itir range finders, passive night sigl.rts for later timeframe.
Post 26ll1, an in-housc audit rvas carried AK rifles are also in the pipeline as part of
out to enhance the equipnent state and our endeavour to modernise and enhance How do you see network-centric operations in the
cornbat potential. Certain items u,ere iden- the infantrl, combat capabilities. service by end 11 th delence plan?
tified for procurement on fast track basis. Netrvork-centric rvarfare translates lnfor-
There are a large numbel of indigcnous as Artillery firepower appears to be an area with glar- mation sriperiority to enhance combat
n ell as tbreign vendors i,vho have come for- ing deficiencies. What is being done to plug this potential by effectively netu,orking sen-
nard. The items are in various stages of operational gap? sors, decision-makers and shooters.
evaluation and procurement. Modernisation is an ongoing process and Effective netnrorking requires the estab-
the field artillery moclelnisation plan is on lishment of the robust, high performance
What surveillance means have been acquired and coulse. In older- to contintre maintairring 'lnformation Infrastructure' in order to
what more is needed by the army by end ol 11 an edge over the adversary and to keep up provide all the elements of a rvar-fighting
defence plan (2007-201 2)? r'r'ith the various technological advance- enterprise lvith access to high quality
Airborne sun'eillance capabilities by ment in the field of military hardrvare, r'ar- irrformation scrvices.'l hc army is cateling
means ol Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ious rnodernisation programmes have for sucl-r a robust, secure and reliable com-
(UAVs) liave already been acqr-rired. Certain been undert:rken tbr the Indian Artillery munication system and rretrvork rvith
voids arc being addressed rvith additional Divelse procruement actions have already appropriate redundancies.
procurement of tlAVs. In thc curlent p1an, been ir-ritiated for induction of a r'r,ide vari- The objective is to make the Indian Almy
DRDO is in the process of developing UAV et1, of artillerl' ecluiprncnt to inciude mod- 'netn,ork-cnabled' at the earliest and 'net-
system capable of operating in hlgh alti- ern I 55mm guns/horvitzers, self-propelled rvork-centric' by end of 11th Defence Plan.
tude area. This is likely to fi-uctify in the gur-rs, precision ammunitions, extended We are going about it in a systematic man-

32 FORCE May 2009

..er in broadly two phases. In the first Specified Functional Commands and Joint nascent stage. The defence sector is reliant
:iase, we have begun concurrent develop- Theatre Commands in the long term. mainly on ordnance factories and defence
rent of the sensor grid, establishment of PSUs. However, a number of initiatives
:looter grid and fielding of the command What level 0l exercises is planned lor this year with have been taken by the army to tap the
.rd control grid. Establishment of these friendly armies? How does exercising with the PLA potential of the vibrant private sector.
- rmponents will extend the net-centric help the army? These include:
-:pabilities from the operational to the Today, we operate in a globalised environ- (a) Increased interaction with indigenous
:=ctical levels. Phase 2 will involve the vali- ment, where training to combat common private industries in the form of defence
::rion of joint operational concepts and threats, mutual learning from each other's expos.
arfare doctrines; and training offorces in armed forces and showcasing one's poten- (b)Change over to commercial off-the-
:-,nducting operations in network centric tial and professionalism are essential shelf (COTS) items with emphasis on
parts of progression of an army. To this indigenous private industries of nation-
=:,'ironment. We are concurrently consoli-
:.:ing and integrating these network and end, over the last few years, there has been al repute.
: , :i€lrs to make the 'Network of Networks' a graduated increase in the joint exercises (c Joint Ventures with OFB/DPSUs/RURs
:ich lvill act as a catalyst to achieve the with foreign armies. This has not only for indigenous development of weapon
-Jian army's vision. given our military diplomacy a giobal systems for the armY.
reach but has also enabled constructive (d)Upgradation cum over-hauling of exist-
-!,,i important is Aerospace Command for the engagement and furthering of our strate- ing weapon systems with state of the art
:my. and what operational benefits will accrue by gic interests besides earning tremendous technology.
creation? goodwill for our armed forces and our (e) Indigenisation of spares for war like
= equipment and weaPon systems Pro-
--. iuture operations are likely to be prose- nation. In 2009-10, we have quite a few
, ..:ed in a single battle space, the organisa- joint exercises planned with foreign cured through import.
r 1. as and when it comes up, should be a armies. Out of these, three joint exercises (f)Outsourcing certain maintenance/
-:--service Space Command'. Space is are planned with United States and one repair tasks to capable firms.
:::rerging as a vital dimension of warfare with Russia at Company level. The bal-
.-i its utilisation will become crucial for ance exercises are essentially proposals What role do you see for the army in combating
----irary operations. Some operational for Platoon level joint training/exercises Naxals in the near term?

::'.antages that will accrue from space- with various countries. The role of the army is to offer advice, assis-
::'ed applications are; imagery, naviga- The recently concluded joint exercises tance in training and capacity building.
- , r. signal intelligence, telecommunica- with China have given us a deeper insight Within this ambit, numerous steps have
- ,:s, early warning and meteorology. The into the organisation, tactics and function- been taken, such as:
.::r-e rvill provide real time situational ing of the PLA.. It has also been a major con- (a) Periodic reviews are being conducted
: ,:reness throughout the area of opera- fidence building measure that has helped and relevant inputs are being provided
:-,r. Incidentally, the army happens to be in promoting positive military relation to MoD/ MFIA. RecentlY, comPrehen-
' : largest user ofsuch space applications. besides helping develop a deeper under- sive recommendations with regard to
standing for tackling the common threat of streamlining of operations, perform-
ilr-',ai are the army's views 0n having a Chief ol terrorism that is faced, globallY. ance audit and fast tracking of critical
Ir'ence Staff? infrastructure have been formulated
: appointment of a CDS to provide 'sin- How do you envisage giving the additional troops and forwarded.
that have been asked for by the NSG? What was the (b)Indian Army teams were deputed for on
-: :loint' advice to the government is long the spot assessments of the situation in
=:due. Though a number of measures army's case for having its own three-star general
- :.:iding the enunciation of a Joint accepted by the defence ministrY? the Naxal-affected states of
:::ational Doctrine, setting uP of HQ The need for expansion of NSG is well Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand in
:.'srated Defence Staff, establishment of understood. The requirement of officers for 2008. The visits were well-received by
- lefence Intelligence Agency, Andaman NSG augmentation are in select ranks (Cols MHA and generated a number of Posi-
=
- : \icobar Command and the Strategic and above) and non-select ranks (Lt Cols tive spin-offs/follow uP action.
: ::es Command have been undertaken to and below). officers in select ranks (c) I90 companies of police forces have
' ,'.'e a joint war fighting mechanism, "&hile
can be provided, but with existing deficien- been trained by Indian Army in diverse
-- ---h still remains to be done, especially cy of over 27 per cent in the non-select aspects like counter Naxal operations,
-. appointment of the CDS. There is no ranks, large manpower requirements for training of trainers, IED neutralisation,
:. :,.aving that 'jointness and interoper- llth Plan and the manning levels in units training of armourers and Battle Field
-: -.n'' u'ili be the key to success in any which are at below our hard scales, provid- Nursing Assistants (BFNAS).
-
- .
-:e \rar. The appointment of a CDS will ing officers in non-select ranks for aug-
- - the operational imperative to syner- mentation of NSG is difficult. How will the Ml directorate be affected by the cre-
'::e
- -- and optimise the capabilities of the ation of the new NIA?
.-:::' Ser\/ices in various operational con- How do you see the partnership between the army Military intelligence deals with counter
- ::rcies, across the spectrum of conflict. and the indigenous private industry? What factors intelligence aspects and acquisition of
'---
:ppointment will become even more are inhibiting its full exploitation? military information only. MI Directorate's
- =-.ssarv in the near future especially The partnership between the army and the role does not overlap or clash with that of
. indigenous private industry is still in the the NIA. o
--i ,,\'e dn'ell on the need to create Joint

May 2009 FORCE 33

 !::i.!ili" I

. '.=.,1*
_-
::*i r:.

!+ 's€€
€+*=#

TIES THAT STIOK

India-R zss ian relations
r Pravin Sawhney and Ghazala Wahab gic linkages. Admiral Gorshkov hogging maximum
Despite the temporary setback, follow- headlines, followed in quick succession by
bsence of hype sometimes can be a ing the restructuring that took place after the poor product support that the Indian
good thing. It ensures that work con- the collapse of the Soviet Union, the two armed forces get from the Russian original
tinues belorv the radar screen, the countries discovered areas ofmutual bene- equipment manufacturers (OEM).
expectations remain realistic and since fit and since then have only strengthened As a result, other issues, which probably
public opinion does not come into play, them. Such has been the steadfastness of have greater long term value, from the
hard decisions and hard bargaining the relationship that India can call Russia Indian perspective are pushed in the shad-
become possible. It is with these advan- an all weather friend, whose political sup- ows. Perhaps, just as well. For instance, the
tages that India has been forging its rela- port has never been found wanting. fact that the biggest beneficiary of Indo-
tionship with Russia, which today can be Unfortunately, the only bilateral issue that US nuclear deal so far has been the Indian-
called truly strategic even by conservative makes news in India pertains to defence Russian civil nuclear cooperation has not
estimates: it incorporates the entire gamut equipment, with the controversy about the managed to draw much attention, which
of political, economic, defence and strate- constantly rising price of aircraft carrier may not be such a bad thing. On his maid-

34 FORCE l\4ay 2009

:n visit to India in December 2008, to make a huge investment in the project as is not exclusive to Indians alone. The
f ussian President Dmitry Medvedev drilling in the icy fields of Siberia is 20 times Russian people suffer from the same prob-
.igned a number of agreements with India, more expensive than in the Persian Gulf. lem. They come to India only if they must.
.rgnificantly in the area of atomic cooper- Production from Sakhalin I, where India Otherwise they are happier going to
.tion. In addition to the two nuclear porver own 20 per cent stake has already begun. Europe or the US."
rlant units that are being built rvith Then there are numerous indigenous Maria B. Pavlova, deputy director of the
lussian assistance in Kudamkulam, Tamil defence projects all over the country, where Russian Centre of Science and Culture
\adu, Russia agreed to build four more Russian scientists and engineers have been (whose officiai terminology, which Pavlova
:3actors, in addition to helping India con- helping Indian PSUs. Visit any indigenous insists on using is Federal Agency for
iiruct a fresh plant at a new site, probably faciliry rvhether aerospace or ship-building' Commonwealth of Independent State'
n the eastern coast. The nerv facility, and Russians are there. The days ofbuying Compatriots living Abroad and
'.,henever, it comes up will be backed by and selling are clearly over. International Humanitarian Coopera-
guarantees through its lifetime. Not Without the usual hoopla that follorvs tion), tries to explain this lack of interest in
-\LA
-nlv this, another MoU envisaged supply the visits of the Western leaders, things Russia in India. She says, "In the
-i nuclear fuel rvorth USD 700 million to Medvedev's two-day India trip remained days of the Soviet Union, our biggest sup-
-rdia by the Russian comPanY TVEL. low in terms of visibiliry but high on sub- port in India was among the Communist
The other area of cooperation with long stance. There were no high profile televi- people here. Till about two decades back,
:-rm positive implications for India has sion interviews, no shopping sprees by the there lvas substantial number socialist-
:ren energy securiry as it has the potential wife to Santushthi or moonlight touristy minded people even if theY weren't
: helping India diversily its source of oil activity in Delhi. This is the biggest irony of Communists among Indians and also in
.rd gas. Indian Oil and Natural Gas the relationship that despite the enormous the art community. Hence, Russian art, cul-
mutual benefits that it accrues for both the ture and even circus were very popular in
-cmmission Videsh Ltd (OVL) got the offi-
,.al nod from the former PresidentMadimir countries, it does not have a softer, human India. Norv rvith Russia, that support group
.::tin to bid for stakes in Sakhalin III oilfields face. It is driven solely by the political, and is no longer there. We are now trying to re-
to some extent, the business classes, u'ith establish cultural relations."
-i:rirrg his official visit to Nerv Delhi in
-.:ruary
2007. He was here as the chief guest the masses remaining completely indiffer- Hourever, even in the high noon of Indo-
: -: the Republic Day.\A{Lrile India had sought ent. This is unlike India's relationship rvith Soviet ties, the peopie to people relations
any other country in the r,vorld, including rvere primarily orchestrated by the gov-
=l per cent shares (which will be offloaded
:'. ihe Russian company Rosneft from its Pakistan and China that get the extra push ernments of the two countries and not so
.::are of 70 per cent, with 30 per cent being by the people to people contacts. Language much by the initiative of the people.
...-1d by China National Petroleum is not the only barrier. \\4rich is why, unlike theWest, where India
it got the commitment for Says one Russian journaiist, only half in has a substantial Diaspora, there is none
-.rrporation),
:h' 23 per cent. Despite this, India will have jest, "The lack of interest about each other in Russia. Neither is there Russian popula-
tion in India. Hence, 'Year of Russia' in
t Y+. rf €arja:+ a;;: India passed by without creating much
I : r::rr' Fr.;{*k*
ripples in 2008 and the 'Year of India' has
RUSSKAVA commenced in Russia, without anybody
!, r, :' l*r ii:i ll*tui: Lir*r
s.J even noticing. The biggest cultural
ambassadors of India, the film stars, who
have started drawing bona fide crowds in
the Western countries, have not even
been roped in. Clearly, it will remain a
government initiative featuring govern-
ment artists.
India-Russia relations have been
immune to party Politics in India.
Irrespective of the governments in New
Delhi and contentious issues (Indian com-
plaints apart, Russians rue that Indian
armed forces do not give it adequate time
to respond to the requests for spares and
buy junk from former Soviet states) they
have grown quietly. Perhaps, it rvould not
be a bad thing if this strategic relationship
is embraced by the people as well. Indians
are intrepid travellers. If Russia realises
their force and liberalise its Visa regime,
these returning tourists from Russia can
become its biggest socio-culturai ambassa-
dors. And then, we can be real friends'o

I\4ay 2009 F0RCE 35

I
'Russia and lndia Share a Partnership of a
Genuinely Strategic Nature'
Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Vuacaasrav I. TnunNrcov
Having completed nearly five years as the
Russian ambassador in lndia, what, in
your assessment, have been the high
points and accomplishments in bilateral
,E
* relations during your tenure?
I am happy to note that during my
':*.
=, tenure as ambassador, the
Russian-lndian strategic partner-
ship l.ras developed in a stable and
sustainable rva),. We succeeded ir-r
maintaining intense political con-
tacts. Annual summits \{ere aug-
mented b]' active fi'uitful dialogue
@= betn'een various governmental
structllres, including regular con-
sultations at tl.re foreign ministry
level, interaction betr,r,,een the
security councils, palliaments,
. election commissions, accounts
and audit chambers as rvell as judi-
ciaries of the tn,o countries.
The year 2007 marked the 60th
anniversary of establishing
Russian-Indian diplomatic rela-
tions giving us an excellent oppor-
tunity to recall thc glolious pages in
the history of bilateral engagement
as rvell as luurrch nen' pioneeling
initiatives meant to consolidate it.
President Vladimir Putln bccame
the first Russian head of state to
partic\;ate as the chief guest in the
Republic Day celebrations during
his official visit to India irr JanuarS'
that ycar.
President Dmitry Medvcdev's
first visit to India in December 2008
reaffilmed the stlategic value of our
rnultifaceted relations. On behalf ol'
all Russians, he expresscd solidaritl,
urith the fi'lendly people of India in
the rvake of terrorist attacks in
Mumbai and unrvavering resolve of
N'loscorv to further join efforts with
Nerv Delhi in the fight against inter-
national terrorism.
During the past five years a rvide
range of il-nportant agreelrents
in tlie key spheres of
n'ere signed
collaboration namely tlade,
nuclear energlr, outer space explo-

36 F0RCi l\4ay 2009

ration, military-technical cooperation, people-to-people contacts, creating broad ipation in exploration and development of
ioint aircraft manufacture, metals, new opportunities for cooperation the oil and gas fields in Eastern Siberia. The
machine-building, pharmaceuticals, between our businesses, scientific and cul- plans, however, are not yet fully-developed,
biotechnology, information technology, tural communities and will be remem- and both parties are still negotiating the
tourism, including the recent agreement bered with warm feelings. I know that a lot probable future partnership in this area,
on cooperation in the construction of addi- of young Indians took part in different but the potential for this partnership
tional nuclear power plant units at activities of the 'Year'. Such experience stands strong.
Kudankulam as well as nuclear power enriched them with new knowledge and Regarding liquefied natural gas purchas-
plants at new sites in India. deeper understanding of Russia. It is very es, as you are probably well-informed,
One of my top priorities as the ambassa- important for further developing of rela- ONGC is a 20 per cent shareholdel of
dor of the Russian Federation to India was tions between our countries for the Sakhalin-1. But India does not get its share
to do everything possible for providing an decades ahead. The 'Year of India' being of Russian gas solely from those fields. For
'informational breakthrough' so that the held in Russia this year will no doubt fur- example, India has recently received the
nvo nations could be aware of where in ther enhance our strategic partnership and first consignment of LNG from a Sakhalin-
2Ist century our interests coincide. There open new vistas for mutually beneficial 2 field. The delivery was made in the end of
\vas common understanding that our per- cooperation. March 2009. Presently, ONGC Videsh Ltd,
ception of each other was based to a large GAIL and Rosneft are in the process ofdis-
extent on past experience. In this regard it When it is said that lndia and Russia have a'strate- cussing the construction of a gas liquefac-
became a matter of a great importance to gic relationship', what exactly does this mean? tion plant. These proposals are not yet fully
give the peoples of Russia and India, our Many countries declare establishing strate- flnalised, but there are three possible areas
voung generation a chance to get acquaint- gic partnerships aimed at underlining an for such joint activity: Siberia, Russian Far
ed with each others present-day life and increased level ofbilateral cooperation and Eastern region and a site in Kazakhstan.
rvith the achievements of the two countries grolving interest towards each other. This is Apart from the public sector initiatives,
in recent years. We spared no effort to make a prevaient tendency and obviously such which also include the acquisition of
headway in this sphere. Thus, for example, partnerships in many cases are announced Imperial Energy assets in Russia by ONGC
a wide range of events were held in the despite the fact that states could still have Videsh Ltd, a number of private companies
framework of the 'Year of Russia' in India in deep rifts on various principled issues. in both countries demonstrate their inter-
2008 to cover the fields such as politics, \&ihen referring to the relations between est in joint exploration and production as
economy, science, culture, education and Russia and India, you should see the core, well as downstream projects in India,
tourism. The programme during the year that this is a partnership of a genuinely Russia and third countries. A vivid example
included various exhibitions, conferences, strategic nature. This is not merely a sound of such successful cooperation is the joint
tours of the Russian artists of different gen- bite given by high officials of the two coun- venture of the Sun Group and the Russian
res etc. The above activities were not con- tries, but a reality based on many years of company ITERA, called SUNTERA, which
fined to New Delhi alone but took place all evolution of fruitful, tested by time and is developing two gas fields in Novy
over the country. dramatic events of historic dimensions, Urengoi, a gas project in Nigeria and oil
One of the goals of the 'Year' was to pro- multifaceted relationship that has created and gas project in Canada.
mote economic ties and direct business- a special atmosphere of trust and mutual
to-business contacts. The Russian-Indian understanding between our peoples. In a Considering that trade seems t0 be a weakness in
Trade Forum, the largest and most repre- way, this partnership is a reflection of bilateral relations, what steps so far have been
sentative bilateral business-meeting geopolitics and the current shifts in the taken by the lndo-Russian lnter-Governmental
bet"r,een the two countries undoubtedly international relations. This is something Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific,
gave a new powerful impetus to strengthen based on the consensus concerning ever- Technological and Cultural Cooperation?
our cooperation in this field. Another lasting mutual understanding that'a friend The 14th session of the Commission was
important milestone in the area of 'busi- in need is a friend indeed'. held on 3 December 2008 in New Delhi'
ness-to-business' relationship between our The Russian and Indian sides expressed
countries was the creation and inaugura- India leels that more can be done bilaterally in the their commitment to implement the deci-
tion of the 'India-Russia Chamber of oil and gas sector. What is the update on the lndian sions taken during the bilateral summits.
Commerce' in February 2008 by the first petroleum and natural gas minister Murli Deora's In spite of the unfolding worid financial
deputy chairman of the Russian govern- M0sc0w visit in November 2008 where he sought a and economic crisis, our trade turnover
ment, Alexander D. Zhukov. joint venture between 0NGC Videsh Limited and saw a 30 per cent increase in 2008, it
The activities of the 'Year' also have con- Rosneft for expl0ration in east Siberia, and also reached almost USD seven billion, which
tributed to enhancing direct cooperation the need for LNG purchase? makes the goal of achieving USD 10 billion
betr,veen the regions of the two countries. Rephrasing the famous statement, 'it is a by 2010 even more achievable notrvith-
The main message of the 'Year' was that truth universally acknowledged' that every standing the global meltdown.
Russia has a strong will to further strength- fast growing emerging market economy Furthermore, the year 2008 saw some other
en strategic partnership between our coun- sooner or later is sure to increase its energy significant developments which are due to
tries with the highest level of understanding, sector demands. Back in 2007 , Rosneft and bring the economic relations up to the level
confidence and trust in each other. ONGC signed the memorandum of mutual of our mature strategic partnership.
I am sure that the'Year of Russia'in India understanding that particularly provided The 2nd meeting of Russia-India Forum
has significantly contributed to enhancing the possibility of ONGCVidesh Ltds partic- on Trade and Investments took place in

lVlay 2009 F0RCE 37

New Delhi in February 2008, and generated as Su-30MKI and so on. In the framework of this MoU, joint
great interest in the business community. It is also essential for the Russian side to activities are to be held in such areas as
The 3rd meeting of the Forum is to be held ensure comprehensive product support of elaboration of the autonomous space mis-
in September 2009 in Russia. the machinery and equipment supplied to sion of Indian astronauts, Russian experts'
New Delhi was the venue of the first meet- India. The recently incorporated joint ven- assistance in construction of the Indian
ing of the Joint Task Force in November ture for repairs and maintenance of OrbitalVehicle and in establishment of the
2008, whose objective is to monitor imple- Russian-origin helicopters with the partici- Astronaut Training Centre in India, use of
mentation of the Joint Study Group recom- pation of the Russian Helicopters Indian avionics by Russian spacecrafts and
mendations aimed at promoting bilateral Corporation is an obvious indication of the other areas. It will obviously give a strong
trade, investment and economic coopera- fact that serious efforts are being made in impetus to fruitful bilateral interaction in
tion betr,veen Russia and India. this area. In other words, both sides realise this significant field.
December 2008 witnessed the first-ever the importance of thorough day-to-day
session of the Russia-India CEO Council led work aimed at ensuring best performance ln a glohalised and transient world, how independ-
by two reputed industrialists, Vladimir and ideal combat capabilities of the ent are lndo-Russian relations to ties between New
Ye!.tushenkov of 'Sistema' Corporation and Russian equipment used by the Indian Delhi and Washingon?
Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries Ltd. armed forces. We presume that every vector of coopera-
This forum is expected to become an effec- tion in this triangle - Russia-India, India-
tive instrument of cooperation between What is the update on the construction of four US and Russia-US - has its orr,n impor-
business communities of both countries additional nuclear power plants in l{udankulam, tance. Holvever, in the contemporary glob-
and to contribute to further growth of eco- and especially on the possibility of new Russian- alised and interdependent world, bilateral
nomic ties. Meanlvhile,'Sistema' is success- designed nuclear plants for lndia? relations betlveen all countries and in par-
fully implementing its project of launching The Russian-Indian summit in December ticular such centres of global and regional
a pan-India mobile serviqes network under 2008 in New Delhi saw the signing of the influence as Russia, India and the US can-
the MTS brand with an accumulated invest- agreement on cooperation in the construc- not develop without due consideration of
menl of over USD 5.5 billion. tion of additional nuclear power units at positions and interests of each player.
Both sides encourage relevant organisa- Kudankulam site as well as in the construc- Mutual consideration is a precondition for
tions and companies to participate in proj- tion of Russian designed nuclear por,r'er the success of our efforts to address the
ects and tenders, to facilitate exchange of plants at new sites in India. At the moment, acute problems facing the international
in[ormation, 1o broaden cooperation in technical and commercial negotiations on community. We are convinced that
various spheres of mutual interest. new.units of Kudankulam are undenvay Russian-Indian relations, as an important
Undoubtedly, by joint efforts we will be and as soon as everl'thing is agreed, both factor of global and regional politics, have
able to make economic cooperation the sides will be ready to sign the correspon- great potential that should be utilised in
pillar and the driving force of our strategic ding contract. the interest of our two countries and for the
partnership. As far as new sites are concerned, we are purpose of international peace, stability
ready to consider any suggestions from the and prosperity.
How can bilateral defence cooperation be Indian side. In our opinion, Russian-Indian
improved? nuclear cooperation has a huge potential What role, according to y0u, can lndia's
Russian-Indian defence cooperation has a and we are eager to expand it in all possible increased involvement have in the SC(), and what
long history and has stood the test of time. ways. The recently signed MoU by Indian does this mean for the trilateral lndia, China and
At present, there are several prospective Larsen & Toubro and Russian Atomstro- Russia relationship?
projects on our agenda that may signifi- yexport for cooperation between the two Russia attaches great significance to the
cantly reshape our defence ties. Most companies for Russian design reactors development of the RIC format. The troika
importantiy, Russia is one of the bidders in WER-1000 has been a sure sign of uninter- - Russia, India and China - has been
the tender to supply the Indian Air Force rupted progress in this dilection. formed naturally. Russia, India and China
rvith 126 combat aircraft. Our MiG-35 is by occupy one region, and participate in the
ail means one of the strongest contenders. What have been the recent achievements and what work of a rvhole array of internationai
Slorvly, but steadily we are moving for- is the future roadmap for bilateral cooperation in organisations which exist in the Asia-
lvard in ironing out the difficulties and are human space flight programme? Pacific region. We are also partners in the
determined to further strengthen our time- Indo-Russian cooperation in the field of SCO framework. It is natural that this for-
tested defence cooperation. The most space has a long history. The importance of mat of the three malor powers of the region
important feature of our present-day inter- mutual efforts in this area was clearly has been established as a dialogue mecha-
action is the gradual shift from purely underlined by Indian and Russian leaders nism which is rapidly evolving. Now rve are
export-import relations to joint design, at the meeting last December during the in the process of institutionalisation of our
Iicensing, manufacturing and marketing of visit of the Russian President Dmitry cooperation. It is proceeding gradually and
defence equipment using state-of-the-art Medvedev to India. An MoU was also in a positive way. A mechanism of foreign
technologies available in both countries. signed between the Federal Space Agency policy consultations at the level of depart-
The best example of such collaboration is of the Russian Federation and the Indian ment heads of the foreign ministries of the
the BrahMos joint venture that produces Space Research Organisation on joint three countries has been set up and is
supersonic missiles and the production in activities in the field of Human Spaceflight operating. The sectoral dialogues are work-
India of such a unique and modern aircraft Programme. ing on the follo',ving areas: agriculture,

38 F0RCE lVlay 2009

 ftr rorism strategy.

vr r w-
I
What role do you visualise tor lndia in Alghanistan?
What bilateral cooperation exists between lndia
and Russia on Afghanistan?

I '{t
,. '-- -: '+o*- -
",r.#- \ In the recent years, Russia and India inten-
i -,

I ,1
sified their interaction on many interna-
. r+=;.€ :'
.\ tional and regional issues. We continue to
facilitate the ongoing political processes
[ * and economic reconstruction of
Afghanistan. Our countries work on paral-
7'/ \\' lel courses, enhancing assistance ef'forts in
rebuilding the Afghan economy and infra-
structure. We are considering possibilities
to contribute to the creation of the army
and police of Afghanistan.
Moscow and Nelv Delhi are also partners
in enelgising regional efforts to stabilise
that countr).. The special conference on
Afghanistan held in Russia in March this
year under the aegis of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation has constituted
an important step in rethinking the strate-
S' of the international community that
should apply a comprehensive approach
combining the use of force to suppress ter-
rorism and illicit drugs trade with assis-
tance to the economic and social recon-
struction of Afghanistan.
Our countries share the view that the UN
Security Council's sanctions regime should
continue to serve as a reliable shield
against extremists' penetration into the
government structures of Afghanistan.
Attempts to strike a deal with terrorist lead-
::rerg€nc! prevention and response and national crime. The main mechanism of ers should not be a substitute for efforts
, :blic health (the second round of bilateral interaction in this area is the aimed at national reconciliation.
-::rective meetings will be held in Russia, Russian-Indian Working Group on coutt-
jia, and China this year). There is also a tering internat ional terrorism. The US has already hinted that it would talk to
-..iness forum and a forum of the cham- The Russian side strongly condemned lndia about signing the CTBT, lissile material cut-
::S of commerce of Russia, India and the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and reiter- off ahead of the global treaty, and greater US
--,-na that we are trying to activate. Our ated its solidarity and support to the gov- involvement for India-Pakistan talks on Kashmir
.-.demic circles are collaborating very ernment and the people of India. This resolution. What position is Moscow likely to take
:-::i'el1'. A seminar on modern geostrate- tragedy calls for reactivation of coopera- on these issues?
: : irends took place in India in March last tion to counter terrorism internationally As we understand, the nerv US administra-
::i ?Ild we expect such meetings will be and bilaterally. This was the essence of the tion is conducting a review of the country's
-.-d on a regular basis. We are also discussion at the fifth session of the foreign policy and it is too early to comment
-'.rssing on the security of the region Russian-Indian Joint Working Group on on its approaches towards the CTBI FMCT
- -j. undoubtedly, the influence of our combating international terrorism held in and other issues. Regarding, Indo-Pakistan
- .^ntries on the developments in our New Delhi on 17 December 2008 at which dialogue on Kashmir, it seems that during
-=-qhbourhood. it was decided to take certain practical recent contacts between India and the US,
steps, especially in the UN, in the sphere of specifically the discussions that our Indian
h'at possibilities exist in bilateral c00perati0n in law enforcement, legislative, financial and partners had with R. Holbrooke in New
::nbating international terrorism especially after other measures taken against terrorists and Delhi, there was no discussion on any US
i-;sia's helplul position after 26/1 I Mumbai their networks. We agreed to strengthen involvement in the resolution of this issue.
:::cks where it said that the perpetrators 0l the bilateral mechanisms of exchanging intbr- At the same time, the US lvith its global
: - ne should be tried in lndia? mation and sharing experience in the fight reach and specially Russia, China and other
:: see New Delhi as our natural ally and against international terrorism, curbing countries in the neighbourhood have their
:. :lartner in fighting international terror- trafficking in narcotics and terrorist financ- own concerns and profound interest in
-: - illicit drug trafficking and trans- ing as a key component of the counter-ter- avoiding a dangerous scenario in the region.

lVlay 2009 F0RCE 3S

Partners Now
Challenges and opp ortunitie s for Rus sian- Indian mil- tech Co op eration

Sukhoi-30MKl

m Constantin Makienko fourth-generation n'eapons tvele supltlied against international terrorism. Finalll',
cn masse 1cl that cor.lntr\/ ancl ltas ahra\.s bclth India ancl Russia cannot ttr|n a blincl
ussian-lndian militar1, ancl ecotrotnic striven to make surc that the n'eapons eve to the impetuous rnilitarl' grotvth irt
ties occupv a spccial place in thc hancled over to the PIIC aLe ol sotncu'hat China, a country rvith nhich both cortn-
entire spectrum of militarr.technical inf'elior technological Ievel. hr tl-rc casc of tlies have verl' extensivc coltlltlolt borrlers.
coopelation ol the llussian Fecleratiou Inclia, b-v contrast, n,c see tliat politico-niil- At the same timc, it shoulcl be notecl that
n,ith 1'oreign states. 'Ihe political, rnilitary itarl' ancl comrncrcial intercsts comple- rvhatcvcr tl-rc pi-ogress that Inclia makes iu
and techno-inclusttial iurportatrce of thc rrent cach otlicr lernarkabh'. P"tltotr., ttn thc dcvelopment ol its armecl lbrces ancl
Indian rnarkct lirr llussia is greiiter thatt other counll'1' pclceives Inclia's ntilitart' the clefence inclustr\', thc grou'th n'ill itt t'to
tlre value of ant. othet' tnarket, including gron'th arid technokrgical plogress rvith n'aY atfbct Russia's sccur itY interests.
the Chinese one. sr.rch benevolence as llussia does. Ilttssia is Thus, thc basic implication of thc
kecnh, interested in tl-re cnrergeltce of ttctv Russian-lnclian rnilitarr.technical coclper-
ile;:r:ai Pt:lil,l;a, a;ii ilisicri: 0crierl poles of militart' ancl economic pon'er of ation is that politico-mllitar'f intercsts of'
filst olall, it is nccessarv
to notc thc ercep- global importancc tllat u'oulcl preserve the tn'o countries completnent eetch other,
tionallv harrnonioLts nature of thc IlLtssian- thcir cultulal lclentitl' ancl political person- ancl tliat cletennines theit' nutual interest
Irrtliirn rrrilitirlr atttl et ottotttit ties. alitr' instcacl of bcing satellites of a single in the der,elopment of those ties. ln aclcli-
Commercial ir-rtclcsts ol arnts c\llorters are superpo\\,cr. India's self:positiortirtg in thc tion, Russian-lnclian ties arc based ttn a
not irt oclcls n'ith their national rtrilitarl' u'orld tirllv treets tltis visiott ol I'loscon'. so1icl liistolic groundnork, as contacts
sccLrlitl, interests. ,\ classical eranrplc in Iloth Russia and hrclia lace tl-rc ncccl to betn'ccrr thc t\vo countries began back irr
tl-ris sense is the Russiitn-Chinese rniiitar'1'- mir-rd the lisks posecl bv crtretnist Islatttic thc 1960s. It $'as Soviet supplics that
trchnical coclpclation n'itli its inlet'tral groLlps, u'hose activitt'is coorclinatccl at the cnsuled the clevelopncnt ol thc Indian
anragonism: thc Russian militart' eslalt- intelnational lcvcl. iLncl that makes the tn'o an-ned forces, anrl it rvas Soviet wealpons
lishrnent has ncvcL likecl it rvl-rct't thircl- ancl countries oirjcctilc allies in tl-re global figlrt and hardn'are that L-rdia used in its cotr-

40 :i.;-iil r liaV 2009

 played a decisive role in the development New Challenges
ricts ivith Pakistan, the victorious 1971
of such weapon systems as Talrvar-class TWo principal challenges may affect the
.'. ar included.
tiigates, the Uran-E anti-ship missile sys- prospects of Russian-Indian military-tech-
tem, the Club missile system and others' nical cooperation. Firstly, competition on
' 1 iiitary-Technical Cooperation
Another peculiarity of the Indian pro- the Indian market is becoming increasing-
:irst of all, let us note the quantitative
grammes is their long-term nature, rvhich ly stiff. The Indian market has ahvays been
rportance of the Indian market for Russia'
was steadily hold- positively distinguishes them from Chinese open and competitive; however, in the
luring lgg2-2007,India
contracts. The very same Sukhoi-3OMKI 1960s and 1970s Soviet prevalence in the
:g second place in the volumes of purchas-
programme formaily began rvith the signing supply of weapons to the Indian armed
:i. surpassed onlyby China' In our estimate,
::dia's average annual share in the overall of the first contract in i996 (in reality, it forces was indisputable. The situation
started much earlier, if rve take into account began to change in the l9B0s, when France
.rhrme of Russias exports rvas behveen 25
pre-contract joint rvork of the Indian Air sold to India a significant number of air-
:-lr cent and 30 per cent, and in some Vears,
Force and the Sukhoi Development Bureau) craft and Germany sold it a batch of sub-
.ie 2003, India led with 42 per cent against
and will end no earlier than in 2014. Such marines. In the 1990s, Israel entered the
-einas 38 per cent. Later, Chinese purchas- Indian market and has by no'r,v become the
:: reduced, which became noticeable after lasting contracts enable Russian companies
to develop long-telm strategies oftheir eco- second largest exporter of r,veapons and
- r05, and beginning t}om 2007 India defence technologies to India, ready to
.-.carrre the largest buyer and r-ecipient of nomic, financial and innovative develop-
in 2007 India's ment. It is no mere chance that it $'as the crond out Russia as the leader. Yet, Israel's
l.rssian weapons. Thus,
-:rare included 45 per cent of nelvly con- Sukhoi-3OMKI project that gave rise to such second place is only in terms of volume
a filst-class aircraft-building compan\r as and not importance. Moreover, India is
-.irled contracts and about 30 per cent ofall
In 2008, Nerv Delhi Irkut, rt'hich has since become the core ele- expected to increase its military purchases
..-issian deliveries.
ment in the Russian United Aircraft-build- fron-r the United States. In fact, first major
:iained its leading position rvhen it
contracts for tl-re purchase of C-130J troop
:ceived a quarter of Russia's weapon ing Corporation.
A third important peculiarity of Indian carriers and P-BI Poseidon anti-submarine
:..Dorts. Since half of Russia's contractual
:ligations correspond to India (approxi- contracts is that they are concluded to pur- planes have already been concluded.
,--ately USDl6 billion of the USD32 billion)' chase rveapons on a series scale. In that Thus, all major international arms
respect, the Indian armed forces prettv exporters, except China, are now present
: is safe to forecast that in the foreseeable
much substitute the domestic buyer lbr the in the Indian market.
..ilrre that country rvill retain first place
Russian defence-industry (the Russian mi1- The second challenge that Russia faces
::toug importers of Russian \veapon\.
i:r'en more important, horvever, is the itary does not purchase modern \\'eapons on the Indian market is that the Indian mil-
on a selies scale). Thus' the Indian Air itary is making increasingly high demands
-'.:alitative nature of Indian impolts' Due
Force has ordered a total of 230 Sukhoi- on the technoiogical level of the l'r'eapons
a number of peculiarities of Indian pur-
3OMKI fighters, rvhich is comparable to the that they buy. Until recently, Russian offels
r'-ases, military-technical cooperation
order- of the French Air Force for Rafale looked ideal for the Indian market because
-th that country has exercised a deeply
fighters. The Russian Air Force rvould need of their cost-efficiency and until the begin-
r)itive influence on the structure of the
approximately the same number - 250-300 ning of the current decade, that factor had
:.issian defence-industrial complex.
airclaft - if it were to address the task of a great importance given India's limited
-:rose peculiarities include' first of all,
radical modernisation. financiai potential. However, after almost
..,iremely high technological require-
Finally, Indian contracts are charac- l0 years of very fast economic growth, Nelv
:'-.nts of the Indian militarl', rvhich at
- :nes terised by their propensity for purchasing Delhi's potential of buying more expensive
demand the maximum of r'vhat the
. -:-ssian defence industry is capable of hybrid, internationalised rveapon sys- and at the same time more high-tech
tems, where third-country sub-systems weapons have grown significantly. The
::oducing. In addition, Indian contracts
are integrated with basic air or naval sys- purchase of such super-expensive systems
- rhe I990s more often than not used to
tems at the request of the Indian military' as Poseidon is a case in point' In the near-
. ior rveapon systems created in accor-
Thus, Sukhoi-30MKI onboard equipment est future, Indian demand may be expected
-:nce rvith exclusive requirements of the to shift, at least partially, to the highest
--.iian military, not for series systems, includes elements made in India, France
and Israel. French equipment is also pres- price segment, rvhere the most high-tech
-,.ually purchased by countries like China'
-.. a result, Indian contracts stimulated ent in the MiG-29K ship-borne fighter, products are offered' Meanrvhile, Russia
currently being developed fol the Indian has the most competitive offers in the
.-:ensive and large-scale research and
Navy. The need to internationalise medium-price and medium-technologi-
-:'i.elopment in Russian companies, cal-level bracket.
:rich in the end, led to the creation of weapons supplied to India stimulated the
Russian industry to look for international Nonetheless, we must note that, in spite
,:h-tech, competitive weapon systems'
partners, primarily in France and Israel' of the mentioned risks, Russia, apparently,
:--es that would later become best-sellers
The experience of international coopera- has reserved to itself solid positions in a
-:rong Russian offers on the weapons number of market segments where it may
.-.rrket. The best example of that is the tion, gained by the Russians when meet-
--.rhoi-3OMKI fighter plane, rvhich has ing Indian orders rvill be invaluable in the hardly face a threat. First of all, we are talk-
future, rvhen defence ploduction rvill ing about the segment of hear'ry fighters of
:en developed under the specification
become pledominantly international the 4+ and 5th generations. As of today, it is
: .. er.r by the Indian Air Force, and these
-- ecifications were at the highest level in ancl autarchic defence-industries lvill absolutely clear that Sukhoi-3OMKI is
to exist. going to fbrm the basis of India's fighter
.e mid- 1990s. Indian contracts also cease

IVIay 2009 F0RCE 41

I
due to their comparable financial and eco-
Tunguska Ml
nomic potentials, rvhich rules out imbal-
anced relations and unequal partnership.
Russia's being highly cooperative in
handing over technologies to the Indian
side is still an important tool of retaining its
position in the Indian market. That prac-
tice became widely spread in those times
lvhen numerous license agreements stipu-
lated production of Soviet and Russian air-
craft and armoured hardware in India.
.#+-., Today, however, Russia is prepared to hand
over to India technologies that are consid-
ered worldwide to be the most valuable
and sensitive. We are talking, for example,
about the latest air engines or active-array
radars. Thus, India is organising produc-
-==
: ';
... tior.r of RD-33 engines for MiG-29 fighters,
.=n and the Russian company Fazotron-NIIR is
-i:1 prepared to organise in Indiajoint produc-
:. tion of the latest radar Zhuk-MAE.
Apparently, no other international manu-
facturer is prepared at present to hand over
to India such advanced technologies.
Russia also remains for India an alterna-
tive-free source of sub-strategic weapons,
for example, nuclear-powered submarines
pool for at least another 40 years. And the BraMos programme became a pilot or long-range bombers.
since, beginning from approximately 2020, project ofthat kind. In addition, under the Finally, additional opportunities open in
series production of the fifth-generation MTA Project, the two countries plan to connection with the integration of the
Russian-Indian fighter will begin, it is safe develop and produce in series for their air defence-industry, which is taking place in
to say that for the entire foreseeable future forces a medium-sized transport aircraft Russia, and first of all, of the aviation
the healy fighter pool of the Indian Air with carrying capacity of 1B metric tons. industry. Thus, the merger of the Sukhoi
Force will consist of Russian and Russian- india's joining the Russian programme of and the RAC MiG companies, which began
Indian hardrvare. creating the PAK FA fifth-generation fighter after the appointment of Mikhail
Another sector where weapons of Russian has enormous political, commercial and Pogosyan, head ofSukhoi, general director
origin will dominate is that of main battle industrial importance. The fifth- generation of MiG, opens the opportunity of promot-
tanks. Like with the fighters, India, having fighter is such a large-scale programme ing package deals to the Indian market. For
launched a malor programme of direct pur- that its implementation through jolnt example, when developing the Russian
chasing and license production ofT-90S, is efforts of Russia and India rvill in fact mean MiG-35 fighter, offered to the Indian Air
now showing an interest in joining the the formation of a single military and eco- Force in response to the tender for the pur-
Russian programme of the T-95 new-gener- nomic space of the trvo countries, because chase of 126 multi-purpose fighters, tech-
ation main battle tank. AIso, for a long time joint work wlll involve the creation not only nical solutions rvorked out at Sukhoi when
to come, Russia r'vill retain a considerable of an airframe but also of a ladar with an creating a fifth-generation fighter will be
presence or even domination in such sec- active phase-locked array, an engine and used. On the other hand, MiG-35 is made
tors of the market as surface vessels of the possibly new-generation missile weapons. largely uniform with MiG-29K planes,
destroyer and frigate t1pe, anti-ship mis- In general, Russia and India are ideal being supplied to the narry, which will
siles, air refuellers and troop carrying heli- partners for the implementation of joint make it possible to significantly reduce
copters and rvill also enter the segment of military-industrial projects. Firstly, we have expenses on logistical support.
aircraft calriers and form the market of already noted the harmony of politico-mil- Thereby, along with the new challenges
multi-purpose nuclear submarines. itary interests of Russia and India. that Russia faces in the Indian market, new
Secondly, they complement each other ln opportunities also open up before Moscow.
New 0pportunities science and technology. Thus, Russia still Those opportunities relate to changes in
Russia's response to the ner,v challenges leads scientifically in a whole number of the structure of the Russian defence indus-
that emerge on the Indian market is a shift military technologies, especially in the area try and the formation of the first elements
from simple trade relations between the of alrcraft, missile and shipbuilding, of a singie Russian-Indian military and
seller and the buyer to implementation of rvhereas India doubtlessly leads in software economic space. a
joint defence-industrial projects r,vhere and in some cases possesses more modern (The writer work witlt the Centre for
risk-sharing partnerships emerge. The cre- and efficient manufacturing facilities. Analysis of Strategies and Tecltnologies
ation of the PI-10 anti-ship missile under Russia and India are also optimal partners tCASTl, Rtrssia)

42 F0RCE May 2009

'# ':ffir
&

'?
2lllltirl\'"1;,..
Smash Hit
Army and the nauy to induct BrahMos Block 2 cruise missile
j
"ffir
*
$
*.-
1
, . 1f :t 'r3/{2e09.*
'I , r t0'!rAtrgLe5
rrfirnqt
:ni15le*

I Prasun K. Sengupta land-attack rnissiles (to be mounted on72 tionsb1, day or night, Consequently, the
rvheeled mobile autonomous launchers, or BrahMos' land-attack variant has a circu-
t is all systemsgo for Block 2 of the MAL, each carrying three cannistered, ver- lar error probability of no more than a
BrahMos supersonic land-attack cruise tically launched missiles). All three metre. For ensuring accurate navigation
missile (MRCM), rvhich rvas previously BrahMos regiments rvill form part of the during the missile's cruise phase and for
only available for anti-ship strike. Army's existing 40th and 41st Artillery activating the SGH radar during the termi-
Follorving trvo successful test-firings con- Divisions. Work on developing the BrahMos nal phase, use is made of an on-board ring
ducted on March 4 and March 29, the pre- Block 2 had begun two years ago, with the laser gyro-based inertial navigation sys-
cision-guided land-attack variant is no,,v focus being on deriving a nerv algorithm for tem (RLG-lNS) that rvas developed earlier
entering series-production lor both the the Granit ISC-supplied X-band SGH active by the Def'ence Research & Development
Indian Army and the Nar,y, '"vith service radar's applications softr'vare. The algo- Organisation (DRDO).
induction planned for 2011. The Indian Air rithm - called SCAN (for Scene Correlation The first test-firing of the BrahMos Block
Force is expected to begin inducting the and Navigation) - enables the SGH radar to 2 on January 20 this year had to be aborted
BrahMos' maritime strike and land-attack make use of pre-uploaded imagery of in the missile's terminal flight phase after
versions by 2012 follorving its flight qualifi- ground-based reference structures (man- the missile rvent off-target mid-course
cation on board the Su-3OMKI. made or natural) obtained earlier by syn- despite a successful Iaunch The missile
The Arm1,, r'vhich in 2006 had raised its thetic aperture radars (SAR) like the pod- travelled a distance of 53km for 112 sec-
first regiment - the 86lst - rvith the mounted ELIA Systems-supplied EL/M- onds instead of the slated 84 seconds and
BrahMos'Block I variant, will in future raise 2060P SAR (acquired in mid-2008) carried fell seven km ar'vay from the target (which
trvo additional regiments - the B62nd and by the Su-3OMKI, to acquire the target rvas a simulated chemical munitions man-
B63rd - and equip them with an initial 260 even against dense ground clutter condi- ufacturing facility equipped rvith radar

44 F0RCE lVlay 2009

reflectors using Luneberg lenses) at SGH radar another airborne Platform either
the firing range in Pokhran, through the EL/M-2060P or from
Rajasthan. While the Prescribed the RISAT-2 SAR-equiPPed over-
flight-test environment was head recce satellite) from airborne
extremely demanding (the firing ol space-based platforms. The tar-
range has a dePth of onlY 48km,
get's leceived SAR imagerY will
precluding the BrahMos to be test- then be uploaded into the Pro-
grammable signals processor of the
ed out to its maximum range of
BrahMos Block 2's SGH radar, fol-
290km), post-flight analysis carried
out by BrahMos AerosPace revealed
lowing which the MALs on-board
rhe existence of a glitch in terms of
route navigation system (that uses
'navigational synchronicity' a RLG-INS) will be Programmed bY

between the RLG-INS of the MALs obtaining a GPS fix (through

Glonass) of the MALs location via-
route navigation system on one
hand, and the missile's on-board a-vis the target. Concurrently, the
RLG-INS, which is responsible for very same results of the GPS fix will
activating the SGH radar's target be uploaded on to the BrahMos
acquisition phase. Block 2's on-board RLG-INS. For
To fully understand how crucial pinpoint strikes the BrahMos Block
2 and its MAL will both have access
this 'synchronicity' is for ensuring
I00 per cent mission success, it is to Glonass-generated PY-code GPS
necessary to briefly exPlain hor,v upda(es every 2 seconds.
eractly the BrahMos Block 2's target After it had zeroed-in on the'nav-
acquisition/engagement Phases igational sYnchronicitY' glitch,
n'ork. During a typical mission, BrahMos AerosPace quicklY worked
iasting no more than 15 minutes, out a more robust firing solution,
the MAL and the accomPanYing which was Put to test on March 4,
Battery Command Vehicle, after with this test-firing being witnessed
ceing deployed to the staging area by the deputy chief of the almy staff
in a ready-to-fire mode, will make Lt Gen. M.S. Dadwal. To ensure sus-
use of their on-board VSAT termi- tainable reliabiliry a third test-firing
nals to receive the target's digitised rvas carried out at 11.15 am on
S-{R imagery (obtained earlier bY
March 29, which saw the missile
covering a distance of 90km (by flying a
BrahMos Block 2 test-liring crooked flight-path), with the entire target
on March 29 acquisition-cum- en gagement phase lasting
no more than 150 seconds. This climactic
test-firing rvas witnessed by the army's
director general of military operations Lt
Gen. A.S. Sekhon, Deolali-based School of
Artillery's Commandant Lt Gen' Rao, addi-
tional director generai (Artillery) Maj. Gen.
VK. Tiwari, BrahMos Aerospace's Chairman
Dr A Sivathanu Pillai and DRDL Director P
Venugopalan. The final icing on the cake
came the very next day -March 30 - from the
vice chief of the army staff, Lt Gen. Noble
Thamburaj, when he explained why the
army had enhanced its aspirations and
wanted the BrahMos Block 2 to achieve
high standards of accuracy. 'Accuracy was
the mantra. We had wanted a special sensor
to be integrated in the missile so that it can
hit the desired target accurately from
among similar kinds of targets in an urban
environment. On behalf of the army, I
would like to congratulate the scientists of
the DRDO and BrahMos Aerospace for con-
ducting an extremely successful third test of
BrahMos Block 2". o

May 2009 F0RCE 45

Eye on the Future
India and Russia are set to take the ties to another leuel
r Nivedita Das Kundu trade. The Indo-Russian shipment route Russia is expected to play a greater role
iilso needs to be optimised. The present in global energy security and India's energy
ussia and India today alc different route, rvhich passes through the Suez Canal requirements are increasing lapidly. By
countries than rvhat they rvere a and enters the Russian port of St. 2020, 45 per cent of the gror'vth in demand
decade ago. They are resurging; have Petersburg via Kotka (Finland) and for oil is anticipated fiom India. Hence,
legained their confidence; and aspire to Rotterdam (Netherlands), is long and time there is need to improve pipeline connec-
become global pou,ers. Both countries are consuming but the proposed short r-oute tivity between Russia and India. Some pro-
gror,ving in te rms of the 1evel of production, (the North-Soutl.r Corridor, connccting posals are given by energy experts for pos-
the gross national product, and othel key Nlumbai-Bandar Abbas-Astrakhan) has not sible pipeline connectivity betlveen the
parameters of science and technologl'. been commissioned yet. There is also the t\\'o countries."vhich both the countries are
Importantll,, they r'velcome and acknotl,l- issue of utilising the remaining funcls looking into, like the East Siberian Oil
edge the achievements of one another and under the Rupee-Rouble debt agreement Pipeline that rurr from the Sibelian city of
understand the posslbility of lurther n'hich needs to be settled. Angarsk to China's Daqing, which could
stlengthening the multi-faceted relation- 'Ihe big prospects could be seen in the help India pick up Siberian oil from the
ship. They also appleciate each other's sphere of inter-regional cooperation and Pacific port of Nakhodka and would be a
incleased role and authority in interna- contacts betr,veen small and medittm busi- significant step to\'vards creating a foun-
tional affairs as they both aspire to con- ness. This is reflected in the relations datior.r of Asian Oil Market. India's ONGC
struct a multilateral \'vorld order. This is the betr,veen the legions in Russian Federation Videsl.r Ltd (O\4.) has proposed an energy
reason they want to increase the effective- and valious states of India, particulalll., highrvay to construct a Russia-China-
ness of multilateral mechanisms of cooper- Astrakhan and Gujarat, Samara and India (RCI) pipeline. The RCI is supposed
ation rvith the central role of the United Karnataka, and Kazan and Hyderabad. to stretch from Russia through
Nations. The India-Russia relation today is Establishment of Representative Office of Turkrnenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, to
a major factor in the international affairs Confederation of Indian Industrv and the Kashgar in China's Xinjiang. It could enter
and its potential is far from being exhaust- Russian-Indian business Council created India via Ladakh or through Himachal
ed. Strategic partnership betrveen both the by Trade and Industrial Chamber of Russia Pradesh, to supply gas to northern India.
states will only strengthen universal peace, and Federation of the Indian Industry and In addition to this, Russia is interested in
safety and prosperity. Chamber of Commelce is significar"rt. joint construction of oil and natural gas
Indo-Russian ties are old (they have Present economic engagements are most11' production and transportation facilities in
now endured for ivell over 40 years) but in the public sectol and even here it is nar- India and in the surrounding regions. O\{,
today there is a nerv vigour. Ihey are driv- rorvly focused on the defence sector. Of and Russia's Rosneft are jointly bidding for
en by important defence links and shared late, Russia l-ras shorvn particular lntelest in Sakhalin III project.
hopes of creating a multi-polar rvorld. cooperating in sectors like telecommuni- Russia is India's most important partner
Russia's relations nrith India have been cations, shipbuilding and high tecl.rnologli in defence cooperation. A major part of
considered as time-tested and based on including outer space. India's defence inventory is still of Russian
continuity, tnrst and mutual understand- 'Il-re trvo countries have agreed to jointly origin and rvill continue to remain so even
ing. It is a cooperation based on a con- develop the Russian global navigation in the near future. Russia is the only coun-
structive approach, r,vhicl-r makes it possi- satellite system 'Glonass' to 'Glonass-M' try with nhich India has a fbrmal mecha-
ble for the two countries to rvork success- and'Glonass-K'. Russia intends to increase nism of an Inter-Governmental Commis-
fully on complehcnsive expansion and (n ith the participation of India) the group- sion for Military-Technical Cooperation
strengthening of strategic partnersirip. ing ofGlonass system to 1B satellites and a (IRIGC-MTC), rvhich meets annually under
Inclo-Russian relation reflects the fact that full orbital group of24 satellites by the end the chailmanship of the tr,vo defence min-
there are obvious long-term interests of2009. The trvo countries have also agreed isters. India and Russia have further
betn'een tlre trro countries. to jointly develop a 'Youth Satellite' for extended the tenure of the IRIGC-MTC by
The econonries of both countries are ediicational purposes. Russia has also another i0 years after its present term
grorving annually at around eight to nine joined in India's 'Chandlayan II' Lunar expires in 2010.
per cent. Flol.,'errer, in spite of accelerated project. India and Russia are exploring the Joint participation in long-term R&D
gro\'\rth and immense opportunities in each possibility of developing equipment for' projects and joint production of sophisti-
other's econom1,, Indo-Russian trade is still Earth probes. Joint research in the area of cated military equipment is the highlight of
very 1ou,. While cooperation between the electric engines fol spacecraft and joint the current Indo-Russian military and
banking and financial institutions has projects for probing lunar surface and technical cooperation. Military ties
picked up in the recent years, proactive building a space-based solar observatory betrveen the two countries are developing
steps, like easing of visa regulations lbr to study X-rav radiation are also corning up steadily and include joint R&D, prodttc-
Indian businessmen, are lequired to boost betr,veen the tu'o countries. tion, marketing, regular cooperation

46 F0RCE l\4ay 2009

 relationship. President Medvedev's first expanding activities at other sites were
benveen the different branches of armed
visit to India on 4-6 December 2008 provid- signed during his visit' Russia and India
forces, and joint training exercises. In
ed fresh impetus to the strategic partner- also signed an agreement to suPPlY
September 2005, the defence forces of the
ship between the trvo countries. According Russian nuclear fuel to Indian nuclear
nvo countries held their first-everjoint air-
to President Medvedev India and China polver plant as per an agreement signed in
borne military exercise at the Mahajan
are the key partners of Russia in the forma- February 2008.
Field Firing Range (MFFR) near Bikaner.
tion of a ne'"v world financial system and During his visit he emphasised that as
The exercise, co-ordinated by 140 military
security architecture. He has also appreci- military ties benveen India and Russia are
personnel from both countries, introduced
ated India's socio-economic achievements developing steadily Russia will remain as a
ihe concept of interoperability'in a count-
and balanced foreign PolicY. major defence partner of India in the com-
er-terrorism backdrop. One significant
The visit reinforced the interests of both ing years too, despite the differences that
erample of joint defence production is the
countries in maintaining close and friendly has come-up on certain issues related to
BrahMos cruise missile. Some 20 indian
ties and in strengthening a multi-polar sudden escalation of prices and regarding
and 10 Russian companies are involved in
world order. During his visit, Medvedev the delay in delivery of defence supply. On
its production. Now Russia and India are
had one-to-one talk with Prime Minister extremism and telrorism, he said that both
also planning to 1'ointly develop Brahmos
Manmohan Singh, followed by discussions countries have decided to address the
\lk II missile.
between the two sides on various sectors. threat bilaterally and globally' It is envis-
During Prime Minister Manmohan
The two countries signed several major aged that the India-Russia Joint Working
Singhs visit to Russia on l2 Novembet2007
agreements related to civil nuclear cooper- Group on Counter-Terrorism would be
the trvo countries signed an agreement for
joint development of multi-role transport ation, space, defence, trade and economy, strengthened and both countries would
terrorism and culture. Both the head of step-up 'operational contacts', to face this
aircraft to replace the ageing An-32 fleet of
common threat.
the Indian Air Force. Hindustan
Russia is lndia's most imPor- Among the top priorities on the Indo-
.\eronautics Limited and Rosoboronexport
Russian cooperation are also the tradition-
l'ill be the project partners. The invest-
ment of USD600 million will be shared tant partner in defence coop- ally warm and hearty people-to-people
contacts and cooperation in the field of
equally by the two countries; the Russian
eration. Moreover, Russia is culture. Academic, scientific, educational,
contribution will be paid out of the Rupee-
sports and other exchanges are being
Rouble debt India owes to Russia' The the only countrY with which actively promoted under various sections
envisaged requirement is of 100 aircraft for
lndia has a formal mechanism of the culture exchange programmes (CEP)
:he Russian Air Force, 45 for the IAE and
between the t\rvo countries. Of late, interest
sale of 60 aircraft to third countries. India
and Russia have also agreed to jointly of an lnter-Governmental for the Indian yoga is also gaining momen-
tum. India celebrated 'Year of Russia', in
develop a fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Commis-sion for MilitarY- India in 2008 and Russia celebrates'Year of
The agreement was signed on 19 October
India' in 2009. All these clearly show both
2007 during defence minister A.K. Antony's Technical Cooperation which
,,'isit to Russia. The fighter aircraft rvill have the countries growing interest in each oth-
meets annuall}t ers culture and PhilosoPhY.
>upersonic manoeuvrability and cruising
The Russian and Indian interests have
ability, long-range strike and high-
states stated that there is a convergence of generally tended to coincide whether it is
endurance air defence capabilities. The
ideas on various international issues. the question of terrorism, defence or of
Jevelopment and certification of this air-
\Mhile addressing concerns related to territorial integrity. There is certain empa-
iraft is expected to be completed in the
rext sixyears. Indo-Russian defence coop- trade and economic cooPeration, thy for each other as both India and
Medvedev articulated the point that both Russia share simiiar and very close geo-
:ration also includes refitting ofthe aircraft
India and Russia are fast grorving strategic interests, which provides the
--arrier Admiral Gorshkov, which will join
economies and therefore there is a need to basis for their cooperation' There is an
:he Indian Narl' as INSVikramadirya by the
make greater efforts to penetrate each inherent value in the lndo-Russian ties'
:nd of 2012. However, some Problems
other's markets and strengthen forums like Though this does not exclude differences
:ame up between the two countries when
SCO, RIC, and BRIC through which both of approach on certain specific issues, the
lussia demanded additional USD 3.5 bil-
the countries can further intensify the overall parallelism of interests has been
-ion from India for the aircraft carrier. This
trade and economic cooperation, as well as evident. It is in the interest of both Russia
.s the second time that Russia has sought a
cooperation in the sector like environment, and India to strengthen the bilateral coop-
:rice increase from the original contracted
inount of USDl.5 billion. disaster management, pharmaceuticals, eration to curb the unilateral tendencies
President Putin's era will indeed be noted metallurgy, bio-technology and tourism. in the present international politics. The
In the energy sector, the Russian presi- warmth relations between both the
in
.: a transformational period for Russia as
'.,.ell as for the Indo-Russian strategic part- dent mentioned that his country is ready to countries will depend on how they bal-
co-operate with India in the civilian ance themselves between their increasing
::ership, given that he was the major factor
nuclear domain. Agreement for the con- desire to diversify as well as maintain their
r re-vitalising the relationship after the
':eltsin years. Russia's new President struction of four additional nuclear reac- traditional relationshiP' o
tors at the Kudankulam nuclear power (The writer is a research felloru at the Indiatl
limitri Medvedev also showed his inclina-
:,on on further developing Indo-Russian plant in Tamil Nadu, as well as a pact for Cotmcil of World Affairs, New Dellti)

May 2009 F0RCE 47

A New Dawn
Serdyukou's Plan for Russian Military Reform
r Ruslan Pukhov

n I4 October 2008, following a meet-

ing of the Collegium of the Russian
Defence Ministry, minister Anatoly
Serdyukov announced the launch of a new
stage of military reform. If the defence
ministers reforms go through as planned,
it will mark the most radical transforma-
tion of the Russian military system since
1945, touching upon every aspect of the
armed forces, including service strength,
central command and control bodies,
tables oforganisation, and the officer train-
ing system. The reforms were clearly influ-
enced by lessons drawn from the August
military campaign against Georgia, even if
the strategy had been developed much ear-
lier. Indeed, the general thrust of reform
was expected from the moment Serdyukov
rvas installed at the Arbat. Nevertheless,
events in Georgia have enabled Serdyukov
to act decisively.
The main points of Serdyrkov s plan are
asfollows:
o Accelerate the downsizing of the armed the planned reduction of the service ies also face steep cuts. Serdyrkov counted
forces; strength of the armed forces from 1.f 3 mil- 10,523 people in the central apparatus of
o Reduce the number of officers and Iion to one million servicemen will be the ministry of del'ence and another 11,290
restructure the composition of the offi- advanced from 2016 Io 2012. The number rvorking for the military command bodies
cer corps; of officers will be reduced radically, from of the ministry; in all, almost 22,000. This
o Establish a non-commissioned officer 355,000 positions currently on the books to total is to be reduced to just 8,500, includ-
corps; just 150,000. That said, the actuai number ing 3,500 in the central apparatus of the
o Centralise the system of officer training; of officers to be discharged is less. Some MOD. In line with these changes, person-
o Reorganise and downsize central com- 40,000 positions are currently vacant, and nel at the General Staff will be reduced by
mand and control bodies, including the these will be eliminated by the end of the 50 per cent by I March 2009.
MOD and the general staff; year. Moreover, 26,700 officers are due to Serdyukov described the current person-
o Eliminate cadre formations and bring all retire, and another 9,100 would have nel profile of the army as "shaped like an
formations to permanent readiness sta- reached retirement age in 2009. In addi- egg, swollen in the middle. There are more
tus; tion, 7,500 serving officers rvere called up colonels and lieutenant colonels than jun-
r Reorganise the reserves and their train- for two years after graduation from civilian ior officers. By the end of three years we
ing system; institutes of higher learning. They will be will have built a pyramid, where ever5rthing
o Reduce the number of units, formations, discharged at the end of their term, and will be clearly structured and proved."
and bases; this category of specialists will no Ionger be Accordingly, the number of lieutenants and
o Reorganise the ground forces into a recruited. The remaining 117,500 officers senior lieutenants in the armed forces is to
brigade system, eliminating the regi- would be discharged over the course of increase from 50,000 to 60,000.
ment, division, corps, and army eche- three years. To a large extent, their release The creation of a non-commissioned
lons; and will be effected as a result of another officer (NCO) corps, formally lacking in the
o Reorganise the airborne troops, elimi- reform, announced by Serdyrrkov in early SovietArmy, is an important element of the
nating divisions. 2008, concerning the transfer of a number reforms. A strong corps of NCOs should
of positions, such as military medics and serve as the basis for soldier training and
Cuts to Personnel and the Number of Officers lawyers, to the civilian public service. military discipline. But the introduction of
According to Serdl'ukov's announcements, The central command and control bod- sergeants into the system will take not

48 F0RCE May 2009

 I
three to four years as envisaged, but at least changing over to a brigade organisation is with personnel in peacetime. Of approxi-
10-15. This delay could undermine reform one of the most interesting aspects of the mately 200 divisions, onlY about 50
by creating problems with management announced reforms. "Today, we have a belonged to the so-called Category A, that
and the manning of those combat arms four-link command and control system: is, manned at 100 per cent and ready to go
where a relatively high percentage of offi- military district, army, division, and regi- quickly into battle. The remaining 150
cers are involved in the direct operation of ment. We are changing over to a three-link divisions required partial or full manning
military equipment, such as the submarine system: military district, operational com- by mobilised reservists and took quite a
fleet, air-defence forces, etc. mand, and brigade. That is, the division- Iong time to deploy to wartime levels. This
regimental link will disappear, and combination of permanent readiness and
Reform ol Military Education brigades will appear in their place." cadre units has been preserved up to the
The centralisation and dornmsizing of the Serdyukov went on to say that the present time.
military education system is closely related changeover to the new structure will elimi- According to the plan, all formations will
to planned reductions to the officer corps. nate excess layers of command and will be fully mannedby2012 and maintained in
Serdyukov announced that the 65 military increase the effectiveness of troop com- a state of permanent readiness. The transi-
institutions of higher learning (15 acade- mand and control. He said the number of tion to a contract system of manning sup-
mies, four universities, 46 colleges and military units and formations in the ports this goal. Thus, the peacetime com-
institutes) would be reduced by 2012 to just Ground Forces would be reduced from bat capabilities and reaction speed of the
ten 'systemic institutions': three research 1,890 to I72 within three years. He repeat- Russian Army will increase significantly,
and teaching centers, six academies and ed the announcement made earlier by enabling the rapid engagement of forces in
one university. The new institutions will President Dmitry Medvedev that all non- any tlpe of conflict, including those similar
not only serve to train officers, but also to fully manned (cadre) units will be disband- to the recent one in Georgia. At the same
conduct research. They will be established ed, bringing all army units to a permanent time, the increase in permanent-readiness
according to territory, not combat arm. For state of combat readiness. forces should compensate for the general
now all existing facilities will become affil- Two aspects should be singled out. First, reduction in the size of the Ground Forces.
iates ofthese ten centers; decisions regard- the conversion of all units and formations The disbanding of a number of cadre for-
ing potential closures will be taken later. of the Ground Forces to permanent-readi- mations manned with only officers in
Serdyukov affirmed that the entire facul- ness status marks a sharp increase to the peacetime and no privates enables reduc-
ty of existing military institutes would be peacetime combat capability of the army tions to the size of the officer corps, espe-
preserved and absorbed into the new sys- and a departure from the longstanding cially senior officers.
tem, and that only the managerial layer will structure of the Soviet Army, which was Of course, Russia's inherent need for a
be reduced. He also said that many former- based on formations subject to full deploy- large reserve, created by its enormous size
ly military specialisations, such as lartryers, ment only upon general mobilisation. The and long borders, remains unchanged.
rvill now be educated at civilian facilities. Russian Army will thus cease to be a But it is clear that there is no threat of an
mobilisation army. The Soviet Army of the unexpected, large-scale land invasion of
Permanent Readiness Forces Eighties had four categories of tank and Russia's territory now or for the foresee-
The elimination of the division-regimental motorised-rifle divisions, depending on able future. Any enemy, even if potentially
structure ofthe Russian Ground Forces and the degree to which they were manned capable of carrying out such an invasion
(United States and NAIO, China) would
require a lengthy period for mobilisation,
deployment, and concentration of ground
forces on Russias borders. The long period
of time leading to a ground war allows
Russia significantly to reduce the
demands on its reserve component.
Russia will have significant time to
mobilise its forces, permitting the elimi-
nation of expensive maintenance of cadre
formations during peacetime.
Iudging from the overall sense of the
reform plan, it would seem that existing
arms and equipment depots, where divi-
sional and brigade equipment is stored,
will become the main reserve component
of the Ground Forces. Upon general mobil-
isation, further brigades and divisions
could be deployed from these depots. It is
noteworthy that Russia held an entire
series of exercises specifically on deploy-
ment from these depots. It would seem
that the new mobilisation concept
"\ias

May 2009 FI]RCE 49

I
worked out during these exercises. sile units, etc. motorised-rifle division will be trans-
Perhaps the most controversial part of formed, as a rule, into two brigades. This
From Regiments and [livisions to Brigades the reorganisation is the planned elimina- process began in October 2008 with the
The actual transformation of brigades is tion of divisions. On the one hand, this transformation of the 2nd Taman Guard
the second essential step of the reform. To increases the independence of the Motorised-Rifle Division near Moscow.
date, Russia has kept the structure of the brigade, but on the other hand, it could
Soviet Army. The current table of organi- create difficulties for the concentration of Not Just the Ground Forces
sation of the Ground Forces was estab- forces and equipment on the battlefield. Anatoly Serdyukov's reforms affect the
lished during the post-war reorganisation On the whole, the elimination of divisions other services as well. The number of units
of 1945-1946, took its final form during and the complete transition to a brigade in the Air Force will be reduced from 340 to
the Zhukov reforms of 1956-57, and has system orients the army primarily toward lB0, and the Navy will be cut almost by
essentially remained unchanged since combat in limited, local conflicts that do hall from 240 to 123 units. The Strategic
then. The basic formations of the Ground not require large-scale conventional com- Missile Troops will retain just eight in place
Forces are four-regiment tank and bat against a strong enemy pursuing high- of twelve missile divisions (although this
motorised-rifle divisions (usually three ly consequential operational-strategic was already part of planned reductions to
tank and one motorised-rifle regiment in goals. Apparently, the experience of the the strategic nuclear forces) and the Space
a tank division and one tank and three recent war with Georgia had an influence Troops will be reduced from seven to six.
motorised-rifle regiments in a motorised- on the final approval of the given scheme It was announced that the Air Force
rifle division). Three to four divisions, as a for reorganising the army. During combat plans to eliminate the reduced, two-
rule, make up a combined services army operations in South Ossetia, five regimen- squadron aviation regiments (those with
under the command of a military district; tal combat tactical groups (that is, rein- 24 combat aircraft per regiment). All avia-
that part of the army has now been low- forced motorised-rifle regiments) from tion regiments will be disbanded. The new
ered in status to an army corps. Separate the I9th (North Ossetia) and 42nd organisation of the Air Force establishes
motorised-rifle brigades made their first (Chechnya) Motorised-Rifle Divisions the air base as the basic structural element,
appearance in the Ground Forces during were put into action by Russia. The com- with three or four combat aviation
the Nineties, as a result of reductions mand and control of this grouping was squadrons dislocated to each (that is, the
made to divisions for economic reasons. not executed by the division staff or equivalent of a Soviet-era aviation regi-
At the same time, the North Caucasus has even the staff of the SBth Army, but direct- ment). This same Air Force structure exists
seen the emergence of several new-type Iy by the staff of the North Caucasus currently in Belarus.
brigades (including the 33rd and 34th Military District through a specially creat- At the same time, Serdyukov announced
Mountain Motorised-Rifle Brigades). It ed group. The new three-link structure of that he does not see the need to create
seems that this latter experiment was seen military district - operational command - independent rapid-reaction forces. "The
as relatively successful. brigade seems like the formalisation of armed forces already have such units in the
A brigade is considered to be an interme- this scheme. Airborne Troops. They will be strength-
diate tactical formation between a division The approximate composition of the ened, and each military district will have
and a regiment, though the existing future Russian Army can be established an Airborne brigade to carry out urgent
brigades in the Russian Army are closer in on the basis of the planned deliveries of missions and operations under unpre-
strength to individual regiments. It seems arms and military equipment as pub- dictable circumstances," he said.
that the impending organisation of Russian lished in the Nationai Armament Program The lour existing two-regiment air-
brigades will be based on a strengthening for 2007-2015. Accordingly, the Russian assault divisions will be transformed into
of their combat support units, which are Army should receive 22 battalions of new air-assault brigades, of which there will be
now situated at the divisional level. Such tanks and 23 battalions of modernised at least seven or eight. Thus, the composi-
brigades should be more flexible, with tanks, as well as new and modernised tion of the Russian air-mobile forces will be
greater combat power, and capable of equipment for more than 170 motorised- strengthened even more, underlying the
independent action on the tactical level. rifle battalions. Considering the small general direction of military reform toward
The new formations will be exclusively amount of new military equipment the creation of a professional army at per-
motorised-rifl e brigades. received up to 2007, this suggests that manent readiness.
In place of the existing divisions and approximately 230-240 tank and No matter how contentious individual
combined-services armies (and army motorised-rifle battalions will be of the announced reforms may
aspects
corps), the new brigades shall form part of equipped with new and modernised appear to observers, this is undeniably the
operational commands. The composition equipment. With four battalions to a first time in post-Soviet Russia that a full
of these new formations (apparently at the brigade, this allows for the manning of and comprehensive plan for the radical ref-
corps level) is not yet clear, but would logi- about 60 'healy' line brigades at perma- ormation of the Armed Forces is being
cally include the combat and support units nent readiness. Russia nowhas about ll0 advanced, supported by clear political and
of existing divisions and armies and, most tank and motorised-rifle regiments and administrative will, and allocated sufficient
importantly, correspond to the currently brigades. Thus, the inevitability of nomi- economic resources to bring it to life. o
popular Western notion of 'joint' forces, nal reductions is clear, though far from all (The writer is director of the Centre for
that is, uniting all services within a given regiments and brigades are maintained at Analysis of Strategies and Technologies
zone of responsibility under a single com- permanent readiness. tCASTl, Russia and the publisher of the
mand, including aviation, air defence, mis- It was announced that every tank or Moscow Defense Brief)

50 F0RCE May 2009

 by invitation

0omfort Zone
Russia is filting the Indian Helicopter market
he fleet of Indian helicopters isintegrat- holding company ISC 'Russian Helicopters' upgraded taking into account the require-
of theflyingpersonnel'The aircraft
ed mainly by the Mi-B and Mi-17 organised a presentarion of MRo facility ments
operat- equipped with a ramp and t"vo siiding
Russian-made helicopters - excellent for the Russian-made helicopters
facility doors allorvs 35 paratroopers more opera-
rotorcraft in real operations for rvhich they ing in the Indian territor} The MRo
is together nith the tionally. Upgrading the helicopter cockpit
\vere once developed. Today, taking into being developed
The Joint- rvas adapted for the pilots' applying NVG'
account the specific features of operation Indian company'vectra Group'.
in the Indian arena, the helicopters have venture Co*pury (lvc) 'Integrated rheaircraftrvasfittedadditionally"viththe
beenessentiallyupgraded. Helicopter services Private Ltd' rvill be hoist-type cargo handling system, making
The Mi-B/17 helicopters non,adays are .r.,guged in the after-sales maintenance
of it possible to hoist-out trvo people at the
altitude of 60m on board the aircraft' the
rvidely operated in almost g0 countrie, .r"ir fquipment to be delivered and equip-
to a cockpit armor protection and the most
rvorld over, and in extraordinaly ciimatic ment in opelation. This rvill contribute
zones. In 40 countries, the above aircraft p.rr.rur-ra.rt presence of the Russian heli- importantassemblyunitsandcomponents
have been adopted by both Air Force and copter industry blanch in the Indian rvere reinforced'
Army Aviation. India is no exception, national market'
almost 200 helicopters of the kind are in The share of 'Russian Helicopre's' in New helicopters will be delivered soon
operation. Horvever, mostof themhave got Russian and Indian JVC amount
to 51 per The first lot of B0 Mi-17-v5 helicopters to
obsolete image requiring upgrading, repair cent rvhile 49 per cent belong to the Vectra be purchased by India rvill be delivered by
and life extension todal'. Based ';- :::::::: F =r
r 20I0. As the comPetition in the
on experienc", .r'" .'pg*au- g
tions of these machines n,ould : J.A .*SrS q
,lil:1il1XHl:T$::ljlJ::;
beanimpossibletask.'i;;;5JET"j:@ee€ryT:]:9*ll""':l..^:.::'^::'}':
be an impossible task rvirhout ---i€ . .e-'SigJ

'"..i',i#' "i"ri."'"ti""i..
j :c
It is a dedicated -A*S.ij
Helicopters'.
,- \?*-+:*F::*,. ,. i-lllll-llliT:'^
steadily improving n:::::l
their Prod-
uct quality.
nanasement'"'o"nu""'::
new industrial helicoPte
"J"';"* -**'lr.m,:,:*"ff
:;'",1"J i:i::"r','"f;:ilil ---*- : "- *-o '' ' '! isters of defense of the European
enterprises of the Rusllan rure5'rrit{C\l;="=: .: union countries intended to

:-* *,*.;#
:*:l::ril***::*Jp::
providing after-
enterprises
sales supporr. Today, rhe re-created
ru
:::::* :cilF' :*ffiffi
heli-
E€:' -
Group. "The IVC staff is already function-
[#itiil:-:ri#.Ttp
"t"t "t:.t:]11t-lljYTlf:-t:lin conditionslliflll.
copter industry of rhe Russian aircraft ing," informed Eugeny Kisel, chairman of ing their long term operation
the flight'
industry is already capable of realising full Board of Directors of Integrated Helicopter like high dust level, icing during
life cycle of all type and class helicopters ser.vices, JVC. According to Kisel it rvill be differential temperature and pressure' The
five NATO Coalition Forces command in
from the beginning of development to possible to render services for three to
lvhere
retirement and snapping helicopters at a time. The capacity of the Afghanistan faced trying conditions

The Indian Air Force does not need addi- enter;ise rvould depend on the complexi- their helicopters were capable of handling
tional exposure to the Russian-made heli- ty of the rvorks. "During the year \\re are only the standard conditions'
copters through the Mi-B/17 helicopter planning to render services to dozens of At the International Air Shows world
rvarehouse over, all the leading helicopter manufac-
family. India has already signed a contract Russian-made helicopters. The
turingplantsof theusandwestEuropean
rvith the Federal state Uniary Enterprise for the helicopter spares and components
,Rosoboronexport, on the delivery of B0 will be located in the MRo house." countries have been aggressively displal'-
\,Ii-r7-vs helicopters tbr the I'dian Air ng their assault helicopters r'vith their
plants
saving' ecologically pure power and
Force last year. So, ,fr" Ml-elit h"fi*p,", Mi-17-V5 helicopters
requires Theupgradingof theMi-Bhelicoptertothe glamoroustrappings'Againstsuchaback-
fleet in India is increasing, rvhich
timely and qualitative maintenance and ieu"t oil,li-tz-Vs image became the next drop the Russian Mi-B/17 helicopters
repair thereof. step in the development of Mi-B helicopter don't look enticing enough, ]'et they
This year at Aero India in Bengaluru, the family products' A nerv aircraft was are thriving'l

May 2009 F()RCE 51

 0ver the Ho rizon
Two-pronged plan for procuring new-generation UAVs
I Prasun K. Sengupta
Nishant; (below) Rustom:
(opposite page) Wheeled Nishant
o meet the ever-increasing demand for
actionable intelligence, surveillance,
targetting and reconnaissance (ISTAR)
inputs for all three armed services, India
has embarked upon a tlvo-pronged plan tr
for procuring new-generation unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAV) from both abroad and
through homegrown R&D effort.
Consequently, over the next five yeals all
three armed services will be equipped rvith
hundreds of such UAVs, rvhich rvill be
capable of both long-duration ovcr-the-
horizon reconnaissance and targetting, as
well as infantry soldier-deployed mini-
UAVs, each of which rveighs 4.5kg, and is
designed for day and night so-called
'beyond the hill' observation and for tar-
getting missions at ranges up to tOkm.
Such mini-UAVs will also be used by the
army's Armoured Corps for 'over-the-hill'
acquisition of hostile armoured forces and
their engagement by indirect fire support
weapons like the NAMICA (equipped with
4km-range Nag anti-armour guided-mis-
siles) or tank cannon-launched laser-guid-
ed projectiles like the l20mm IAFIAT now
being licence-built by the Hyderabad-
based Bharat Dynamics Ltd.
To ensure the speedy induction of such a.

UAVs, the ministry of defence's (MoD)

Defence Research & Development
Organisation (DRDO) has adopted the h
consortium approach under wl.rich both
the public-sector and private-sector indus-
trial entities will play the prominent role
when it comes to detailed systems design,
prototype development and engineering,
and series-production. Consequent to the
adoption of this approach, the DRDO's
Bangalore-based Aeronautical b**-'>j i
Development Establishment (ADE) and
Defence Avionics Research Establishment
(DARE), along rvith the National Aerospace Fancraft technology. FL{L, on the other DRDO include:
Laboratories (NAL) and Hindustan hand, has teamed up with Israel Aerospace o Pawan low altitude long endurance
Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) have joined forces Industries (IAI) to co-develop the ship- (LALE) UAV that will be catapult-launched
to co-develop the three types of UAVs, borne naval rotary-winged unmanned aer- from a wheeled vehicle. A sum of USD 33.2
while TA'IA Advanced Systems has joined ial vehicle (NRUAV), and rvith Elbit million will be spent on the joint R&D
forces with Israel-based Urban Aeronautics Systems oflsrael to co-develop the Skylark- effort that'"vill last 24 months and involve
from for the marketing and manufacturing 1E manportable mini-UAV lhe three con- the development of four prototype vehi-
of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) ventional takeoff and landing UAVs being cles. Each such UAV to be used by the
UAVs based on UrbanAero's patented concurrently being developed by tire Indian Army, rvill rveigh l20kg, have an

52 F0RCE May 2009

 light canard research aircraft (LCM), swiveling turret, and a belly-mounted syn-
endurance of 24 hours, be equipped with
pod-mounted optronic sensors, and its whose design (the Rutan Long-EZ) was thetic aperture radar (most probably
bought outright bY NAL in the earlY derived from the ELTA-built EL/M-2060P
radius of operations will be 150km.
Nineties from the US-based Rutan Aircraft system that is flight-qualified now for the
r Gagan medium altitude long endurance
(MAIE) UAV for the army and Indian Air Factory. The LCRA was the first made-in- Su-30MKI) housed within a radome. The
India aircraft made fully of rigid-foam shore-based naval variant of the MALE-
Force (IAF), which will be co-developed at
fibre-reinforced plastic composite materi- UAV will also have on board ELINT and
a cost of USD 55.5 million and whose belly-
als and was also the first to feature twin COMINT sensor suites. For enhancing
mounted payload will include pod-mount-
canards and wingtip fins and twin rudders. flight safety and survivability when cruis-
ed optronic sensors (daylight TV camera
The LCRAs Pawan MALE-UAV variant will ing at high altitudes, the Pawan will be
and thermal imager), or a laser target des-
be powered bY a single 1l6hP Piston equipped with wing de-icing systems. For
ignator, or a synthetic aperture radar. A
engine developed by the DRDO's Vehicles operational deployment, a typical Pawan
total of four prototype vehicles are to be
Research & Development Establishment MALE-UAV system will comprise of six air
developed over a 42-month period. The
and driving a pusher-prop, will have a tri- vehicles, and a mission control unit (which
Gagan wilt have service ceiling of lB'500
feet, radius ofoperations of300km and an cycle landing gear configuration with the will have a large amount of commonality
endurance of 24 hours. nose gear being retractable, have a with the ground control station that was
. Rustom medium-altitude long wingspan of 7.90 metres, length of 5.12 developed by the DRDO for the indige-
metres, canard span of 3.60 metres, and a nously developed Nishant tactical UAV).
endurance (HALE) UAV for the IAF and
wing area of 7.62 square metrers. The vehi- The path-breaking NRUAV for the Indian
Indian Navy'. R&D effort for this UAV over a
cle will be able to withstand high cross- Navy is being developed to deliver tailor-
lB-month period will cost USD 100 million
and involve the design and fabrication of winds during both takeoffand landing' The made solutions for multi-spectrum and
Pawan's maximum takeoff weight will be wide-area maritime surveillance. Adopting
four protot'?e vehicles each of which will
600kg, of which the payload component a hands-on approach, Navy HQ, along with
rveigh 1.1 tonnes, have an endurance of24
will account for 350kg' The service ceiling HAL and the MAI"\T DMsion of IAI has
hours, service ceiling of 30,000 feet and its
will be 35,000 feet, flight endurance will be already begun co-developing this vertical
radius of operations will be 300km. The
24 hours, while the maximum cruise speed takeoff and landing system' The fuselage of
payload will comprise a mix of optronic
will be 350kph. Range at maximum speed the NRUAV will be the same as that of a
iensors, ELINT sensors, a communications
will be 1,840km, with the rate of climb FIAL-built SA.3t68 Alouette III/Chetak hel-
relay suite, and an inverse synthetic aper-
being 6.35 metres per second. The MALE- icopter, while its upgraded powerplant will
rure radar capable of both ground and
UAVwill require a takeoffroll of 290 metres, be the FlAl/Turbomeca Ardiden lH/Shakti
maritime surveillance.
and a landing roll of 210 metres. Service engine mated to a HAl-designed gearbox.
All three UAVs will be series-produced by
ceiling will be 6,700 metres. The Pawans Its principal on-board sensors will include a
a production agency-cum-development
partner (PADP) from India's private sector, payload suite (for the army and Indian Air belly-mounted IAI-supplied EL/M-
irith final selection of the PADP taking Force) will include a SATCOM-based tr'vo- 2O22H(V)3 multi-mode radar, a nose-
place before this June. The Pawan's air- way secure data link, a chin-mounted sta- mounted stabilised MOSP optronic turret
bilised optronic sensor housed within a housing a lowJightJevel TV camera as well
irame will be derived from the NAl-built
as a thermal imager, a four-element radar
warning receiver developed by DARE, two-
way secure data links built by TADIMN
Spectralink, and a rear-mounted Harpoon
deck-arresting gear. Also being co-devel-
oped are the shipborneVSAI terminals and
ground control stations, with the latter
being a derivative of that for the IAl-built
Heron 2 MALE-UAV The NRUAV's concep-
tual design was first disPlaYed bY
IAI/MAI-AI in Bangalore during the Aero
India 2007 exhibition. The principal role of
the NRUAV lvill include beyond-the-hori-
zon surveillance, over-the-horizon target-
ting, ELINT, COMINT, ground mapping and
Iocation of moving ground-based targets,
and airborne early warning. The NRUAV
will not carry any on-board weapons for the
moment, but could in future be armed with
a single heavy,aleight torpedo or two light-
weight torpedoes. Development of such a
UAV can rightly be described as 'path-
breaking', and the Chetak's airframe was a
logical choice as it was not only available in

May 2009 F0RCE 53

plenty within India, but it also has a tricycle is launched by hand. Recovery is per- payload and l00kg of fuel. Wingspan will
undercarriage (as opposed to fixed landing formed by a deep stall manoeuvre, which be 20 metres, the fuselage will be 14 metres
skis) that facilitates the UAV's landing even lands the mini-UAV safely on a small inflat- long and fuel consumption will be
in choppy waters in the high seas, thereby able cushion, at a pre-designated point. 40kg/hour, which will work out to some 25
ensuring safe recovery on board the mother The entire mission is flown autonomously, hours of endurance. The T-tail will house
vessel. The project was conceived in 2005 feeding real-time continuous video and the COMINT/ELINT antenna arrays (three
and is the brainchild of none other than the telemetry data to a laptop-based ground vertical pieces on each tip). The Rustom's
current Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral station. Its wings and tail surfaces are con- tail portion will not have any fuel tanks to
Sureesh Mehta, who initiated this project structed of lightweight composites, and the avoid any CG shift. Instead, the fuel tanks
while he was FOC-in-C Eastern Naval fuselage's tubular boom is also made of will be located in the wings and fuselage
Command and concurrently also one of the composites. The avionics and sensor pay- only. The entire tail section will be fabricat-
government-appointed Directors of FIAL. loads are contained in a pod carried belorv ed with glass-fibre reinforced plastic for
Another unique UAV solution now being the boom. The gimballed payload, weigh- reduced radar cross-section. The produc-
developed in-country will revolutionise ing only 1kg, comprises a daylight CCD or tion-version Rustom's first flight rvill be
both the aerial transportation ofbattlefield an optional FLIR for night operation, undertaken by 201 1.
casualties, as well as frontline aerial logis- which can be rotated by four gimbals. The DRDO has already developed to date
tics. During the DEFEXPO 2008 exhibition Skylark-lE operators with no experience the Nishant tactical UAV for the army, with
in Delhi last February, TATA Advanced can become fully certified after less than a its mission payloads and avionics suite
Systems formally revealed its decision to week of classroom training and another being developed by the Dehradun-based
invest in Urban Aeronautics of Israel's R&D rveek of actual flying, safety and mainte- Defence Electronics Applications
effort to develop the MULE, a single tur- nance instruction. The Skylark- 1 is Laboratories (DEAL) and the launch con-
bine-powered UAV for military re-supply presently operational lvith l5 armed forces trol system coming from the Pune-based
and medical evacuation operations with a worldwide and is currently deployed in R&D Establishment Engineers. Nishant has
payload capacity of 250kg. Such a WOL- Afghanistan as well. It was on September a multi-mission day-night capability with
UAV utilises a unique rotorless design that 22 last year that the first FlAl-assembled advanced belly-mounted optronic pay-
eliminates the serious safery hazards asso- Skylark-18 took to the skies in Bangalore. loads (housed within a two-axis gimbaled
ciated with helicopter rotors and permits HALs Bangalore-based Composite pod), autonomous flight capabiliry has a
secure access to any location. In addition, Manufacturing Division is now gearing up jam-resistant command link and digital
the vehicle's arrival time is guaranteed and to series-produce this mini-UAV The FIAL- down-link, and uses a mobile hydraulic
predictably speedy with effectively zero Elbit Systems team leading the Skylark-IE's pneumatic launcher hosted on a 6x6 truck.
rulnerability to contingencies such as traf- licenced-production effort inIndia It is used for dayime and nighttime battle-
fic or other access obstacles. The capability includes Daniel Ma'ayan (Director, Elbit field reconnaissance, surveillance, target
to sustain a safe, stable hover adjacent to a UAV Systems), Shemual Zilbar (Programme tracking, and localisation, plus correction
window wall or slope or to land safely in a Manager), Uriyah (Chief Instructor), Galle of field artillery fire. The UAV has a length
congested space allows access and evacua- (Instructor), Andrew S (Mission Debrief), of 4.63 metres, cruise speed of 150kph,
tion from virtually any location without the Sireesh (Ground Control Station) and maximum speed of l8skph, minimum
use of ladders or hoists. The Mule WOL- Prashant (Launch & Recovery). speed of llOkph, endurance of four and
UAV is also significantly quieter than any The Rustom MALE-UAV too will be pro- half hours, and an altitude ceiling of 3,600
helicopter and offers unrestricted mobility cured in large numbers (more than 100). metres. It also has an on-board recovery
and accessibility. Lastly, in an air ambu- Each such UAV wili be powered by twin parachute and landing bags. The payload
lance configuration, this WOL-UAV offers Rotax 914 4-cylinder four-stroke piston link's line-of-sight range is 160km. The
a revolutionary capacity for emergency res- engines sourced from the UK. Thus so far, a Nishant's sub-51'slsrns were developed by
cue teams to reach their destlnation quick- 1:2 scale-model of the Rustom has com- the DRDO's Agra-based Aerial Deliver-v
ly, despite practical obstacles or complex pleted control surface tests and low-speed Research & Development Establishment
landscapes. taxi trials. This vehicle is called the (ADRDE) and are being produced by
For real-time Battalion-level all-weather Rustom-l (the production variant will be Bangalore-based HALBIT Avionics, in
and real-time'over-the-hill' reconnais- called Rustom-H). Each engine will devel- which FIAL holds 50 per cent of the shares,
sance, the Indian Army will, from later this op 120hp, and offer a range of l28mm Elbit Systems of Israel holds 26 per cent
year, begin the large-scale induction a sol- while working at 5800rpm. Service ceiling and Bangalore-based MerlinHawk holding
dier-deployed system, which weighs 4.5kg, will be 35,000 feet, while endurance will be the remaining 24 per cent. On November
is designed for observation and for target- 24 hours. The on-board data link with six- 15, 2004 the MoD ordered the first 12
ting missions at ranges up to 15km, has low axis tracking capability will have a 250km Nishants in a limited-series production
acoustic and visual signatures, has a flight line-of-sight range and 350km with relay. batch from HAL. Each Nishant system
endurance ofthree hours, operational ceil- The 350kg payload will include belly- costs USD 3.5 million and comprises four
ing of 15,000 feet, and a maximum gross mounted search radar or ISAR radar, or Nishants and a ground control station,
takeoff weight of 6.3kg. The Skylark-IE is COMINT/ELINT receivers and a chin- antenna tracking system, and the launcher
1,400mm long, with a wingspan of mounted FLIR turret. There is also provi- and mission support vehicles. A wheeled
2,080mm and pod length of 720mm. It has sion for tr,vo hardpoints under each wing. version of the Nishant has now begun ta-xi
a flight speed of up to 60 Knots. It can be Maximum takeoff rveight of the Rustom trials and will incorporate a rear-mounted
quickly assembled before the mission and will be 1.8 tonnes, inclusive of the 350kg arrestor hook for arrested recovery. a

54 F()RCE May 2009

 I

Neighbourly Visit
BDR gratefut for BSF's 'wisdom and prudence'
the border, not letting anY fleeing
rVidhi UpadhyaY
BDR men to cross over to India,
that is what rve are thankful for."
order SecuritY Force and
Bangladesh Rifles met for Questioned about the dePor-
the first time in New Delhi tation of ULFA leaders Arabinda
last month since the barbarous Rajkhowa, Paresh Barua, AnuP
mutiny struck India's neighbour. Chetia and Ranjan DaimarY of
The first biannual talks of 2009 NDFB, Islam remained non-
between BSF and BDR were held committal saying that he has just
from 31 March-1 APril 2009. Six- returned from fire of hell. "Our
member BDR delegation, led bY Prime Minister has stated that
the newly appointed DG, we will not harbour anyone
Brigadier General Mainul Islam from India or any other country,"
met his Indian counterpart DG he said adding, "These issues
BSE M.L. Kumawat at the BSF are there, and they will be
headquarters. solved. Just give some time to the
The two sides discussed a newly-elected government of
range of issues related to border manage- occurred in the world. ...We thought it Bangladesh."
ment and agreed to strengthen joint efforts rvould be good to make the visit here even On the probe into the carnage, which
to prevent trans-border crimes including r,vith reduced representation. We came claimed the life of 58 army officers includ-
illegal movements across the border' traf- here to thank the Indian government and ing that of the paramilitary force's DG

ficking of women and children, smuggling the BSF for their wisdom and prudence Major General Shakeel Ahmed, Islam said
of drugs, arms and ammunition, etc. Last shown during the mutinY", he said that it was two early to say anything in that
year, during the 9th home secretary level expressing his gratitude. regald as three separate enquiries are
talks between India and Bangladesh held \.Mhen asked about the specific gesture of going on into it including a judicial and an
in Dhaka, a decision had been taken the BSF for which BDR felt grateful, Islam administrative one. Asked about Pakistan's
regarding joint visits by both sides to visit said, "On February 25-26, while we vrere intelligence agency ISI's involvement in the
to a few lrrlnerable stretches rvhere fencing focussed on Pilibhit (where the BDR is mutiny, Islam said only the investigations
is not feasible, including the riveline areas headquartered), BSF dealt rvith wisdom on will reveal who s and why's of the revolt. o
ofthe border. Both sides had agreed to for-
mulate a joint border management plan
rvhich would help in effectively reducing Border Line
trans-border crime and strengthening bor-
der management. BSF and BDR recalled
Home minister uisits Indo-Pak border in Punjab
that committees from India and Union home minister P Chidambaram visited the BSF border outposts located in
Bangladesh have already been constituted Punjab and Rajasthan on March 26 to get a first hand experience of the conditions pre-
and expressed the hope that visits would vailing on thetorder and also take stock of the security situation along the Indo-Pak
take place soon. bordei. Accompanied by DG BSB M.L. Kumawat, senior officers from the MHA and the
Addressing a joint press conference BSE the home minister visited K.K. Barrier post in Firozpur sector which is peculiar in
along with the BDR chief, Kumawat deployment due to divergent terrain condition. He moved along the border track to
expressed his condolences over the tragedy the efficacy of the fencing and observed that the fencing in Punjab needed
""u.rri.r"
replacement as it had outlived its utility. After seeing the International Boundary align-
that struck BDR and reiterated India's con-
tinuing support during this period and ment, gate management and cultivation of land neal the fencing area, he interacted
commitment as a friendly neighbour to with the local farmers as well. Subsequently, he visited the Maltl'r's Memorial at
strengthen the friendship. "We extend our Hussainwala and paid homage there.
full support to the Bangladesh government Later Chidambaram also visited BOP Satpal in Bikaner, located in remote area of the
in resurrecting BDR. We shall not let any desert. He also addressed the BSF jawans during Sainik Sammelan' In his address, he
BDR recalcitrant elements enter into India, said that while the BSF men are facing a particulal tlpe of problem in Punjab' the situ-
this had been our policy during the crisis ation in Rajasthan is still worse due to remoteness, high temperature, lack of habitation'
and this shall be our policy in future as lack of scope for socialisation and also lack of connectivity. He said that with the
rr.ell", Kumawat said. increasing BSF units by 29 battalions and three sectors, he hoped that the existing gaps
BDR chief Brig. Gen. Islam termed the can be narrowed down. I
mutiny as the: "saddest episode to have
l\4ay 2009 F0RCE 55
I
Private Cover
India Inc. makes bee line for CISF couer
r Subhashis Mittra

t is time for India Inc to make a bee line

to the North Block to seek Central
Industrial Security Force (CISF) protec-
tion from the Union home ministry to
keep terrorists at bay. Over 50 private sec-
tor organisations have already put in their
request for CISF cover. The firms include
Reliance famnagar Oil Refinery, Oberoi
Hotels, Taj Hotel Delhi, Infosys, Wipro,
Electronic City, an IT Park in Bangalore,
DLf; Ambuja Cement and Iindal Steel.
The Reliance Refinery Infosys andWipro -
which come under the high risk category -
will be among the first to get CISF cover with
the Union home ministry giving its nod to
these establishments after processing the
applications. The CISF and other security
and intelligence agencies carried out securi-
ty audit of the threat perception as per
which the Electronic Ciry the Bangalore
software complex, too will get the Para-mil-
itary cover. Other companies are expected
to get CISF cover in due course.
Private organisations in Delhi that have
requested for CISF security include Delhi security audit of those firms, the ministry of Mumbai terror strikes which targeted the
Public School branches in East of Kailash, has forwarded these requests to the CISF for Taj and Oberoi hotels. Since the Bill was
Vasant Kunj and R. K. Puram, Radisson carrying out further study of these private referred to the Parliamentary Standing
Hotel and Sir Gangaram Hospital. Besides, organisations. After completing the security Committee, an ordinance was promulgated
the Trident Hotels have sought CISF cover at audit, the CISF will station Quick Reaction during the inter-session period.
eight locations and the Oberoi Hotels at five Teams (QRT) and commando units at the Observing that there would be a natural
locations. \.A/hile both these hotels bore the required installations. inclination amongst the CISF personnel to
brunt of the 26lII Mumbai attack, the "The decision on providing security to seek lucrative postings in the private sector,
Marriott chain of hotels too have sought any unit will be taken after considering the the panel said "there is need for putting in
similar protection in the wake of the terror economic and other vital parameters," a place a suitable personnel policy in the CISF
attack on its hotel in Pakistan recently. senior home ministry official said. to impart the required re-orientation to its
The CISF also provides security and fire- \A/hile suggesting that CISF cover should personnel in the wake of the new areas of
related consultancy services to IIT be provided to the cooperative sector as deployment." It also said the government
(Kharagpur), the National Institute of well, the parliamentary panel in its latest should formulate a comprehensive billing
Criminology and Forensic Sciences and report tabled in both Lok Sabha and Rajya system for charging the costs from the pri-
some major temples, including the Sabha said the government should have vate and joint sector. "The government
Akshardham temple in Delhi. In all, CISF undertaken security audit of the installa- should ensure that it does not incur any
provides consultancies to 63 public and tions and industries in the private sector expenditure, direct or indirect, for security
private sector units at present - security prior to the introduction of the Bill. Such an coverage provided in any private installa-
consultancy to 24 units, fire consultancy to audit would have given the right assessment tion," it said.
nine units and combined security and fire of the quantum of deplol'rnent of CISF for The panel also said that private industrial
consultancy to 30 units. providing security coverage in private and houses should not be allowed to seek CISF
In line with the suggestion of the joint sectors. protection to save on benefits like Pf; gratu-
Parliament's Standing Committee on home The Central Industrial Security Force iry redrement benefits and ESI by suspend-
affairs that deplolirnent of CISF security (Amendment) Bill, 2008 was introduced in ing or terminating services of personnel
cover to the private sector companies the Rajya Sabha in December last year to already employed by them. The Committee
should be done only after a comprehensive amend the original Act of 1968 in the wake felt that it would be appropriate if such facil-

56 F0RCE l\ilay 2009

ity was extended to the cooperative sector, claim lvill be from government and the putes. The home minister, however, allayed
as there were some big industries in that public sector units," he clarified. apprehensions that the CISF rvould get
sector which also contribute to the national Top priority will be accorded to estab- involved in land disputes, saying these
economic growth and development. lishments in petroleum, IT and po-'ver sec- issues lvould lemain under the charge of
Provision of CISF cover to the cooperative tors while extending CISF protection to local authorities.
sector should not be a major issue as the private and joint ventures, the home min- The statement of objects and reasons of
government is of the vielv that an)'thing ister said. "We have a number of requests. the Bill states that with the growing threat
owned by a person other than the Centre or Priority will be given to petroleum and of terrorist outfits, industries in the private
State governments would be considered to natural gas, II, communications, airports, sector and joint ventures, which have con-
be in the private sector. sea ports and porver sector as these sec- tributed to the growth of economy, also
On the panel's recommendation that the tors are most vulnerable and critical to the require CISF cover. It sought to extend CISF
criteria for providing CISF protection economy." cover to Indian Missions or UN
should be scientific, reasonable and trans- Chidambaram observed that the attacks Peacekeeping Missions abroad in the back-
parent, and based on ground realities like in Mumbai brought into focus the threat drop of the attack on Indian Embassy in
threat perception, security and integrify of to iconic institutions rvhich needed to be Kabul last year. The CISF is deployed at the
the country, the home minister P protected. UN Mission in Haiti.
Chidambalam said the service rvould be The Committee felt that lvhile the CISF Chidambaram made it clear that the
available to the private sector after the gov- would be entrusted rvith physical protection CISF securitl, cover rvould not be extended
ernment makes a risk analysis. "!Ve n ill do and securiry cyber crimes should also be to the private sector overnight as the force
risk analysis before providing the services," addressed. "If necessary training may be has to be expanded. The strength of the
he said adding that preference rvould be given to CISF personnel and setting up of a force would be expanded to I,45,000 offi-
given to those areas l'ulnerable to threats separate IT unit may be considered," it said, cers and men from the present level of
from Naxalites and terrorists. In this con- adding that the CISF personnel should be 1,12,534, to meet the growing demand.
text, he informed that steel and mines provided rvith latest weaponry and technol- Noting that there were no separate
n'ould be accorded priority r,vhile providing ogy to enhance their preparedness. The rvomen's battalion in the CISE
CISF protection. Na-xalites have been tar- CISF should also be provided helicopters for Chidambaram informed that at present,
geting private telecom installations and oil quick response to meet an1'emergent situa- the force has 5,000 women personnel and
refineries in some states. tion, the report said. Responding io the sug- hoped that more would .ioin.
He said that the government and the gestion, Chidambaram assured that the "We will induct 33,000 more personnel
public sector units would retain theil first CISF would be equippedwith latest gadgets. rvithin the next two years," informed CISF
claim on the CISF cover even after its serv- The panel proposed that the CISF should Director General N. R. Das.
ices were extended to the private sector. strictly be deployed to protect the installa- Dismissing fears of 'misuse' of the force
" Ihere will be no question of reducing the tions, machineries and ploduction only by private enterprises, he said, "We have
CISF cover to public sector units. The first and not interfere in industrial or land dis- good experience of dealing with the private

The 0rigin of CISF ic and technological growth of the country

and have also been playing significant role
The CISF was formed by an Act of Besides PSUs, the CISF provides security in developing machinery, equipment and
Parliament in 1968 to provide better pro- to most of the airports, critical and vital, gadgetry of strategic importance.
tection and security to Public Sector nuclear power and space installations, Contribution by the private sector in
Undertakings after a devastating fire in major sea ports, thermal and hydel proj- these fields has substantially contributed
HEC, Ranchi in 1964 in which sabotage ects, petroleum and natural gas installa- in the economic growth and rising status
r,\ias suspected.Under the Act, the force tions, industries including mines in Left of India in the world in the recent years. At
provides security to Central Public Sector Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas, the same time, country's economic growth
Undertakings (PSUs) on full reimburse- WPs, Delhi Metro, important government and all round development has created
ment basis. The Act had been amended on buildings and Samadhis. The force was vulnerabilities from fbrces and elements
three occasions. By an amendment of the also deployed on internal securiry disaster inimical to the country, in terms of efforts
Principal Act in 1983, the CISF was management and election related duties. to destabilise our economy through sub-
declared as an Armed Force of the Union. With the security scenario in the coun- versive and terrorist activities.
The amendment made in the Act in l9B9 try undergoing a sea change during the Many of the major cities, most recently
made a provision for protection of the per- last few years and in view of the grolving Mumbai, have suffered terrorist attacks,
sonnel of the PSUs as well. The further threats due to terrorism and extremism, bomb blasts etc, which aim at terrorising
amendment of the Act in 1999 enabled the the private sector has been making the people at large and shake their confi-
Central Government for deployment of demands for security of their establish- dence in the political system. The loom-
CISF in industrial organisations owned or ments through CISF on cost reimburse- ing threat of the terror also shakes the
funded by the Central Government and to ment basis. Many vital industries in the confidence of the private sector and the
entrust any other dufy to the force and also Private Sector and Joint Ventures Sectors investor in the economy. The need to
made provision for consultancy to private are producing goods and rendering servic- amend the bill this time was felt in this
sector in security matters. es, which have contributed to the scientif- context. a

May 2009 F0RCE 57

sector since 2001, when Cochin Airport security audit also covers big hotels in met- the CISF personnel - at existing and nen'
rvas built lvith private-public partnership." ros iike Mumbai's Taj and beaches fre- locations -would get out of watch andward
The CISF chief was of the view that the quented by foreign tourists. But since the functions. Instead, the CISF commandos
expertise would prove handy in dealing security cover is not going to be abie avail- would be posted at crucial locations and
lvith new challenges. able to everyone for asking, the audit come into the picture in case of a need.
"vill Union home secretary Madhukar Gupta
Explaining the criteria for processing determine the kind of security cover that
requests from the private sector units, the should be extended, if at all. told the Parliamentary Committee that the
CISF DG said the first priority would be The Parliamentary panel, headed bY CISF deployment aimed at'protecting criti-
industries as it is vital for the economy. Sushma Swaraj, observed that there was cal areas' relating to access control and sur-
Militancy-hit areas surfaced next on the 'stagnation' in certain cadres and result- veillance. "The other access control should
list, while the third category would include ant resentment in the force and suggested be in the hands of private security guards.
industries involving heary investments. that efforts should be made to increase However, wireless communication system
For now, the home ministrY has drawn promotional avenues in all the cadres of would be maintained by the CISF, In case of
up a three-tier priority list that has crucial CISF in general and in the affected cadres any problem, the Quick Reaction Team of
sectors like power, atomic energy, space' in palticular. the CISF would immediately rush to the sit-
airports, science and technology at the top' A senior BJP leader S. S. Ahluwalia sug- uation," he informed the panel.
The second priority includes major units in gested that instead of expanding the CISF In case of IT majors, the home ministrl'
Naxalite or insurgency-affected areas. to provide security cover to private estab- favoured positioning CISF commandos at
Private sector units that do not fall in either lishments, the services of ex-army men and Iocations from where they could extend
of the first two, but may face a significant ex-policemen could be availed. He felt that cover to multiple units at the same time.
threat come last. posting of CISF personnel to places like The CISF at present provides protection
A security audit of the public and private Bangalore and Pune would cause heart- to lB9 Public sector undertakings, 49 gov-
sector has been ordered to assess the secu- burn among other personnel posted in ernment buildings and 57 airports. It also
rity requirements at the new locations and remote Na-xal-hit areas to guard private protects 33 other installations like the
optimise deployment at the 300-plus pub- sector units. Delhi N1etro Rail and'samadhis' (memori-
lic sector installations. In addition, the The home ministry has made it cleal that als) like Raj Ghat. o

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58 F0RCE May 2009

Stumbling Blocks
Technology transfer under'Buy and Make' is a misnomer
1l proposals for the procurement of new same route.
equipment are debated in the Defence The history of production of tanks in India is
Acquisition Council (DAC) and categorised as indicative of India's continued dependence on
'Buy', 'Buy and Make' and 'Make' cases. 'Buy' licenced production. Manufacture of T-55 tanks in
implies outright purchase of the complete quanti- India began in early Seventies under a'Buy and
ty required. In case the requirement is large, it is Make' arrangement. T-72 and T-90 have followed
considered prudent to adopt 'Buy and Make' the same route. Apparently, India has gained little
route. It entails initial purchase of limited quanti- during the last four decades in terms of technolo-
ty in fully built up form, follolved by licenced pro- gy to be self reliant. Similar course has been fol-
duction/indigenous production of the balance lorved in the case of fighter aircraft - from old
requirement. Finalty, 'Make' cases refer to indige- rvarhorse MiG 21 to current Sukhoi series.
nous development of the equipment. laguar aircraft from the UK rvere also licence
I Major General India has been exercising 'Buy' option in
respect to high-tech, high value and urgently
manufactured in India. The trend continues with
renerved intensity. A contract for Hawk jet trainers
Mrinal Suman (retd) rvas signed rvith BAE in 2004 for 66 Hawk trainers
required procurements. As in ali such cases the
quantity required is limited and it is not consid- - 24 ro be supplied by BAE in flyalvay condition
ered cost-effective to create infrastructure for n'hile the remaining 42 are being manufactured in
subsequent manufactute within the country India under technology transfer licence' As per
Some of the major 'Buy' cases finalised in the reports appearing in the press, an additional
recent past relate to Weapon Locating Radars, C- requirement of 57 aircraft is being projected now'
As regards'Make' Request for proposals (RFP) issued for 126
1301-30 Super Hercules Transport aircratl, P-BI
cases, lndia has noth- Boeing Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance air- Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA)
craft and Smerch Multi-Barrel Rocket Launchers' for a projected cost of over 10 billion dollars con-
ing to show in the last Recently, the government has issued Request for tains the clause that the first lB aircraft rvill come
Proposal (RFP) for outright purchase of 140 in a'fly arvay' condition, while the remaining 108
five decades. 155mm/52 calibre Ultra-Light Hoivitzer guns' rvili be manufactured under fbT. It is reported
As regards 'Make' cases, India has nothing to that the government wants to retain an option
Conversion of the 1br an additional quantity of 64 aircraft on the
shorv for its efforts in the last five decades'
much hyped Trishul Conversion of the much hlped Trishul missile same terms, thereby bringing the total quantity
defence system into a technology demonstration to 190 aircraft.
missile defence sYs- programme once again proved the failure of Indian RFP for 197 light helicopters (133 for the
India's Defence Research and Development Indian Army and 64 for the air force) to replace its
tem into a technologY aging Chetak and Cheetah fleet worth close to 600
Organisation (DRDO) to develop any high-tecli
demonstration Pro- equipment in the promised time-frame and con- million dollars also contains the clause that 60
forming to the accepted parameters. It has been a helicopters would be bought outright, with the
gramme once again chronicle of tall claims and abject failures' remaining 137 being built under license by
Therefore, it was decided in 2006 to revise 'Make' Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Similarly,
proved the failure ol category and limit the role of DRDO to the devel- as per the RFP issued for I55mm 52-calibre torved
opment of projects requiring sophisticated tech- guns, India wants to buy 400 guns off-the-shelf
lndia's to devel-
DRD() and produce 1,100 guns in India under licence'
nology of strategic, complex and security sensitive
op any hightech nature. Development of high-tech equipment has
been assigned to Integrated Project Management Stated Advantages of'Buy and Make'
equipment in the Teams under the Acquisition Wing of the Ministry Once a decision is taken to categorise a procure-
of Defence (MoD). ment proposal as'Buy and Make', the Department
promised time-lrame of Defence Production (DDP) is asked to nomi-
However, it is 'Buy and Make' category that is
considered the preferred route for most of the nate an agency to receive technology for indige-
and conlorming to the nous production. The Production Agency (PA) so
large quantity high value contracts. Instead of
accepted parameters. procuring the complete quantity in fully built-up nominated is thereafter co-opted in the prepara-
condition, India buys some and manufactures tion of RFP to oversee all aspects concerning ToT.
It has been a chroni- the balance under transf'er of technology (ToT). As all defence public sector units and the ord-
Earlier when the erstwhile USSR rvas the sole nance factories (collectively referred to as the
cle of tall claims and public sector hereto after) come under DDB it is
supplier of defence equipment to India, acquisi-
tion of all major weapon platforms followed the always one of them that gets nominated as PA'
abject failures
May 2009 F0RCE 59
I
Private sector companies, even if more biggest myth that is being perpetuated pressed to accept prices quoted by them.
suitable to receive and absorb technology, rvith total disregard to ground realities. No They border on exorbitance. There have
are never considered for nomination as PA. technology gets transferred to India at all. been times when it was felt that import of
At times a public sector entity is nominated \Vtrat the foreign vendors provide are rudi- fully built-up equipment would have been
as PA only because it does not have ade- mentary drawings to assemble equipment. a cheaper option. Many equate such PA
quate work load, its suitability being of lit- Indigenous production is nothing except with middlemen and traders who charge
tle consequence. assembling of sub-assemblies and compo- hefty commission (fancifully called value
As seen above,'Buy and Make' continues nents to deliver fully built units to the serv- addition) for facilitating imports.
to be the preferred route. Four major rea- ices. Therefore, India gains nothing as India's defence research and develop-
sons advanced in its favour are as follows:- regards technological know-how from such ment ef'forts have also not benefited from
an arrangement. 'Buy and Make' deals. Every time new
Gains ftom Technology Import Take the case ofT-series tanks - India has equipment is imported, DRDO strips it
Technology received under'Buy and Make' been producing them since early Seventies, open to learn through reverse engineering.
helps raise threshold of indigenous knowl- yet our competence to improve upon the In the absence of detailed drawings,
edge which acts as a take-off platform for imported know-how is pathetic. India pro- DRDO's efforts remain confined to dupli-
further progression. Instead of reinventing cured T-55 tanks along with technology for cation rather than absorption of technolo-
the wheel, India takes a technology jump to indigenous manufacture. \.&rhen T-55 gy. Not one case can be quoted where
catch up with the latest advancements. became obsolete and needed replacement, DRDO has learnt from imported technolo-
Imported technology provides an impetus India had to rush abroad for T-72 tanks gy to develop better products indigenously.
to indigenous research and development with ToT. Even after manufacturing hun- Even in the case of essential spares, India
in defence systems, thereby reducing dreds of these tanks, India could not mas- has never achieved self-reliance. Every for-
dependence on foreign suppliers for future ter the technology or improve upon it. It eign vendor ensures that India remains
requirements and making India self reliant. was again Russia that provided T-90 tanks dependent on him for critical spares. He
to replace the ageing fleet. Once again thus retains effective leverage and exploits
Saving ofResources India has bought technology for licenced it by hefty price increases. Even after'
Indigenous manufacture is considerably production in India. If every time India has decades of manufacturing T-series of tanks
more cost-effective than procuring fully to resort to import of newer versions, tech- and MiG aircraft, India looks up to Russia
manufactured equipment, even though all noiogy infusion means little. to keep its fleet functional. It is a sad reflec-
major assemblies and critical components Such an arrangement suits the foreign tion of futility of current mode of ToT.
are supplied by the foreign vendor. vendors ideally. They do not part with their India has certainllr lsgn able to replicate
closely guarded technology as that guaran- some imported components under its indi-
Assured LifeTime Support to Equipment tees them continued business by perpetu- genisation programme, but this process is
By establishing production infrastructure ating India's dependence on them. They limited to itens like rvashers, seals and
in India, life time technical and spare-parts provide assembly drawings and nothing other commonplace components. As no
support is ensured for the equipment. else. India has to keep importing critical foreign vendor parts with metallurgical
Thus, dependence on foreign suppliers sub-assemblies and components from knorv-hon', even critical nuts and bolts
gets eliminated. Additionally, indigenisa- them, thereby assuring long-term busi- cannot be manufactured locally and have
tion of critical components goes a long way ness to them. Citing inflation, they keep to be imported.
to ensure serviceability of equipment. raising prices as rvell. The net result is that Absence of genuine transfer of technolo-
instead of importing fully built units, India gy can also be gauged from the fact that
Social and Economic Benefits imports equipment in semi-knocked India cannot even upgrade the equipment
Inflow of assembly work creates consider- down or fully knocked down condition for manufactured under ToT. In every case, the
able number of jobs in the country which indigenous assembly. foreign vendor has to be approached. He
would be lost in case India procures com- 'Buy and Make' policy appears custom- develops the kit, upgrades some numbers
plete requirement in assembled condition. made for India's DPSU. Unlike the private and thereafter, the balance quantity is
Most of the defence public sector units sector, they do not have to strive and com- upgraded indigenously under the same
(DPSU) are thriving on assembly work as pete for business. Their struggle is limited 'Buy and Make' route. The foreign vendor
very little indigenous developmental work to intense lobbying in the corridors of DDP thus not only charges huge fees but also
has resulted in production orders. In case for nomination as PA. A nomination means ensures that his business thrives through
assembly orders dry up, DPSU would be assured business for years with no riders of selling of upgrade kits to India.
strapped for rvork. cost, quality and delivery schedule. No Finally, most ToT agreements get
mastery of advanced technical knowledge embroiled in controversy. It is alleged that
Appraisal of'Buy and Make' Policy is required to assemble equipment. foreign vendors tend to renege from their
India has been adopting 'Buy and Make' Therefore, ',vithout much sweat, DPSU contractual obligations by resorting to
route for decades now. Enough time has starts producing equipment. skewed and subjective interpretation of
passed and considerable experience has Although the roie of nominated PA is various clauses. Recent reports of Russia's
been gained for an objective assessment of limited to putting together sub-assemblies intransigence and non-cooperative atti-
various facets ofthe policy. and pasting its own label on the assembled tude in respect of ToT for T-90 tanks amply
Technology transfer under 'Buy and product, it charges a huge profit for its proves this point. With little leverage, India
Make' is a misnomer. In fact, it is the efforts. At times, the services are hard is always on the receiving end with insin-

60 FORCE May 2009

 remains a laggard. It will not be incorrect to
state that India's'Buy and Make'policy has
succeeded only in impeding development
of indigenous competence and perpetuat-
ing dependence on imports. Worse, this
policy effectively rules out any role for the
private sector, thereby denying the country
of its prowess.
According to Defence Procurement
Procedure - 2008, suitable PA could be
selected from any of the public/private sec-
tor firms including a joint venture company,
based on the inputs from DDP and, if
required, from DRDO. Unfortunately, the
above provision means little. Inputs and
recommendations of DDP are always in
favoul ofthe public sector. In a recent case,
DDP went to the extent of nominating a
public sector company peremptorily as the
sole development and production agency in
a'Make' case, flouting its ovrn written policy.
India must take three steps urgently to
set things right. First, DDP should be abol-
ished. It is an archaic department with
biased mindsets. DDP is known for its
impedimentary role in the modernisation
of the services. It contributes little and
delays all proposals till the public sector is
accepted as the sole supplier. A new
cere foreign vendors trying to e\ploit small the public sector assembles sub-assem- department called Department of Defence
print in contracts. blies and puts its own tag and charges hefq' Industry should be created to oversee
profit. Frequent and unwarranted price development of Indian defence industry
The Way Forward increases make products unjustly expen- (both the public and the private sectors) in
'Buy and Make' policy has the follorving sive. In other words, the defence budget is an integlated and synchronised manner.
fallout: made to bear the burden of ensuring sur- Secondly, time has come to involve the
vival ofthe public sector. private sector at the categorisation of pro-
o As the recipient of technologf is aln'ays a o Knorvledgeable vendors find 'Buy and posals stage itself, albeit within the con-
public sector entity, entry of the private Make' route to be the most remunerative straints of secrecy requirements. As
sector in defence production gets effective- mode of doing business with India. Their monopoly breeds complacency, open
Iy blocked. It is a neat stratagem to perpet- make huge profits by piggyback riding on competition should be encouraged to force
uate the monopoly of the public sector. The the public sector. They have learnt that the the industry to upgrade its technology and
role of the private sector remains restricted public sector continues to call shots in skills for survival. The most suitable entity
to supplying components and sub-assem- India. They manage to court it by promis- should be selected to receive technology.
blies to the public sector. That is one of the ing licenced production with ToT. Once a The country can ill-afford to continue to
reasons why the private sector continues to contract is signed continuous flow of busi- sustain inel-ficient public sector companies
be a fringe player. ness is ensured for decades - initially by through unwarranted patronage.
. Due to the availability of assured busi- supplying fully built units and subsequent- And finally, the complete gamut of tech-
ness opportunities through nomination as ly by providing sub-assemblies and critical nology and its transfer should be adminis-
PA, the public sector never feels the need to components. tered by a duly constituted Defence
update its technology or improve its skills. o No real transfer of technology takes Technology Oversight Committee (DTOC).
It remains smug in the knowledge that it place. No expert agency monitors ground DTOC should identify level and scope of
has only to keep the decision makers of implementation. The complete responsi- technology needed to be imported, identi-
DDP in good humour to get orders. In the bility is assigned to PA. Unfortunately, nei- fy suitable recipients and oversee smooth
absence of any competition, the public ther PA nor the foreign vendor is keen to transfer and absorption on ground. It must
sector becomes complacent and fails to carry it out sincerely. PA is happy as long as be appreciated that purchase oftechnology
modernise itself. it can keep assembling equipment to sell to costs the country dear. Full advantage
o Being part of MoD, every public sector the services. must be taken of it for the advancement of
PA treats the services as captive customers. The net result is that the Indian defence indigenous industry. It is too serious a mat-
The services have to suffer indifferent qual- industry continues to suffer. As no genuine ter to be left to the diligence and prudence
ity and delayed deliveries. As seen earlier, transfer of technology takes place, India of nominated defence sector entities. o

l\4ay 2009 F0RCE 61

Future Communication
CII organises seminar to focus on communication to support BMS
l_

Confederatior

lnternationa* #*ru=c*mr
radigm Shift in Cor*rnunication to Support
Battlefield Mar: eg*ment SYstem

-.* m
"f

S i;i:i':$ltt'
ilt
r Aditi Bhan and Vidhi Upadhyay time situational awareness. So rvhen Speaking at the inauguration of the sem-
General Deepak Kapoor, Chief of the Arml' inar, General Kapoor said, "Ensuring suffi-
magine this - a battlefield where there are Staff, says that future rvars rvould be of cient availability of radio frequencies or
no soldiers to guard or fight the enemy shorter duration rvhere technology rt'ould spectrum for setting up an optimal battle-
yet the latter can't enter the area lvithout play the most important role, he is talking field management system (BMS) is essen-
risking his life - for every movement of the about a scenario rvhere information flotvs tial for the Indian security forces which are
enemy is being watched and any intrusion smoothly from almy headquarters to bat- today upgrading their legacy communica-
rvould prompt counter-action from the sol- talion headquarters, right up to the soldier tion systems." He further said, "We have to
dier sitting far away from the scene of action on ground. As General Kapoor puts it, ensure suitable netrvorking betrveen the
and regulating the events through remote- "Technology r,vould form the backbone of communications systems of various secu-
controlled weapons. A bit vague or straight all future rvars which rvould be of a shorter rity agencies that will ensure availabiiity of
out of some science fiction, isn't it? duration but probably more lethal and real-time data in real-time situations." He
'Il-ren imagine the other scenario - a sol- therefore it is important that we empower also expressed the need to suitably priori-
dier standing at the check-post, checking the last man at the post." tise spectrum availability with national
the vehicles entering a building. Suddenly, It has been quite sometime norv since security needs.
there is a terrorist attack and he is killed. lndian Army has been on a mission to Stressing upon the need for the Indian
Yet, before the terrolists can enter the modernise itself to meet the future chal- Army to develop suitable linkages with the
building and cause havoc, they are gunned lenges of the battlefield. And to help it in its private sector, given the dynamic changes
dorvn by the alert soldiers r,vho had been task, Confederation of Indian Industry taking piace in communication technolo-
monitoring the scene from inside the (CII) recently organised a setninat on gies, Lt Gerr. P C. Katoch, Director General
premises. Sounds a bit realistic? Doesn't it? 'Paradigm Shift in Communication to Information Systems said, "The existing
But fbr these illusions to take folm there Support Battlefield Management System'. legacy systems do not allor,v the soldier on
is a need for effective surveillance and a The seminar sar,v huge participation from the ground to take advantage of informa-
sound communication system, that is, real- both industry and armed forces personnel. tion services like video, graphics data and

62 F0RCE lVlay 2009

'What we 0ffer is Transfer of Technology to the lndian lndustry'
Director, Thctical Internet Aduanced Projects, Defence Tactical Communications, Land and Joint
Systems, Thales, JneN - Louts Dnnnunnr
Tell us ahout your products and what are you we have in the US and the UK to local
offering to lndian armed forces? champion of radio in India. So it is for the
We are working on Joint Tactical Radio benefit of Indian industry and on a way
System (ITRS) programme in the US. back for us - it is a tremendous business
Thales is one of the champiorls in JTRS case because Indian army is so big, so huge
right now, particularly the enhanced JTRS. that even ToT is of interest to our company'
Our US soldiers right nolv use JEM (ITRS
enhanced MBITR). We are also otfering the How is your product different from the ones being

FLEXNET. FLEXNET is a Sofnvare Defined oflered by other companies?

Radio (SDR), manufactured by both I'hales Thales probably is the only company in
and Rockwell Collins; and can be the world to provide complete communi-
described as a compact vehicular rvide cation solution from the lowest in the
bandV/UHF SDR. rank to the highest. Our company is tak-
The purpose of our programmes is to ing care of radio for soldier and platoon;
select the most appropriate rvat'eform that men or firemen is through talk. With this and company is also providing same type
matches with the current tactical situation type of software-defined radio, we can of radio for vehicles, combat vehicle
of the unit. Even if there is a need to have a load into this radio, if it is necessary. This is infantry etc. We also take care of commu-
long-hold communication, sanre radio one of the proposals that we have. nication solution for TCS programme for
should be used for it. For example, if there \Vhat we offer is Transfer of Technology lndia. We can also take care of deployable
is an ealthquake, then the best \\'ay to co1- (ToT) to the Indian industry. This is a busi- lP area network (DIANE). This is the
laborate with the securiry fbrces, police- ness. We can provide this technology tl.rat model for TCS programme. o

'We Can 0ffer Products to the lndian Defence Ministry Across the Board'
Vice President, Global Technology, Rockwell Collins, ReI Accenwer

Tell us something about the Rockwell Collins Ministry of Defence?

Engineering Development Gentre in Hyderabad. We have recent broadband radios that
We started the Er.rgineering development can support the voice data and the video
centre for aviottics and communication capabilities. We can also of'fer our
in Hyderabad in October last year and it is Dynamic Spectrum Access capability. We
operational now. We call it the engineer- should be able to provide them the entire
ing development centre for the Rockrt'ell products across for the entire voice radio
Col1ins, and so it goes all the rva-v f}om communicatlons, the data link communi-
hardware to software systems. Right cations, and be able to network them, so
now we are doing sottware applobation basically entire net\'vork management.
for the displays and the flight manage- We just won a programme for net-cen-
ment systems. tric operations for the naly which we are
1.A doing jointly with ECIL. The army is obvi-
ln which areas are you offering your products and ously interested in the surveillance and sit-
service here in lndia? uational awareness, for UAVs and other
Rockwell Collins has products for military systems, displairs fbr ground and air plat-
as well commercial systems, rvhich Our radios have beet-r around for long forms, and we supply those as well.
include navigation, communication, even time, the legacy is from Collins Radio The IAF has legacy platforms from
the flight controls, UAVs, displays and sur- Company. the radios from that compa-
So Russia. Rockwell Collins is a major player
veillance products. We can ofTer products ny have been used by customers around in providing the entire avionics upgrade
to the Indian Defence Ministrv across the globe. There are a lot of platforms in for them. We want to be able to bring our
the board. India as r've1l including the fbrces using solutions into the Russian platforms
our radios. including among other capabilities'
Which of your products are currently being used an improvement in the situational
here in lndia defence services? What are you currently ollering to the lndian awareness. .

May 2009 F0RCE 63

I
'With Netcentric Mission, We will be Equipped to Respond lmmediately'
Chief of the Land Armament Programme, Italian Army, CoL Envnvro Prcntucnuxr
Tell us something about your Future lnfantry be exchanged simultaneously with a
Soldier Programme? Will you be implementing the German or a French colleague. Some of
programme this year itself? our Finmeccanica companies exchange
Yes, we are going to send our first batch of information with other companies and
future infantry soldiers to Afghanistan this everybody is looking for the best solution.
year. At the moment we are doing some
more tests, the prototype is ready and has Can you explain, by way ol example, how the
done a good job. We are going for produc- improved communication with a Future lnlantry
tion and I don't think there should be a Soldier will give you an edge in the lield?
problem there. Afghanistan is on our prioriry list at the
moment. \Vhen we began this kind of proj-
How is the concept of communication for Future ect, the chief of defence said that the main
lnfantry Soldier dillerent from the existing ones? idea n'as to change the equipment of the
Basically, the platoon commander is able soldier if possible, and that would have
to talk with the vehicle, but as an edge I taken 10 years. Or else, change net-centric
will say, they can also communicate using visiorr for the future. In Afghanistan, we
the satellite at the regiment level. They can use this sl.stem for firing, targetting,
have some other equipment such as the we don't need to change every single precision, helping a soldier in trouble -
Bluetooth system just for talking inside moment of frequency. The communica- basicallv for protection purpose. With net-
the platoon. tion is also secure because we can use all centric mission, rve rvill be equipped to
Every single soldier is able to talk with spectrums of frequencies. respond imrnediately to any situation. It
the platform vehicle, besides there are also helps in sharing information with
some other extra radio communication How and when did the c0ncept of Future Infantry other countries at work there. In earlier
systems as well. Every single soldier is able Soldier begin? times, the commander was unable to
to reach the platform and through the The countries involved in this kind of pro- receive all the information from the battle-
platform reach another level. However, gramme have been working since 2002-03. field. There rvas a hierarchy of people
one notable facet is that only the com- It is normai for the kind of operations that beriveen the commander and the soldier
mander can talk with the regiment com- rve carriedin Iraq and Afghanistan that like the intelligence people, officers, com-
mander; no one can cut into or cut this countries involved like ltaly, Germanl', mand post, rvho all shared the information
communication. USA, the NATO countries * exchange ivhich finally filtered to the commander.
information. The companies which started Today, thg chief of defence is able to reach
How do you then ensure the security of such a net- working on the concept only moved u'ith- the field immediately and witness the sol-
work? in these NATO countries. We needed the dier's movement. It means a soldier is able
Crypto Communication is one thing, transmissions from our systems to be to send a picture or a video even at the
besides that our communication is completely integrated rvith the NATO sys- strategic level - one of the greatest
secured because of the codes inside and tem, which implied that information could achievement of this system. o

imagery. For this, it is important Jean-Louis Debeuret of Thales

that the Indian security forces (see interview) spoke about how
take advantage of the strengths of his company supports communi-
the domestic IT industry." He cation from between all levels of
added, "Technology can be the the army and between the three
force mtrltiplier that can give otrr defence services - army, nar,y and
security forces the cutting edge." air force. Then thele was also
1'he Lrvo-dal seminarwas joint- presentation by Col Elminio
ly organised by CII and the Indian Pierangelini of Italian army (see
Army's Directorate General of intervierv).
Information S)'stems (DGiS). An exhibitlon r'vas also held
Besides senior army officials, on the occasion rvherein big
there were also speakers from global defence companies
industry who talked at length like Raytheon, Thales and
about their producrs. \\fhile Lars Finmeccanica participated.
Heinonen, senior systerns engi- Among the many things that were
neer, Saab, talked about the prob- exhibited were mobile radios and
lem of inadequate bandrvidth; even antennas. o

64 F0RCE lVlay 2009

Secure Seas
Lockheed Martin hard-sells its Aegis BMD System to India
hile the Indian Nav-v has been the radar detect and identify hostile
Richatd G. Kirkland
speaking about a terrorist threat
Iong range cruise missiles? \Arhat
from the sea for quite sometime, about the supersonic and hypersonic
nobody, including probabll' the narv cruise missile of the BrahMos class?
Ballistic missiles of what speed can be
itself took this threat seriousll'unless
successfully intercepted? \Mhat is the
26l I I happened. Norv, more maritime
proven area defence that a single Aegis
threats look real. For instance. in case
can provide? \\ihat is the capability of
of a war with Pakistan, a likell' sce- *€
.:.

nario would be the use of ballistic mis-

the interceptor seeker? How does
Aegis network with land-based BMD'
siles and cruise missiles b1'lslamabad
on lndias sea lanes of colnmunica- let us say PAC-3 and so on? Howard
tions; to ensure that India's shipping is
did some plain speaking and said that
immobilised for the rvar duration. To much of this stuff was classified.
However, a lot of information could be
counter this, what India needs is a sea-
got from the internet.
based ballistic missile defence svslcm
(BMDS) that working bf itself, or in This led to the next question: if
Aegis is given to India, what about the
concert with land-based B\1DS'
demolishes the incoming missile long
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
Kirkland said that this issue will be
before it reaches the target. \\iithout i:i
saying all this, Richard G. Kirkland,
resoh,ed by the two governments.
Once the US government gave its nod,
president, South Asia, Lockheed i
LM will ensure that the sold capability
Martin GI, CorPorate Business
rvould remain relevant throughout the
Development, met a select Sroup of
life of a ship, which is 30 to 40 years' It
Indian journalists to talk about the
Aegis BMD; the ploven area-defence
lvould be LM's resPonsibilitY to
capability at sea on board six coun- upgrade, redesign and maintain the
Aegis system onboard the ship. This is
tries navies'cruisers and destrovers.
senior -- - possible as the combat system has an
He said that his team (his
naval advisor for Asia and Pacific Affairs,
I. Management System (the command post, open architecture design, Should the user
Daniel Howard was present to ansn'er tech- the nerve centre that links the sensor to the want a new interceptor, or wish to replace a
nical questions on the Aegis B\{D) had shooter) has two modes, manual and full sub-system, it would be LM's job to inte-
given presentations (called informational automatic, imp$ing that the CMS, to save grate things. At this stage, a natural question
briefings) to the Inciian Navl' and the time, automatically transmits the sensor' to ask the LM team was whether they have
defence ministry on the system. He con- information to the shooter. The shooter, of seen the DRDO's budding BMD capabiliry
firmed that sales, if they happen, rvould take courser is the Raytheon's proven formidable and was it possible to collaborate with
SM2 (standard Missile) and SM3 intercep- them? Kirkland confirmed that they were in
the Foreign Military Sales (FNIS) route
tors. Thus, the Aegis system is about the a dialogue with the DRDO. His clever reply
bet\,veen the t\,vo governments' The US gov-
ernment alone would decide rvhat tech- powerful radar onboard ship at sea with the to the trick question on collaboration was:
capability to track over 100 targets and 'The two systems (LM and DRDO's effort)
nologies could be offered, saying in the
same breath that both the variants of the engage multiple targets including long have to be compatible for data exchange.'
radar onboard the Aegis, SPY lD and SPY lE range cruise missile, anti-ship missiles and That said it all. By DRDO's ovm admission,
had been sold to friendly countries. tactical ballistic missiles. The target infor- its BMD capabilities are a technology
Emphasising on the radar, his colleague, mation is relayed to the CMS, which in turn demonstrator, suggesting that just about a
Howard, explained that the radar of the acts to activate the interceptor to hit and beginning has been made. The DRDO
Integrated Aegis Combat System, lvhich is destroy the hostile missile in mid-course. would need a lot of outside assistance to get
20 years old, is still the same Phased Array The ballistic missile thus is intercepted out- its project going. Meanwhile, Kirkland con-
horizontal scanning radar with minimal side the atmosphere. firmed that they are also in touch with both
changes. \A,{hat has changed drastically is its All this evinced a lot of interest amongst the Indian PSUs and private industry ship-
processing system. The latter is state-of-the- the listening journalists and there was a vol- yards to understand how the Aegis combat
ley of questions on technology, and how system can be co-opted on indigenous ships
art with a capability to process signals thou-
sands of times faster. On this technology, much and in what fashion the Aegis capabil- under construction. Given that LNI is

iry could be given to India. The queries on aggressively pushing its Aegis combat man-
LM has spent nearly US10 billion dollars in
the last tr,vo decades. The Aegis Combat Aegis technologies are: At what range can agement system, the story has just begun. o

May 2009 F0RCE 65

 PIRATE Leads
IAF seeking passiue target recognition system
r Prasun K. Sengupta rvould be 50nm. The use of pro-
cessing techniques further
ust like the fierce competition enhances the output, giving a neal
now underrvay for supplying high-resolution image of targets.
MRCAs lor the IndianAir Force The actual output from the system
(IAF), a parallel competition is can be directed to any of the
proceeding ahead for supplying multi-function head down
nerv-generation passive infra- AX,ILCDs rr-rounted within a com-
red search-and-track (IRST) sys- bat airclaft's cockpit. Additionally,
tems coupled with active elec- the in.rage can be overlaid on both
tronically scanned array (AESA) the helmet-nrounted display sight
radars for both the yet-to-be- and heads-up display (HUD). The
selected MRCA, and for the'Iejas IIR sensor is stabilised within its
light combat aircraft (LCA), mount so that it can maintain a
rvhich is non'being flight-tested. its field-of-view
target \vitllin
Pirate IRST; (FoV). Up to 200 targets can be
All in all, more than 460 IRST svs- (below) ()SF IRSI;
tems are expected to be ordered. (bottom)'l3SMl simultaneouslv tracked by the sys-
IRST
Bidding to supply the IRSTs are tem using one ol several different
Burope's EuroFirst consortium modes: n-rultiple target track
(offering the PIRATE), a consor- (MTT), single target track (STT),
tium of France's THALES and single target track identification
Sagem D6fense Sdcurit6 offering (STTI), sector acquisition and
the Optronique Secteur Frontal slar,ed acquisition.
(OSF), Slveden's Saab offering In NIll' mode the system lvill
the IR-OTIS, and Russia's Urals scan a designated volume space
Optical & Mechanical Plant looking for potential targets. In
(UOMZ) offering the l3SM1 SfT rnode PIRATE rvill provide
sensor. high-precisior.r tracking of a sin-
The PIRAIE, 'or passive infra- gle designated target. An addition
red airborne tracking equipmentl to this rrode, STT Identification
is a second-generation imaging allon's for r,isual identification of
infra-red (IIR) system and has the airborne target, the resolution
been developed by the EuroFirst being superior to that provided
consortium led by THALES by the Caesal AESA. \ffhen in sec-
Optronics and Selex-Gaiileo. tor acquisition mode, the PIRATE
PIRATE incorporates both a for- n'ill scan a volume of space undel
rvard looking infra-red (FLIR) and direction of another sensor such
IRST capability. The system itself as the Caesar. ln slave acquisition
utilises a highly sensitive IIR sen- the use ol ol'f-board sensors is
sor mounted to the port side of the made, rvith the PIRATE being
canopy. This sensor scans ac[oss commanded by data obtained
wavelengths from three micron to from an AEW & C platform, for
ll miclon in tno bands. This example. lVhen a target is found
allorvs the detection of both the in either of these modes PIRAIE
hot exhaust plumes of turbofans rvill automatically designate it
as rvell as sulface heating caused and srvitch to STT. Once a target
by friction. By supercooling the has been tracked and identified,
sensor even small variations in PIRATE can be used to cue a r,vith-
temperatule can be detected at in-visual-range air-to-air missile,
long range. Although no definitive i.e. a missile lvith a high off-bore-
ranges have been released an sight tracking capability.
upper limit of B0nm has been Additionally, the data can be used
hinted at, but a more tlpical figure to augment that of the Caesar or

66 F0RCE lVlay 2009

 AAQ-32 lFtss

off-board sensor informatioir obtainecl range of several tens of nautical miles. For Lockheed Martin are co-developing a proof-
from an integrated E\\- suite'. lltis tvill example, he can pick up three F/A-I8s of-concept demonstrator. The IRSTs sub-
aircrait to over-
er.rable the IRS'I'-equipped preparing to penetrate at 20,000 t'eet and sYstems include a sensor head that houses a
come severe ECM enviror-rments ancl still three additional F/A-1Bs protecting the fbr- three-a,xls inertially stabilised gimbal that
engage lts targets. rner at 40,000 feet. scans the optics aDd cletector assembly; a
Nolthrop Grurnnau's .L\Q-:j2 Inrernal Saab D1'namlcs, on the other hand, is COTS processor that hosts the algoritl.rms
FLIR targetting svstem (IF'IS), coupled nith offering the IR-OTIS in conibination rvith and a l.righ-density digital recorder, and an
the APG-80 AESA, is currcntiv opcrational both its Ericsson-built Nora .,\ESA and the air-to-liquid heat exchanger (environrnental
on board the Lockhced \lartin-built lllock existing PS-o5/A mechanicallv scanneci air- control sub-system, or ECS). The US Navy
60/62 F-t6E/F Dcsert Faclor.r \l-\lRCAs of borne multi-mode radar'. 'I'he IR-OTIS has plans to buy 150 such lRSTs, rvith the system
the United Arab Emirate s -\ir Force been fligl.rt-tested since 2001, and is locateci scheduled to become opelational in 2072.
(UAEAF). The IFTS incluclcs iL narigatior.t just in front of the aircraft canop\', slightlv 'Ihc IRS'I, n'hen coupled nith Raytheon's
FLIR sensor and a targeting Fl.lR both oflset to port and is about 20cm in dianreter. APG-79 AESA, provides the F/A-1BE/F's
mounted rvithin a single pocl. It allorrs the The IR-OTIS'FOVnill be cued bv a hehret- mission computer rvith track file data on all
aircraft to detect ar.rcl iclentifi' both ground mounted display system (as rvill the radar). targets rvhile simultaneously providing IIR
and airborne targets, even at r-right or in It rvill also have an autonomous search pro- inragery to cockpit displa-vs. The IRST rvill
adverse weather. The IFTS relie-s on the air'- gramne and tracking function. The infor- operate in either track-r,r,hile-scan or single
cralt fol its porver and cnlgenic cooling mation will be storable for evaluatior-t ar-tcl target track mode, r,vith cockpit selectable
requirements. \'\t-hile the targetting FLIR and compalisor-r rvith radar inforrn:rtior-r in real- hands-on-throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) con-
laser designator have been repackaged in a time, and also as Video for later use. tlolled scan volumes in azimuth and eleva-
pod, the u,ide-area nirvigation stabilised Another novel IRSI'solution being pro- tion. 'Ihe IRST ivill be mounted in the for-
FLIR sensor is housecl above the nosc. The posed comes from Lockheeci Nlartin, n'hich n'ard section of the centreline fuel tank,
IFTS, hor,r,ever, ls r.rot beir.rg offered to h.rclia has already been selected to supplv the IRST thereby ensuring that its FOV is ma.ximised.
for the F-l6IN M-MRCA. The OSE coupled sensor for the Boeir.rg F/A-IBE/F Block 2 UOMZ's 13SM1 (OLS-UEM) IRST, originally
nith the TFIALES-developed RBE-2 AESA, is Super Hornet. Ihe podded s_vstem n-ill pro- developed for the MiG-35 and rvorking in
mounted in front of the cockpit and consists vide passive detection and tracking of air-- conjunction with the Phazotron lSC-built
of tno optronic modules. The starboald borne targets at long-range. The long-rvave Zhuk-AE AESA, has a l20-degree FOV in
module has a long-u,ave (8-12 nricron) IIR IR sensol rvill be mounted in the nose of the azimuth, 55 degrees and - 15 degrees FOV in
camera and is used for ailborne target 1,820 litre centreline fuel tank. Boeing and elevation, has a detection range of28km in
searcir and track. The range of the the fbru'ard hemisphere and 70km
IRSI lor Super Hornet
camera is believed to be up to in the leal hemisphere, and has a
90km in ideal conditions. The totai rveight of 60kg. UOMZ has
portside module carries a CCD TV also developed the OLS-K pod-
camela for dal,tirne target identiti- mounted look-doll,n IRST that
cation. The system also includes a combines a TV camera rvith an IIR
laser rangefinder. The OSF suite sensor and laser rangefindel/des-
carries out search, target identifi- ignator, all of ivhich are housed
cation, telemetry and automatic r'-ithin a belly-mounted ll0kg-
target discrlmination and tlack- pod. The OLS-K is thus a multi-
ing. By cueing the OSF lvith the purpose IRST sensor that is used
tracks plovided by the RBE-2 or b-v for not onl_y ailborne target detec-
another aircraft via a secure oper- tion, but also lbr detection anci
ational data link, a pilot can easily engagement of ground-bascd tar-
identify an agglessor lbrce :rt a gets or-lt to 40km. o

May 2009 FORUE 67

The Sa ga Continues
The gouernment issues RFI for Aduanced Jet Trainer

ed n orld-rvide by T-50 International (TFI),

the joint marketing team between
Lockheed lvlartin Corp. of the USA and KAI.
Alenia Aelmacchi, a Finmeccanica
Compar.rl', rvill be submitting its response
soon for its product M-346. According to
the companl', "I'he M-346 Master is the
oni1. nen' generation advanced/lead-in
fighter trainer currentll, available in
Europe. f'he aircraft is tailored to train
pilots to fl1' netv generation cornbat aircraft
and is nell suited for everv phase of
advanced and pre-operational training, to
reduce the flight ltours on the more expen-
sive aircraft. The aircraft embodies the lat-
est'design-to-cost' and'design-to-main-
tain' concepts, tvith avionics modelled
upon those of nen.generation military air-
craft such as Eurofighter, Gripen, Rafale, F-
16,F-22 and the future JSE"
Further, Alenia Aerntacchi has also signed
an agreement u.ith Bocing IDS as per rvhich
the trvo companies nill cooperate on mar-
r Aditi Bhan 56 trainer jets, has been sent to five compa- keting, sales, training and product support
nies, namely, Korea's KAI (T-50s), the Czech activlties in internaiional markets for the M-
it seemed the
arely five years ago, Republic's Aero Vodochody (1.-i59), Italy's 346 next-generation adr.anced and lead-in
requirement for advanced jet trainer Alenia (M-346), Russia (YAK-130 variant of fighter trainer and the N1-31I basic-
(AIT) by Indian Air Force (lAF) had the M346 joint project, or MiG AT) and sur- advanced trainer, both designed and manu-
come to an end. The IAF settled for BAE prisingly, even to BAE for Harvk (but a more factured by r\lenia Aennaccl-ri.
Systems' Hawk and the order comprised 66 advanced variant). The companies have Not to be left behind, BAE Systems has
AJTs along with an option for another 40. been asked to specily the characteristics of also decidcd to take part in the competi-
But the induction phase wasn't as smooth the aircraft, delivery time and their budget. tion. The conpan\,u.ill be responding to
as expected. Problems regarding supply of Interestingly, some of these companies the RFI but is unrvillingll, 16 disclose any-
spares cropped up time and again. In fact, lvere in the race last time (early this thing further at present.
the Air ChieftMSOfficell Marshal Fali decade) as rvell. In fact, Aero Vodochody is \Ieanrvhile, tire ntove is seen by many as
Homi Major, in an interviewwith FORCE in believed to have caused a stir in the 2000s a positive step; given the lact that it lvill
October 2008, admitted the problems with with its entry. A neui entrant at that time, it not onlv provide IAF rvith trvo types of
the Hawk programme but maintained that took everyone by surprise I'r,hen it rvas trainers in its fleet but will also equip it
they had been addressed. "There have reported as one of the serious contenders u'ith a more modern AI1, possibly the one
been a fer,v teething problems, in the in the AIT acquisition competition. that matches rvell rvitl.r the fighters that
induction phase of the Hawk, but, I think, Meanrvhile, companies are gearing up IAF hopes to buy in the near future. There
that is to be expected. We have taken very for the new competition. Korean Aerospace are honever, speculations that the acqui-
active steps in coordination with BAE sys- Industries (KAI) which produces T-50, u'ill sition process for AIl's may get delayed
tems and HAL, so as to overcome issues submit its response through Lockheed due to the ongoing medlum multi-role
affecting smooth operation. The supply of Maltin's Indian Business Development combat aircraft (X,I-MRCA) competition as
spares and assistance of specialist teams office. According to Lockheed Martin, "The IAF may rvisl.r to proceed lvith AITs only
for rectification and maintenance has norv T-50 Golden Eagle is the world's most after M-MRCA deal is done.
been addressed." Things however, were not advanced jet trainer aircraft in service Earlier', the AJT competition took nearly
as simple as that. For rvithin a ferv months, today. It features a cockpit that is represen- trvo decades before India finally zeroed-in
the government issued fresh RFI for the tative of the 4th Generation fighter aircraft on BAE Systems' Hawk in 2004. It would be
AJTs; with IAF reportedly deciding to do that its pilots are being trained to fly, as rvell interesting to see horv long it r,vill take this
arvay rvith the option of 40 add-ons. as flight performance l,vhich no other train- time, belore Hawk gets its new companion
The RFI, for the procurement of nearly er aircraft can match." The T-50 is market- in lAF, o

68 F0RCE May 2009

Farther And Beyond
IAF'; ASS0-200 MRTTs will each be fitted with aduanced mission systems
he Indian Air Force (IAF) is n'ide1y
expected to become the fifth export
customer for the EADS/Airbus-bttilt
A330-200 multi-role tanker transport
(MRTT) aircraft when, later this vear, the
ministry of defence (MoD) is expected to
ink a contract with EADS for procuring an
initial six such aircraft (against a projected
requirement for 24 such plattbrn.rs).
Deliveries will begin in2012. The A330-200
MRTT has, since 2004, been ordered for the
air forces of Australia, Saudi Arabia, the UK
and the United Arab Emirates. The \loD
has issued a global request for proposals
(RFP) for the initial six aircratt in mid-2007
to which EADS/Airbus Nlilitarl' Aircraft,
Israel Aerospace Industries' Bedek Ariation
Division (offering the 8.767-200 BD\lRTT)'
FRL S00E Mark 328 reluelling P!
and Russia's Rosoboronexport State
Corp/United Aircraft Corp consortium
(offering the IL-7BMKI-90) responded.
Although the IAF's Agra-based NoTB
Squadron already operates six 78\1KI-90s
delivered earlier by Uzbekistan's fashkent
Aircraft Production Organisation (TAPO),
what tilted the balance decisivelv in lavour
of the 4330-200 MRTT tvas the on-going
and still unresolved spat betiveen TAPO
and the RosoboronexPort State
Corp/United Aircraft Corp consortium
regarding Russia's demand that final
assembly of the IL-78 take Place at
Voronezh instead of Tashkent. 43 tonnes of cargo. The cockpit's electronic The IAB in addition to the six existing
The IAF's 4330-200 MRITs n'ill each be flight information system will have six large IL-78-90 aerial refueling tankers, also has
fitted with advanced mission sYstems, interchangable AMLCDs rvith dupiicated procured six COBHAM Group-built Type
including real-time data-link, military primary flight and navigation displays and 754 buddy-buddy aerial refuelling pods
communications and navigation suites, electronic centralised aircraft monitors' for its Su-30MKIs. The pod has a fuel-flow
and an electronic warfare self-protection The pilot and co-pilot positions rvill have rate of 1,552 litres per minute and has a
system for protection against threats from sidestick controllers and rudder pedals' hose trail length of 75 feet. It is now being
surface-to-air missiles. The primary on- The aircraft will also be equipped with an proposed for the Indian Navy's soon-to-
board mission suite will comprise trvo Airbus future navigation system (FANS-A), arrive MiG-29K carrier-based medium
underwing-mounted and one fuselage- including a Honelnvell flight management multi-role combat aircraft. COBHAM has
mounted (centreline underbelly) COBHAM system and Smiths digital control and dis- also supplied its telescopic and actuated
Group-built FRL 900E Mk 328 aerial refu- play system. The fly-by-wire flight control probes for the IAF's upgraded Jaguar IMs
elling pods. The cockpit will have a refu- computer suite will include three flight and IS interdictor/strike aircraft, as well as
elling officer's station behind the pilot and control primary computers and two flight on the Nar,y's Sea upgraded Harrier FRS
co-pilot seats. The lower deck cargo com- control secondary computers, all operating Mksl V/STOL carrier-based light multi-
partment will be able to hold six 88-inch x continuously. It has yet to be decided role combat aircraft. COBHAM is also
108-inch NATO-standard pallets plus two which powerplant will be selected by the expected in future to supply telescopic
LD-3 cargo containers. The aircraft will IAF for the ,{330-200 MRTTs. On offer are and actuated probes for a fetv of the Harvk
have a maximum fuel capacity of 139,090 Rolls-Royce's Trent 7728 turbofan rated at Mkl32 lead-in fighter-trainers belonging
litres or 111 tonnes. Even with a full fuel 71,1001b thrust, and GE's CF6-B0El to the IAF. o
load, the aircraft has the capacity to carry engines, rated at 72,0001b thrust. Prasun K. Sengupta

May 2009 F0RCE 53

 lAI. FIAL has a seven-year schedule to deliver 200 fuselage ship-
sets to Israel.
?ffi DGNS Expertise to Counter Piracy
DCNS preser.rted its key ploducts fol countering piracy and secur-
ing sea lanes at the Naval Security and Offshore Patrol Vessels
Middle East 2009 conference, held recently at Abu Dhabi, in the
United Arab Emirates. DCNS presented the Gowind(l) family of
OPVs and corvettes. The companl, claims that the Golvind(r) OPVs
and coruettes combine innovations to optimise ship-based naval,
commando and coast guard operations, including the covert
deployment of fast commando boats in less than five minutes,
optimisation of helicopter and lJ,W (unmanned aerial vehicle)
operations, dedicated mlssion planning area and inherent flexibil-
ity. The company claims tl.rat tl.re Gou'ir.rd(r) tamily has an advan-
Naveed Hussain, Dinesh Keskar, John Tracy and T. Ramasami tage of DCNS's IT ancl command information systems, including
the Matrics(r) Maritime Traffic Intelligence and Control of the Sea
Boeing 0pens lndia Research & Technology Centre system. Matrics(r) ladicallf improves maritime surveillance bt'
Boeing opened its Boeing Research & Technology-India centre at automatically detecting suspicious behaviour b), ships and craft
Bangalore recently. As per the company, the centre r'vill help it sus- using netwolked vessels and shore-based control centres. The
tain its competitive technological edge rvhile enhancing India's company claims that Gowind (r) fan"rilr' of'ter nar.ies state - of-the- art
aerospace capabilities.'Ihis centre lvill carry otlt collaboration rvith
Indian R&D organisations, including government agencies and ffi=i$1===---
private sector R&D providers, universities, and other companies.
"Boeing is partnering with the best researchers around the world
to find the best technology solutions for our customers, and rve .:€:
look forrvard to working with our partners here in India on some
promising new technologies," said Jol.rn Tracy, Boeing chief tech-
nology officer and senior vice president, Engineering, Operations
and Technology. This is Boeing's third advanced research centre
outside the U.S., the others being in Europe and Australia. The cen- -.
tre will coordinate the work of more than 1,500 technologists,
including 100 advanced technology researchers, from across India.
"Boeing is defined by its technological edge," said Dinesh Keskar,
president, Boeing India. "Working r'vith India's technology leaders
helps Boeing assimilate nerv ideas and innovative plocesses into
our products and programmes. This also is good for India because resources in meeting emerging mission requirements from count-
it helps grow the capabilities of the Indian R&D community to er-piracy to sea control and denial. It turther adds that these sur-
meet the emerging needs in country." face combatants are ideal for counter-terrorism, drug interdiction
and anti-smuggling operatiorrs, protectior-r of oil and gas plat-
HAL hands over first rear fuselage to lAl forms, sealch and rescue, fisl-reries and etrvironmental policing
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over the first rear and humanitarian support.
fuselage for the Gulfstream (G-150) aircraft to Israel Aircraft
Industries (IAI). Gulfstream (G- 150) is a business executive aircraft AWl39 Enters Service with Sky Shuttle Helicopters
buitt in Islael and transported to the United States for further fur- AgustaWestland recentlv announced that the first tlvo AWl39 medi-
nishing. Ihe G-150 is marketed the rvorld over by the US-based um trvin helicopters ouned br- Sh'Shuttle Helicopters Limited of
Gulfstream Corporation. "With the G-150 fuselage delivery, HAL Hong Kong have entered operational service. The event marks the
has norv entered a fairly advanced manufacturing level of building start of the second stage of Skt' Shuttles expansion project which
major structural assemblies for global players in the civil sector. includes the introdLrction of lour more A\V139 helicopters as well as
The G-150 project augurs well not only for HAL, but also for the the building of a helipad. The i2 seat-configured AWl39 helicopters
national objective of producing a civil aircraft of international rvill be used to provide helicopter shuttle fliglrts betrveen Hong
standards," said Ashok Nayak, chairman, HAL. Kong, Macau and Sherrzhen. Statc-of-the-art technology, outstand-
"The G-150 programme has given us huge confidence in taking ing performance, lou, operating costs and the only helicopter in its
up bigger challenges. We are norv looking forward to the G-250 pro- class to meet the latest safety standards are some of the benefits of
gramme and we have made our strong presence felt in the bidding AWl39 listed by the company Over 430 AWl39 helicopters have norv
process. HAL-IAI has a time-tested partnership and rve are here to been ordered by ovel 100 customers in more than 40 countries. The
capitalise on the vast potential in the business jet market," said helicopters are meant to perform tasks like MP/ corporate transport,
Na-vak. "We have seen closely HALs capabilities in handling nerv passenger shuttle services, offshore transport, EMS/SAR, lar'v
technologies and ner,v IT processes. For us the Gulfstream fuselage enforcement, fire fighting and troop transport with civil operators,
is a perfect example of synergy and quality," said Shlomi Karako of government agencies and military customers. Sky Shuttle

70 F0RCE l\4ay 2009

 I
Ashok Nayak is Now HA[s Chairman
Ashok Nayak is the new chairman of FIAL. He succeeds Ashok K'
Baweja, who retired on 31 March 2009. Prior to this, Nayak was
the managing director of FIALs Bangalore Division. After taking
charge, Nayak said, "With the offset opportuniry and massive
new programmes coming up, HAL must find ways and means to
capture all these opportunities for a safe and secure future. We
have made an impact in the international market and rn'ill now
have to focus on our exports further to stay ahead in the race'"
Nayak, a mechanical engineer, joined
HAL as a management trainee in 1973.
ln a professional career spanning over
three decades, he has held keY Posi-
tions in the fields of manufacturing,
Helicopters is one of the rvorld's leading helicopter operators and qualiry assurance, production, plan-
ciaims to be the sole commercial helicopter operator between Hong ning, customer services and export. At
Kong, Macau and Shenzhen. Todal', SIs'Shuttle Helicopters operates the engine division in Bangalore
more than 60 helicopter flights per dalt (1986-i998), he headed Production
engineering and led the assembling,
Eurofighter Delivered to ltalY overhaul and repair of engines like Artouste, Garrett, Dart,
Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica company, has delivered six Orpheus, Gnome, Adour and the Avon series. As the general
Eurofighter Tl,phoon Tranche 2 production aircraft to the Italian manager of Aerospace Division in2004, he gave a major thrust
Air Force. The first Italian l'2 aircraft i.r'as delivered in November to the manufacturing of GSLV Mk. III structural assemblies and
2008. According to the compan\', the Eurofighter \phoon r'vas tankages. In 2006, he took over as the general manager of
designed as the world's most advanced nerv-generation swing-role Aircraft Dir.ision at Bangalore Complex and gave a filiip to con-
current engineering and upgrade ofJaguar aircraft. During this
period, he also established a sound manufacturing base for the
production of the pilot-less target aircraft, apart from providing
impetus to the Haivk and IIT projects. He was elevated as the
managing director of the Bangalore division (that is, leading
seven divisions of the company) in Iuly 2007.o

Rheinmetall wins Bundeswehr Ammuniti0n 0rder

The German Bundesu'ehr has arvarded
Euros 63 million contract for artillery
ammunition to the Diisseldorf-based
Rheinmetall Group. The order to be
completed by 2014, encomPasses
30,000 rounds of high exPlosive
155n.rm ammunition, tYPe DM 121.
combat aircraft and is in operation in 10 air force bases across DNI 12I has a range of over 30km (with
Europe. With 620 aircraft ordered for the ibur nations plus 15 for maximum charge load) and possesses
Austria and 72 for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 707 aircraft are an ability to penetrate bunkers. The
presently undeI contracl. company is hopeful that the product
rvill be received well by a number of
New CE() of BAeHAL Software Ltd. nations, particularly those lvhose
Krishnan Tinnaneri is the new CEO of BAeHAL Software Ltd. He artillery forces use 155mm 39-152 cal'
took over from Dr C. Subramaniam who retired on 3I March 2009. artillery systems, and especially users
Prior to joining BAeFIAL Software Ltd., Tinnaneri was senior direc- of PzH 2000 and M109 self-propelled
tor in Siemens IT Solutions and Services Inc. US, and was respon- howitzers and Rheinmetall's RWG-52
sible for airport and aviation systems. Tinnaneri has also been the wheeled horvitzer.
programme director for the IT and communication systems proj-
ects for the Bangalore International Airport and Hyderabad Eurolighter Completes 10,000 Flight Hours
International Airport, executed by Siemens Information Systems The Italian Air Force's pilots have surpassed 10'000 flight hours on
Ltd in India. BAeHAL is a joint venture company between the Eurofighter Typhoon, the new-generation defence aircraft in
Hindustan Aelonautics Ltd., India and BAE Systems, UK. BAeFIAL service rvith tr'vo squadrons in Italy. The airclaft is used in missions
operates in the field of IT and IT enabled services in India and of air police and quick-reaction alert for the airspace control'
abroad since 1993. Besides ltaly, four other nations, namely, German\', United

May 2009 F0RCE 7l

Kingdom, Spain and Austria are flying Typhoon, thereby taking the
number of flying hours to 50,000. The company is hopeful of deliv-
ering the first Typhoon to the Saudi Arabian Air Force, Eurofighter's
first non-European customer, by the end of the year. Saudi Arabia
has ordered aboutT2 aircraft.

0rder Placed for lhird BPC by France

As part of the French government's recovery plan, STX France and
DCNS have been awarded the contract to build the French Nary's
third Projection and Command Vessel (BPC). lVork on the third
BPC has already begun. The first two BPCs, Mistral and Tonnere,
built by DCNS and Chantiers de I'Atlantique, were delivered in
2006 and 2007. STX France, the prime contractor for the project,
will build the platform and fit out the ship, rvhile DCNS, its co-con-
tractor, will produce its combat system. Due to the extremely tight
economic constraints that characterise this project, the ship will be for the UK military services. FB Hellservices signed a contract for
built solely on the Saint-Nazaire site. 199 nretres in length, with a two AWl39 helicopters in 2008. The second aircraft is expected to
displacement of 21,000 tons and a speed of l9 knots, the BPCs are be delivered next month. The AWl39 is equipped for SAR opera-
distinguished by their large carrying capacity: 450 troops, 16 tions over both land and \vater and lncludes a rescue hoist, search
hear,y-lift helicopters, 2 hovercraft, 4 LCMs (landing craft) or a radar, FLIR camera, cabin rnission console, emergency flotation
third of a mechanised regiment (1,000 tons), r,vhich they are able to system, life-rafts, comprehensive communications system and a
deploy worldwide. They are equipped with electric pod propulsion NVG compatible cockpit.
and their high level of automation enables the size of their crew to AW139 SAR customers include the UK Maritime Coastguard
be reduced to 160. They also boast an on-board hospital for large- Agency, Spanish Marine Safeh'Agenct' (Sesamar), Japanese Coast
scale humanitarian missions. Their particularly advanced commu- Guard, Australian Queensland Government, Italian company
nications system, 3D surveillance radar and combat management Airgreen, Italian Civil Protection Agenc)/ and Coast Guard, Irish Air
system (Senit 9) make them ideal platforms for commanding a Corps, Korean Coast Guard, trlalaysian Maritime Enforcement
naval task force. Agency and government agencies in the UAE, Oman, Estonia and
Cyprus. Nearly 430 medium-t$.in helicopters have been ordered by
AMRAAM Fired lrom Eurofighter Typhoon more than 100 commercial and government customers in over 40
AMRAAM was recently successfully test-fired at Moron Air base in countries. FB Heliserr.ices is a joint rrenture company between
Southern Spain. The trial was the result of close cooperation Cobham Air Services and Briston'Helicopters Ltd that specialise in
between the Spanish and British Flight Test Centres of EADS CASA helicoptels and associated services to military and government
and BAE Systems, under guidance of Eurofighter GmbH, using markets. FB Heliservices operate over' 60 helicopters and have
Eurofighter \phoons IPA4 and IPA5 - Spanish and British aircraft operations in the UK, Belize, Brunei, Clprus and the Middle East.
respectively. The objective of the testing was to fire the AMRAAM
missile from a Eurofighter \phoon rvhilst its radar was in passive DCNS to supply heat exchangers to China
mode and thus invisible for Electronic Support Measures (ESM) DCNS has signed a contract rvith China Nuclear Power
Systems. The necessary target data for the missile rvas acquired by Engineering Co. Ltd. (C\PEC) to supply l4 heat exchangers for two
the radar of a second Eurofighter Typhoon and transmitted using latest-generation EPR-tvpe nuclear power-plants in China. The
the Multi Functional Information Distribution System (MIDS). heat exchangers u,ill be produced at DCNS's Nantes-Indret facility,
This scenario is especially relevant for Eurofighter Typhoon's in collaboration rr.ith the Cherbourg shipyard. Deliveries lvilt begin
BeyondVisual Range (B\rR) air combat capability against high level in 2010 and are scheduled for compietion by 20I l. This deal is the
threats, including Low Observable aircraft. latest in a series of contracts that DCNS has won in the civil nuclear
Spain's IPA4 led the trial as the'firer', while IPAS as the'co-oper- sector. Others ir-rclude production of reactor vessel internals and
ator' iliuminated the target with its radar active. Thls trial is the first two aillocks for the EPR (European Pressurised Reactor) power sta-
missile firing that Spain has participated in as part of the tion at Flamanville in France and a mock-up of the vacuum cham-
Eurofighter Typhoon programme, building on their previous flight ber for the experimental ITER reactor under construction at
test rvork lvhlch includes meteor environmental testing and air-to- Cadarache, France. DCNS is also working with a number of com-
ground weapon trials. The complex test r,vas meticulously planned panies in this sector, such as, Alstom, Areva, EDE French atomic
over several months and involved a large team of experts from energy commission CEA and now CNPEC, part of China
across all partner nations as well as the US, r,vhich provided sup- Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPC), which operates
port fbr the exercise. numelous nuclear plants.

FB Heliservices Takes Delivery 0f AWl39 Helicopter Million 0perational Hours for Litening Targeting System
FB Heliservices recently took delivery of its first AWl39 medium Northrop Grumman Corporation's Litening precision targeting
twin helicopter at AgustaWestland's Vergiate plant in Italy. This air- and sensor systems, currently deployed with US and allied force,
craft will be used to provide search and rescue training for have achieved over one million operational hours. "Litening has
AgustaWestland export customers and it r'vill be operated from RAF pioneered such advanced targeting technologies as precisely
Valley inWales where FB Heliservices already perform SAR training aligned and stable sensors, coordinated air-to-ground and air-to-

72 F()RCE May 2009

 New C-l30J Super Hercules Delivered to USAFE
air capabilities through laser spot search and track and laser mark-
dutu links for coordinated air-ground attack and J-series The first of 14 nerv Lockheed Martin c-130I Super Hercules aircraft
"rr,
weapons employment capabilities, and we continue to refine our that will be permanently based at Ramstein Air Base, were recently
system today as proven by the cutting-edge Litening G4," said Mike delivered to the US Air Force' The new aircraft will support the
Lennon, vice president of Targeting and Surveillance Programmes Ramstein-based 37th Airlift Squadron, B6th Airlift Wing that has
at Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division' Since its been flying C-130Es. These aircraft have the longer C-130I-30 con-
introduction in 1999, the Litening system has undergone four spi- figurati,on, which is now the standard for recapitalising the US Air
ral upgrades to ensure continued combat relevance in an ever- FJrces in Europe (USAFE) and many other air forces around the
changing battlespace. Litening G4 is the next step in the evolution rvorld.TenC-I30JswillbedeliveredtoRamsteinthisyear,withfour
of the Litening family and applies the latest in sensor technology more scheduled for delivery in 2010. "The c- l30I is a proven aircraft
for target detection, recognition and identification ranges' The that can meet the airlift needs of many, many countries' The greater
Litening G4 pod includes an adl'anced Ik forrvard-looking infrared range and cargo capacity of the C-130J provide a much-needed
sensor, a I024x1024 pixel charge-coupled device (lk CCD), laser .uputitity to USAFE," said Ross Rel'nolds, Lockheed Martins vice
target imaging, advanced high porver laser and advanced next- president for C-130 programmes. C-1301s are engaged in high-
generation data links. Deliveries of the Litening G4 system will t.-po op.tutions in multiple combat theatres and are routinely
begin in mid-2009. depioyed in support of both peacekeeping and humanitarian mis-
sions. The air-lifter has been selected by 10 nations, with 173 aircraft
PSP Enters 0perational Service delivered to date. The c-130J is a flexible, multi-mission aircraft and
EADS Defence & Securiq' (DS) and Thales have completed deploy- has accumulated over 500,000 flight hours.
ment operations leading to the ent{'into operational service of the
initial version of the Paris Strategl' Centre (PSP) Information and EADS DS to Modernise AC ldentification Systems
Communication Svstem. The deplorrnent concerns the Armed EADS DS has bagged a contract to modernise the identification
Forces Headquarters (E\lA) and the ivlilitary Intelligence systems of the Bulgarian armed forces. The modernisation will
Directorate (DRM). This initial version n'as completed under a help in avoiding friendly fire and increase air traffic security'
Defence Electronics (DE), an integrated activity of DS, has been
awarded this contract, worth 14m euros, by the Bulgarian compa-
ny Promaxgg and includes the delivery of new technology identifi-
cation (Identification Friend or Foe or IFF) systems' The MSSR

contract, the Complete Restructuring of the information and

Communication Systems of the Paris Strategy Centre (OE SIC PSP),
worth about 70 million euros, and was awarded to EADS DS'
Thales and their partners, INEO and Cegelec in October 2006' It
covers a programme involving the complete re-modelling of the
information and communication systems of the French High
Command at the Paris Strategy Centre. The programme is to be
completed within six years with a possible extension of five years
for maintenance.
At present, the PSP system is deployed in its initial version at
the Ilot Saint-Germain (ISG) in Paris and at the DRM in Creil, and
is available for over 2,000 users. The new system offers a network
architecture that can be easily reconfigured and ensures that the
Paris Strategy Centre command centre has an initial capability
level designed for collaborative work with a modernised and
attractive information system working in synergy with the exist-
ing system. The second version of the new system rvill offer a uni-
fied, open EMA-DRM command centre capable of implementing
a potiiy designed to promote information flow and operational
effectiveness.
May 2009 FORCE 73
 (Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar) 2000 I systems can be has gained a rvorldwide reputation for delivering fast, comfortable
used for air traffic control and can be integrated in Ground and and reliable executive transportation. AVM AJS Walia (retd), man-
Naval platforms. As per the company, identification systems aging directot', India and South Asia, Sikorsky Aircraft, said, "We are
exchange data automatically such as origin, course, speed etc., glad to announce our re-entry into the Indian skies rvith the deliv-
thus enabling precise identification of the object. This data ery of the first S-76C++ WIP helicopter. This delivery takes us to
exchange is based upon encrypted signals which, it says, can nei- the next stage of our engagement rvith the country and reinforces
ther be analysed nor jammed by l.rostlle forces. This, together with our intentions to\vard India, rvhich holds very high significance in
the information supplied by other sources, helps in rnonitoring the our global expansion plans as an aerospace hub centre for the
crisis regions. This way, accidental attacks on one's own or allied entire South Asia market."
forces can be avoided, especially during multinational operations. The S-76C++ helicopter is tire latest production model in the
"Due to the increasing complexity of combat situations and sce- company's highly successful S-76 helicopter line, which includes
narios, identification is today an existential matter during all mili- more than 700 aircraft that have accumulated more than five mil-
tary operations," explained Bernd Wenzler, CEO, DE. 'And thanks lion fleet flight hours rvorldn.ide. l'he S-76C++ delivers a compre-
to these equipments, Bulgaria will be able to actively participate in hensive package of improvernents, including more powerful
future NATO operations." DE has delivered many IFF systems to engines, important safett'features, a lnore comfor-table cabin envi-
several NATO nations for ground and naval applications. For ronment and a health and usage monitoring system that records
example, the MSSR 2000 I interrogator is deployed on German operational data for maintenance analr.sis. In addition to executive
naval vessels and by the naval forces of France, Norrvay and transport, S-76C++ helicopters are instrumental ln supporting off-
Finland for the military friend-or-foe identification (IFF). shore oil projects in various terrains including the South China Sea
Furthermore, EADS Defence & Security is also active in the field of and Bohai Bay.
civil air traffic control. DE's identification systems are used for air
traffic control in countries such as Portugal and the Philippines. PW4000 AdvantageT0(tm) Takes Flight
Pratt & \Aihitney's PW4000 .\dvantage70 engine has successfully
Rheinmetall equips Canadian frigates rllith MASS completed its first flight aboard an Air Comet A330-200 in
Rheinmetall Defence has bagged a contract from public works and Toulouse, France. The AdvantageT0 tlight marks the beginning of a
government services, Canada to equip the Canadian Nai,y's flight test programme. The first P\\-{000-100 engines with the
Halifax-class frigates with the MASS (Multi Ammunition Softkill AdvantageT0 technology r.rpgrade, each of rvhlch delivers 70,000
System) naval countermeasures system. As part of Project Shield pounds of thrust for the A330 aircraft fanill', are scheduled to enter
under Canada's FELEX frigate modernisation programme, a total service in mid-2009. Pratt & \\hirnev is a United Technologies
Corp. company. "This is an erciiing progralnme milestone that
brings us one step closer to enrrv into service," said Andrew
Tanner, vice president, Product Line \lanagement. "Norv more
than ever, products like Adlar-rtage7O deliver value to our cus-
tomers by improving performance trltile lotvering operating costs."
AdvantageT0 techr.rologl. upgrades deliver enhanced engine per-
formance, including t\\.o per cent thrust increase, one per cent
reduction in fuel consumption, increased durabiliry and reduced
maintenance costs. The A330-200 and A330-300 passenger aircraft
lvill be the first to fl1'P\\i4000-100" engines rvith AdvantageT0 in
mid-2009 on Air Comet and Air Caraibes respectively.

Thales-BAE Partnership for Submarines

Thales UK's naval business has signed a submarine performance

HffiHHffi,.. "
Partnering Arrangenent (PPA) u'ith BAE Systems. As per the
arrangement, the trvo companies rvill cooperate on future subma-
of l2 frigates will be equipped lvith MASS. Deliveries rvill take place rine programmes. Under the PPA, Thales n ill be the pleferred con-
during the 2010-2014. Rheinmetall Defence's ship protection spe- tractol'for submaline sonar rvork and rvill provide sonar function-
cialists based in Fronau, Germany is the prime contractor and'"vill al integration services to BAE S).stems. Thales rvill also continue to
work rvith Rheinmetall Canada Inc. Since its market launch in be a key contributor to the combat s)/stem Design Evolution Team
2002, MASS has received orders from nine nations for a total of 130 managed by BAE Svstems on behalf of the UK ministry of defence.
launchers for 15 different classes ofnaval vessels. The system pro- Ed Loi've, managing dilector of Tl.rales UK's naval business, said,
tects patrol boats, mine hunters, corvettes, and frigates. "This agreement is a vely positive factor in the ongoing and close
rvorking rvith BAE Systems. It underpins the two companies' long-
Sikorsky S-76C+ + Flies into lndia term relationship and is significant for Thales's underwater sys-
SikorskyAircraft Corp. has delivered its first S-76C++(tm) helicop- tems business in the global maritime defence market." Ion Sayer,
ter to an Indian corpolate house. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United director, Combat Systems and Support, BAE Systems, said, "The
Technologies Corp. The helicopter has been delivered in a VMP performance of UK sonar technology, and of Sonar 2026 in partic-
configuration. The company is scheduled to deliver two moreVMP ular, is rvorld-leading. BAE Systems are very pleased to enter into
helicopters in India by the end ofApril 2009. The three deliveries this agreement to sustain the supply of this capabiliry into the sub-
are meant for three separate customers. The S-76C++ helicopter marines rve design and build, today and in the future." o

74 F0RCE May 2009

 'U =.-l'-+w
\*",, €+*u
Hero's Tale usilsllrns I

The authorised biography

of Marshal of the Air
released by
ACM EH. Major

rVidhi Upadhyay

ecording and studf ing nritten histon'

has never been the strength of Indians.
Instead, people thrite on oral histon',
which travels from generation to genera-
tion. This, according Air Cmde Iasjit Singh,
is what compelled him urite 'The lcon', an
authorised biography of tl.re \larshal of the
Air Force Arjan Singh, DFC. The retired
Indian Air Force officer and the recipient of
the gallantry awardVrC, Jasjit Singh, \ranted
to write this book 25 t'ears ago, but the mentioned the independent trust that clearly looked humbled at the occasion,
Marshal of the Air refused. Perhaps, he felt Marshal of the Air Arjan Singh had created recalled how Air Cmde jasjit Singh had
the time was not right. Just as rvell. The book in 2004, from which he has spent Rs nvo expressed his desire to write this biography
was finally released on April 15 br- Chiel of crore for the welfare of the needl' veterans 25 years ago and the Marshal had refused.
Air Staff Air Marshal Fali Homi \lajor on and their families. "...but after retirement we all tend to get a
Arjan Singhs 91st birthdar: Fittingit-, among The 342-page book, according to the little soft and weak kneed, so when he
the audience rvere the Chairman Chiefs of author, is not iust a personalised biogra- asked me again, I submitted fairly neatly. I
Staff and the Chief of Naval staff, Admiral phy, but the story of the IAF as u'ell, as it u'ish he was more critical. It is a historical
Sureesh Mehta and Chief of Armv Stafi captures the 30 years that Arjan Singh nas book and I am glad you will be able to read
General Deepak Kapoor ivith their n'ives. in service. The book includes the crucial about the heroes of lAF", he added.
Also present was NIrs Teji Arjan Singh, visi- period of the 1965 war, and seeks to lay to Through a long discourse of 15-20 min-
bly proud of the long distance she had trav- rest a lot of false propaganda circulated by utes, the Marshai of the Air travelled
elled with her husband Arjan Singh. Pakistan Air Force and negligence on our through time recalling his colleagues, the
Addressing the gathering, Air Chief part. It documents a few mistakes made by heroes ofthe IAF and a few anecdotes keep-
Marshal Major recalled that horv4l years individuals during the war. The book sheds ing the audience enthralled. Recounting the
ago, when Arjan Singh had pinned the light on a few key aspects, one of which in glorious days when he commanded the No
badge of the helicopter pilot on his chest, he the words of the author is: 'Air support to I squadron of the IAI, he said that the
had no idea that one day he rvould be releas- Iand forces has been the religion of the IAF squadron was not just number 1 for name-
ing the biography of the same person. The since World War I and that is where we dif- sake, but also in reality, as it always com-
air chief said that there must be something fer from the rest of the world. However, the pleted the operation assigned to it fighting
magical and mystical in the North West world is learning in the last 20 years that air like wounded tigers. He also recalled how
Frontier Provinces of Pakistan and srvampy dominance is critical for land forces." his pilots countered the supersonics of the
Burmese border that they have given the IAF Speaking on a lighter note on the joint- Pakistan Air force in 1965 bravely, since IAF
its only Marshal of the Air and army, two ness of the three services, which has been didn't have such fighters at that time. He
Field Marshals. In his praise for the book, spoken of at length in the book, Singh said, subsequently advised the air force to get
the ACM Major said that Icon telis a story "Through the course, we have seen excel- good equipment for the force to keep their
about a neglected period of country's histo- Ient jointness in the three services till we morale up. o
ry and gives a fresh perspective into the came down to the budget." The most con-
events, renewing the pride in IAF. He also tentious issue in the book is the 1965 war. Trrn lcox: Mlnstt,,rt. ot,AtR FoRce Ant,rs
appreciated the literary and factual finesse The book studies in minute details the cir- Srxcrr, DFC
of the book saying that the book tells a story cumstances preceding the war, under what An Authorised Biography
that needs to be told and told well including political strain was it fought, the decisions Air Commodore Jasjit Singh AVSM, VrC,
some hard-hitting cold truths that depict that were taken, what was to be told and VSM (retd)
the tension of the times objectively. Praising what was to be held back. Knowledge World Publishers Ltd,
the magnanimity of the man, ACM Major Marshal of the Air, Arjan Singh, who pg 336, Rs BB0

May 2009 F()RCE 75

 Lone Ranger
Sajad Lone's entry into poII fray marks a new chapter for Kashmir
r Fayaz Wani racy as 'Separatism is far bigger... billion glomerate has decided not to campaign
times bigger than Sajad Lone. The senti- against the polls. De-linking the elections
fter a brief success last year on account ment of Separatism has been there since from the Kashmir issue, acting Hurriyat
of the Amarnath land row the 1.947 and it is going to stay till Kashmir chairman lvlaulana Abbas Ansari during the
Separatists in Kashmir are in disarray issue is resolved as per the wishes and aspi- meeting of executive and general council of
and seem to be loosing their ground this ratlons of the people of Kashmir. It is also moderate conglomerate refrained from
year. \.4/hile Separatist leader and chairman not a victory for the Indian democracy as launching anti-election campaign. Terming
of People's Conference Sajad Lone has only a resolution of Kashmir issue accord- elections as a non-issue, he said that he left
decided to contest the parliamentary elec- ing to the wishes and aspirations of people it to the people to decide rvhether to cast
tions, the moderate faction of Hurriyat will be such a victory." votes or stay a\va\. from the process. Ansari,
Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Lone further said he was convinced of a Shia leader, led the moderate faction of
will not campaign against the polls. being on the right path as it was the only Hurriyat Conference in absence of Mirwaiz
Springing a surprise on Aprii ll, Lone, way to represent his people and take their Umar Farooq, rvho u,as undergoing medical
son of slain Hurriyat Conference leader voice to the bigger platform of Parliament. treatment in Neiv Delhi.
Abdul Gani Lone, announced his decision "Till now they (government of India) have The mainstream parties have welcomed
to contest in the Lok Sabha elections from not been listening to us. NoW I want to go Lone's decision to jump into the election
the from Baramulla-Kupwara seat. His there and tell them the ground realities and fray and Hurrivat's decision not to cam-
entry into the arena will make the contest paign against the elections. However, the
triangular in the constituency, where hardliners including Geelani have
National Conference stalrvart Mohammad expressed their anguish over the develop-
Sharif Shariq and former minister and ments. There hat-e also been protests
Peoples Democratic Parfy's senior leader against Sajad Lor-re and Abbas Ansari in
Dilawar NIir are already in the fray. some pockets in dorvntor,vn with youth
Lone, whose brother Bilal Lone is a burning their effigies.
member of the moderate faction of Meanu'hile, political commentators see
Hurriyat Conference said, "My decision to Lone's joining poll fra.v as a rvin-win situa-
contest the Parliamentary elections is nei- tion for Nen- Delhi. "They can now claim
ther a blow to Separatism nor a victory for that there is a change in mindset and
Indian democracy. I stand by every word, Separatists are joining the mainstream
comma and full stop I have said about the camp," said a political commentator. The
resolution of Kashmir issue. I will prefer coming of a Separatist leader in the poll
death to representing India in Kashmir". impress upon them the need for resolution fral', according to them, will lend credibili-
Justifiing his decision to join the election of the Kashmir issue. I will be seeking votes ty to the elections and New Delhi can sell it
fray, the leader said that after Kashmiris did of the people so that there is a victim of easilv to n orld communify.
not heed his boycott call during Assembly human rights violations in the Parliament Houer,er, there are voices being heard
elections, he was seeking representative who can speak for them," he added. suggesting that this decision to join the fray
character by getting elected to Parliament. In the past, Lone has been accused bv is an indicator that Lone has got some con-
'After several months of introspection in Separatist leader, SyedAIi Shah Geelani of cessions from New Delhi. "He has taken
the aftermath of the Assembly elections, I fielding proxy candidates in 2002 and such a big decision and it must have been
finally came to the conclusion of taking 2008 assembly elections. One of his so- taken after a lot of thought. May be, he has
part in the elections", he added. called proxy Ghulam Mohiuddin Sofi, rvho been guaranteed a rvin by New Delhi," a
Stating that he was not breaking any later became forest minister in the political science student of Kashmir
taboo nor diiuting his adherence to Congress-PDP rule under Mufti University said.
Kashmiri cause, Sajad said, "The precedent Mohammed Sayeed's regime was accom- Meanwhile, after announcing his candi-
of resistance voices using representative panied by Saiad Lone during a press con- dature, Lone also said, "I will represent
mechanisms of the contested systems in ference. His fielding proxy candidates had Kashmir in India. I will be taking oath
conflict zones is not anything new. This led to divislon in the Hurriyat Conference under the Indian Constitution rvith a healy
method has been used in Northern lreland, rvith Geelani parting ways and forming his heart as it is not easy to do what you do not
Kosovo, Palestine and dozen other major own Hurriyat Conference. believe in." What remains to be seen here is
conflict zones across the world." Noq adding twist to the story, the moder- whether the Separatist leader can make it
He further said it was not right to depict ate faction of Hurriyat Conference led by to the corridors of Parliament House or
his move to contest polls as a blow to Minvaiz Umar Farooq too is follorving the not. Will there be more surprises in the
Separatism or a victory for Indian democ- 'soft policy' torvards the elections. The con- coming days, only time will tell. .

76 F0RCE May 2009

Mulling over Media
Media is a necessity not a force multiplier

I Pravin Sawhney tions. In Februarl, 1994, Pakistan Prir.ne becorne a major power. Strategic reach
Minister, Benazir Bhutto raised concerns irnplies that the services' area of responsi-
edia as a force multiplier is an inter- about Human Rights violations in J&K at bility and the area of interest have
esting subject. hr the last decade, the United Nations Commission for increased manifold. This, of course, is a
there have beett tnant':etrtinars Human Rights in Geneva. Consequentll', nen'ballgame from the earlier times when
within the armed forces on tl.ris subject, a the Indian Army Headquarters in March the air force spoke about itself as a tactical
felv ofwhich I have attended. The debates 1994 established an Army Human Rights air force, and the nar'1, kept its port calls at
are always about horv to exploit or lnanage cell. Gen. Joshi was toying r,vith the idea of Io"v visibility. Norv, strategic reach means
the media as a force multiplier. Fen'have creating a Psy Ops division under the army that the service should both acquire nerv
questioned the basic premise rvhether vice chief when he died in harness. Gen. capabilities and they should be visible to
media indeed is a force multiplier for the Joshi rvas the first service chief to grasp the friends and foes as rvell. This is wi.rere the
armed forces. I intend to start by question- importance of Psy Ops and the utiliry of media is required as the force multiplier.
ing this basic premise. media in combating CI ops. Since then, the To facilitate this transparency, the navy
I heard the phrase that'media is a force employment of the armed forces, defini- and the air force headquarters have creat-
multiplier for the army' for the first time tion of rvar and terms of combat engage- ed the posts of ACNS (FCI) andACS (Space
from the then army chief, General B.C. ments have changed, and the media also and Media) under trvo-star officers. In
Joshi in October 1993, when I rvas the has acquired a drastic makeover. Holrrever, addition to assisting their service public
defence correspondent with the Indian to my mind, the armed forces continue to relations officer rvho deals with the media
Express newspaper. A bit of a background believe that the media in 2008 is the same on a regular basis, these senior officers
is needed to put this in context. Gen. Joshi as in 1994. interact r'vith the ministry of foreign affairs
had in September 1993 ordered raisings of Tivo big changes have happened for the to understand evolving relations n'ith
nearly 45,000 RR troops for Jammu and armed forces in the last ferv years. First, the friendly countries. With such institution-
Kashmir in a record time of nine months Indian Nary and the Indian Air Force are alised services' interaction, things shouid
from lvithin army's own resources aftel the talking about strategic reach. This is so have been smooth sailing. Unfortunateh',
Union home ministry refused to fund this especiaily after beginning 2005, rvhen the they are not.
force meant for counter-insurgencY opera- united states said that it will help India The reason is that the political leader-

May 2009 F0RCE 77

ship has shown little interest in under- ing. \.Vhat most of our electronic channels
standing the role of military power and
Even after 1 6 years of Gl ops,
do is disturbing and harmful.
military diplomacy in nation-building and the army lacks permission for Now let's see the print media. Reporting
power projection. The armed forces are terlorists' attack is everyone's business and
outside the national security policy-mak- directive style of communica- thus many reporters who cover this know
ing loop, and despite integration rvith the little difference between various security
defence ministry, the service headquarters tion, and is apprehensive of forces. Uppermost on most minds is how to
are adjuncts of its core ministry. Thus, the get their by-lined copy to the front page of
even sharing the good work
dilemma of the services is always how their nervspaper. The surest way to do this is
much to share with the media, especially like 0p Sadbhavana that they to report lvhat rvas rvrong rather than what
the media which is always eager to com- was right rvith the operations. \A/hat is a sin-
pare the Indian Naly and the Air Force with are doing in J&K gle by-lined stor\,for a leporter puts enor-
those of major powers. This has led to mous pressure especially on the armed
embarrassing instances where senior mili- interaction with the media. 'vVhat this forces which are ultra-sensitive to criticism.
tary officers have spoken more than has means is that all officers present at the Consequentll', on directions from the top,
met the approval of bureaucrats in the spot, irrespective of their rank, should be the armed forces personnel clamp up com-
MoD and MEA. This, of course, is the small- authorised to respond to media queries on pletely. And this rvorks to their disadvan-
er problem. unfolding events. This is the lesson that tage as reporters in any case have to pro-
The bigger problem is about the second needs to be learnt from the I&K theatre duce another stor\- another day. The differ-
role of the armed forces when terrorism where the army has been combating CI ops ence betr,veen print media reporting in J&K
has come to mainland India. With the since 1993. and on terrorists attack on mainland India
series of regular bomb blasts across the It is not my case to defend the army in is that the former is usually motivated, and
country starting 2006 and especially after what they are doing in l&K. But, my case is the latter ignorant and impulsive. Both do
26lll, the army and the na\y are very to say that they are doing an extremely dif- not help the armed forces.
much part of the security apparatus meant ficult task with one hand tied behind their This brings me to r.nl, basic question
to defeat this proliferating terrorism. The backs. They worry about Human Rights whether media is indeed a force multiplier.
naqr with the coast guard are responsible violations and the need for clearance from This needs to be ansrvered against the
for maritime security and the army as the the top for speaking with the media. The backdrop of the armed forces' traditional
NSG component and as advisors to securi- terrorists have no such worries and hence roles, and the t\vo ne\\. ones that I have
ty forces combating Naxalism are constant- always score over the security forces in Psy spoken about, strategic reach and terror-
ly under medias radar screen. The air force Ops, an essential element in combating CI ism on mainland India. In the case of
will also have a role in transportation of ops. Unfortunately, even after 16 years of strategic reach, until the armed forces
security forces. Until no!\i, on mainland CI ops, the army involved in these opera- themselves knon', ideally in black and
India, the role of the three defence services tions lacks permission for directive style of white, what is expected of them, there will
was limited to aid to civil power. Be it command, and is apprehensive of even always be dissonance betrveen what they
floods, earthquake or any other natural sharing the good work like Operation say and rvhat thev should say. The answer
calamity, the defence services are always Sadbhavana that they are doing in J&K thus lies ivith the political leadership,
required. Their role is uncontested and no with the media for the fear of its being which needs to give clear directives to the
one in the government objects to their free- labelled as propaganda. defence serrices. \\Iithout going into the
wheeling interaction with the media. Having spoken about the three defence debate on the need for a CDS, suffice is to
However, things are not the same when it services'visible roles in national securiry say that major re-structuring alone can
comes to terrorism. Three ministries of let us also look at the media in 2008. There bring the armed forces rvhere they should
home, defence and external affairs as well is the electronic media with little time for be in a nation n'hich aspires for strategic
as the PMO get involved each time terror details but with enormous instant reach. boundaries bet'ond the geographical ones.
strikes India's mainland. Considering that This precipitates perception over reality. Regarding terrorist attacks on mainland
New Delhi is still adjusting with this nerv This is not all. With so many mushrooming india, there is little doubt on three counts:
threat to national security, it will be long news channels packed with youngsters, the the attacks lvill increase rather than dimin-
before formalised structure and SOPs are race amongst them is to break news even if ish, the armed forces will get sucked in
evolved to meet this new challenge. Thus, that means putting own security forces in more rvith time, and the government will
this is the time for the three defence servic- harm's way or at the cost of establishing be compelled to create formalised and
es headquarters to work in unison and seek truth. We all sarv the 26l t 1 reporting r,vhere filnctionai structures to combat it purpose-
a say in combating terrorism in addition to most Indian channels were busy scoring fully. Thus, here the armed forces should
providing assets. \&/hat we witnessed dur- brol,rnie points showing which rvindorv start no\'v to find a good foothold to exploit
ing 26lll attack when accusatory fingers curtain on which floor of the Taj Mahal the media better. However, in both roles,
were pointed at the interaction of senior hotel had caught fire. Seasoned interna- unless the desired things happen, the
naval officers with the media should not tional channels like the BBC and CNN armed forces will have to remain contend
happen. During such unfortunate tactical devoted time to providing a larger picture with a balancing act with the media. In
level terrorist attacks that affect strategic including government press releases say- short, the media is not a force multiplier
levels, the involved defence forces should ing rvhat action r,vas being taken. Such but a necessary element that needs to be
have formal clearance for directive style of expansive reporting is helpful and reassur- catered for from the planning stage itself.

78 F0RCE May 2009

SOPs have to be laid down on rvho, rvhen side is better placed to win the war. This is
Counting on the Media as a
both misleading and self-defeating.
and how much can be spoken rvith the
media. And importantly, senior officers of force multiplier by the armed Defence correspondents cannot be like
the armed forces should rvorry less about other beat correspondents who learn fast
what media reports. forces is incorrect. A fine bal- and are shifted faster to another beat lest
Here, I will digress a bit, to share rvhat I they become liabilities. I dare say that the
perceive to be the unchanged mindset of
ancing act is required: for the problem lies at the top. Few editors under-
the senior defence services brass. As a stand national security in all its hues, just
two new roles of fighting ter- as a few politicians feel the need to know
young army captain posted at sno\\'-
bound Se La pass in Arunachal Pradesh ir.r rorism on mainland lndia and this vital subject. For example, at a recent
I978,I remember getting instructions CNN-IBN television debate on national
from all seniors, brigade commander strategic reach security between Arun Jaitely and Kapil
downwards, not to speak at all u ith a visit- Sibal of the BJP and Congress party respec-
ing team of journalists rvl.ro had clearance And nt'o, there is an instinctive urge to hide tively, I was amused to hear them talk only
from the army headquarters. Thev spend things from the media. It can be argued that about terrorism and how to combat it.
about two hours n-ith me and had manv this is partially correct. The more a country \A/hat is the way forward for the armed
innocuous questions on the fauna and like India rvith modest military means forces' interaction 1,\iith dedicated media
flora of the place. Having got ihe message hides, it translates into deterrence as the correspondents reporting on their tradition-
from the brigade comnander himself, I adversary is kept guessing. On the other al roles? Some say that we should switch
stuck to my position of 'l don't knon'' until hand, deterrence for powers like the US over to the US and western countries' con-
it sounded foolish to me and I cl.ranged it implies the opposite; the more capabilities cept of embedded journalists. For h'vo rea-
to 'I have instructions not to speak.' I do they shor'v, the more their adversaries get sons, this is neither feasible nor desirable.
not know what eventualh' those iournalists deterred. This thinking, hon'ever, should First, unlike the US and west, India is not
reported, but I kept mulling over horv stu- not be followed blindly. Except for opera- into out-of-area operations, and for defence
pid the army rvould hai'e looked n iih sen- tional plans, there is very little that needs to reportage within the country it is usually a
iors giving permission lor the visit and the be hidden. There is simply no case to hide junket hosted by the services headquarters.
man on the ground refusing to ralk at all. equipment deficiencies especially rvhat And secondly, because of different defi-
My inescapable conclusion uas that mt- constitutes operational gaps. This does not nitions of what constitutes deterrence (I
seniors did not trust me and iheir on-n help the defence services that do so, and spoke about this earlier), here, defence cor-
seniors as rvell. also deprives the media of a story that respondents are kept at a safe distance.
I say rvith sadness that regarding ihe tra- ought to be got from the horse's mouth. This is unlike, say the US, where one is
ditional roles of the arm\', and mavbe the The media that covers traditional roles of pleasantly surprised to find most of the
armed forces, the position remains the the defence setvices also suffers from tr.vo first floor of the Pentagon occupied by
same. The only difference is that nou-l am handicaps. One, the urge to break nervs mainline media correspondents. For us,
on the other side of the fence. \'isit the Line usually gets the better of senior defence under the prevalent circumstances, the
of Control or the Line of Actual Control, journalists as well. As I said earlier, such best that the defence services can do is to
officers and men even todar- have instruc- nervs is invariably about what is wrong in educate select defence correspondents on
tions to talk little ivith visiting journalists. It the organisation, the troops' low morale, matters of defence. This is slow process,
is another matter that the\, usuallv pour various scandals, and so on. And two, but to my mind is the only way to get the
their heart out when they learn that I have unfortunately, the so-called seasoned media to understand defence services'per-
been one of them. And mind you, these vis- defence correspondents hardly care to spective on its traditional roles. Even as this
iting journalists are not the greenhorns, understand rvar-fighting and operational happens, the mindset of senior military
but designated defence correspondents of aspects of the defence services. TWo exam- officers of being ultra-sensitive to defence
mainline media. ples rvill suffice here. The mainline print news should also change.
The problems confronting the armed media talks about the'Cold-Start' doctrine Thus, in conclusion, I would say that
forces and the media when reporting the of the army, and the air force having the counting on the Media as a force multiplier
traditional roles are of a different variety. 'Dissuasive Deterrence' strategy against by the armed forces is incorrect. A fine bal-
For example, there are two problems with China. Both are rvrong, and are jarring to ancing act is required: for the t\,vo new roles
the defence services. One, as trips to the discerning readers. The army has a pro- of fighting terrorism on mainland India
LAC and LC are sponsored ones, the army active strategy against Pakistan, and the and strategic reach, which have strategic
or the air force does not like even the IAF has graduated to an Active Deterrence' level connotation, clear cut directives of
mildest criticism in the reportage, even strategy against China. There is a sea differ- who and when can speak with the media
when it helps them. The army does not ence between the two positions. It should be laid down. For the armed forces'
want to expose its living conditions defi- axiomatically follows that if one does not traditional roles, there is a need to educate
ciencies, and instead takes pride in showing understand the doctrinal difference, one seiect defence correspondents on combat
innovation and improvisations done by cannot comprehend the capabilities perspective. The media is neither a friend
them. \A,/hile the living conditions of the required to adopt that posture successfully. nor an enemy of the armed forces. It is a
other tvvo services are much better, they too Thus, what is done by defence correspon- necessity that cannot be rvished a\\'ay. o
have the same ethos of showcasing more dents and even senior defence writers is (This talk was giuen at tlte Naual llhr
than should be feasible in a given situation. bean-counting ofassets to conclude which College, Mwnbai ort 17 A1:ril 2009)

May 2009 F0RCE 79

 ,_:,

FONCE rcRCE FOncE

F{ilddE
F(}RCE EDIT()RIAL CALENDAR 2OO9
,,J-tl,?i$ll,ll,$w,.

&ffi-
Fs\
F()RCE SPECIAL ISSUES 2t}{}9

MONTH OCCASION FEATURE LIST

lanuary lndian Army Day on .lanuary 15 0perational Doctrine
National Rifles (Rashtriya Rifles)
Modernisation, Acquisition, Upgradation Plans
Special Forces
Future lnfantry Soldier
Network Centricity
Cooperation with Friendly Armies

February Aero lndia 2009, February 11-15 lnterview, Chief of Air Staff
3 Show Dailies on Feb 12, 13 lnterview: All AOC-in-Cs
and 14 Cll Profile
DPP 2008 and Defence 0ffsets
Profile of Select Global Defence lndustry
Profile of Select lndian PSUs
Profile of Select lndian Private Defence lndustry

March Aero lndia Show Repod Comprehensive Review of Aero lndia 2009
Business done, in the pipeline and possibilities
Joint Ventures
Technologies Showcased

August F0RCE Anniversary Special Modernisation Review of lndian Army, Air Force,Navy,
Coast Guard and Para-military
Exclusive lnterviews with the Service Chiefs and Director
Generals of Para-military forces

0ctober lndian Air Force Day on October 8 0perational Aerospace Doctri ne

Modernisation, Acquisition, Upgradation Plans
Network Centricity
Passive Use of Space
Cooperation with Friendly Air Forces
Update on M-MRCA Flight Trials
Special Report DSE| 2009, London (8-11 September)

December lndian Navy Day on December 4 0perational Maritime Doctrine

Modernisation, Acquisition, Upgradation Plans
Network Centricity
Sh ip-bu ild ing
Cooperation with Friendly Navies
Reconnaissance and Fleet Air Defence
Special Report Dubai Air Show 2009 (15-19 November)
FORCE I}THER ISSUES 2OOg

MONTH 0ccAsr0N FEATURE LIST

April Special Report Defence Relations with the US

Land Cou nter-Terro ri sm Needs of Army/Pa ra- m i ita ry
I

Sea Fleet Review: lndian Coast Guard

Air Helicopters
lndustry/technoloSt Missile Defence

May Special Report Defence Relations with Russia

Land Surveillance Sensors for Contact and Deep Battles
Sea Reconnaissance At Sea
Air M-MRCA Update
lndusby/lechnolory UAVs

June Special Report Show Report on'IMDEX Singapore 2009

Land Border Management Equipment
Sea Submarine Warfare
Air Heavy and Tactical Air Lift
lndustry/lechnolory Cruise Missile

July Special Report Show Report on Paris Air Show 2009

Land Artillery Requirements Update
Sea Stealth in Warship-building
Air Ground-based Air Defence Systems
lndustry/lechnolory JVs and MoUs

September Special Report Show Report on MAKS 2009

Land Anti-armour Guided Missiles
Sea Amphibious and Carrier-Based 0perations
Air Operations in Mountains
lndustry/technology Future Tanks and lnfantry Vehicles

November Special Report Defence Relations with European Union

Land lnfantry Battalion Weapons & Equipment
Sea 0PVs
Air Flying Training Challenges
lndustry/lechnolory Defence Research and Development 0rganisation
Assuming Victimhood
Pakistan has built Thliban as a monster to highlight its helplessness
here seems to be greater concern about the Mohammad issued a statement saying, 'If India
grorving power and audacity of Taliban in India launches a \var on Pakistan, we will divide the
than in Pakistan. Fuelling our fears of the fight into hvo parts. The air defence will be the
Taliban are Pakistanis themselves, who instead of responsibili6, ol the militar_r', and the Tehrik-e-
quivering in their living rooms, are n arning India Taliban Pakistan rilll fight the rr.ar on ground.'
instead. Even Ahmed Rashid, who is considered Despite the proverbial cat being out of the bag,
the best authority on Taliban has said that India some people nere surprised b1. this and consid-
should not wring its hands in glee as the Taliban ered it a change of position of tl.re Taliban; a posi-
make progress inside Pakistan, because if they tion that the Taliban clianged again once the war
succeeds, the next target would be India. For his clouds receded and it u'ent back to fighting the
cledentials, Rashid is taken very seriously. Pakistani state.
Horvever, in Pakistan, there is another entity that Actually, Taliban hale been consistent in their
I Ghazala Wahab needs to be taken seriously. Ihat is the army, lvhich policies. They renain as loval to Pakistan Army as
despite the opprobrium of having virtually ceded they are to Islam. Onh the armv has been mis-
ground to the Taliban in parts of the country, does leading (and prettv sr-rccessfulll') the rvorld on
not appear to be much daunted by what seems to rvhat Taliban actualh' are and u'hat they want.
be a mortal threat to the country. Even now, Taliban are Pashtuns on either side of the Durand
according to the head of the US Central Command Line. In Afghanistan thel rvant to throrv out the
that deals with Pakistan and Afghanistan, General outsiders and reinforce rheir control, rvhile in the
David Petraeus, Pakistan considers India to be a tribal areas of Pakistan rhev n'ant a degree of
greater threat than Taliban. Addressing the Senate autonomy, which thev ahvals enjol'ed. They want
Armed Services Committee in April 2009 to under- the Americans out and the drone attacks to stop.
Iine President Obama's AfPak strategy, he said, The spurt in Taliban attacks in Pakistan is a recent
Taliban have heen "Many Pakistani leaders remain focussed on India phenomenon. In tl-re afore'mentioned October
as Pakistan's principal threat, and some may even 2008 intervien', Zardari had also said that the US
consistent in their rvas carrying out missile attacks in Pakistan with
continue to regard Islamist extremist groups as a
policies. They remain potential strategic asset against India." Read his government's consenr. In his rvords, "We have
Pakistan Army for leaders, because there is no big- an understanding, ir-r the sense that rve're going
as loyal to Pakistan ger leader than that in Pakistan. after an enemy together."
In the early days of Asif Ali Zardari's presidencl', The enemy is retaliating non'. It has just been a
Army as they are to rvhen he exhibited some promise of change, in an few months since that admission by Zardari, who
intervierv to Wall Street Journal in October 2008, he has since been relegated to the back room. Prime
lslam. Even the pat-
said that, "India has never been a threat to Minister Geelani l.ras capitulated and the army is
tern of the attacks Pakistan." He obviously took his presidency very running the shorv. Even the pattern ofthe attacks
seriously and didn't check with the 'real' leaders shorvs horv s1'mbiotic rhe relationship with the
shows how symhiotic before shooting his mouth. For the last 60 years, the Taliban is. Apart from the eas)/ targets like the
Paklstan Army has diligently built a constituency Shiites and the foreigners, the Taliban have essen-
the relationship with fol itself primarily on the back of the 'India threat'; tially attacked the police and the Paramilitary and
the Taliban is. Apart against which only the army is the saviour. The not the armt'itself.
most recent example of this rvas seen after the By raising the level of the tl.rreat posed by the
lrom the easy targets November 26 attacks in Mumbai. The immediate Taliban, Pakistan has ensured that the strings
reaction among the average Pakistani, which lvas that rvere to be attached to the US aid are not too
like the Shiites and reflected in most of the media there, was shock and tight, Pakistan becomes increasingly indispensa-
empathy. But once the Pakistan Army raised the ble to the US, some kind of accommodation with
the loreigners, the spectre of an attack by India, the country rallied pro-Pakistan Taliban rvorks out in Afghanistan
Taliban have essen- behind the army, silencing Zardari and company. and international support to India against
And here unlvittingly, perhaps, Pakistan Pakistan after 26/il attacks \\ranes. On his Delhi
tially attacked the exposed the reason '"vhy it does not fear the stopover, US envov Richard Holbrooke, said that,
Taliban. Neither the Afghani nor the Pakistani. for the first time, US, India and Pakistan face the
police and the Accused of assassinating former Pakistan Prime same enemy So instead of India being the victim
Paramilitary and not Minister Benazir Bhutto, Baitullah Mehsud's of Pakistan-perpetrated terrorism, Pakistan is
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), added to the jin- also a victim norv. Funnily enough, we seem to
the army itself goistic cacophony. His deputy N{aulvi Faqir believe it too. o

82 F0RCE lMay 2009

Mai or Years
The air force chief leaues behind a rtclt legacy

recentlr' asked the air force chief, .\ir Cliief because of inclement weather. Once the ALGs are
Ilarshal F.H. \lajor. nho retires on \lar' 3I, available, both the AN-32 and the newly acquired
about his t\\'o-\'ear ienure beginning 1 April C-130J aircraft can land there to provide succour
2007. In his inimirable ,stlle. he quippe'd. "lt u'as a to the troops. Key ALGs in the Western sector
n'onderlll. iensiorr tiee ienure." -\C\l \lajor has (Ladakh) that have been activated are Daulat Beg
been an amazinglv accessible sen'ice' cliief, and Oldie, Fukche, and Nyoma, south of Chushul at
has allol'ed rhe discerr.ring media (FORCE includ- 13,400ft right under the PLA nose. I was present at
ed to r-isii air rbrce installatior-rs and decide things the Leh air force station two weeks before the AN-
ior iir.-nseir'es. This has helped me understand 32 aircraft was to land at Fukche ALG; the mood
L\F s gain: during liis tenllre; and thel are plenn'. rvas jubilant and it had to be seen to be believed.
-lop
or-r mv list is the u'ork done on the China For tl.re Eastern sector (Arunachal Pradesh), it
:roni. -\iter decades of r-reglect, the three defence rvas envisaged that four ALGs at Tuting, Mechuka,
I Pravin Sawhney :c:\ices. rrith gor.ernment support, are linallv \iaja1'n3gu. and Pasighat would be upgraded and
.eizeci about the threat from the East. Given the a fen' neu' ones would be built. Unfortunately,
l.05rrkm long disputed land bordel in inhospitable rvork on the ALGs in Arunachal Pradesh is moving
:errain. the air force has taken a bold step: its rvar verl' slon'11'. Senior air force officers say that this is
docirine has changed from'dissuasit'e deterrcnce' due to bulearrcralic tardiness as various enviton-
io acrive deterrence' against China. This means mental clearances are not easy to come by. This
iirar in.tead of adopting a strategic defensive pos- may be partially true. I suspect that Nen'Delhi is
rure. rvhicl.r rvill allorv the PtA to fight a border war worried about Beijing's reaction to military activi-
on h'rdia's soil, the switch-over is now to fight ty in Arunachal Pradesh. Chirra, after a1l, recently
insread on the enemy's territory. The new air force objected to the visit of the Indian President and
docrrine replicates the PLA r'var doctrine, and will Prime Minister to the state, and rvhat is unprece-
cn:ure that our o\vn forces are not placed disad- dented, they have blocked loan from the Asian
lantageousll'. 'lo implement the new war thinking, Development Bank for a project ir.r the border
rhe air force needs matching equipment and infra- state; an area of 90,000sqkm that China is claim-
Work on the ALGs in srnlciure. And this has been a priority during ACM ing as its territory. New Delhi should not succumb
\lajor's tenure. In May 2008, he told me: "We have to Beijing's pressure tactics as otheru'ise the1, rvill
Arunachal Pradesh is norr decided to beef up our assets and more continue to pless further.
irnportantll'the infrastructure in the Eastern sec- Another area where ACNI NIajor deserves acco-
moving very slowly. ior. \\'e intend modernising our airbases to make lades is the hard push he has given to the fitfully
Senior air force offi- them capable of undeltaking operations of all moving Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project being
tlpes of aircraft, both heavy transport and fighters, deveioped by the Aeronautical Development
cers say that this is ir.rcluding the Su-30MKL" The Su-30MKI are prac- Authority (ADA) of the DRDO. \\ritl.rin a month of
tising operational flying from the Leh air force taking office, ACM Major had deputed a 12-mem-
due to bureaucratic base, and rvithin two to three years, once the infra- ber air force team under AVNI C. Nanjappl'to get
structure ibr their logistics and maintenance is embedded rvith the ADA as the 'project monitor-
tardiness as various provided, the premier aircraft will be permanently ing team.' The deputr, air force chief since then
environmental clear- stationed there. has been reviewing the Tejas (LCA) project each
To overcome the formidable Khardung La month, and ACM Major himself gets an update
ances are not easy to (pass), the Leh and Thoise air force stations are every quarter. The earlier team leader was
being upgraded to become independent nodal replaced by AVM Shankar Mani a month ago as
come by. This may be stations. Probably the more important rvork is the part of regular rotation. The Tejas project director,
partially true. I sus- building of a network of Advance Landing Dr PS. Subrarnanyam told me on two occasions
Grounds (ALGs) and helipads for air-logistics (the second time a week ago) that the 'project
pect that New Delhi is delivery to provide air-connectivity to the numer- monitoring team' has improved the pace of the
ous inaccessible areas. This will help both in war programme substantially. \A/hen I asked him horv
worried about and peace, especially the latter as development this has been done, he replied that'we, scientists
rvork on border roads along the Line of Actual are very conservative with our assessments,
Beijing's reaction to Control virtually stopped after the l987 whereas in actual flying such rigidity need not be
military activity in Sumdurong Chu crisis',vith China. Indian troops followed.'This has put the traditional wisdom on
take days on foot to reach numerous border posts, its head fol the eventual advantage of the I'ejas
Arunachal Pradesh ivhich remain cut-off for most part of the year project. For example, Dr Subramanyarn does not

l\4ay 2009 F0RCE 83

worry about the flying hours done, but is by the DRDO-Israeli IAI has run into rough
The good news is that the
concentrating on the number of test- \veather, the IAF believes that it would not
points that require to be successfully eval- military satellite, RISAT-I, with be serious enough to sever the contract.
uated. Test points refer to the aircraft char- \'1eann'hile, the AWACS, which would revo-
acteristics and manoeuvres like the alti- sub-meter resolution has been lutionise IAF's air defence concepts, is
tude and speed changes that the aircraft expected to be finally inducted in May. The
can do in a given time. Dr Subramanyam is
cleared by the cabinet com- delav has been attributed to various tests
confident of the Initial Operational mittee on national security that still needed to be done; the air force
Clearance (IOC) by December 2010 and the said tiiat elervthing should be finished
Final Operational Clearance (FOC) by 2012. and is expected to be before the first A\\ACS arrives from Israel
However, for the FOC, the IAF needs to to the Agra air force station. The recent
decide the BVR missiles that it wants to use launched in the last quarter appointrnent ol -\ir \larshal D.C. Kumaria
with Tejas. Regarding the Multi-Mode to the nertlr creaied post ofdirector gener-
Radar (MMR) validation, which is tradi-
of this year al operatiorrs is ro be seen in the context of
tionally done after the IOC, Dr improved air detence. Senior iAF officers
Subramanyam told me that the ground the RFP for the MRCA that was sent out on opine thar il acquisitions continue
testing has already been done, and in the ACM Major's watch was a comprehensive smoothh', in sir ro seven years, air defence
next six r,veeks, the flight testing will be document, the flight trials would be a capabilities n ould reach tl.re desired goal.
done. He has an order for 40 Tejas from the novel experience for the IAF. There will be The I.\F is conscious that the ultimate
IAF which will be fitted rvith GE 404 IN20 flight triais in India and in the bidding surveillance oi ihe hon-reiand would be
and GE 404F213 engines. country. The IAF'would also be looking at through dedicaied militarv satellites. The
This is not all. The RFP for the new the facilities in the bidding countries to Radar Imaging Saielliie-2 (RISAI-2) r,vhich
engine which will power the Tejas Mark II is understand aspects like product support, n'as launched inro loiv earth orbit by the
expected to be issued shortly for GE 414 technology transfer and so on. The sense I PSLV on April 20 n as indeed a surveiilance
and EI 200 engines. Dr Subramanyam sur- have got is that the IAF has prepared itself satellite rreanr ro keep a \\'atch on India's
prised me by saying that he will validate to undertake broad-based and speedy borders. But conrnrrr' ro n'hat most media
Tejas Mark II in 14 to 18 months after the flight evaluations. reported, RIS.\l -l '.'. o'.rici be' used by civilian
nerv engine is procured. A new engine Another highpoint of ACM Major's intelligence age::cir-:. The good news is
would require re-designing of the rear fuse- tenure was the IAF's reaction to the 26lI1 that the miliian s:.ieiiire. RISAT-1, with
lage, and the cornels ofthe flight envelop- tragedy. Within days of the terrorist attack, sub-meter reso|.riion iras been cleared by
ment would need to be explored fully. when the political leadership r,vas vacillat- the cabinet cor.r-l.i:iiie c on national security
According to him, he has set up two ADA ing about blaming Pakistan for the event, and is erpected :o :rt iaunched in the last
teams already, one each to n'ork on the the collective military leadership had quarter of this i.a:. lhe i.{E, under ACM
design changes with either engine. Once agreed that only the Pakistan Army could Major has prepai.c i:seli n ell to exploit its
the engine is decided, the other team, have carried out the precision strike. The capabilities tirl'r. l:.rg .lace cell in the Air
which rvould have gathered expertise in IAF lvas in the forefront explaining to Headquarters ha. c-o.e coordination with
designing, would join the main team. India's top leadership that time had come ISRO, and o\ er 1(.ri, :-l iorce personnel have
Certainly a sensible thing to have done; he to use the air power; even if it meant an alreadl'been irair:ec bv ISRO in technical
would have consulted his users on this. In escalation, the IAF could give a bloody aspects of daiil if .:nsier. handling of images
his enthusiasm, it slipped out of his mouth nose to the enemy in minimal time rvhile and interpreiario::.
that the IAF has already indicated an order keeping hostilities below the nuclear Erren as I rriir. :bout I.\F's operations
for five squadrons of Tejas Mark II. By threshold. Once the IAF's considered and acquisitio:s :l:i r have got unflinching
attaching the user team with the developer, advice rvas set aside, it was evident that support from iirsi: cl:iei. I need to mention
ACM Major has demonstrated his prefer- Nelr' Delhi had chosen defence over one morale boosi.::s ilitiaiive. There have
ence fol indigenisation, and the need to offence. Defence of homeland became the been cases nl:er ':e:.or-tr-rel belorv officer
accomplish the project before it succumbs buzzlvord and the government encouraged rank took loans i:onr::re bar-rk and the indi-
to inertia once again. With my visit to ADA fast-track purchases of operationally criti- vidual n-rei an -ir::i:-lrelv death. In what
six months ago and after the recent inter- cal equipment. could be a cioulrle .ri:qedr', the onus of
action i,vith the Tejas project director, I am \{fhile not seeking any new purchases, repa\-ment oi iire ,car-r used to fa11 on the
confident that the Tejas rvould join the IAF the IAF made the case to strengthen air familr. Under -{C\i \lajcrr, the iAF has set
inventory in good time, just when the defence of the homeland, lvhich ultimately up a fund corplrs Lrv each indir,idual con-
MRCA gets inducted into the service. is its sole responsibility. A breakthrough tributing a pitir-rcr- ioii ilrds it to insure the
The MRCA technical evaluations are follorved after years of indecisiveness. loans. 1r-r case oi a nced. ihe insurance,
over, and senior air force officers say that Pulchases of various sensors and a large instead of ihe rggriei ed family, rvould
the flight evaluations rvill commence in variety of land-based radars were promptly repav the loan.
end-May/early lune. A down-selection of cleared by the defence ministry. Against a Air Chiel \lar.iral FH. \lajor started with
the competitors is on the cards; not all of requirement of 72 radars,22 numbers n'ere tl're adr-aniage oi lo\\ e\pectations.
the six competitors who have bid for the agreed to be purchased rvithin a month. Hon'ever. aiier 1is ion'-ker', non-controver-
MRCA are in possession of capabilities \Vhile the medium range sulface to air mis- sial. br.n higir on subsiirnce tenure, he has
that they have projected on paper. Just as sile (MR-SAM) project jointly undertaken ensured a -snrooiir .-<ail lbr ]ris successor. a

84 FI)RCE May 2009

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il,$}lJJWE#gJ&JSJ-
YJSUAI;rANM&-
The technology of yesterday's dogfights will not win in the modern battlespace. The Super Hornet gives lndia
the advanced capabilities required to prevail for decades to come. lt's the only aircraft available today with
a proven, fully integrated suite of networked radar, sensors, avionics and weapons systems-enabling the
Super Hornet to engage potential threats beyond visual range like nothing else. To engage, fight and win.

f,afieon NOR TI{R OP GR L''I1II'AN B2TE IYE

 RNI REGN No. DELENG/2003/12712

journalism and has

f'lver a period provided
of time, FORCE magazine has emerged in the forefront of defence
Lf consistently quality, thought-provoking adicles on issues of national security which one can
ill-afford to ignore. The critical, in-depth and informative analyses on matters defence bear a stamp of
high professionalism and deep commitment. I commend the editorialteam fortheir sustained efforts and
wish them success in transforming into a 'Force to reckon with' in the days ahead. o
Admiral Sureesh Mehta PVSM, AVSM, ADC
Ghairman Chiefs of Stalf Committee and lndian Ghief ol Naval Staff

E 0RCE has decidedly established itself amongst the leading magazines on security issues in the
I country. lts approach is professional and its perspectives analytical, refreshing and balanced. lts
content enc0mpasses all aspects of national and international security and not merely limited to news
and description of inventories. I find it topical, insightful and useful. My compliments to the F0RCE team
on what they have achieved and wish them all success in future. r

Air Chief Marshal F.H. Major PVSM, AVSM, SC, VM, ADC
lndian Chief of Air Stalf

ORCE magazine has contributed significantly by enhancing awareness of services' related aspects
and critical analysis of national security issues. To military professionals in particular, F0RCE
magazine provides incisive and useful insights. I am sure that FORCE magazine will continue to strive
and achieve greater heights of success. o
General Deepak Kapoor PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC
lndian Chief of Army Staff

FORCE magazine, has gradually emerged as a compendium of matters and developments concerningthe
national/international security issues. The articles are replete with emerging trends and perhaps today it
is one of the few magazines dedicated to security related feature writings. Another significant profile of
the magazine is the contribution of articles by wide range of security experts. I am sure that FORCE
magazine reaches greater heights and success in its endeavour.) o
M.L. Kumawat,
DG, Border Security Force

force represents a most exciting development in lndian defence journalism. By focussing equally on strategy, equipment,
I operations and doctrine, it provides readers with balanced coverage of the critical issues facing lndian defence policy.
Despite being in existence for only a few vears. F0RCE has already made a national contribution through the superb quality
of its analysis. o m MRPso/-
"niliinrfiiiifiifiiu Ashley J. Tellis, Senior Associate,
Garnegie Endowment for lnternational Peace, US
FORCE

/\ monthly glossy magazine on national securrty panerneo arter the internationally respected Jane Defence Weekly, F0RCE,
/.lcombines in depth reportingwith criticalanalyses, ararity in lndian defence reportage. FORCE is aimed, not justatthe soldier
or the scholar, but also the diplomat and the arms merchants. The articles are exhaustive, and some have archival value which
portends well for such a magazine. o
The Hindustan Times (lndia's leading English daily newspaper)

packaged as a full colour consumer magazine, the FORCE publication demonstrates how foreign policy and security concerns
I are becoming more mainstream topics of discussion. F0RCE's broad approach to security is an improvement on the alarmist
tone often struck in lndian newspapers and magazines. At more than a dollar per issue, FORCE costs roughly half of what Time
and Newsweek cost on lndian newsstands. o
Foreign Policy Journal, Washington DC

E ORCE covers a broad range of issues, from higher defence management to military news and features, p
I military aviation, naval affairs, border management, diplomacy, and Pakistani and lndian perspectives |iil.80.00 tltc 3202
to package news and views like the reputed British publication, Jane's Defence series. o iltililil1ililtilillilililililIilil
Deccan Herald (Newspaper)