Monthly Archives: August 2018

Spectacular jointmanship: Gp Capt Chandan Singh (second from left) with Lt Gen Sagat Singh (extreme right), Maj Gen Hira (extreme left) and Brig Sodhi. The legendary Air Force officer was the orchestrator of the first ever large-scale heli-landed operations in Independent India. Photo courtesy: Major Chandrakant, biographer of Air Vice Marshal Chandan Singh

Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam (Retd)

As 57 Mountain Division, 23 Division and 8 Mountain Division under Major Generals Ben Gonsalves, RD Hira and KV Krishna Rao found themselves on the east banks of the rivers Meghna and Surma, respectively, their Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, was searching for innovative solutions to seriously threaten Dacca by the end of the first week of operations in his IV Corps zone. Turning to his IAF Task Force Commander, Group Captain Chandan Singh (later Air Vice Marshal), he remarked, “Chandan, do what you have to but get me into Sylhet and across the Meghna river to put pressure on the Dacca Garrison. If there is a window of opportunity, I want to be the first into Dacca.” If there was anyone in the IAF who could match up to Sagat’s energy and his ability to convert operational ideas into outcomes, it was his fellow Rajput, Chandan Singh.

Group Captain Chandan Singh was already a legend in the IAF’s transport fleet when he was called upon to perform extraordinary feats in 1971. He proved to be the ideal air commander who understood the land battle as no one else did

Commissioned as a fighter pilot, a serious accident on Spitfires during an emergency landing in 1949 almost wrote off Chandan’s flying career. Determined to get back into a cockpit, he soon commenced flying Dakotas and then the C-119 Packet before converting onto An-12s just as Ladakh was flaring up in the early 1960s. Squadron Leader Chandan Singh led the air-dropping missions over Ladakh to sustain forward posts and came back with his aircraft riddled with 19 bullet holes on the first day of the 1962 conflict; he then flew in tanks to the Chushul airfield. Awarded a Vir Chakra for his exploits in the 1962 conflict with China, Group Captain Chandan Singh was already a legend in the IAF’s transport fleet when he was called upon to perform extraordinary feats during the ‘Lightning Campaign’ in December 1971.

Chandan’s exploits in the 1971 conflict saw him wearing two hats and demonstrating organisational brilliance and personal courage. As the Station Commander of Air Force Station, Jorhat, he was entrusted by Air Chief Marshal Lal with setting up Kilo Flight, the forerunner to the Bangladesh Air Force. Manned by a few selected pilots, including Group Captain Khandker and Flt Lt Sultan Mahmud (both future Air Chiefs in the Bangladesh Air Force) and airmen who had defected from the Pakistan Air Force, a few accomplished IAF helicopter and transport pilots were chosen to clandestinely train them. Among them was Flying Officer Karandikar (later Air Commodore), who recalls his association with Chandan Singh with awe and reverence. He recalls that the team was equipped with the Dakota, the slow-moving Otter aircraft and Alouette helicopters, with the Otter and Alouette modified for weapon delivery and armed with rocket pods and a machine gun operated by a gunner firing sideways out of an open-door hatch. Chandan shifted them to Dimapur, a satellite base, from where they gained proficiency in night flying and weapon delivery before they were moved to Kumbhigram and then forward to Kailashahar in early December to support IV Corps operations.

Karandikar recalls flying the Dakota solo on a few occasions as he flew some fuel and armament stores from Kumbhigram to Kailashahar, an unconventional decision which only a risk-taker like Chandan would authorise. Chandan Singh’s magnanimity was evident when he ensured that the Bangladeshi pilots were given the opportunity of firing the first shot at the enemy on December 3 as he tasked the Otter with a rocket attack on the oil tanks at Narayanganj, and the Alouette to attack the oil tanks at Chittagong just after midnight. Chandan often flew with Kilo Flight and they did a great job throughout the campaign by flying missions at night against several targets.

Encouraged by its initial success, Lt Gen Sagat Singh agreed to Chandan’s suggestion that Kailashahar, right on the Tripura-East Pakistan border, should emerge as the aviation hub of Sagat Singh’s IV Corps and Chandan Singh was unofficially re-designated as Task Force Commander. This is where he wore his second hat as the orchestrator of the first ever large-scale heli-landed operations in Independent India if one discounts the heli-landed operation at Aizawl during the Mizo insurgency of 1966. Strategising extensively with Sagat at IV Corps HQ in Teliamura, Chandan soon had a large complement of battle-proven Mi-4 helicopters from 110 Helicopter Unit (HU) at Kailashahar, supplemented by a few IAF and army Alouette light helicopters. While the former were primarily troop carriers, the latter would prove immensely useful in the recce and scout roles.

Responding to the first call into action, Chandan Singh himself flew a mission to Sylhet on the morning of December 7 to investigate reports from Indian Army intelligence that the Pakistan army wanted to surrender. Met with a fusillade of machine gun fire and receiving several hits on his Mi-4 helicopter, Chandan reported back to Sagat that it was a trap. Reacting coolly, Sagat asked Chandan whether he could cross the Surma river and land a battalion under fire and seize the initiative by surprising two Pakistani brigades which would be anticipating a larger conventional assault by several brigades. The rest is history as 110 HU heli-landed 4/5 GR commanded by Lt Col Harolikar under fire at the gates of Sylhet in a display of spectacular jointmanship. Supported by airstrikes by IAF fighters and Kilo Flight under FAC control and receiving continuous waves of Mi-4s, the Gorkhas fought valiantly for over a week, preventing the brigade from reinforcing Dacca and coercing it sufficiently to surrender on December 16.

Emboldened by the success of the Sylhet operation, Sagat urged Chandan to push his weary helicopter crew, who had flown non-stop for over 48 hours, to heli-land several brigades of 57 and 23 Division at multiple points across the wide and mighty Meghna river by December 13. Relocating to Agartala, 110 HU was reinforced with more helicopters and crew from two more units to cope with the volume of lifting an entire brigade with its complement of engineers and light artillery to chosen landing zones at Raipura, Narsingdi and Narayanganj from the divisional forward HQ of Brahmanbaria. 4 Guards was the second unit after 4/5 GR to participate in the operation and came out with flying colours despite hardly any preparatory time for the operation. Here again, leading from the front emerged as a key force multiplier as Sagat and Chandan Singh insisted on carrying out the first recce of the proposed landing ground at Raipura in a Chetak helicopter. Flying into heavy ground fire, the co-pilot was shot through the leg and over 30 bullet hits were counted after the sortie. Executing a series of crossings, the helicopter task force landed over two brigades on the west bank of the Meghna in an operation that is termed as ‘vertical envelopment’. By doing so, they cut off any possible reinforcement routes to Dacca from the other garrisons and facilitated a multi-pronged advance that forced the surrender of Dacca.

While the pilots and crew of 110, 105, 111 HU, Kilo Flight and the Chetaks performed magnificently during the nine-day relentless operation, the IV Corps battle was a commanders’ battle with the senior leadership leading from the front. Complementing the drive of Sagat, Ben Gonsalves, Krishna Rao and Hira, Chandan Singh proved to be the ideal air commander who understood the land battle as no one else did. For his exceptional leadership in multiple operational tasks, personal courage, daring risk-taking ability and motivational charisma, Group Captain Chandan Singh was the seniormost IAF officer to be awarded the Maha Vir Chakra during the 1971 war. 

KARACHI: Pakistan conveyed its “deep” concern to the UN over the death of jailed pro-freedom Kashmiri leader Ashraf Sehrai and called for the release of all political prisoners in the Indian-administered Kashmir, the country’s UN envoy has said.
Munir Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, said on Saturday in a letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres, urging him to ask New Delhi to immediately release all prisoners illegally detained in the disputed Himalayan valley.
Sehrai, 77, died at a hospital in the Indian-administered Kashmir earlier this week.
He was the chairman of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, one of the constituent parties of the Hurriyat Conference, Kashmir’s biggest pro-freedom group.
Sehrai “spent his life struggling for the legitimate right of self-determination of #Kashmiris and suffered persecution at the hands of Indian occupying forces,” Akram said in a series of tweets.
Like hundreds of other Kashmiri political prisoners, Sehrai was kept in jail far from his hometown of Srinagar. He was incarcerated since July 2020 at the Uhdampur jail, more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the region’s capital.
He was already under house arrest when he was detained under the Public Safety Act, which has been described as a “lawless law” by global rights group Amnesty International.
With hundreds of prisoners having tested positive for COVID-19 across India, activists and family members of incarcerated individuals have repeatedly appealed to the Indian government to release ailing prisoners from overcrowded jails.
Akram said Pakistan has urged the UN chief to ask the government of India to immediately release all illegally detained prisoners in view of the prevailing COVID-19 crisis and deteriorating humanitarian situation in the disputed region.
Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir.
Some Kashmiri groups have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or unification with neighbouring Pakistan.
According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.

A total of 6,738 oxygen concentrators, 3,856 oxygen cylinders, 16 oxygen generation plants and about three lakh Remdesivir vials received as aid from foreign countries have been delivered or dispatched to various states and union territories between April 27 and May 8, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday.

Reflecting the solidarity and goodwill towards India, the global community has extended a helping hand in supporting its efforts in the fight against COVID-19, the ministry said.

The Government of India has designed a streamlined and systematic mechanism for effective allocation, and prompt distribution and delivery of the support supplies received by India.

This will help supplement the medical infrastructure of the tertiary care institutions and recipient states and UTs, and strengthen their clinical management capacities for effective clinical management of the hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

The Government of India has been receiving international donations and aid of COVID-19 relief medical supplies and equipment since 27 April from different countries/organisations.

Cumulatively, 6,738 oxygen concentrators, 3,856 oxygen cylinders, 16 oxygen generation plants, 4,668 ventilators/BiPAP, about 3 lakh Remdesivir vials have been delivered/dispatched from April 27 to May 8, the ministry said.

“Effective immediate allocation, and streamlined delivery to the recipient states and UTs and institutions is an ongoing exercise. This is being comprehensively monitored by the Union Health Ministry on a regular basis,” the ministry said.

Professor Randeep Guleria, Director AIIMS, New Delhi thanked all for sending foreign aid in form of medical equipments—ventilators, oxygen cylinders and concentrators—to fight a huge surge of cases. He also expressed his deep gratitude to everyone who have helped in fighting the pandemic. PTI

China’s Type 99 (ZTZ-99) tank during an event at the 2017 Army Games in Russia
Two months ago, the Indian and Chinese militaries pulled back their forces stationed around Pangong Lake, on their disputed border in the western Himalaya mountains. The pullback, described as a “disengagement” by India’s Defence Ministry, was meant to be a first step to ease tensions on the disputed border – swaths of which have been heavily militarized since 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers died in a medieval-style brawl in the nearby Galwan River Valley almost a year ago.
The Indian Army released photos, videos, and aerial images of the pullback, showing Chinese troops dismantling bunkers, removing tents, and evacuating the area. The most interesting images, though, were the ones that showed the large number of tanks and armoured vehicles. Indian media reported that China alone withdrew 200 tanks from the area.
The sheer sizes of the armoured forces indicates that both sides were quite serious about their military build-ups, and that the next violent incident on the border could escalate into something far more deadly.
In general, large-scale armour deployments in mountainous and high-altitude regions are rare, especially in the Himalayas.

Tanks pull back from the banks of Pangong Lake region, in Ladakh along the India-China border
The low air pressure, freezing conditions, and rough terrain make operating and maintaining such vehicles difficult and often lead to losses from wear and tear or mechanical failure. Tanks and armoured vehicles have to be restarted for up to 30 minutes every two or three hours to prevent them from freezing, according to one retired Indian general. That operational challenge is believed to have been a significant factor in both countries’ decisions to pull back their armour from Pangong Tso.
“These operational issues simply cannot be ignored either by Beijing or Delhi for a variety of operational reasons that are common to both forces,” a high-ranking Indian Army officer told The Wire.
That is also the reason armour – and aircraft, for that matter – played a very limited role in the month-long war India and China fought in the region in 1962. During that war, India airlifted six AMX-13 light tanks to an area just south of Pangong Tso, but the feat was extremely difficult, and there were no large-scale tank battles. The 1962 war itself was an embarrassment for India, which had over 8,000 soldiers killed, wounded, captured, or missing and lost the territory Aksai Chin to China. China lost 722 soldiers killed and 1,697 wounded.
Both India and China set about building up their militaries after the 1962 war.
Today, India’s tank force is made up primarily of three models. Two of them, the T-72 “Ajeya” and T-90 “Bhishma” main battle tanks (MBTs), are built in India using Russian designs. The third, the Arjun, is of Indian design. The Russian tanks, designed to operate in the cold, make up most of India’s fleet of about 4,000 tanks. The Arjun has had a troubled rollout, and only 124 are in service. China’s People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, maintains a large number of legacy models from the Cold War, like the Type 59, Type 69, and Type 80/88 tanks, but China’s tank force is centred on three modern models: the Type 96 and Type 99 MBTs, and the new Type 15.
While the Type 96 and Type 99 are MBTs, the Type 15 is one of the few light tanks developed this century.
The Type 96 and Type 99 weigh about 42 tons and 54 tons, respectively, and are armed with 125 mm guns, whereas the Type 15 weighs just 35 tons and has a 105 mm gun.
By comparison, India’s T-72, T-90, and Arjun tanks weigh about 41 tons, 46 tons, and 68 tons, respectively. The T-72 and T-90 are armed with 125 mm guns and the Arjun with a 120 mm. Despite being smaller and under-gunned, the Type 15 is far more capable in the mountainous terrain of the Himalayas than its Indian counterparts. The Type 15 is just one of the PLA’s numerous new weapon systems designed with mountain operations in mind, and China has shown it off in a number of live-fire drills in Tibet.
Both the PLA’s Xinjiang and Tibet military commands have received Type 15s. They have also been deployed to the Sino-Indian border, as have India’s T-72 and T-90s.
The images and a video released by the Indian military appear to indicate that the pull out around Pangong Tso was a coordinated event in which tanks were purposely shown to withdraw one at a time.
Indian T-72 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) can be seen on the Indian side of the border, as can a number of small fighting positions and foxholes.
The Chinese armoured force that can be seen is more diverse. A few of the tanks appear to be legacy models, likely Type 80/88s. There also appear to be several modern models, most likely Type 96s or Type 99As.
Another image shows at least 12 Chinese ZBD-04 IFVs and three other armoured vehicles, possibly tracked variants of the HQ-17 short-range surface-to-air-missile system, Type 09 self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery units, or a combination of both.
It’s unclear if the tanks and IFVs were always deployed so close to one another or if they were only brought forward for verification during the disengagement.
What is clear is that both sides are far more mechanized, capable, and lethal than they were in 1962.
The pullback from Pangong Tso has not been followed by additional pullbacks in other contested areas, as was originally hoped. Recent reporting suggests some Indian officials may regret pulling back from a strategically important area with little to show for it.
Despite the difficult conditions in a region known as the “roof of the world,” flare ups along the border are still a real possibility.
With so much heavy hardware present, future fighting in the area could be much deadlier than before.

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 8

The first batch of 83 women military police was inducted into the Army today at an attestation parade held at the Corps of Military Police Centre and School in Bengaluru.

The Commandant of the Centre and School, while reviewing the parade, complimented the newly attested women soldiers on their successful completion of the intense 61 weeks of training. 

This included basic military training, provost training to include all forms of policing duties and management of prisoners of war, ceremonial duties and skill development to include driving and maintenance of all vehicles and signal communications, an official statement said.

General MM Naravane visited forward areas in Eastern Ladakh in April 2021
The Indian Army has sent its doctors and trained Army paramedics to various hospitals across the country to assist in providing timely and critical care to Covid patients
New Delhi: As retired and serving Army men continue to help the countrymen to tackle the COVID-19 surge, the Indian Army on Wednesday assured the nation that the deployment of military medical professionals has been deliberated at the highest level and that there is no dilution in the operation prepared of Indian Armed Force along both northern and western borders.
Army’s clarification came after various media reports indicated that deployment of Army medical assents in various COVID-19 hospitals has adversely affected the operational efficiency of the force.
Notably, to assist in India’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian Army has contributed by deploying its doctors and trained Army paramedics at various hospitals across the country to assist in providing timely and critical care to Covid patients.
Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 29 and discussed various initiatives being taken by the Army to help in Covid management.
The Army chief informed the prime minister that the medical staff of the Army is being made available to various state governments. He also briefed PM Modi that Army is setting up temporary hospitals in various parts of the country.

ays scheme failed to deliver amid pandemic

New Delhi, May 7

The Ministry of Defence has come down heavily on the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) that is designed to cater to the medical needs of retired soldiers and their families.

The MoD, in a statement, said the denial of medical support to the veterans in these testing times raised several questions regarding the efficacy of the scheme. “The armed forces will have to take a hard look on this issue to identify fail-safe options for the future,” it said. Set up in 2003, the ECHS was to provide quality medical care to veterans and their families because of the limited capacity of the military hospitals. During the Covid surge, most veterans were denied admissions under the ECHS and empanelled hospitals, which had increased their dependence on the already-stressed military hospitals, said the MoD. — TNS

Warships to bring 250 MT oxygen in 4 days

• Over next four days, over 250 tonnes of liquid oxygen is expected to land on Indian shores aboard Navy warships
• Five warships are homeward-bound and will reach between May 9 and May 11
• The warships are also carrying 2,300 filled and 3,150 empty oxygen cylinders, 57 concentrators, eight empty oxygen containers (20 tonnes each) and 10,000 rapid antigen test kits
• Air Force aircraft too are ferrying supplies from domestic sources and countries like Germany, Singapore, UAE, Oman, UK, Australia and Thailand
• Defence doctors will now provide online consultation on e-Sanjeevani OPD to all citizens of the country

New Delhi: China is now reinforcing its military positions and rotating troops along the Line of Actual Control. This means that China is showing no intent of de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh where it is locked in a stand-off with India for over a year now.
While many would have hoped that the harsh winter would lead to a de-escalation, the Chinese are not converting temporary structures, helipads and surface to air missile positions it had set up last year into permanent positions.
Officials say that China continues to maintain a big force in the friction point areas. The Rutog county area which is only 100 kilometres away has witnessed plenty of activity in the past couple of days. India’s worry is that the People’s Liberation Army can move forces must faster to the LAC due to better road connectivity.
The last time that talks were held at the military level between the two countries was in April. The Chinese side did not agree to pull back troops at patrolling posts 15, 17 and 17A in the Hot Springs-Gogra-Kongka La areas.
A statement from India said that both sides agreed to resolve issues. “It was highlighted that completion of disengagement in other areas would pave the way for two sides to consider de-escalation forces and ensure full restoration of peace and tranquillity and enable progress in bilateral relations,” the statement read.
“The two sides agreed on the need to resolve the outstanding issues in an expeditious manner in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols,” a statement by the Defence Ministry read.
Sources said that the next round of talks would take place after consulting with the political leadership. The talks did not go as planned and several unresolved issues remain. However, it is important to keep talking and find solutions at the earliest, the source also said.
In March, India said that it expects China to work with it through the existing bi-lateral consultation mechanisms between their diplomats and military commanders to ensure early completion of the disengagement process in the remaining areas in eastern Ladakh to allow both sides to consider de-escalation of forces.
At the 10th round of the senior commanders meeting, India is learnt to have insisted on a faster disengagement process in areas such as Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang to defuse tension in the region.

Says scheme failed to deliver amid pandemic

New Delhi, May 7

The Ministry of Defence has come down heavily on the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) that is designed to cater to the medical needs of retired soldiers and their families.

The MoD, in a statement, said the denial of medical support to the veterans in these testing times raised several questions regarding the efficacy of the scheme. “The armed forces will have to take a hard look on this issue to identify fail-safe options for the future,” it said. Set up in 2003, the ECHS was to provide quality medical care to veterans and their families because of the limited capacity of the military hospitals. During the Covid surge, most veterans were denied admissions under the ECHS and empanelled hospitals, which had increased their dependence on the already-stressed military hospitals, said the MoD. — TNS

Warships to bring 250 MT oxygen in 4 days

• Over next four days, over 250 tonnes of liquid oxygen is expected to land on Indian shores aboard Navy warships
• Five warships are homeward-bound and will reach between May 9 and May 11
• The warships are also carrying 2,300 filled and 3,150 empty oxygen cylinders, 57 concentrators, eight empty oxygen containers (20 tonnes each) and 10,000 rapid antigen test kits
• Air Force aircraft too are ferrying supplies from domestic sources and countries like Germany, Singapore, UAE, Oman, UK, Australia and Thailand
• Defence doctors will now provide online consultation on e-Sanjeevani OPD to all citizens of the country