Monthly Archives: August 2018

Former President Hu Jintao walks past Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Premier Li Keqiang during the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of Chinas ruling Communist Party at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. AP/PTI

PTI

Beijing, October 22

High drama ensued at the concluding session of the ruling Communist Party Congress here on Saturday as former president Hu Jintao was escorted out of the podium under the full glare of the media.

Hu, 79, sitting next to President Xi Jinping in the front row with other top leaders at the ornate Great Hall of People was persuaded to leave the meeting by two men, presumably security guards.

The incident happened just as the local and foreign media was ushered into the meeting attended by over 2,296 delegates and officials.

In over a minute-long video, which went viral on social media, Hu, who handed over the power to Xi in 2012 in a smooth transition after completing a 10-year tenure, appeared reluctant to depart as the security men kept persuading him to leave.

The frail-looking former president, who had a sheaf of papers in his hand, appeared talking to the two men much to the disquiet of the leaders, who sat through the whole episode motionless.

Finally, when he began walking, Hu was seen saying something to Xi who in return acknowledged nodding his head and patted Premier Li Keqiang. Then he began a long walk to the exit door accompanied by the two men. His exit was not explained.

Hu not only attended the opening ceremony of the Congress, but was also present throughout the session.

All Chinese Communist Party (CPC) meetings are held in extreme secrecy and it is indeed very rare for such an incident to take place.

The once-in-a-five-year Congress of the party which concluded its four-day session on Saturday is special in many respects as it cemented Xi’s status by amending the party’s Constitution to grant him more powers.

Xi, 69, will be completing his 10-year tenure this year.

All leaders before him, including Hu, retired after ten-year tenure.

The 20th Congress concluded its session by electing the powerful Central Committee comprising over 370 members.

The Committee will meet on Sunday to elect a 25-member Political Bureau which in turn would elect seven or more members to the Standing Committee.

The Standing Committee will elect the General Secretary.

Xi, the outgoing General Secretary of the party besides being President and head of the military, is widely expected to be endorsed for the post for a third five-year term.

ince the whole proceedings of the Congress are held under a blanket of secrecy, it is not clear how smooth the process of Xi’s endorsement will be.

Beijing and several parts of China witnessed rare protests with with banners hung on overpasses of major thoroughfares, protesting against Xi’s unpopular zero-COVID policy and authoritarian rule.

The banners were later removed by security officials.

On the 60th anniversary of the India­China war, which began with a Chinese attack on October 20, 1962, China’s military and media are paying renewed attention to a war that was largely previously sidelined in official Chinese military histories. In the weeks and months leading up to Thursday’s anniversary, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has showcased the war in an exhibition marking its 95th anniversary, as well as published a new military history of the war titled “One Hundred Questions on the China­India Border Self­Defence Counterattack”. China offi­ cially calls the war that it launched with a massive onslaught as a “counterattack” to justify its actions. The PLA exhibition, in Beijing’s Military Museum, blames India for the conflict. “China and India have never formally demarcated their borders in their past. There is only a traditional customary line formed according to the administrative jurisdiction of both sides,” it says. “After August 1959, the Indian Army invaded Chinese territory many times, causing armed border conflicts. In October 1962, the Indian Army launched a largescale attack and Chinese border defence forces were forced to flight back in self defence. It lasted 33 days and the military recovered the Chinese territory occupied by the Indian Army after August 1959.” Galwan clashes The exhibition also highlighted the June 2020 Galwan Valley clash. The renewed focus in 1962 has coincided with the downturn in relations and the return of the border dispute to the front and centre of the relationship. The war has sometimes between described by Chinese observers as a “forgotten” war that did not receive the attention of the war against Japanese occupation or Korean War which have been a staple of Chinese television dramas and films.  The new war history has been put together by Zhang Xiaokang, daughter of former PLA General Zhang Guohua, who headed the Tibet military region and planned the Chinese offensive in the eastern sector. Extracts of the book that were first published in January were this week once again published by the popular Chinese website Guancha. It said “generations of soldiers and military fans have always been interested” in the war. The main focus has been on stories of PLA war veterans. While General Zhang Xiaokang is the focus of the book, commentaries this week highlighted other 1962 Generals. An October 16 article focussed on Ding Sheng and the PLA’s early offensive strategies, noting that it had drawn on its experience in the Korean War. An October 9 commentary by Feng Ping, an account that focusses on Chinese history, quoted the writings of another PLA General, Tang Yinfa, who was a PLA political commissar in Tibet, on his observations of the Indian Army, which he noted were “very strong” but hampered by “a chaotic command system and the disconnect between politics and military in decisionmaking, with decisionmaking in the hands of civilian officials who do not understand the military at all”.  An October 7 analysis examined the world’s response to 1962, particularly attacking “the duplicity of ‘big brother’ Soviet Union” that said “the unanimous position of the Politburo of the Communist Party is on the side of China” but “did not take a public stand on the war”. “The Soviet Union was downright twofaced. On the surface, it remained neutral and intended to be close to China, but in fact supported India,” it said. “India believed it had the support of the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union.”  It also explained in unusually candid terms why China announced a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew, which Beijing today points to as a sign of its “goodwill” but the commentary noted was likely driven by “already achieving the goal of deterring India” and “very difficult material supply” during a “famine”, following Mao Zedong’s disastrous Great Leap Forward, when China could not afford to “consume more materials” in a conflict.

the Indian Air Force (IAF) has a road map for all three structures within the space domain, which are communications, surveillance, and positioning and navigation, and it is prioritising on the communication capabilities right now, said Air Chief Marshal (ACM) V. R. Chaudhari on Thursday.  “We have a road map on what we need for the future [the space domain]. Right now, our first focus is on building communications systems on our next INSAT­7C [satellite],” ACM Chaudhari said. On the unmanned efforts being perused by the IAF, he said that, right now, the IAF was focussing on some of the unmanned technologiess such as Medium Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and High Altitude Long Endurance UAVs, while noting that the concept of Manned­Unmanned Teaming is a bit futuristic for now. ‘IAF has a road map for all 3 structures within space domain’ 

IAF and HAL conclude ₹6,800­crore contract

The Indian Air Force and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on Thursday concluded a ₹6,800­crore contract for 70 HTT­40 indigenous Basic Trainer Aircraft. In all, 451 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), transfer of technology agreements and product launches took place during the Bandhan ceremony at the 12th DefExpo. It envisages investment worth ₹1.5 lakh crore, the Defence Ministry said.

T he Army, which has made three tranches of Emergency Procurements (EP) in the last few years, is preparing for a fourth round of EP which will be entirely from the domestic industry, Army chief Gen. Manoj Pande said on Thursday. He also said that in the next seven to eight years, orders worth ₹8 lakh crore could be placed with Indian industry. “Emergency Procurements are done to address critical operational requirements. Three tranches of EPs were executed under which 68 contracts worth ₹6,000 crore were placed. We are now in the 4th EP for indigenous equipment. Our industry has risen to the challenge,” Gen. Pande said speaking on the sidelines of the DefExpo­2022. “We also need to indigenise to modernise. It should not be seen as an impediment, but as an opportunity.” Emergency financial powers were granted to the armed forces by the Defence Ministry in the past under which they could procure weapons systems up to ₹300 crores on an “urgent basis without any further clearances to cut short the procurement cycle.” Gen. Pande said the EP also gives them an opportunity to test various systems in the field before going in for larger acquisition through the capital budget route. The Russia­Ukraine war taught us lot of lessons, the Army Chief said on becoming self­reliant. Not just maintenance and spares but also in terms of new acquisitions. He said the Army was working on indigenisation of ammunition while looking for alternate sources with regard to spares.  Elaborating on efforts in this direction, Gen. Pande said in the last three to four years indigenous contracts have grown almost three times. Last year, Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for various contracts to the tune of ₹40,000 crore were issued from the domestic industry. “Similarly, last year, Army signed contracts with indigenous industry to the tune of ₹47,000 crore. In the next 7­8 years, contracts worth about ₹7­8 lakh crore could be placed with Indian industry. So in terms of a viable market, there is great potential in the industry….” Gen Pande said. He said priority areas for indigenisation are intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, mobility solutions in forward areas, special armaments like loitering munitions and artifi­ cial intelligence.  Army’s 4th round of emergency procurement to be from India Indian pavilion: Visitors viewing exhibits at the Defence Expo 2022 in Gandhinagar. VIJAY SONEJI Army chief Gen. Manoj Pande says the domestic industry has risen to the challenge of meeting defence demands D

It would be incorrect to surmise that air power would have been a game-changer; however, it would certainly have been a face-saver and India’s armed forces may have possibly come out of the conflict in both sectors bruised, but not beaten and humiliated.

Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam (retd)

President’s Chair of Excellence, National Defence College

Much water has flowed under the bridge of recrimination over the last 60 years when it comes to carrying out a post-mortem of the 1962 defeat at the hands of the Chinese. Today, both Indian and Chinese militaries are powerful and technologically enabled entities facing off against each other along the Line of Actual Control. Although there is an element of uneasy stability that has been restored after the Galwan crisis, there are still some enduring lessons from 1962 that will hold true in any contemporary high-altitude conflict scenario that could unfold in the form of a limited conflict between the two Asian giants.

The three important lessons that still have an enduring relevance among several others are the necessity for bold strategic and operational leadership that translates into decisive tactical action on the ground, the continued relevance of firepower and the decisive impact of offensive air powe

Even in an environment of complete strategic hubris at the political level and shell-shocked higher echelon leadership at the Army level, two examples of sound operational leadership that forced the Chinese to reconsider their offensive plans after suffering heavy attrition were in the Chushul sector of eastern Ladakh and the Walong sector in North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA). More importantly, the effective use of the non-kinetic elements of air power enabled both these sectors to give a bloody nose to the Chinese. In the Chushul sector, bold requirements of the need to deploy armour to coerce the Chinese, who were without armour, was conveyed by Brigadier TN Raina, Brigade Commander of 114 Brigade at Chushul, to a supportive Army Commander, Lt Gen Daulat Singh. Wasting no time, the IAF swung into action as An-12s were speedily modified to carry the AMX-13 tanks and land them at the Chushul airfield so that they could be deployed in a blocking position during the second phase of the conflict that began on November 18. This move forced the Chinese to abandon their plans for an attack on Chushul and announce a ceasefire on November 21, 1962.

In Walong too, after a heroic defence of the forward post of Kibithoo in late October, the 11th Brigade under Brig NC Rawlley withdrew to Walong and consolidated its position and counterattacked Chinese positions in November. Unable to sustain its operations in the face of overwhelming numbers thrown in by the PLA, the Brigade executed a fighting withdrawal southwards after inflicting heavy casualties on the Chinese. Clearly, the losses suffered by the Chinese at Chushul and Walong dictated the timing of the final ceasefire offered by Mao Zedong. In Walong too, one of the reasons why the 11th Brigade could sustain its operations and recycle its troops was because of excellent air support from the IAF’s Dakotas and Otters.

The first comprehensive aerial reconnaissance mission in the region was undertaken by Canberra fighter-bomber-reconnaissance aircraft of No. 106 Squadron on December 14, 1959, nearly two years after it came to be known to the Indian Government that China had built a road through Aksai Chin. Routeing via Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) and braving bad weather, the single aircraft mission brought back clear pictures of the Tibet-Xinjiang highway. Late Air Marshal Randhir Singh, who commanded the squadron during the tumultuous period of 1959 to 1962, recollected several intrusive missions that he and his flight commander Squadron Leader Jag Mohan Nath carried out into Aksai Chin and across the McMahon Line in NEFA, bringing back valuable information about troop deployments and the build-up of forces. Sadly, not much of the information was taken seriously by the powers that be.

On the issue of the non-use of offensive air power, much has been written over the years on the reasons why it was so. Air Marshal Vinod Patney was posted to a Toofani squadron (29 Squadron) at Tezpur during the 1962 conflict. He recollects being familiar with the valleys of the NEFA where they would regularly train for close air support (CAS) and interdiction missions. He recollects that joint structures for CAS with 33 Corps were in place in the form of a Tactical Air Centre (TAC) with forward air controllers. While effective CAS may have been a difficult proposition once the forces were engaged in a close-contact battle, particularly in the narrow valleys of Namka Chu, Tawang and Lohit, he maintains that the IAF could have effectively interdicted massed Chinese troop concentrations and logistics lines on the Tibetan side, north of Thagla Ridge, as the terrain on that side was devoid of the dense vegetation that marked the Indian side of the McMahon Line. Air Chief Marshal Anil Yashwant Tipnis reiterates that the terrain in Ladakh was ideal for both CAS and interdiction and that the relatively modern IAF Hunters, operating from Pathankot, were familiar with the terrain in eastern Ladakh and waited for orders that never came! Air Marshal Randhir Singh reiterated that the Canberra bombers with their heavier bombload could have chipped in with both shallow and deep interdiction missions.

In the absence of any sound operational assessment of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) by the IAF, the Indian Government and then PM Jawaharlal Nehru relied on several external inputs that advocated caution, an approach that was not contested either by the IAF or army leadership. It would be incorrect to surmise that air power would have been a game-changer; however, it would certainly have been a face-saver and India’s armed forces may have possibly come out of the conflict in both sectors bruised, but not beaten and humiliated.

The last game-changer in 1962 that holds strong even today is the ability to mass fire with artillery at decisive points with the aim of causing shock, dislocation and inflict serious combat attrition. The collapse at Namka Chu was primarily because of this massed fire that the Chinese rained down on the Indian Army’s 7 Brigade before they mounted an infantry assault. Though the Indian Army has strengthened its deterrent posture all along the LAC, there is still great asymmetry in the realm of artillery. Strong operational leadership, accelerated deployment of enhanced ground-based firepower and offensive air power around the Tactical Battle Area and in depth to cause serious combat attrition will be the game-changers in the

Tribune News Service

Delhi, October 21

Four Army personnel, including two pilots of Army Aviation, died in a helicopter crash in Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday morning, a defence official said. Search is on for one remaining person.

The copter, an indigenous ALH-WSI, crashed near village Migging, 25 kms away from the Tuting headquarters in the Upper Siang district of the hill state.

Ministry of Defence Spokesperson at Tezpur, Lt Col Amrinder Singh Walia said “A total of five personnel were on board, the search and rescue teams have recovered the mortal remains of four individuals”.

Besides the two pilots, there were three other ranks who were technicians. The copter had taken off from Lekabali crashed at 10.45 am today.

Army Helicopter crashed near Tuting, . Maj Vikas Bhambu, QFI, Maj Mustafa and three technicians on bd.
Another tragedy.
A joint search and rescue operations of Army and Airforce was launched immediately which included three copters and columns of the Indian Army on foot.

The site of accident is remote. The cause of the crash at this stage is not known. Details are being ascertained.

PTI

Islamabad, October 21

Pakistan’s Election Commission on Friday disqualified former Prime Minister Imran Khan for five years in the Toshakhana case for hiding proceeds from the sale of gifts he received from foreign leaders.

After the ruling, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman cannot become a Member of Parliament for five years.

The ruling coalition government lawmakers had filed a case with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in August against 70-year-old Khan seeking his disqualification for failing to reveal the proceeds from the sale of gifts that he purchased at a discounted price from the state repository, also called Toshakhana.

The ECP after hearing the case had reserved its judgment on September 19 on the conclusion of the proceedings.

The four-member Bench of the ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, on Friday unanimously ruled that Khan was involved in corrupt practices and was disqualified as a member of the parliament.

The ECP also announced that action would be taken against him under the corrupt practices laws.

Asad Umar, Secretary General of Khan’s party, announced that the decision would be challenged in the Islamabad High Court.

Fawad Chaudhry, another PTI leader, rejected the verdict and asked Khan’s followers to stage protests.

Khan, who came to power in 2018, apparently received expensive gifts from rich Arab rulers during official visits, which were deposited in the Toshakhana. Later he bought the same at a discounted price as per the relevant laws and sold the same at hefty profits.

Though morally apprehensive for rulers like Khan, who always takes a high moral ground and leaves no occasion to castigate his opponents as “corrupt”, the purchase and sale were legally allowed.

The former premier informed the ECP during the hearing that the sale of the gifts that he had procured from the state treasury after paying Rs 21.56 million fetched about Rs 58 million.

The gifts, among others, included a Graff wristwatch, a pair of cufflinks, an expensive pen, a ring and four Rolex watches.

According to his opponents, Khan failed to show the sales in the income tax returns, making him liable.

The case filed with the ECP seeks his disqualification under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution which suggests disqualification if someone is not truthful.

Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.

Balasore, October 21

India on Friday successfully test-fired indigenously-developed new generation medium-range ballistic missile Agni Prime from the Odisha coast, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) sources said.

The sleek missile was test fired from a mobile launcher from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island around 9.45 am, they said.

The solid-fuelled canisterised missile met all mission parameter during the test, they added.

All its navigation was tracked and monitored by radars and telemetry equipment positioned along various points, the officials said.

The missile’s strike range is between 1,000 km and 2,000 km, they said.

The last trial of the missile was conducted on December 18 last year from the same base, which was also successful.  

Adani Defence Systems & Technologies Ltd. (ADSTL), a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises and the defence manufacturing arm of Adani Group, has recently inked a definitive agreement to acquire one of India’s oldest MRO companies Air Works which currently has a presence across 27 cities for an enterprise value of Rs 400 crore ($48.2 million). The Adani Group which currently operates seven airports in India is expected to strengthen its civil aviation portfolio with this move as Air Works is one of India’s largest independent aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) companies with a 70-year-old legacy. Also Read – Antonoaldo Neves appointed CEO of Etihad Aviation Group This development also follows that of Adani Group setting up one of India’s first comprehensive aircraft MRO facilities in Nagpur that is slated to offer maintenance services in partnership with Indamer, an aviation services company. Air Works was established in 1951 and has been a partner to global aviation OEMs, aircraft owners and operators, lessors, airlines, and the Indian defence services. It offers MRO services, heavy checks, line maintenance, cabin and interior refurbishment, exterior finishing and painting, avionics upgrades, retrofits, maintenance training, and redelivery checks. Also Read – SkyPallet enhances processes at Air Europa Cargo Ashish Rajvanshi, CEO of Adani Defence & Aerospace spoke about the important role of maintenance, repair and overhaul in both the defence and civilian aerospace sectors. He said, “Given India’s growth trajectory and the Government’s focus to network the nation through a massive mesh of air connectivity, it is inevitable that the primary growth of India’s airline and airport sector lies ahead of it. Air Works has impeccable proven capabilities and over its 70-year aviation legacy has successfully delivered several India-first and industry-first projects. Combine this with the Adani Group’s capabilities and what we get is an entity that truly represents what an Atmanirbhar Bharat in a critical sector should look like” Also Read – Lufthansa Group raises 2022 earnings/cash flow forecast Speaking to The STAT Trade Times on what changes for the 1500-strong team at Air Works, D Anand Bhaskar, MD & CEO, of Air Works Group told the publication, “What changes are capital and secondly the fact that they are into manufacturing and we are into servicing and therefore that combination will be potent. We are already into all four sub-sectors of aviation including Rotary Wing, private jet Fixed Wing, commercial, and defence so that itself gives us a very unique positioning in the market, which we can cross-utilize. What capabilities we have in general aviation, we can use in defence, what (capabilities) we have in defence, we can use in civil aviation and similarly for commercial. So that’s a big advantage that we already have. Now we want to take that advantage to a new level where we are joining hands with a company which has capabilities in manufacturing. So manufacturing along with servicing will be a potent combination, especially for defence aircrafts.” Also Read – Avianca Cargo gets CEIV Fresh certified With the Indian MRO market slated to grow from $1.7 billion to $5 billion by 2030, Bhaskar added that this development signals green shoots for the Indian MRO sector. “There is a huge growth potential now for India’s MRO sector owing to, thanks to government’s focus in the last seven years. Now Indian aircrafts no longer go out of the country for aircraft maintenance. In fact, we have been attracting business from countries like Vietnam, Myanmar, Bhutan, and UAE into the country which is a big change in itself. Now we can take this business to a different level, what with investments coming in, now OEMs tie-ups can happen, and we can move into components and engines which is the field to be in. That is where most of the forex is going out of the country, which we can then try to capture within the country.” Air Works has developed extensive operational capabilities within the country for key defence and aerospace platforms. “From the first P-8I aircraft Phase 32 checks to Phase 48 checks and MRO on the landing gear of the Indian Air Force’s 737 VVIP aircraft, Air Works undertakes base maintenance for ATR 42/72, A320 and B737 fleet of aircraft from its EASA and DGCA-certified facilities at Mumbai, Delhi, Hosur and Kochi,” a company release cited.

https://www.stattimes.com/aviation/adani-defence-to-acquire-indian-legacy-mro-biz-air-works-for-400-crore-1346800