National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah. — File photo

New Delhi, August 17India could face China and Pakistan but somebody within the country was determined to spoil everything, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah said on Thursday without naming anyone.Addressing opposition leaders, who came together for the ‘Sanjhi Virasat Bachao’ (save our composite culture) meeting hosted by rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also spoke on the situation in the Valley.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“India can face China and Pakistan but unfortunately today the threat is from inside not from outside.””Andar koi chor baitha hua hai jo hamara beda garak kar raha hai (There is a thief sitting inside who is determined to spoil everything),” Abdullah added in an apparent broadside against the Centre.Talking about Kashmir and Kashmiris, he said some people were trying to question their nationality.”Who are they to ask us about our nationality? We Kashmiris chose India over Pakistan during Partition because India guarantees equality. And I say it with pride that I am an Indian Muslim,” he said.”They are talking about unity (uniting the people) but are they creating the atmosphere for it? They talk a lot but lack in action,” Abdullah added.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reached out to Kashmiris in his Independence Day speech and sought a peaceful resolution to the problems in the Valley.The Kashmir problem cannot be resolved by either bullets or by abuses. It can be resolved by embracing all Kashmiris, Modi had said.Expressing grief over the situation in the region, Abdullah said, “We are loyal but it is painful that they are not large hearted.”An all party delegation came to Kashmir to evaluate the situation there and also gave its report but nothing had been done on that, he added. — PTI 

The F-35 should be, and almost certainly will be, the last manned strike fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly.
– Ray Mabus, US Secretary of the Navy

Aviation, which started with the Wright Brothers’ first controlled flight of a heavier than air machine on 17 December 1903, has come a long way in the last 114 years. As is true for many technological developments, aviation too quickly acquired a niche for itself in the military matrix. Manned aircraft were first inducted in warfare as high ground observatories to monitor enemy troop movement. Aerial reconnaissance with an observation by the pilot and later with a still camera was the first operational role of aircraft. The next step involved aircrew carrying small bombs and dropping them manually from the cockpit. Thus was born the role of ground attack. In the next phase, aircraft were equipped with guns to engage enemy aircraft in the air and this commenced the aerial combat role. Besides these, the development of bigger airframes and powerful engines enabled the development of transport aircraft, which were subsequently modified with the fitment of radars, jammers and fuel tanks for surveillance, electronic warfare and inflight refuelling, respectively. These roles are being performed by manned aircraft albeit with much better technology and accuracy than was possible during the 20th century.

Technological advancement in computing and communication facilitated the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Controlled from a ground station, the UAV either flies a pre-planned path or can be dynamically controlled. As was the case with manned aircraft about a century ago, the operational roles of UAVs are following a similar trajectory. Besides being used as a weapon, the first operational role for UAVs was of aerial reconnaissance wherein the UAV was fitted with optical cameras. The development of sensor technology and its miniaturisation along with better computation and communication allowed transmission of real time data in various electromagnetic bands, a boon for a military commander. UAVs scored substantially over manned aircraft in this role owing to their longer endurance. Coupled with satellite imagery capabilities, UAVs have practically driven out manned aircraft from the reconnaissance role except in a very few critical cases where their low speed remains an operational impediment. However, UAVs have been able to overcome their speed limitation to a certain extent by their low Radar Cross Section (RCS), making it difficult to detect and engage them.

Going by the precedent of manned aircraft, the next role UAVs were assigned was of ground attack. This required more powerful engines and larger airframes for enabling the UAV to carry weapons. Here too, technology played a pivotal role in enhancing weapons delivery accuracy thus reducing the weapon size required for the same extent of impact on the target. This role by UAVs is being carried out successfully in Afghanistan with Hellfire missiles from USAF MQ9. The UAV’s long endurance allows a high success rate for search and strike missions as compared to a manned fighter aircraft with comparatively limited endurance. The success rate of UAV ground attack missions is to a large extent dependent on their operation in a benign air defence environment.

The full development and employment of UAVs in an air defence role is still some distance away owing to prevailing technological challenges. In the same vein, switching to unmanned transport aircraft may also take a few decades. While the roles of UAVs are gradually increasing in the civil sector, ranging from the delivery of packages to the shooting of high-quality aerial films, a debate is on about the end of an era for manned aircraft for operational missions. There are three critical components involved in the employment of UAVs instead of manned aircraft in combat, viz, basic flying (take off, landing and planned navigation), tactical flying (situation appreciation and changing the plan midway) and weapon delivery (correct and timely targeting). While progress has been made in all three verticals, it is yet to reach a level that would enable the complete replacement of manned aircraft. Factors that need to be considered in this debate are:-

Sensors and Dynamic Situation Processing. In a benign air defence environment and uncontested air space, UAVs are efficient in mission accomplishment. When decision-making autonomy is required or there are rules of engagement or a developing air situation that cannot be explicitly expressed mathematically, a human is essential. The current generation of sensors do not have the capacity to replicate the appreciation by a human eye and pose a limitation in operations because the UAV operator is not situationally aware. The major drawback of the current generation systems is their inability to capture high fidelity data, process, encrypt and transmit it and, based on directions from the ground station, receive, decrypt and process it to execute a command. Based on the type of processor and communication systems, this process may take anywhere from 600 milliseconds to three seconds – a very long duration in combat operations. The development of Artificial Intelligence will overcome this deficiency and provide the requisite autonomy to the UAV.

Speed and Manoeuvrability. UAVs are generally characterised by their low speed and consequent low manoeuvrability as compared to manned fighter aircraft and this makes them vulnerable. At the same time, however, a low RCS and greater endurance are design features that assist UAVs in mission accomplishment.

Weapon Carrying Capacity. Owing to their power, UAVs are capable of carrying low calibre/low weight weapons in limited numbers as compared to manned aircraft. But this limitation can be overcome by converting fighter aircraft into UAVs or through the use of special weapons with high accuracy to reduce Over Target Requirement (OTR)1 in terms of number and size of weapons.

Quantity and Costs. UAVs do not need some of the safety and operating systems that manned aircraft need and thus enjoy better cost efficiency. This normally translates into greater numbers of UAVs for the same cost as compared to a combat aircraft. However, autonomous aviation technology is yet to mature, which can be assessed from the fact that UAV accident rates are four to five times higher than that of manned aircraft. This negates the cost effectiveness partially as of now, but is likely to improve with better technology.

Endurance and Risks. UAVs practically eliminate human endurance as a factor for mission duration. Autonomous inflight refuelling could keep the UAV in the air for days. Risk to life and risk of capture of operators is fully eliminated. However, the control of UAV is heavily dependent on electromagnetic waves, which are susceptible to interference/jamming/technical malfunctions. Any delay in the transmission of critical commands could be lethal. Another aspect of the absence of an aircrew in UAVs is the limited ability of on board systems to diagnose any system malfunction especially owing to an external factor. An aircrew can diagnose an instrument failure and react to save the aircraft, but an UAV with instrument failure will most probably be lost.

Trends. With effect from 2010, the induction of UAVs has outnumbered induction of manned aircraft in the US armed forces. And since 2011, the US Air Force has trained more UAV pilots than fighter/bomber pilots. But most of the financial allocations the world over including in the US are still being made for manned aircraft development and procurement. This will change once better processing power, artificial intelligence and communication equipment are developed and incorporated in UAVs. Technology involving a swarm of UAVs operating in a group and being mutually supportive is at an advanced stage of development and will assist UAVs in garnering a greater share of operational missions.

Efficacy. The conversion of fighter aircraft to UAVs for undertaking training missions has been tried and tested in the cases of the F4 and F16 in the US Air Force and the F6 in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. The same could be developed further for undertaking operational missions with high risk.

Suitable Missions. In the foreseeable future, an optimal solution is a mix of manned aircraft and UAVs till technology can support a better appreciation of situational awareness and command and control aspects. Currently, the most suitable missions for UAVs are the five Ds – Detect, Designate, Dirty, Destructive and Dangerous. Detect missions require long endurance and are pre-planned and repetitive in nature like surveillance over a large area for a prolonged duration to detect a possible development. Designate either in conjunction with Detect or stand-alone missions designate a target system/sub system using laser designators for an attack by an armed aircraft/UAV. Dirty missions are undertaken in an NBC environment in order to negate the risk to human life. Destructive missions are when the UAV is equipped with explosives and is used as a weapon And Dangerous missions involve those against a heavily defended target to either attack the defences or force the adversary to expend missiles on UAVs.

Indian Scenario

While Israel and USA are leaders in UAV technology and operations, the Indian UAV programme is in its infancy. Going by the example of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the production of an Indian combat mission capable UAV is at least a couple of decades away. India will have to depend on imports or joint ventures for Make in India in the interim, as UAVs are essential in any operational matrix. Till a requisite number of mission capable UAVs are inducted in India, some of the operational missions will have to be carried out by manned aircraft, albeit in a suboptimal way. The induction of Su30MKI, LCA and Rafale will continue till 2022 and these aircraft with an average calendar life of 25 years or more will be in service well beyond 2050. By that time, for operational effectiveness, at least 50 per cent of combat missions would be designated to UAVs and that would require a large fleet of various types of UAVs. To meet that challenge, it would be prudent to establish a joint venture for the production of UAVs in India under the Strategic Partnership programme.

Sum Up

With the current state of technology, UAVs are the best bet for operations in an uncontested air space for surveillance and search and strike missions with low calibre high accuracy guided weapons. However, operations in a moderate to dense air defence environment will need manned aircraft to react appropriately, although UAVs can be of great value in reducing the risk to manned aircraft by saturating the air space and attacking air defence systems thus compelling an adversary to expend his missiles. UAVs are essential ingredients of a combat force and their role will continue to increase along with their capability. A quantum jump in the operational role of UAVs can be expected only with a breakthrough in AI. Until that happens, the role of UAVs will increase gradually to reach about 50 per cent of combat operations over the course of the next three decades.

Views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDSA or of the Government of India.

Suman Kochhar

Hearing drawing room discussions about the border situation I am often reminded of my childhood days when I was a witness to two major Indo-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971.The Kargil war was much later. Having lived in an important northern cantonment town, a war situation has its own significance for me. It was a unique experience of compassion and caring and provided an insight into the minds and lives of Army families to us as children. Memories of the emotional trauma are still very fresh in my mind. The passing of multitude of tanks, armoured vehicles and scores of military trucks carrying infantry, on a road a few yards from our house, near the main Army supply depot, signalled an imminent war. As children, we would line up with adults on both sides of the road, carrying the small hand-made India flag and felt very important helping elders in handing over refreshments to soldiers in passing vehicles from morning till late evening. It gave us a feeling of camaraderie and responsibility. Songs of patriotism blaring at high volume greeted and blessed the soldiers who were going to the border to protect our country and our lives. It was a similar scenario at the town’s railway station, a major northern railway junction.At home, overseeing that my younger brother got inside the trench in time, during an air raid, was my responsibility. Posters made by us struck on the trench walls and playing cards came very handy in  making  the trenches less intolerable. Dinner was cooked and packed in tiffins by 5 pm, to avoid putting on lights at night during the blackout time. Discussing the latest situation and sharing meals with neighbours in the compound of our block in those cold winter nights provided some succor to our tired and frightened souls.  During daytime we shouldered the responsibility of reporting suspicious strangers to our parents and prided in calling ourselves the ‘young spy detection brigade’.Most of my school batch mates were Army officers’ daughters. At that tender age we were able to feel deep compassion for them and understand  the pain which they suffered when a father or a loved one was killed in the war. Their agony and tears are still engraved in my heart. News of fresh casualties poured in every day. My tender mind refused to accept the immense loss of human life. A teacher of ours lost her husband during an Air Force ‘sortie’. Her heart-rending cries and the nerve-wrecking sound of anti-aircraft guns still ring in my ears and my heart ardently wishes and prays to God that we never have a war again.

For the first time , the Indian Air Force (IAF) will take part in the multi-national Blue Flag exercise in Israel scheduled to be held in November this year.

According to a report in Sputnik, this year’s Blue Flag exercise will be the largest multi-national air exercise in Israel in which the US, Italy, France, Germany, Greece, and Poland will also participate.

Around 100 fighter aircraft of eight air forces are expected to conduct advanced sorties involving air-to-air battles, air-to-ground attacks with high-level manoeuvring in this air exercise.

In addition to the eight participating countries including India, around 35 countries are expected to attend as observers to the Blue Flag exercise.

In a clear sign of deepening defence relations between India and Israel, more than 55 Indian defence firms had participated at the ISDEF exhibition in Tel Aviv in June this year.

Narendra Modi visited Israel earlier this month and became the first-ever Indian Prime Minister to pay an official visit to Tel Aviv.

BrahMos weapon system. — PTI file photo

New Delhi, July 28

Missile systems that were to be installed at six locations, apparently along the India-China border between 2013-15, have not yet been installed, a CAG report said on Friday.

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This revelation comes at a time when a standoff between Indian and Chinese troops continues along the border in the Sikkim sector.

A report of Comptroller and Auditor General, tabled in Parliament on Friday, without naming the sectors or air bases where the missiles were to be installed, pointed at the delay in installing the missile, manufactured by Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL).

“Based on the threat perception, the Government of India in 2010 had envisaged induction of Strategic missile system for the IAF, in the ‘S’ sector to create deterrence. This deterrence capability was planned to be put in place between June 2013 and December 2015 in a phased manner.

“But till date, even after four years, this urgently needed capability has not been created and the strategic objective remains unachieved. This was primarily due to the abnormal delay in creation of the infrastructure required for installation of the missile systems. About Rs. 4,000 crore has already been spent for the purpose,” said the government auditor’s report.

While the report did not name the missile or the exact area where it was to be deployed, according to sources, the ‘S’ sector is under the Eastern Command of Indian Air Force, which covers the area along India-China border.

The report, referring to the missile system, as a “medium range, supersonic, surface to air missile system with capability to engage a wide variety of aerial threats within a range of ‘X’ km”. It also said that the missile system has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and is produced by BEL.

While the IAF refused to comment on which missile system it was, the reference is likely to the Akash missile systems, developed by the DRDO and produced by BEL.

The report said after clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security, the missile systems were inducted in “A command” and “B command” in October 2014 and March 2015.

In an apparent hint that the sector being referred to is along the China border, the report said in 2009, Indian posture in aS’ sector was changed from ‘Dissuasive’ to ‘Deterrence’, due to build-up of large scale military infrastructure by the adversary.

Around the same time, India moved from policy of ‘dissuasion’ to ‘deterrence’ against China, which was later reflected in the Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan 2012-2027.

The report said that the Cabinet Committee on Security in November 2010 had approved procurement and induction of six squadrons of this “strategic” missile system from BEL to be located at six IAF stations in the ‘C’ Command, at a total cost of Rs 3,619.25 crore, along with approval for creation of necessary infrastructure, like missile preparation and storage facility, ramp structure and workshop at a cost of around Rs 100 crore.

“Though the need for creating deterrence capability in the ‘S’ sector was recognised in 2009 and a contract for procurement of strategic missile system was signed in December 2010, the strategic missile system were not yet inducted at any of the six locations as of March 2017,” the CAG said.

The reasons the report gave for the delays included delay in creation of infrastructure at the site, which includes building for storage, and the work was not complete till October 2016. At two stations which were not named, 85 to 90 percent construction was finished but it was not taken by IAF due to problems in construction.

Site Acceptance Test for the missiles, which is supposed to be completed within 30-60 days of delivery of the system, was done only at three of the six sites, and that too after delays ranging from seven months to one year.

Hence, performance of the missile system supplied was yet to be fully tested and accepted for use, it said, adding that the delay in creation of infrastructure for storage led to detrioration in the missile systems. — IANS

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 19

China has moved tonnes of military hardware into regions of Tibet, close to the point of the Doklam standoff, according to reports put out by the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Army today.While sources in the Indian establishment were quick to shoot down these reports, their veracity remains a matter of debate.According to the PLA Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese military, China has moved vast amounts of military equipment to a region south of the Kunlun Mountains in northern Tibet by the Western Theatre Command, which oversees the restive regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, and handles border issues with India.The report ups the ante on the India-China standoff. The state-run Chinese media has been regularly running articles warning India of the dire consequences of this ‘illegal trespass’.The PLA report added that the move took place late last month and involved hardware being moved simultaneously by road and rail from across the entire region.National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will be travelling to Beijing next week to attend a BRICS meet. Sources said this would present an opportunity for India to take up the matter with China to discuss steps for de-escalation. Sources also point out that it is difficult to read the Chinese mind and how Doval’s visit pans out will be carefully watched.The India-China standoff in Doklam is nearly a month old now with both sides refusing to step down from their stated positions. China has asked India to withdraw its troops from the area as a pre-condition for any ‘meaningful dialogue’ to begin. India, however, has run a more cautious line and has argued that this is a situation which calls for dialogue and that ‘differences should not be allowed to become disputes’.

China ready to attack India, says Mulayam 

• Former Defence Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav (pic) on Wednesday cautioned the government against China’s ‘ill-designs’
• Expressing concern at the successive Central governments not addressing threats from China, he said it was India’s responsibility to provide security to Sikkim and Bhutan
• “China has made preparations for a war with India. It has subjugated Pakistan and gobbled parts of Kashmir in collusion with it… The government should verify and act on a report I have received that China has stockpiled atom bombs underground in Pakistan to be used against India,” he said in the Lok Sabha tns

‘Beijing moved military vehicles, gear to Tibet’