Monthly Archives: August 2018

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday made it clear that the Indian Air Force is not opposed to the tri-services  theaterisation plan but asserted that the doctrinal aspects of the force should not in anyway be compromised by the new structures.

At a press conference ahead of the Air Force Day on October 8, the Chief of Air Staff said the IAF has certain reservations in respect to the proposed structures and emphasised on reduction in the layers of decision-making process.

He said the IAF has recently updated and revised its doctrine to keep it relevant, noting that no single service can win wars on its own. 

With Gen Anil Chauhan taking charge as the new Chief of Defence Staff last week, it is expected that the ambitious theaterisation process of the three services will see forward movement.

“We are not opposing any process of integration and any process of theatre commands. We have certain reservations in respect to the structures,” he said while responding to a question on the plan.

According to the plan, each of the theatre commands will have units of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and all of them will work as a single entity looking after security challenges in a specified geographical territory under an operational commander.

At present, the Army, Navy and the Air Force have separate commands. “We are fully supporting the integration process; it is only the methodology and the kind of structures that need to be future ready is what we are insisting on,” the Air Chief Marshal said. 

“Each service has a doctrine. The doctrinal aspects of the Indian Air Force should not be comprised in anyway by the new structures,” he said.

A plan was firmed up for initially creating an Air Defence Command and Maritime Theatre Command.

There has been a general perception that the IAF is not very keen on the theaterisation plan.

Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said the new structures should be created taking into consideration future challenges including in the domains of cyber and space, and that there must be clarity on the decision making process.

He said there must be reduction in layers of command and control under the new structures.

The Chief of Air Staff said his force is being transformed into a global aerospace force.

“Air power has the unique capability of undertaking independent strategic operations as well as operations coordinated with sister services and other arms of the national security apparatus,” he said.

Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said the IAF understands the imperativeness of joint planning and execution in  future wars and it is keen on integrating the efforts of the three services.

“We believe that the model of integration that we adopt must be future-ready, it must reduce levels of decision-making, and capitalise on the strength of all three services,” he said.

“We need an organisational structure that is best suited for Indian conditions and our geopolitical imperatives,” he added.

India’s first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat was spearheading the implementation of the theaterisation model, but the process came to a halt following his death in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu on December 8 last year.

“Traditionally, wars were fought on the land, sea and in the air. Today, newer domains like cyber and space are increasingly affecting the conduct of operations even in the traditional realms,” the IAF chief said.

“To absorb these changes, the IAF is on the path of transformation so that we can fight and win tomorrow’s wars,” he said.

The Chief of Air Staff said his force has proved its capability across the entire spectrum of conflict over the years.

“Our focus has been on building indigenous capabilities and also upgrading our older equipment. We are totally in sync with the government’s push towards self-reliance in defence,” he said.  

I ndia’s defence exports to various countries have increased manifold in recent years, the latest deal is to export Indian rocket launchers to Armenia. According to reports, India would supply the ‘Pinaka’ multi-rocket launcher system, which can fire a salvo of 12 HE rockets in 44 seconds to Armenia besides anti-tank missiles and a variety of ammunition as part of a package agreement. The complete details of these armaments have not yet been disclosed. Pinaka saw service during the Kargil War, where it was successful in neutralising enemy positions on the mountaintops. While the deal’s value has not been disclosed, the report claims armament worth $250 million or Rs 2,000 crore would be sold over the next few months. The deal was signed earlier this month and supplies are to be fast-tracked. It is not the first time that Armenia has received weapons equipment from India. In 2020, India triumphed over Russia and Poland in a $40 million defence agreement with Armenia providing it with four indigenous ‘Swathi’ counterbattery radars. This disclosure comes days after India called on the “aggressor side” in fresh fighting along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border to “immediately cease hostilities” without directly naming Azerbaijan. Latest fighting erupted between the two sides on September 13. India’s defence exports Meanwhile, it seems the ArmenianAzerbaijan conflict has helped India to boost its arms exports. According to reports, India recently announced figures for the highest-ever defence export growth that swelled by a staggering 334 per cent over the last five years. In fact, India is chasing an even higher target. In 2020, the Narendra Modi government had set a target of Rs 35,000 crore ($5 billion) export in aerospace, and defence goods and services in the next five years. This is part of the turnover of Rs 1.75 lakh crore ($25 billion) in defence manufacturing by 2025 that the government is aiming to achieve. India’s defence exports touched a record Rs 13,000 crore in 2021-22, “eight times” of what it was around five years ago. Besides the strategic importance of the deal with Armenia, the export order is a boost for the indigenous defence industry with the Indian government keen to increase the value of Indian arms exports. India had also signed a contract with the Philippines in January 2022 for the sale of BrahMos missiles. Currently, India exports defence equipment to 75 countries and these include weapon simulators, tear gas launcher, torpedo loading mechanism, alarm monitoring & control, night vision monocular & binocular, light-weight torpedo & fire control systems, armoured protection vehicle, weapons locating radar, high-frequency radio, coastal surveillance radar among others. Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict The issue of the conclave of NagornoKarabakh has always been the bone of contention between Armenia and Azerbaijan ever since the two countries became independent republics, after gaining independence from the erstwhile USSR. The disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh lies in Azerbaijan and is inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians. The conflict escalated into a fullscale war in the early 1990s which later transformed into alow-intensity conflict until four-day escalation in April 2016 and then into another full-scale war in 2020. A ceasefire signed in 1994 in Bishkek was followed by two decades of relative stability, which significantly deteriorated along with Azerbaijan’s increasing frustration with the status quo, at odds with Armenia’s efforts to cement it. Azerbaijan, for one, has received backing from its traditional allies and supporters, Turkey and Israel. During the 2020 skirmish between the two combatants, Baku turned the tide in its favour by overwhelmingly deploying Turkish Bayraktar and Israeli kamikaze drones. While Armenia has often turned to Russia for support, Moscow’s preoccupation with the on-going war against Ukraine has resulted in not a very supportive response, this time. In the face of rising hostilities and little military aid, the defence deal with India may prove to be a shot in the arm for a beleaguered Armenia. Azerbaijan-Turkey-Pakistan relationship India’s military assistance for Armenia comes against the backdrop of its regional rival’s bonhomie with Azerbaijan. Pakistan has consistently backed Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and has refused to establish diplomatic ties and legally recognise Armenia as an independent state. Azerbaijan is seen by many as part of an emerging axis with Turkey and Pakistan. It has used Turkish drones to fight war against Armenia, and is also in talks with Pakistan to buy the JF-17 fighter aircraft. In 2017, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan had signed a Trilateral Ministers Agreement that established security cooperation, and built upon previous bilateral military aid arrangements. These three countries also conducted a joint exercise named ‘Three Brothers’ last year. The rise of Azerbaijan with increased Turkey-Pakistan military cooperation is a direct warning to India. Azerbaijan has acquired many deadly weapons by increasing friendship with Turkey and Pakistan in the name of Islam. Indian fears that other countries may also go along this route in the name of Islamic countries are not unfounded. However, in spite of these developments, an interesting fact is that India has stronger economic ties with Azerbaijan than with Armenia. Indian company ONGC has also invested heavily in Azerbaijan’s gas sector. The Indian bilateral trade with Azerbaijan in 2019 stood at $1,093 million, while with Armenia it was only $48 million in 2020. Broadly this latest defence deal will place India as one of the emerging global powers with rising defence exports capability. In addition it will also allow it to play a significant role in the central Asian republics and regionally, both. I

Chandigarh, August 22

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will conduct an air show at Sukhna Lake on October 6 and 8. The one-hour show will include advance fighters, transport aircraft, helicopters and the Suryakiran aerobatics team.

A presentation about the event was given by the Chief Coordination Officer of Air Force Day Parade, Group Captain Kapil GuIiyani, during the second coordination meeting held under the chairmanship of UT Adviser Dharam Pal today. A programme will also be conducted by the Akashganga Paratrooper team.

Light combat helicopter “Prachand” during its induction ceremony in Jodhpur. PTI

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 4

The light combat helicopter (LCH) inducted into the Indian Air Force at Jodhpur on Monday will make its public display at Chandigarh where the IAF is conducting its Airforce Day parade and air display.

The IAF announced that three LCHs from the 143 Helicopter Unit, Jodhpur, will take off to Chandigarh to take part in the display to be conducted over the Sukhna Lake in the afternoon of October 8.

The number of aircrafts on display could be around 90 planes to mark the IAF’s anniversary.

Apart from the LCH, the IAF will display its might with jets like Rafale, the Sukhoi 30 MKI, the MiG 29, Mirage 2000 and MiG 21 also being a part of the flypast.

Helicopters like Mi35, Mi17 and ALH will also be at the flypast along with special operations planes like the C17 and C130.

The Surya Kiran aerobatics team will also do a display.

ndian Air Force personnel during Exercise Pitch Black 22 hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force at its Darwin Air Base, Australia. PTI File

Tribune News Service

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, October 4

The Indian Air Force will be introducing a new disruptive pattern combat uniform for its personnel on October 8, the Air Force Day.

“The new uniform will have a digital camoflauge pattern and a different fabric and design. It will be unveiled by Chief of the Air Staff at the Air Force Day parade in Chandigarh,” an IAF officer said. 

The new uniform will be somewhat similar to the new digital pattern introduced by the Army in January this year. “The colours and shades of the new IAF uniform will be a little different, more conducive to the air force’s working environment,” the officer said.

At present, the camouflage pattern used by the air force for ground duty roles is akin to that used by the army in the eighties and nineties. The IAF’s Garud Special Forces use a digital pattern though.

As many as 80 fighters, transport aircraft and helicopters will participate in the flypast and demonstration over the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh to mark the Air Force Day. This includes almost all fighters, transport aircraft and helicopters in the IAF’s inventory at present except the Avro, Dornier, Chetak and Cheetah, the officer said.

The indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopter, Prachand, which was formally inducted into the IAF at Jodhpur on October 3, will make its first public appearance in a three aircraft formation.

Another novel formation is Sekhon, dedicated to the IAF’s sole Param Vir Chakra recipient, Flt Lt Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon. It comprises a Rafale, Jaguar, Tejas and Mirage 2000, with the Rafale breaking away in front of the dias and doing a vertical Charlie to symbolise the ‘missing man’.

The Globe formation, comprising a C-17 Heavy lift aircraft trailed by nine Hawk- 132 jet trained from the Surya Kiran display team and joint aerial maneuvering by a Rafale, Su-39 and Tejas in the Transformer formation are other attractions of the air show.

Demonstration by the IAF’s Akash Ganga skydiving team, manoeuvring and underslung operations by Chinook helicopter, flypast by Harvard and Dakota vintage aircraft are also being organised.

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari during a press conference ahead of the 90th Air Force Day celebrations on Oct. 8, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. PTI

PTI

New Delhi, October 4

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday said the benchmark for the situation to become normal in eastern Ladakh would be to return to status quo ante prior to the standoff and complete withdrawal of troops from all friction points and asserted that appropriate “non-escalatory” measures were taken following China’s recent air activities in the region.

The Chief of Air Staff said Chinese actions along the frontier including in the Ladakh sector are being monitored constantly and the IAF’s overall preparations are part of continuing efforts irrespective of challenges from China.

He was addressing a press conference ahead of the Air Force Day on October 8.

“The benchmark to say the situation on LAC is normal would be to return to status quo ante and complete withdrawal from all the points all along the LAC. That is the situation that we are looking for,” he said, replying to a question

“All preparedness in terms of infrastructure building, equipment, training and tactics is a continuous effort, irrespective of whether we see any belligerence on the part of the Chinese or not,” he added.

His comments came days after Chinese envoy Sun Weidong claimed that the situation along the border is “overall stable” and the two sides have moved from the “emergency response” that followed the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020 to “normalised” management.

India has been insisting on the restoration of the status quo ante prior to the standoff in eastern Ladakh.h

Asked about reports of China’s air incursions and military activities along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said the issue was taken up with the Chinese military and that all the activities by the adversary are being monitored.

“As regards to the recent air violations or incursions or increased air activity by the Chinese, we continuously monitor it by continuously enhancing our air defence efforts there. We have increased the presence of our radars and Surface to Air Guided Weapon (SAGW) systems and have integrated them into the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) network,” he said.

“Appropriate non escalatory measures have been taken. I think we have been able to signal our intent and state of readiness with the actions taken so far,” he said.https://b4721e37f2676e02b2dec8beac857238.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said confidence building measures (CBM) are in place between the two sides, but noted that a hotline between the two air forces is yet to be set up.

He said an IAF officer now takes part in the border talks between the two sides and suggested that the official takes up issues that the force feels should be flagged.

“In the last border talks, we had an Air Force officer and the various air violations cases have been communicated to them,” he said

The Chief of Air Staff said the IAF is fully committed to the development of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk 2 and the fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari also spoke on depleting number of its fighter squadrons and phasing out of the Mirage 2000s, Jaguars and the MiG 29s.

He said all these aircraft will be number-plated by middle of next decade

The IAF Chief also acknowledged that his force would not be able to reach the sanctioned strength 42 fighter squadron anytime soon, notwithstanding upcoming inductions. “We will still be at 35-36 by the middle of next decade,” he said.

The IAF has been insisting that it would not review the sanctioned strength of 42 fighter squadrons.

Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said the process for acquiring 114 Medium Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) was underway.

“We are seeking more commitment from all the OEMs (Original Equipment Makers) for ensuring indigenous contents and ‘Make in India’ provisions. That is a work in progress,” he said.

On recruitment of women into the IAF, he said a high ratio of women officers in the force is testimony to its commitment in providing equal opportunity and a level playing field for every individual irrespective of gender.

He said the IAF would induct women under the Agnipath scheme from next year and the percentage would be around 10 per cent of total recruits.

“We as an organisation are gender agnostic and recognise merit and performance above everything else,” he said.

The IAF Chief said recent events on the global landscape have clearly indicated that the presence of a strong military is imperative to ward off external threats through deterrence.

“The armed forces in general and the IAF, in particular, will continue to remain a lynchpin in the national security matrix both as a deterrent as well as a war-winning instrument,” he said.

Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari also said that the IAF has been preparing for all kinds of security challenges including “worst case scenario” and asserted that it is fully ready to face any situation.

“We continue to be actively deployed while at the same time expediting the operationalization of recently inducted systems like Rafale, Light Combat Aircraft and S-400 among others. Today, as I speak, the IAF continues to be ever vigilant and deployed,” he said.

“Our air defence elements are deployed 24×7, 365 days of the year to prevent any violation or transgression of our national airspace. Our fighters are always on readiness to be scrambled in a matter of a few minutes to counter any emergent threat,” he said.

Asked about the accidental firing of a Brahmos missile in March that landed in Pakistan, he said it was adequately debated at tri-services level to ensure that such an incident never happens again.

To a question on IAF scrambling fighter aircraft after receiving information of a bomb scare on a China-bound Iranian civilian plane on Monday, he said standard operating procedures were followed.

“As per the given standard operating procedure, the response was to scramble fighters,” he said.

To a separate question on whether military supplies from Russia were affected because of the conflict in Ukraine, he said that there was no such impact.

The Chief of Air Staff also highlighted the IAF’s modernisation drive and operational aspects.

“Air power has the unique capability of undertaking independent strategic operations as well as operations coordinated with sister services and other arms of the national security apparatus,” he said.

“We understand the imperativeness of joint planning and execution in future wars and are keen on integrating the efforts of the three services. We believe that the model of integration that we adopt must be future-ready, it must reduce levels of decision-making, and capitalise on the strength of all three services,” he said.

Uttarkashi, October 4

Ten bodies were spotted after a 41-member team from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering was trapped when an avalanche struck at Mount Draupadi Ka Danda-2 peak in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district on Tuesday, its principal said.

However, the State Disaster Management Authority has confirmed four deaths.

The disaster management authority said a team of five State Disaster Response Force personnel and three instructors from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) were dropped off at the institute’s Dokrani Bamak glacier base camp to conduct the search and rescue operation.

Two helicopters from the Indian Air Force (IAF) base camp in Uttar Pradesh’s Sarsawa also conducted a recce of the avalanche site before returning to Harshil helipad.

The avalanche struck at an altitude of around 17,000 feet around 8.45 am when the team of 34 trainee mountaineers and seven instructors from Uttarkashi-based NIM was returning after summiting, principal Colonel Amit Bisht said.

The team members got stuck in crevasses following the avalanche, Col Bisht said. 

Ten bodies were spotted of which four have been recovered, he added.

Rescue operations have been halted for the night due to darkness and bad weather.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the State Disaster Management Authority office at the secretariat for an update. He has also cancelled all his programmes for Wednesday.

An Army ALH helicopter from Air Force Station in Barreily is also waiting at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) helipad in Matli to join the search and rescue operation on Wednesday morning.

Undergoing an advanced training course at NIM, the team of mountaineering trainees along with their instructors had gone to the peak for high altitude navigation, Col Bisht said.

Uttarkashi Disaster Management Officer Devendra Patwal had said earlier in the day that eight of those trapped were rescued.

New Delhi: IAF Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday said that the Indian Army will be communicating with China over the issue of any air space violation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Speaking at a press conference on the upcoming 90th Air Force Celebration Day, he said, “We will use the Indian Army hotline to communicate with the Chinese in case of any air space violation or other issues.”
“Disengagement has taken place in areas along the LAC. We are keeping an eye on Chinese Air Force activities. We have increased the presence of radars and air defence networks. Appropriate non-escalator measures have been taken in time,” added Chaudhari.
Notably, in the last week of June, a Chinese aircraft breached the Indian perceived LAC and flew over the friction points for a few minutes.
The fighter was detected by the Indian radars and Indian fighters were launched to ward off or intercept the PLAAF fighter.
The Chinese activities opposite the Chumar sector continued for over a month and the Indian Air Force responded strongly by scrambling its fighter aircraft including the Mirage 2000 and MiG-29s from its advance bases near the Ladakh region.
“Air activity across LAC is continuously monitored by us. Whenever we find Chinese aircraft coming a little too close to the LAC, then, we take appropriate measures by scrambling our fighters and putting our systems on high alert. This has deterred them,” IAF chief had said at that time.
He also spoke about India’s preparedness: “We are looking forward to inducting LCA Mk 1A, HTT-40 trainers, indigenous weapons and different radars. The LCH Prachand has been inducted into the Air Force yesterday and I am confident that the helicopter will add teeth to the IAF’s strike capability.”
The first batch of indigenously-developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) named “Prachand” was inducted into the Indian Air Force on Monday in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
“We continue to be actively deployed while at the same time expediting the operationalization of recently inducted systems like Rafale, LCA and S-400 among others,” said the Air Chief Marshal.
The Indian Air Force has upgraded its detection. capabilities along the China border in the Ladakh sector also but it has to further strengthen its network and coverage to keep a close eye on the PLAAF activities near the Indian territory.
Speaking about the relevance of a strong military, he said, “Recent events in global landscape have clearly indicated that presence of strong military is imperative to ward off threats via deterrents and if deterrents fail, to neutralize them. Armed forces, IAF will continue to remain a linchpin for it.”
India and China have held 16 rounds of Corps commander-level talks between them to de-escalate the situation and tensions which started after the Chinese tried to alter the status quo on the LAC in 2020.
Till now, the talks led by the Fire and Fury Corps Commander from the Indian side have representatives from the ITBP and the Ministry of External Affairs.
The two sides have been able to resolve three friction points in eastern Ladakh and are holding discussions to find solutions for the Hot Springs area also.
The Chinese are discussing only the issues of boundary dispute which have emerged post-May 2020 and have refused to hold talks on legacy issues.

Army is awaiting for the RFI following DAC clearing the requirement for 100 more 155 mm/52 calibre tracked and self-propelled K-9 howitzers manufactured by L&T
Expediting the field artillery rationalisation process to replace ageing fleets and for capability enhancement, the Army is expected to go for induction of 100 K-9 Vajras, 300 Sharang guns and 18 of Dhanush apart from ATAGs at different time schedules to add lethality to its firepower required to match up adversaries like China.
In addition to these guns, the Army is also looking for weapon locating Swati radars and UAVs for surveillance and reconnaissance systems to achieve a certain threshold level, though, the artillery modernisation process may take at least a decade-and-half to realise.
Sources in defence establishment said the defence acquisition council (DAC) has already cleared the requirement for 100 more 155 mm/52 calibre tracked and self-propelled K9 howitzer, manufactured by private defence company, Larsen and Toubro (L&T). A Request for Information (RFI) will be issued any time, with the Army wanting the winterisation kit along with the K-9s which were initially bought for operation in deserts but had to be deployed at high altitude in Eastern Ladakh following the May 2020 Galwan stand-off with China, said defence sources.
Winterisation Kit
The winterisation kit includes nine items such as oil and lubricants having a viscosity suitable for even sub-zero temperatures, and batteries that remain active in extreme cold. One regiment of K9s, which the L&T is manufacturing under transfer of technology contract signed with South Korean company Hanwha Corporation in 2017, is already fielded along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh to counter Chinese PLA that had deployed post offensive new artillery regime of PCL-181 and PCL-161, among others.
The Army wants the process of acquisition of 155/52 mm Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGs), developed by DRDO and produced by private companies Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Bharat Forge, to be fast-tracked. Post field trials of both the guns, defence sources described the two as “good systems” and the orders will have to be split in the ratio of 70: 30 between both the private manufacturers, said sources.
Production Capacity To Be Scaled Up
The Army, similarly, is immediately looking at 300 more more upgraded 155mm Sharang guns, manufactured by three erstwhile Ordinance Factory Boards. But, the defence sources said the production capacity needs to scale up to avoid long delays in getting the weapons and systems. At the rates these guns — upgraded in 2020 from 130mm to 155mm, 45 calibre with enhanced firing range of 36km — are being produced, a maximum of 2 to 3 regiments can be added in a year, sources said.
A culture of production through consortium is required to be adopted by the indigenous defence sector to tide over unnecessary delays, an issue which was raised at one of the previous DefExpos too by a senior Army officer, remarked defence sources.
The second regiment of 18 Dhanush, which had recently undergone successful trials at Pokhran with a strike range of 38 kms, will come up by next March to give a fillip to procurement through indigenous companies, said sources.