Monthly Archives: August 2018

New Delhi: The Navy is looking at leasing an unspecified number of mine counter measure vessels (MCMVs) and naval utility helicopters (NUHs) to fill a critical gap even as it pursues a larger contract for such systems to be made in India with foreign collaboration, ThePrint has learnt.

The Navy, which has taken on lease two Sea Guardian drones from a US firm besides a logistics ship from an Indian private firm for travel between Kochi and Lakshadweep, is looking at leasing certain equipment, sources in the defence and security establishment said.

It took twoi months from the movement of the file for the drones to arrive in India.

The drones were leased while India pursues a larger tri-service procurement of 30 lethal Predator drones from the US.

Talking about future leasing plans, a Navy source told ThePrint, “We have sought information for possible lease of MCMVs. We are actively looking at getting them.”

The source added that the force is looking at the option of leasing equipment wherever there is a capability gap and the time to overcome it takes longer than what is convenient.

“The leasing is not just for training and familiarisation process. There are certain areas where there is a huge capability gap. While the larger procurement process is on to fill the gaps, leasing of such equipment can be used in the interim period,” the source said.

Giving the example of MCMVs that are used to clear harbours and other critical areas of mines laid by enemy submarines and vessels, the source said countries like Russia, South Korea and even the US have such equipment which can be taken on lease.

At one point, the Navy had 12 of them, but now have zero now and are dependent on kits fitted on smaller ships to counter the threat.

The Navy has been unsuccessfully trying to procure these vessels since 2005. Attempts to procure MCMVs from South Korea’s Kangnam Corporation failed after the company was hit with controversy twice, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the project.

The first controversy broke during the UPA government when allegations that the firm had appointed ‘consultants’ for the contract, in a violation of Indian procurement rules, surfaced. The firm came back into the picture a second time when Manohar Parrikar was defence minister. It was shortlisted to tie up with Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) for the contract.

However, when Nirmala Sithraman became defence minister, she cancelled the contract after the company failed to commit fully on Transfer of Technology (ToT).

Also read: Why Indian Navy is getting a camouflage uniform like the Army and Air Force

Other lease plans

Sources said NUHs could also be taken on lease under the Strategic Partnership (SP).

Addressing his annual press conference Thursday, Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh had indicated the force is not looking at the NUHs being offered by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

Replying to a query from ThePrint, Admiral Singh said the NUHs are being pursued under SP, which is aimed at providing an impetus to private defence players.

The Navy, which was in talks with HAL over the helicopter deal worth USD 3 billion, is no longer keen on acquiring the aircraft.

Also read: Naval helicopters will be Modi govt’s first challenge in its ‘atmanirbhar’ push in defence

Navy firm on third aircraft carrier

Admiral Singh has strongly come out in support of a third aircraft carrier, saying it is needed as the Indian economy grows towards the USD 5 trillion goal.

He said the Navy will formally move the proposal to the government for a third aircraft carrier after gathering the technical information sought from various countries.

“As the Navy, we are absolutely clear of the utility of the carrier. This is because air operations are integral to naval operations, and air power at sea is required since the Navy is all about reach and sustenance,” he said.

He added: “If you are a nation that is aspiration and you want to become a USD 5 trillion economy shortly and you want to do well, you will have to go outwards and seek the world. The nation does not want to be navy tethered to shore. For that aircraft carriers are absolutely necessary.”

ThePrint had reported in February that the Navy is firm on its plans for a third aircraft carrier despite Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat’s scepticism.

The Indian Navy currently operates aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, while INS Vikrant is under construction in Cochin and is due for commissioning in 2022.

Both vessels have a displacement (measure of a vessel’s weight) of 45,000 tonnes each and the Navy is keen on a third vessel of higher displacement.

Also read: Engine, design deficiencies — Third crash puts Russian MiG-29K back in focus

Admiral Karambir Singh says Navy will prioritise ordnance delivery, networking and unmanned solutions such as drones/UAVs with the resources that’ll be made available to it.

New Delhi: The Indian Navy has approached the Ministry of Finance with some funding models, especially for shipyards, similar to the Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) model, its chief Admiral Karambir Singh said Thursday.

The IRFC is the finance arm of the Indian Railways, which raises resources for expansion and running through capital markets and other borrowings.

“Those (models) are still under discussion, and if they come through, then possibly we will be able to provide a little better liquidity to these shipyards,” Admiral Singh said, without detailing what the funding models are.

The Navy has been battling a depleting budget, which it had repeatedly emphasised is too little to cater for its future acquisitions and inadequate to meet its committed liabilities. In the last Union Budget, the Indian Navy was allocated only Rs 41,259 crore against the projected amount of Rs 64,307 crore.

The Navy chief was speaking to the media a day before India celebrates the force’s contributions on Navy Day, 4 December.

Also read: Hit by budget crunch, Indian Navy now plans to buy 2 Landing Platform Docks instead of 4

Priorities due to budget crunch

Admiral Singh said the force will prioritise ordnance delivery, networking and unmanned solutions such as drones/UAVs with the resource envelope that will be made available to it. Ordnance delivery includes gunnery systems, missiles and launchers, while networking comprises maritime domain awareness, combat management systems and targeting, among other things.

He said the Navy is aware of the Covid-19 situation, and is hopeful the economy is going to bounce back very quickly. But whatever resources are given to it, the Navy will have to make sure procurements under its Maritime Capability Perspective Plan are prioritised to meet requirements.

In the three priority areas of ordnance delivery, networking and unmanned solutions, indigenisation is helping the Navy as certain equipment becomes available at a lower price.

Earlier this year, the Navy had inducted two ‘Predator’ drones on lease for a short period. Admiral Singh said they are capable platforms with endurance of over 33 hours. The drones’ manufacturer, American energy and defence firm General Atomics, will be responsible for their maintenance, while operations will be in the hands of the Navy.

“As far as the revenue is concerned, the main focus is on our spares and inventory holding. We are working on it very aggressively to make sure that we have a smart inventory and carrying costs are less,” he said, referring to the operational logistics supply chains for spares and other inventories.

Future tech, underwater capabilities

The Navy chief said some introspection has also gone into the MCPP recently, and a lot of focus has been put on future technologies, unmanned solutions and networking, keeping in mind the threats envisaged.

The document, which lists the Navy’s long-term procurement plans, is often re-evaluated keeping in mind emerging future threats.

Admiral Singh also said the underwater domain awareness and capability is a key focus area for him, and the force is focussing hard on being able to do war-fighting in the underwater space.

He said the P-8Is —long-range surveillance and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft — are great force enablers in this aspect, and when the MH-60R helicopters arrive from the United States, they will also help out in this particular domain.

He added that the Kamov 28 helicopters that are undergoing upgrades will also become far more potent for the underwater space, and that the three services’ for 30 HALE UAVs is being advanced.

Admiral Singh said the two Predators leased earlier are pre-production models and the planned procurement of 30 Predators for the three services will have much more underwater and ASW capability.

The lease option could be used in case there’s a gap found in achieving critical capabilities, he explained, adding that the lease option has also been used for logistics for the naval bases in the Lakshadweep islands.

Also read: Why Indian Navy is getting a camouflage uniform like the Army and Air Force

On Ladakh stand-off 

Admiral Singh said the Navy deployed its P-8I long range reconnaissance aircraft on the northern borders on several occasions during the ongoing stand-off with China in eastern Ladakh. Earlier, the Navy had also deployed the P-8Is for surveillance during the 2017 Doklam stand-off with China at the countries’ tri-junction with Bhutan.

“The P-8I is a potent platform that has certain equipment that can be used on the border. Based on the requirements of the Army and IAF, we have deployed the P-8I on several occasions. We have also deployed the Heron UAV from one of the northern bases,” he said.

The Navy chief admitted that the Covid-19 pandemic that has defined 2020 and permeated and disrupted lives, and the near-simultaneous attempt to change the status quo on India’s northern borders, has increased the complexities in the security situation.

“This dual challenge scenario continues as we speak,” he said.

However, he assured there has been no infringement into Indian maritime boundaries, even as Chinese research vessels and fishing vessels have been deployed in the Indian Ocean Region.

Also read: Will continue maintaining high-tempo of operations, says Navy chief amid tensions with China

New Delhi: Army chief Gen. M.M. Naravane will be travelling to Saudi Arabia and the UAE next week, in an unprecedented move that is being seen as a sign of the growing ties between India and countries in the Middle East.

Sources in the defence and security establishment told ThePrint that Gen. Naravane’s visit will be four days long, during which he’ll meet his counterparts and other senior officials in these countries.

Sources said this will be the first trip by an Indian Army chief to Saudi Arabia. Naravane’s visit to the UAE will follow close on the heels of one made by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Also read: Army chief Naravane meets Nepalese counterpart, discusses ways to enhance friendship

Improving relations

Over the past few years, India’s relations with countries in the Middle East, especially with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, have grown, and Gen. Naravane’s visit is being seen as an extension of that.

The visit comes at a time when Pakistan’s relationship with the Saudi Arabia, once its strong ally, has plummeted.

Decades of close economic, political, and military ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had hit a bump in August this year when the South Asian country’s foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, criticised the West Asian country for failing to call a special meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on the Kashmir issue.

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s visit to Saudi Arabia, to ease the diplomatic strain between the countries, ended with him being denied a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Incidentally, Pakistan’s former army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif heads a Saudi Arabia-led Islamic military coalition.

On Tuesday, India had strongly condemned a missile attack that targeted an Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea city of Jeddah last week.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said India stands in solidarity with the government and the people of Saudi Arabia against such attacks.

Also read: Army needs to be more professional & not get carried away by ceremonials: Chief Naravane

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Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service
Rohtak, December 3

Farmers camping at Tikri-Bahadurgarh have completely prepared from Punjab. For the past five days, they have been charging their mobile phones by using the batteries of their tractors.

They brought their motorbikes to get to one point to another point, since a stretch of 10 km between the Bahadurgarh bypass to Tikri border, Delhi is jam-packed with tractor-trailers, buses, and other vehicles.

They have set up a backup team at their village which ensures the delivery of essential items for protesting farmers.

“Cell phone is the only way, here, to get updates about the agitation, and the direction from top leaders. Since we knew that there would be no electricity connection at the dharna spot to charge cell phones, hence, we created charging points at our vehicles. We charge the phone and power bank at night from the tractor’s battery while the battery is charged by keeping the tractor started. This mechanism is being adopted by the majority of the farmers,” said, a protesting farmer, Jasprit Singh Walia.

Significantly, several farmers are using electricity from poles installed on the highway to charge their phones and power banks.

Magar Singh of Muktsar said, that a 10-km long stretch of the highway from Bahadurgarh to Tikri border was jam-packed with tractor-trailers, buses and other vehicles of the farmers.

“Hence we are using two-wheelers not only to go to one point to other but also buy medicines, eatables and other essential things from Bahadurgarh town as you cannot move in the four-wheelers through road blockade,” he said, adding, that hundreds of farmers had brought two-wheelers with them.

Sukhdev Singh from Sangrur added that a backup team has been set up village-wise.

“We daily update the team members about the agitation and also apprise them of our need about essential items like medicines, milk powder etc. The teams send the village youths here to deliver the items here. The youths then replace those who want to return,” he added.

Amit Nain, a young farmer, informed since the dharna spot was spread over 10 km hence two vehicles were being used to make the farmers updates from the latest development about the agitation.

Amritsar, December 3

At least five drone sorties carrying arms or contraband were made in past three days from across the border by Pakistan-based “anti-national forces” supported by the ISI in Kot Razada border village in the Ajnala sector here, police sources said.

The first attempt was made on the intervening night of November 30 and December 1 while BSF jawans heard buzzing sounds of drones in the area during next intervening night (December 1-2). They also fired indiscriminately to shoot it down, but they returned to Pakistan.

Though an initial search operation yielded nothing, intensive search operations are continuing in the area. According to sources, the sorties were made between 11.15 pm to 12.30 am on the intervening night of December 1 and 2 and between midnight to 12.40 am on November 30- December1.

Similar drone sorties were made in September this year to pump in around 80-kg weapons. This had come to light during the interrogation of an alleged terror module busted by the Punjab Police following seizure of weapons in Tarn Taran.

As the winter sets in and dense fog engulfs the region, the BSF faces a stiff challenge to check the movement of drones from across the international border.

The BSF officials said the issue of purchasing an anti-drone system with 360-degree surveillance capacity and GPS jamming system was being taken up at appropriate levels.

“Until then, we are working in close coordination with the Punjab Police to strengthen the second line of defence in order to check the movement of drones where they can drop the consignments of drugs or arms,” a BSF official said.

The BSF had been holding monthly coordination meetings with the Punjab Police in this regard, he added.

The use of drones first came to light in September last year when the police nabbed some alleged Khalistani operatives and recovered a burnt drone from their possession. — TNS

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 3

In a bid to match China, India is moving towards procuring a number of key assets, including six more submarines. It is also focusing on high-end unmanned systems or drones, all clearly aimed at tackling Beijing at sea.

Navy Chief for 3rd aircraft carrier

• A third aircraft carrier is ‘absolutely necessary’ to expand its maritime prowess, said the Navy Chief
• India has only one aircraft carrier — INS Vikramaditya, a Russian-origin platform
• Indigenously built INS Vikrant will be fully operational by 2022

Addressing the media today on the eve of Navy Day, Chief of Navy Admiral Karambir Singh said: “We are going to the Defence Acquisition Council for issuing a request for proposal (second stage of the tender) for the submarines.” The DAC is the apex decision-making body of the Defence Ministry. It meets once in 3-4 weeks.

A foreign manufacturer will tie up with an Indian partner to make these six next-generation stealth submarines for nearly $7 billion. Indian and foreign partners have already been shortlisted.

The process for acquiring 30 more “Predator” drones — two were recently leased from US firm General Atomics and may be deployed over the Himalayas — was under way, the Navy Chief said.