New Delhi, January 27

India and France have moved forward on deepening their military partnership and are ready to collaborate on making the next generation of engines to power fighter jets.

India’s Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf said on Friday Safran, the French engine manufacturer, had conveyed its readiness for a complete transfer of technology (ToT) for various developmental stages of the project.

Full transfer of tech for AMCA

• French engine maker Safran has agreed to full transfer of technology for various stages of project to build next generation of engines for fighter jets
• India is planning indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) with likely induction in eight to 10 years
• To be designed and made in India, AMCA will have 2 versions — first with US’ GE 414 engine & second with more powerful Safran engine
• Pact aims to explore intricacies of design phase, metallurgical components, and other vital elements crucial for advancement of jet engines

Ashraf was part of the media briefing organised by the Ministry of External Affairs on Republic Day following a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. The discussion with France focuses on synchronising the engine specifications with India’s forthcoming fighter jet needs.

India is currently producing fourth-generation jet — Light Combat Aircraft Tejas — using engines by US’ General Electric. It is now ready to take a leap and make an indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) planned for induction in eight to 10 years from now.

The AMCA is being designed in India and will be manufactured here. Two separate versions are planned — the first will have the GE 414 engine, while the second will have a more powerful Safran engine.

Ashraf said the agreement on the engine aims to explore intricacies of the design phase, metallurgical components, and other vital elements crucial for the advancement of sophisticated jet engines.

“We are looking for not just manufacturing and Transfer of Technology, but work in the actual design phase, metallurgical phase. Safran is willing to do it with 100% technology transfer including design, development, certification to production,” Ashraf added.

A joint statement after the Modi-Macron meet said: “They reiterated their commitment to further deepening the integration between the two countries’ respective defence industrial sectors and to work together to identify opportunities for co-design, co-development, co-production”. Ashraf said the engine-related discussions will continue within the framework of the defence industry roadmap. In July 2023, India and France decided to expand their defence collaboration in advanced aeronautical technologies, endorsing the joint development of a combat aircraft engine.

he 76th Army Day was celebrated with grandeur on Monday in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow with a parade of six marching contingents

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 15

The Bathinda military station celebrated the 8th Armed Forces Veterans’ Day on Sunday. The event began with the solemn wreath-laying ceremony held at Yodha Yaadgar, the war memorial inside the station.

An interactive session was held in which General Officer Commanding Sub Area Maj Gen Hari B Pillai interacted with various other stakeholders to put forth their issues pertaining to ECHS, DPDO, Veterans branch and ZSB.

He thanked the veterans for their exemplary services to the nation and called upon them to use their skills and experience for betterment of society and contribute positively towards nation building. He remarked that their indomitable spirit can motivate the youth of today towards nation building. He also reiterated that continuous outreach through SATAT MILAP will be done to reach out to the veterans and meet their aspirations.

As many as 300 veterans attended this event.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 15

Indian Army’s focus has been on development of critical infrastructure and strengthening border infrastructure, said Army Chief General Manoj Pande while addressing the annual Army Day Parade in Lucknow on Monday. Today was the 76th Army Day.

On the present security situation, he said, “ The situation is under control on our western borders in Jammu and Kashmir, but continued infiltration attempts make it clear that terrorist infrastructure still exists across the border (in Pakistan).”

Highlighting the military prowess of Indian Army, he said it was ready to transform into a future ready, technology driven, lethal and agile force. General Pande said time-bound deliverables have been identified under the five pillars of the ‘transformation roadmap’. The Army has focussed on force restructuring and optimisation, technology infusion and making systems, processes and functions more effective.ADVERTISEMENT

General Pande also awarded 15 gallantry awards and 23 unit citations in recognition of valour and meritorious service.

Also a military and combat display ‘Shaurya Sandhya’ was organised at Lucknow Cantonment. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan were present at the event.

The minister added: “The country is now witnessing how our military is continuously being equipped with modern weapons/technologies powered by drones and artificial intelligence.”

Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year to commemorate the achievements of the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army General (later Field Marshal) KM Cariappa. On this day, Gen Cariappa, who led Indian forces to victory in the 1947 war with Pakistan, took over the command of the Indian Army from General Sir FRR Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief in 1949.

Our Correspondent

Jammu, January 15

Three days after an Army convoy came under attack in Krishna Ghati area of Poonch, a search operation was launched in different areas after reports of suspicious movement in the district were received by intelligence agencies.

The operation has been launched by the Army, J&K Police and Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) in Sawjian area of the densely forested area of the district. Security forces received an intelligence input from locals after they saw some suspicious men in the area.

Another search operation is already underway in Krishna Ghati sector in areas including Dhara, Magnad and Jallas to track down the terrorists who had fired on a convoy of the Army vehicles on Friday.ADVERTISEMENT

The Army in an official statement had said on Friday that at around 6 pm, a security forces convoy was fired upon by suspected terrorists from a jungle. There was no casualty to the troops. The troops are using sniffer dogs and aerial surveillance to search the area.

The Army and J&K Police are struggling in the wake of little intelligence regarding the group of terrorists active in the forest areas of Rajouri and Poonch.

The group behind the attack on an Army convoy on December 21 last year near Dera ki Gali of Poonch in which four soldiers were killed is still at large. Despite efforts of the Army and police, the ultras have given a slip to the security forces.

Gallantry award ceremonies bare skirmishes between Sept 2021 & Nov 2022

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, January 15

The armies of India and China clashed at least twice in 15 months along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Multiple covert operations during the period along the LAC also helped keep a watch on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China during “times of crisis”.

PLA troops attacked post

• Clashes and covert ops came to light after Western Army Command, Chandimandir, & Central Army Command, Lucknow, held separate investitures
• The Western Command investiture mentioned how PLA troops attacked the Indian Army post at Shankar Tekri along the LAC on Jan 7, 2022
• “With unmatched valour, Sepoy Raman Singh from 8th Battalion of Sikh Light Infantry repelled attack, wounded four PLA soldiers,” said citation. He was awarded the Sena Medal (Gallantry)

These clashes and the covert operations came in the open after the Western Army Command, Chandimandir, and the Central Army Command, Lucknow, conducted separate investitures over the past three days to award gallantry medals to officers and men. These operations were conducted between September 2021 and November 2022.ADVERTISEMENT

The details were announced as citations were read out when each of the gallantry awards was pinned on to the chest of soldiers. These operations along the LAC were previously unreported. The Western Command has disabled a YouTube video it put out of the event. The Central Command YouTube link was working till Monday evening.

Detailing the clashes, the Western Command investiture mentioned how PLA troops attacked the Indian Army post at Shankar Tekri along the LAC on January 7, 2022. “With unmatched valour, Sepoy Raman Singh from the 8th Battalion of the Sikh Light Infantry confronted the intruders in a brutal hand-to-hand battle. He repelled the attack by seriously wounding four Chinese soldiers and taking their guns,” said the citation. He was awarded the Sena Medal (Gallantry).

Another clash took place on November 27, 2022, when some 50 PLA soldiers attempted to cross the LAC and take the Atari Post, said the citation of Naib Subedar Baldev Singh of the 19th Battalion of the J&K Rifles. “He led the charge against the invading force and injured around 15 Chinese soldiers,” the citation said, adding that the Naib Subedar was injured. He was awarded the Sena Medal (Gallantry).

“The Commanding Officer of the 19th Batallion of the J&K Rifles, Lt Col Pushmeet Singh, conducted a patrol along the LAC. His manoeuvres successfully prevented a massive PLA infiltration attempt. This resulted in a tense standoff lasting two days and he negotiated with the local Chinese commander,” the citation said, adding that the officer remained calm during the crisis. He was awarded the Sena Medal (Gallantry).

Meanwhile, several covert operations were conducted at specific locations along the LAC. The Western Command investiture saw Major Sourav Kumar, CO of the 15th Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment, being awarded the Sena Medal (Gallantry) for leading a covert mission “deep within Chinese territory” as part of a classified operation. Havildar Pardeep Kumar Singh of the same battalion was awarded the Sena Medal (Gallantry) for the same operation.

Lt Col Yogesh Kumar Sati of the 31 Armoured Division and attached with the Intelligence Corps, on September 16, 2022, was assigned to go into the “enemy territory” as part of Operation Snow Leopard. He suffered from high-altitude sickness but carried on and accomplished the task without being discovered. He was awarded the Sena Medal (Gallantry) for “displaying stealth and tactical skill, enhancing India’s strategic edge in the area,” the citation said.

At the Central Command investiture, Major Nitish Tyagi from the 12 Para Special Forces Battalion, was tasked with staying in a very high-altitude area in the North-East for 120 hours amid bad weather to keep an eye on the PLA. He has been awarded Bar to the Sena Medal (Gallantry).

The Israeli government has vowed to carry on military operations till the stated war goals are achieved.

Lt Gen MJS Kahlon (Retd)

Former commandant, Defence Services Staff College

THE Gaza war, triggered by the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, has completed 100 days. The Israeli retaliation has killed over 24,000 Palestinians in Gaza, wounded and maimed more than 60,000 and displaced almost 90 per cent of its 2.3 million population. Gaza lies in ruins, with not a single hospital left intact and its civilian infrastructure in tatters. Scenes of horrific destruction and suffering continue to sear the world’s conscience daily as all established norms of war-fighting are being flouted with impunity by Israel.

The meticulously planned and executed Hamas attack exposed deep chinks in Israel’s security setup. Tel Aviv’s defensive strategy hinged on the twin pillars of assured early warning by the intelligence agencies and proactive deterrence action by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). On October 7, the much-vaunted intelligence system failed and the Israeli military response to Hamas intrusions was tardy. The breaching of the ‘iron wall’ by Hamas and raiding of multiple military targets and settlements blew away the myth of Israel defences’ invincibility. Moreover, the death of hundreds of Israeli citizens in the ham-handed response has now publicly been acknowledged and is the subject of an ongoing IDF inquiry.

The Israeli concept of deterrence in the occupied territories and the neighbouring region seeks to dissuade adversaries from taking aggressive action by showcasing the proactive military might of the Israeli state, which is periodically employed to ‘mow the grass and keep the Palestinians in line’. This mode of deterrence, based on denial and punishment, has been the cornerstone of the defensive military strategy on which the current edifice of military occupation rests. The riposte for the Hamas militant attacks was swift in coming. Operation Iron Swords was launched by Israel with a threefold aim — the elimination of Hamas from Gaza, dismantling of all terrorist infrastructure and the release of all abducted hostages.ADVERTISEMENT

Fighting in built-up urban areas is every army’s worst nightmare. The challenges in Gaza are especially acute due to a large population of ‘incarcerated’ people living in a jampacked enclave of 365 sq km with a population density of a staggering 5,500 people per sq km. This led to a mushrooming vertical development of housing and other public buildings. Every narrow alley, road and open space thus becomes a killing zone in army parlance for an ingressing force. The operating forces became an easy target for the Hamas snipers and ambush teams which were located strategically to exploit the intimate knowledge of the local geography.

Keeping in mind this challenging operating environment, the IDF opted to choose the aerial bombardment route to flatten out entire neighbourhoods in the first phase of the campaign. This approach, labelled as the ‘scorched earth policy’, was a deliberate military choice to limit Israeli military casualties. The aim was to clear the demarcated axes and avenues for the movement of ground troops without any effective interference from Hamas. Consequently, areas along major roads were flattened by bombing up to hundreds of metres on each side. This has resulted in the razing of neighbourhoods, especially in northern and central Gaza. This tactic also led to very high civilian casualty rates and the allegations of the use of indiscriminate and disproportional force by the IDF.

Well-thought-out strategy and tactics do not always guarantee positive results, especially in asymmetric warfare, as the enemy quickly adapts to them. Hamas has showed remarkable flexibility and finesse in small team operations by targeting Merkava tanks, Namer APCs, D6 Bulldozers and other troop-carrying vehicles effectively with basic hand-held automatic weapons and locally manufactured rocket-propelled grenades which has resulted in the loss of lives of almost 190 IDF soldiers. Both sides have attempted to control the narrative and public opinion by proactive propaganda and outreach.

The situation in West Bank also continues to be worrisome due to the enhanced aggressive actions by the settler communities and almost daily raids into major urban centres by the security forces. More than 300 Palestinians have been killed and 4,600 detained in these areas. Aggressive Hezbollah actions have caused the displacement of about 70,000 Israeli citizens from Galilee. The role and actions of other militant groups, including the Houthis in the Red Sea, has widened the arc of confrontation. The IDF has carried out almost daily airstrikes and artillery shelling in southern Lebanon and Syria.

The Israeli government, which enjoys the unconditional backing of the US, has vowed to carry on military operations till the stated war goals are achieved. Victory in the ongoing campaign cannot be measured by military metrics. Till date, no major Hamas commander has been neutralised in Gaza. The Israeli government is loath to commit to a two-state policy espoused by the US. On the contrary, it has peddled the dream of a Greater Israel stretching from the ‘river to the sea’.

One of the outcomes which the Israel right-wing elements had hoped for and which has not happened is the displacement of a large number of homeless residents of Gaza into neighbouring countries. The beleaguered Palestinians, along with Egypt and Jordan, have ruled out another Nakba, and so has the US. Attempts are being made to trigger a US-Iran military confrontation, which both nations have avoided wisely. Gaza in the past has been described as a problem without a solution. The search for an amicable and acceptable solution continues at an expensive cost of precious lives being lost daily.