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LETTER FROM THE

editor

he biennial air show in Bangalore may not have achieved the iconic status of Farnborough or Paris air shows as yet but it certainly stands as one of Asia’s high points and ranks up there along with the air shows of Singapore and Dubai. As the New Year rolls in, this defence-specific event gives us occasion to reflect on the nation’s air defence capabilities. Given the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) current strength and its increasingly dominant role not only as a tactical support to the Army but as a strategic partner in its own right, DSI examines the efficacy of the air fleet. The conclusions unfortunately are not positive. There is a woeful shortfall of combat aircraft. According to defence strategy experts , by 2020 India will need a 50-55 strong squadron with an aircraft mix of multi-role, strike, defence and reconnaissance. Seeing the recent activity in the neighbourhood, the need to reinforce the IAF’s ageing and depleted fleet should assume even more urgency. A few hours before the American Secretary of Defence was to meet China’s President Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of People in Beijing on January 11, 2011, an aircraft took off from the airfield from the southern city of Chendu. The flight, taking 15 minutes, was of China’s Fifth Generation Aircraft, the J-20. The test run was a clear message to the world generally and specifically to the region that what was happening was potentially a shift in the dominance of America in the air. Probably, India has the most to lose with this addition to China’s air defence capacity especially as the J-20 will be stationed in Tibet and Xingiang. The eminent induction of the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas into the IAF, if not a historic landmark, is certainly a step in the right direction. It would be churlish not to acknowledge the achievement of the aircraft’s designers, the scientists, the production engineers and flight test team who have played a vital role in the development of this Third Generation aircraft. But the hard truth is that beset by huge cost overruns and assorted delays it has taken 28 years for the Tejas to get its Initial Operation Clearance. And as useful as the Tejas will be in strengthening the IAF there is still a big question mark whether it will be produced quickly enough and in sufficient numbers. DSI has also started an occasional series on the Subcontinent’s military history, perhaps a small attempt to emphasise that old adage, that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. As usual we look forward to your feedback. If you have any comments and suggestions email us at dsidelhi.feedback@gmail.com. Should you want to subscribe then contact us at dsisubscriptions@mtil.biz and our marketing team will do the rest.

Mannika Chopra EDITOR Defence & Security of India

FEBRUARY 2011

DSI

The induction of the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, if not a historic landmark, is a step in the right direction. It would be churlish not to acknowledge the achievement of all those who have played a vital role in the development of this Third Generation aircraft.

COVER STORY

CLOUDY SKIES

Given the shifting dynamics of the region, the Indian Air Force has failed to live up to its mandate of being a powerful strategic force able to compete with its neighbours and may be ill-equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century. AFP

CONTENTS

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CONTENTS TECHNOLOGY

FEBRUARY 2011

DSI

WAR IN THE FIFTH DOMAIN

AFP

Network-centric operations in contemporary conflicts are vital to a nation’s defence yet India still remains at a nascent stage of development and it will be some years before it can become a truly networked force. War in the future can be prevented, fought, won or lost through information and dominance, making networkcentricity the lynchpin of future aerospace operations.

COMBAT AIRCRAFT

AFP

RISING AIR POWER

SECURITY

The ubiquitous Tejas, the centre of everyone’s attention for nearly three decades, finally gets its Initial Operating Clearance. Its success will not only pave the way for an adequate number of aircraft in the IAF’s inventory but will also serve as the launch pad for future fighter programmes.

MILITARY HELICOPTERS

BIRDS OF WAR

India’s military is preparing to expand its helicopter fleet over the next decade through imports and by inducting indigenously designed platforms. By the end of the 13th Finance Plan in 2022 all three Services plan on operating over 1,000 advanced light utility, attack, heavy lift, ship-borne, antisubmarine warfare and attack helicopters.

KEEPING THE COAST CLEAR

After the 26/11 seaborne attack on Mumbai, the Indian Navy is fasttracking a robust Coastal Security Network to protect India’s seaboard.

HISTORY

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CONTRIBUTORS

KAPIL KAK

B.K. PANDEY

BIDANDA CHENGAPPA

Kapil Kak, Air Vice Marshal AVSM, VSM (retd), is a wellknown defence and security affairs analyst, who earlier served as Deputy Director of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. A post-graduate in Defence and Strategic Studies from the Universities of Madras and Allahabad, he has authored more than 40 major book chapters and journal articles on a variety of strategic, national security and defence issues. He is currently Additional Director, Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi.

B.K. Pandey, Air Marshal PVSM, AVSM, VM(retd), has held a number of important command, staff and instructional appointments in the transport stream of the Indian Air Force. As a young officer, he served as a flying instructor with the Republic of Singapore Air Force and was the Air Attache at the Embassy of India in Kabul during the war-torn years from 1989 to 1992. He was also part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1988.

Dr Bidanda Chengappa is a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi and till recently was a senior editor with Deccan Herald, Bangalore. WithThe New Indian Express, New Delhi andThe Hindu Businessline he specialised in writing on defence. A PhD in India-China relations, he has authored two books, one on Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national security and foreign policy towards China and another on Pakistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s military and foreign policies.

AJAI SHUKLA

JAYADEVA RANADE

ASHOK NATH

Ajai Shukla works in both the visual and the print media. He is consulting editor (Strategic Affairs) for Business Standard . He was also consulting editor (Strategic Affairs) for NDTV, a reputed news broadcaster in India, for which he has anchored prime time news and special programmes. He is currently working on a book on Sino-Indian frontier policy.

Jayadeva Ranade, a former Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, is a security and intelligence expert. A seasoned China analyst, his foreign assignments have included Bejing and Hong Kong, the last one as minister in the Indian Embassy in Washington. He writes on defence for many leading publications.

Ashok Nath, FRGS,is a professor of history of war and military culture, and a former officer of Armoured Corps, Indian Army. His writings have appeared in various journals. He is the author of Izzat, a book that deals with the history of Indian cavalry regiments. He is currently working on the participation of Indian regiments during the Great War of 1914-1918.

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FEBRUARY 2011

DSI

DEFENCE and SECURITY of INDIA FEBRUARY 2011 VOLUME 3, NUMBER 4 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

RAHUL BEDI

MRINAL SUMAN

Rahul Bedi is the New Delhi correspondent for Jane’s Defence Weekly, UK and contributes to it on a diverse range of security and military related matters. He is also the India correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, London and the Irish Times.

Mrinal Suman, Major General (retd), is an expert on various aspects of India’s defence procurement regime and offsets and has been closely associated with the evolution of the new defence procurement mechanism. He is often consulted by policy makers and the Parliamentary Committee on Defence. He also heads the Defence Technical Assessment and Advisory Service of the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Maneesha Dube EDITOR

Mannika Chopra SENIOR SUB-EDITORS

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TECHNOLOGY

WAR IN THE

FIFTH DOMAIN Network-centric operations in contemporary conflicts are vital to a nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defence yet India remains at a nascent stage of becoming a networked force

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FEBRUARY 2011

DSI

KAPIL KAK

KEY POINTS ! A robustly networked force improves information sharing and shared situational awareness. ! The IAF is in the process of introducing five Integrated Air Command and Control Centres. ! As the responsibility for ensuring the security integrity of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s airspace vests with the IAF defence of space assets should be the proprietary mission of that Service.

In September-December 2000, during two missions in Afghanistan, a CIA reconnaissance Predator UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) tracked and obtained the precise location and imagery of Osama Bin Laden talking to ten of his supporters. But the UAV was unable to strike, as it was not only unarmed but the short fleeting opportunity precluded timely vectoring of a strike platform to the scene. !

On November 6, 2002, a CIA Predator UAV armed with a Hellfire air-to-ground missile, successfully attacked a vehicle carrying Salim Al-Harethi and five other Al Qaeda operatives near Marid, 150km, east of Yemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital Sana, killing them instantly. From the first sighting by the Predator to it executing the strike with information flowing back and forth to the Combined Air Operations Centre at Tampa, Florida, for verification and authorisation of the strike by combined USAF-CIA-CENTCOM teams, the time span was 12 minutes. !

AFP

An Air Force MQ-1B Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle going out on patrol from Balad air base, Iraq

oth these cases illustrate clearly the role of a highly effective networkcentric operation in contemporary conflicts. The unique and successful strike on Salim Al-Harethi, the suspected terrorist-leader of the October 2000 bombing of the US destroyer USS Cole, revealed dramatically the reduced sensorshooter time-gap, a speed that was absent in the Afghanistan example. Hopefully, this lesson is not lost on the Indian Air Force (IAF). The narrative of an effective aerospace

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TECHNOLOGY

US attacks Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War

power kill-chain having every sensor as shooter and every shooter as sensor is today par for the course. This is also borne out by the palpable success of such UAV attacks on suspected terrorist hideouts across Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan. These have increased sharply from 5 in 2007 to 117 in 2010 with corresponding terrorist casualties going up from 73 to 801. Since the beginning of military force application through air power, air force planners have always eagerly sought accurate and timely information for enhanced situational awareness. In the Arthashastra, the Indian thinker and military strategist, Kautalya extensively articulated the necessity for information management and networking. Gengiz Khan, the Mongol conqueror, too was the master of employing horse cavalry in outflanking forays against enemy dispositions to gather information for networking his forces prior to the main offensive. The concept of information dominance – the key to network-centric applications – is thus centuries old. It has acquired far greater relevance today thanks to the sheer pace of information technology mutations compressing change cycles so dramatically. The requirement to compress time frames and expand space to exploit the activity cycle of information, decision and action in air operations has been brought home to the Indian Air Force in almost all the wars thrust on it since Independence. By way of networking, the foremost objective has been the linking of radar

and communication units, surface to air missile (SAM) sites and air bases for comprehensive operational picture generation and quick-response decisionmaking. As information technology did not dominate society and war fighting then, manual plotters responded to voice inputs from radars and mobile observation posts (MOPs) to improve base air defence (AD) but these proved inadequate. Communications improved through the launch in the 1970s of the AD ground environment system (ADGES) that relied on the troposcatter effect to network operational bases.

Early Networking Forays

The IAF’s early radar networking forays began with the setting up in the mid-1980s of a joint IAF-DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) low- level radar networking group to enhance capabilities to intercept airborne threats through multi-radar input fusion. For optimal integration of assets and faster decision making, a public sector unit in the early 1990s was launched in what was termed as a futuristic automatic data handling system. But, sadly, the lack of fast-processing computer systems constrained these well-intentioned and creative initiatives though in the process the IAF learned a range of technooperational lessons in networking. The IAF’s severe limitations in surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for information-acquisition and feed-in to diverse airborne platforms became exposed

during the Kargil conflict. It had to initiate a 12-day long reconnaissance campaign to identify Pakistan Army locations before battlefield air strikes could be undertaken. Over a decade later, there is a heightened awareness that the full capability and potential of an advanced aerospace force, like the IAF, can only be realised if it transforms into a viable networked force. There is no gainsaying that for the IAF the ability to speedily collect, collate, process and disseminate information will enhance mission space awareness: the higher this capability, the greater the level of information dominance relative to an adversary. Thus, networking widely dispersed groundbased sensors like radars, MOPs and aerostats with multispectral sensors on airborne platforms, UAVs and dedicated airborne warning and control systems (AWACS), through a secure and robust communication system, and processing the data generated to create a comprehensive air situation – termed information Integration – lies at the heart of the IAF’s contemporary air operations. A robustly networked force improves information sharing that translates into enhanced quality and accuracy of information and shared situational awareness. The latter entails status and disposition of friendly forces, enemy elements and clarity on other operational dimensions generated by sensors deployed on satellites in space, manned and unmanned airborne platforms, on

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TECHNOLOGY ground and at sea. Transmission of voice, text and video data through robust and secure digital networks to ‘edge entities’ that conduct force application missions and their feedback completes the network cycle. Clearly, information dominance leads onto decision superiority and, in turn, boosts capabilities. A key attribute of networked aerospace forces is that these remove the dividing line between strategic, operational and tactical levels. By leveraging the unique aerospace power attributes of long range penetration, precision, persistence and minimal blood-letting, net-centric operations allow prosecution of operations in vast geographic spaces, non-linearly, at multiple levels and simultaneously achieving political and strategic effect, in what has been termed as parallel warfare. The causal linkage between networkcentric operations (NCO) and effects-based operations (EBO)warrants underscoring. The former translates informational advantage into combat power while the latter constitutes a system for skillful planning and employment of selected elements of national power to achieve specific military and politico-strategic effects that impact negatively on the adversary’s coherence, ability and the will to fight. In this intricate dyad, surveillance and reconnaissance, intelligence and target attack/acquisition (SARITA) technologies provide Air Force planners with startling capabilities to garner highly accurate situational awareness for informational dominance in EBO; these capabilities in conjunction with other dimensions serve as drivers of aerospace power.

Space, the Final Frontier

Like other advanced Air Forces, the IAF too will have to increasingly rely on space-based SARITA, communications and data transfer, navigation and guidance for net-centric and spaceenabled force enhancement capabilities. We have witnessed how the US employed fifty satellites (under the armed forces command) during the 1991 Gulf War, with the number doubling for the 2003 Iraq war and proportionate bandwidth going up 32 times from 99 to 3,200 mbps. Network infrastructure – a significant part of which will be space enabled – is justifiably perceived as the ‘soft ribs’ against which a determined adversary can deliver a fatal punch with kinetic or non-kinetic weapons. The need to guard

A Doppler Radar

The prospective launch of a dedicated Air Force satellite will go a long way in up-scaling communication capacities. Air Force Net will doubtless serve as an effective force multiplier for ‘intelligence analysis, mission planning and control, post-mission feedback’ and in maintenance, logistics and administration.

”

against the equivalent of a space Pearl Harbour is thus obvious. Further, while space is doubtless a common asset to be shared, including by three armed forces, defence of space assets must be assigned only to one service. As the responsibility for ensuring the security integrity of the nation’s airspace vests with the Air Force, defence of space assets should be the proprietary mission of that Service. Nor must Command-and-Control (C2) aspects, more so for networking, get neglected. A tri-service space cell does function at HQ Integrated Defence Staff. But given that future warfare will be dominated by space to an increasing extent, the need for a dedicated Aerospace Command under the IAF hardly warrants emphasis. Conceptually, Command-and-Control spans the physical, information and cognitive domains. C2 sensors, platforms, systems and infrastructure – for battle space monitoring – are components of the physical domain. On the other hand, information collected, collated and processed, exits in the informational domain, while developing understanding, making sense of information and generating the command intent, form part

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TECHNOLOGY

AFP

An IAF helicopter takes off from Drass during the Kargil conflict

of the cognitive domain. Not without reason then is network-centric warfare perceived as a part of information-centric warfare as the former occupies the key space within the intersection of three circles of the physical, informational and cognitive domain. There is need to anchor this conceptual model to a structure that ensures automatic decision support capability which is translated into increased information velocity and boosted combat power. Over the years, the IAF has been unable to evolve an indigenous solution for a comprehensive C2 network, integrating radars of different kinds with aerostats, AWACS and groundbased radars under acquisition. Consequently, the IAF is reported to be in the process of having in place five Integrated Air Command and Control Centres (IACCs), on each of its five operational commands that will be connected to the apex rung of the command chain, the National Command Post.

Close coupling of integrated communications with computational capabilities enhance network-centricity. The IAF has taken up the challenge to create and maintain a dedicated, secure and inter-operable communication network along with associated services, to provide real time and instantaneous transfer of information between ground-based and airborne sensors, AD weapon systems, C2 nodes and shooters. Its core is the recently launched digital, fibre opticslinked Air Force Net (AFNET) that is part of the overall mission to network all three Services. The prospective launch of a dedicated Air Force satellite will go a long way in up-scaling satellite-based communication capacities. AFNET will doubtless serve as an effective force multiplier for ‘intelligence analysis, mission planning and control, post-mission feedback’ and in maintenance, logistics

and administration. But on-going programmes need to get converted into real-time capabilities soon to enable the IAF to apply aerospace force at the time and place of its choosing in consonance with the politico-strategic effect sought. As outlined, war in the future can be prevented, fought, won or lost through information and dominance making network-centricity the lynchpin of future aerospace operations. Unfortunately, the IAF is still at a nascent stage and it will be some years before it can become a truly networked force. Space is of key importance and there is an urgent need for a dedicated IAF-led Aerospace Command. To reiterate, network infrastructure constitutes the ‘soft ribs’ of Indian defence that can be dealt a fatal blow by an adversary. Multiple redundancies ensure survivability and assume critical salience in future planning for an effective network-centric operations.

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DEFENCE

CLOUDY

SKIES

In the shifting dynamics of region, the Indian Air Force has failed to live up to its mandate of being a powerful, strategic force able to compete with its neighbours

B.K PANDEY

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FEBRUARY 2011

DSI

KEY POINTS

To counter the security challenges within the country and the region, India needs to acquire the capability of swift military response best provided by air power. ! If there are no fresh inductions, by the end of this decade, the IAF will be left with a combat fleet of just under 600 aircraft. ! The IAF will require a combat fleet of 60 squadrons in the event of a fullscale war against Pakistan and China. !

n the occasion of the 78th anniversary of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in October 2010, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, in a press conference, candidly stated that 50 percent of the assets of the IAF were ‘obsolete.’ While the disclosure triggered a bout of frenzied excitement in the media, the admission was disconcerting to the nation at large especially as the CAS also added that the prevailing security situation in the neighbourhood was ‘like a volcano.’ The forthright statement by the CAS was followed immediately by a damage control exercise but it was too late. To mitigate the level of public consternation officials clarified that what the CAS actually meant was the state of the IAF’s assets which were being overtaken by ‘obsolescence’; they were not, the public was told, already ‘obsolete.’ For close followers of the English language, the subtle difference between the two terms may have been hard to discern but whatever the fine distinction it was irrelevant considering both words reflect the inadequacies of the state of our national security. Semantics apart, it would also have been more appropriate for the CAS to convey his concerns to the government in confidence and not through the media even though the state of the IAF’s inventory and its operational potential is not a closely guarded secret.

Days of Yore

AFP

Indian Air Force IL-78 MKI tanker aircraft carries out mid-air refuelling over Uttar Pradesh

Since the mid-1960s, the combat potential of the IAF was built around aircraft and weapon systems acquired from the erstwhile USSR. Caught in the superpower confrontation during the Cold War, India was perceived by the West as part of the Soviet camp despite its

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DEFENCE avowed policy of Non-Alignment. In the three decades following the SinoIndian conflict of 1962, the IAF relied heavily on equipment procured from the USSR acquired on favourable terms both in terms of technology and cost. The IAF received the MiG series of combat aircraft in fairly large numbers as also the Su-7 ground attack aircraft. The Indian combat fleet was augmented by aircraft procured in limited numbers from the West against hard currency – a scarce commodity in foreign exchange-strapped India. In those days, the force-mix was adequate for the IAF to defend India against threats emanating from across its western borders. At that time, no serious threat from across its northern and eastern borders was perceived from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Then the Chinese force was equipped with largely poor-performing, vintage aircraft which operated from airfields located in high altitudes in Tibet without in-flight refuelling capabilities. The PLAAF factor

Today, India’s role has changed substantially. Riding on a crest of a resurgent economy, India has emerged as a regional power and now assumes different levels of responsibility. Besides, India’s security interests now transcend national boundaries and extend from the Persian Gulf to the Strait of Malacca.

”

had no or little influence in shaping the strength of the IAF inventory. It was the disintegration of the USSR in the early 1990s and the consequent disruption in the supply weapon’s chain from India’s principal source of military hardware which had a debilitating effect on the operational potential of the IAF. At the same time, a new world order emerged, geo-political and geo-strategic equations changed, global economic integration and China’s meteoric rise as an economic and military power, afforded India new perspectives and also new challenges and opportunities. Current geo-political and geo-strategic compulsions in a uni-polar world have India engaged in new strategic partnerships. Today, India’s role has changed substantially. Riding on a crest of a resurgent economy, India has emerged as a regional power and now assumes different levels of responsibility. Besides, India’s security interests now transcend national boundaries and extend from the Persian Gulf to the Strait of Malacca. To counter the

AFP

Indian Air Force personnel extinguish a fire after the crash of a Mig-29 aircraft in Ambala

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DEFENCE

AFP

Suryakiran training aircraft fly past an IAF flag

security challenges within the country and the region India needs to acquire the capability of swift military response best provided by air power. Shedding the pervading, defensive politico-military mindset, India needs to develop the capability to project power and carry out legitimate interventions in the region. “The Indian Air Force must now move from a threat-based approach to a capability-based approach,” said the CAS. In short, the IAF must transform itself from a tactical to a powerful strategic force.

The Competition

Certainly, the aerial threat scenario today is under transition. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is in the process of fleet renewal and augmentation (seebox). Only consider, after a period of suspension, the supply of the US F-16 combat aircraft has been resumed and 32 of the Block 52, the combat aircraft’s latest version, have been delivered in the last two years. With an option to acquire another 18, the PAF will have a total of 81 F-16s. Meanwhile, JF-17 Thunder, the 12.7-tonne Multi-Role Combat Aircraft powered by the

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Russian RD93 engine, of which 300 are on order, have begun arriving from China. By 2014, China is to supply 36 of the total of 150, 20-tonne J-10 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft powered by the Russian AL-31 engine : the J-10 is possibly a clone of the cancelled Israel’s Lavi programme. Apart from the latest acquisitions, the PAF operates 414 older generation combat aircraft of French and Chinese origin, albeit with lower combat potential, and is also known to possess nuclear weapon delivery capability. Earlier dismissed nonchalantly as being inconsequential, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has also acquired formidable strength with the induction of modern combat aircraft from Russia and from the indigenous aerospace industry (see box). The combat fleet consists of 69 Su-27, 100 Su-30 and 364 J-10 as also over 1,100 older generation aircraft. Along the border with India, China has also created the required airfield infrastructure in Tibet for sustained air operations. The PLAAF’s earlier limitations of range and payload have been offset by in-flight refuelling capability. The reach of the Chinese

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Indian Air Force personnel in a march past at Air Force Technical College, Bangalore

combat aircraft now extends with ease to large areas of the northern and eastern parts of India. China also possesses nuclear weapons delivery capability. Since its inception, the IAF has been almost completely Pakistan-centric for which the currently authorised combat fleet of 39.5 squadrons was considered to be adequate. However, in the event of a full-scale war against Pakistan and China simultaneously, the IAF will require a combat fleet of 60 squadrons. So far, the possibility of a two-front war has not been considered to be within the realm of possibility. As is evident, diplomatic effort sans the backing of military might, is unlikely to help normalise relations with either one or both of the neighbours. The worst case scenario visualised so far is that the IAF may have to wage a full-scale war on the western front while holding action against China. However, in the context of the growing nexus between the two hostile neighbours, it may be imprudent to rule out the possibility of a two-front war. As the CAS admitted, “The IAF is one-third of

In recent years, there has been significant erosion in the combat fleet which now stands at 75 percent of its authorised strength. The single engine MiG-21 which comprised bulk of the fleet of MiG variants in the IAF had a safety record so notorious as to be described as the ‘Flying Coffin’.

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the size of its rival PLAAF and far short of what is needed to meet the security challenges facing the country.” The need for a revamp of the IAF is indeed imperative and overdue.

Erosion in the Combat Fleet

In recent years, there has been a significant erosion in the combat fleet which now stands at 75 percent of its authorised strength. The single engine MiG-21, which comprised the bulk of the fleet of MiG variants in the IAF, has had a safety record so notorious that it is often described as the ‘Flying Coffin.’ Of the 800 aircraft procured by the IAF since the early 1960s, 340 have been lost in accidents in which over 200 fighter pilots have perished. On completion of their technical life, the older fleets of Soviet origin such as the MiG Bison will have to be scrapped leading to further erosion of combat potential. Even at a phenomenal cost, a mid-life upgrade of the residual strength of MiG-27, MiG29, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft will provide a lease of life to a total fleet of around only 300 Third Generation combat

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DEFENCE T H E

I N V E N TO RY PAKISTAN AIR FORCE (PAF) AIRCRAFT TYPE

YEAR OF ENTRY

JF-17 Thunder

2008 2009

8 6

Chengdu J-10 (FC-20) 2014

F-16 A/B Block 15 2009

1983 14

F-16 C/D Block 52

2010

Mirage III Mirage V Chengdu F-7 Nanchang A-5

1968 – 1990 1973 – 2000 1988-2002 1983

NUMBERS

40 Of the total 54, 9 lost in crashes, 18

REMARKS Total order for 300 by 2017 Total order for 150

Option for addl 18

121 60 192 41

PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY AIR FORCE (PLAAF)

platforms. This may be just enough to assure the minimum level of defensive capability over the next decade. The only true frontline combat fleet and the mainstay of the IAF will be the Fourth Generation Su-30 MKI air dominance fighters. Of the 270 ordered, 100 have so far been delivered; and the remaining will arrive by 2013-2014. The LCA has received an Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) but may take over a decade to be operationally deployable and hence ought to be kept out of the reckoning for the time being (see the following story). While the nation celebrates this momentous event, ironically, the track record of the LCA programme is symbolic of the near total lack of capability of the indigenous aerospace industry to support a modernisation programme of the IAF.

NUMBERS

Su-27 SK & UBK Su-30 MKK & MKK2 Chengdu J-7, J-7 II, JJ-7 Chengdu J-10A, J-10/S/B Chengdu J-20

69 100 471 364 2

Shenyang J-8D, J-8H, J-8F Shenyang J-11A, J-11B/BS Xian JH-7 Nanchang Q-5 Xian H-6

180 124 192 500 120

If there are no fresh inductions by the end of this decade, the IAF will be left to with a combat fleet of just under 600 aircraft, a mix of Third and Fourth Generation machines, to confront the PAF of similar size or a much larger PLAAF. The IAF is clearly not in any state of preparedness to support even a defensive posture with any degree of confidence with one or both is adversaries. Spearheading offensive action is out of the question. For the IAF, there appears to be a crisis looming on the horizon that calls for urgent action. Aware of these shortcomings, India has currently embarked on the acquisition of combat aircraft in sizeable numbers to ensure timely replacement of its fleets that are either already phased out, obsolete or are seriously threatened by ‘obsolescence’.

REMARKS

Fifth Generation Aircraft (under development)

Strategic Bomber According to the Defence Minister A.K. Antony, the combat fleet of the IAF will not only be restored to its original strength but will be increased to 42 squadrons.

Tardy Pace

Apart from the inadequacies of the indigenous aerospace industry, what often frustrates the IAF is the excruciatingly tardy pace of procurement of urgently required weapons systems. In 2001, an exercise to induct 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) was initiated by Air Headquarters to replace the ageing MiG21s acquired in the sixties. With the LCA, meant to replace the MiG-21 fleet, no where near completion, the case for procuring the MMRCA has become all the more urgent. However, a decade has gone by since

AFP

AIRCRAFT TYPE

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the initiation of the $10 billion proposal but the final green signal has still not been given. Even though the IAF has completed the various procedures required on its part the ultimate decision is still lying with the government. For good reason. All major defence acquisitions are subjected to intense scrutiny at different levels by the Ministries of Defence and Finance before receiving an approval from the Cabinet. Besides, the threat of post-acquisition scrutiny by government watchdogs such as the Central Vigilance Commission, Comptroller & Auditor General and the Central Bureau of Investigation and, most recently, the Right to Information Act inhibits quick decision-making. But even with the presence of these legitimate speed-breakers the acquisition process in India has been tedious. Routed through the Open Tender System, ostensibly, to obtain the best value for money, the acquisition process was A worker wipes the cockpit of a MiG-21 fighter jet on display at the Defence Pavilion of the International Trade Fair

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regulated by the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) promulgated by the Ministry of Defence for the first time in 2006. The original procedure has been subjected to revision practically every year after the initial issue. Intended to enhance transparency, with every â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;annualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; refinement the DPP has been made more complicated further adding to delay. Besides, the offset obligation under the DPP requires the selected vendor to invest in the Indian aerospace industry a certain percentage of the total value of the contract, if it is in excess of Rs 300 crore. Normally pegged at 30 percent, the offset obligation in the case of the MMRCA tender has been enhanced to 50 percent. While vendors consider this level of offset as somewhat arbitrary and excessive the fact of the matter is that the Indian aerospace industry may not have the capability to absorb such high volumes of business thus generated. Quite recently, the government has introduced a modicum of flexibility permitting offsets to be spread over sectors other than the military aerospace industry.

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DEFENCE

AFP

Crouching Dragon, Hidden Agenda

Two weeks after it was seen performing taxi trials at the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute airstrip in central China, the new Chinese Fifth Generation Combat Aircraft, designated as the Chengdu J-20, undertook its 15-minute maiden flight on January 11, 2011. Strikingly similar to the existing Fifth Generation fighters, such as the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II from the US as also the Russian T-50, the J-20 is somewhat larger in size, a few tonnes heavier and has a higher payload capacity. The aircraft is reported to have performance and stealth characteristics similar to the American and Russian Fifth Generation fighters through the use of a range of advanced technologies and materials. The aircraft employs a mix of Chinese and Russian technology and is powered by two Russian 117S engines each delivering a 32,000-pound thrust. After the US and Russia, China is the third country to develop its own Fifth Generation combat aircraft. Although China plans to induct the J-20 into service by the end of the decade, it would have to equip the aircraft with the AESA radar and other contemporary avionics. Reports indicate that the Chinese are embarked on this effort by either developing their own or through cloning. Whatever the case, the Chinese are definitely ahead of the Indian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft programme, the PAK FA, being developed in collaboration with Russia. The J-20 will undoubtedly be a potential threat – one that the IAF cannot afford to ignore. Although better than before there is still considerable scope for the rationalisation of this aspect of the DPP. In case the vendors competing for the ongoing MMRCA tender opt to revise their respective offset proposals in conformity with the new guidelines, the tendering process may suffer further delay. There are many other reasons for the inordinate delay in the finalisation of the MMRCA tender. In an organisation functioning on the principle of collective decision-making, it is difficult to fix responsibility for lapses. Besides, the decision-making bureaucracy is under intense pressure of financial accountability related to tenders. As the decision-maker can be brought to task even years later for alleged misdemeanour while processing tenders, self-preservation and individual security, rather than that of the nation’s security, are of immediate concern. Ultimately, these delayed decisions have serious implications for the IAF. Apart from the continued decline in combat capability, an interminable delay in the finalisation of the MMRCA tender could render obsolete the selected aircraft or its systems necessitating upgrade with

A major effort at elevating the combat potential of the IAF is the collaboration with Russia for a $30 billion project to produce the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). Incorporating futuristic technologies, the aircraft is to be manufactured by HAL and provide the IAF with unprecedented capability surpassing that of the Su-30.

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attendant implications for cost and an induction timeframe. If at all the Indian Air Force finally inducts the MMRCA, it could lag by a generation and could well be outclassed by one or both the potential adversaries in the event of a future conflict.

Indo-Russian FGFA

The other major effort at elevating the combat potential of the IAF is the collaboration with Russia for a $30 billion project to produce the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). Incorporating futuristic technologies, the aircraft is to be manufactured by HAL and provide the IAF with unprecedented capability surpassing that of the Su-30. Expected to be operational in the IAF only by the end of this decade, at this point in time the FGFA project appears to more of a reality than the MMRCA. If inducted successfully and in time, the FGFA could even render the MMRCA project irrelevant. ‘Obsolete’ or ‘obsolescence’, even with the induction of the FGFA, the ground reality is that the Indian Air Force is ill- equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century.

Maritime Surveillance Solutions

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COMBAT AIRCRAFT Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, during an Initial Operational Clearance procedure before induction into the Indian Air Force at Hindustan Aeronautical Limited airport, Bangalore

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The ubiquitous Tejas, the centre of everyone’s attention for nearly three decades, finally gets its Initial Operating Clearance

BIDANDA CHENGAPPA

KEY POINTS ! The IAF has always lacked a highly maneuverable indigenously developed fighter. ! Beset by time and cost overruns, the Light Combat Aircraft has finally been given its Initial Operating Clearance this January. ! If produced quickly enough and in adequate numbers, the indigenously designed and developed LCA Tejas can fill in the IAF’s gap.

POWER 27

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ome would say that the Indian Air Force (IAF) has an onerous task: the strategic job of safe guarding India’s vast borders in times of war and peace. From the Siachen Glacier and the mighty Himalayas to the ‘shifting’ borders with China to the deserts of Rajasthan and volatile borders with Pakistan in the West to the coastline of the South, it is a land of many challenges. Enabling the IAF to effectively undertake this job are its men and machines, none more important than its frontline fighter aircraft. The Air Force has had and still has a fair mix of Western and Russian origin fighter aircraft but what it has always lacked is an indigenously designed and developed fighter which can be produced by the Indian defence industry and in large numbers. No wonder the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the ubiquitous Tejas, has been the centre of everyone’s attention for nearly three decades now. Launched by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in conjunction with the Aeronautical

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COMBAT AIRCRAFT Development Agency (ADA), the nodal agency, the LCA programme was initiated in 1983. Perennially characterised by time and cost overruns, the LCA was seen as a possible replacement for the Russian workhorse the MiG-21, which has significantly numbered the IAF. The LCA undertook its maiden flight in January 2001 and should have, according to the original schedule, been inducted into the IAF by 2006. But the Tejas, which notched a speed of over 1,350km per hour, thus becoming the second supersonic fighter manufactured indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) after the HF-24 Marut, was awarded its Initial Operating Clearance (IOC) only this January.

Friction between DRDO and IAF

The DRDO claims that US sanctions against laboratories like theirs after Pokhran-2; inefficient production by HAL; the IAF’s frequent specification changes and the fact that government funding for the prototype of the LCA was only sanctioned in 1993 were the primary reasons behind this delay. But perhaps the major reason is that the programme suffered badly from poor management skills and implementation. The hold-up resulted in a love-hate relationship between the IAF top brass and DRDO’s leadership. The DRDO was reluctant to let the IAF enter into the decision-making process and to have a say in the LCA’s development programme so that knotty issues could have been identified and resolved. Thankfully, that attitude changed in 2007 when the IAF appointed a senior officer who became part of the LCA programme, bringing to the DRDO and ADA’s notice the IAF’s concerns over problems like missing deadlines and technical issues. Today, DRDO officials concede that this coordination has paid off with the IAF

actively now supporting the programme, something which should have been done decades ago. Over the last two years, much of the bad blood between the IAF and the DRDO seems to have reduced considerably especially with the recent handing over to the IAF the LCA’s Release to Service Document. And now with the LCA having received its IOC a new chapter has started ending the earlier period of misunderstandings. The IOC signals the first step towards the induction of the LCA into the IAF squadron service enabling the Service to build and train teams on the aircraft by the time all its systems are completely functional for offensive air operations. An IOC implies that the basic aircraft is airworthy but the various system capabilities like weapons, radars, computer hardware and integrated software that drive these capabilities as a combat platform are yet to be integrated. As P.S. Subramanyam, Director ADA, reportedly said, “During the design and production of every aircraft across the world, designers reach a stage when they establish its safety and reliability and receive a certificate from an independent organisation that it is ready to be handed over to the users: the Tejas LCA has now reached that stage.” For the LCA, the next milestone is the Final Operational Clearance (FOC), a successful completion of which will result in the IAF receiving a combat-ready LCA. On paper, the Tejas is a sophisticated aircraft considering it is an ‘unstable’ platform. It is highly manoeuvrable and according to aviation analysts compares favourably with the Swedish JAS 39 Grippen NG’s Light Combat Aircraft. The multi-role Tejas has a 200km combat radius of action that can supplement missions of the IAF’s Sukhoi-30 MKI fleet. As a LCA it is

Finally, Ready For Take-Off ! Twenty eight years after its development India’s first Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, gets its Initial Official Clearance INDUCTION

BACKGROUND

Target:200-plus aircraft in service over the next decade Status: Has been given Initial Operational Clearance Orders: 40

Sanction : In 1983 Project Cost: ` 560 crore (1983), ` 13,000 crore (2011) Goal: To replace the MiG-21s

CARBON COMPOSITE

KEVLAR COMPOSITE

PERFORMANCE Maximum Speed :Mach 1.8 at 15,000 m Range: 3,000 km (without refueling) Service Ceiling: 16,500 m

GLASS COMPOSITE

ALUMINIUM

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capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground attack capabilities. As a Fourth Generation aircraft, the LCA is endowed with fly-by-wire (FBW) systems. The aircraft’s Control Law (CLAW) is a software programme and the ‘brain’ of the FBW system, defining the movement of aerodynamic controls in the aircraft, ensuring better manoeuvrability and an effective combat platform, even while making sure that the aircraft does not exceed its structural limits. The CLAW, which is a highly complex software programme and has proven to be a major challenge for the ADA also has to factor in changes in the centre of gravity arising from reducing fuel levels, fitment/release of weapons and various angles of attack. Between the IOC and the final operational flight the FBW/CLAW will undergo a number of modifications during the integration of various systems like loads and fitments all of which alter the centre of gravity. The Tejas’ FBW capability which is presently at the IOC-level will also have to be extended to its intended design limit if the aircraft’s maximum manoeuvrability and ‘sting’ are to be realised.

Tejas’ flying team

GENERAL SPECS

ENGINE/FUEL

LENGHT : 13.20 m WINGS SPAN : 8.20 m HEIGHT : 4.40 m WING AREA : 38.4 sq m EMPTY WEIGHT : 5,680 kg

Powerplant: 1xGeneral Electric F404-GE-IN20 turbofan.Target – to develop this, indigenously Internal fuel capacity: 3,000 litres External fuel capacity: 5x800-litre tanks or 3x1200-litre tanks, total 4,000/3600 litres

COURTESY/ THE WEEK: BHANU PRAKASH CHANDRA

Yes, but is it Indian?

The LCA programme strides the three components of India’s armament policy, namely: imports, transfer of technology and indigenous design and development. While the Tejas’ airframe and CLAW are indigenous, the engine, weaponry and radars are all imported, giving the aircraft’s critics an opportunity to counter the claim that the combat aircraft is ‘indigenously designed and built’. Skeptics might have a valid point but what needs to be understood that by mastering airframe design and FBW/CLAW technologies, Indian aircraft designers are now equipped to embark on future fighter aircraft projects like the Fifth

COCKPIT >Fly-by-wire flight control system to make handling easier >Night vision goggles >’Get-you-home’ panel (providing the pilot with essential flight information in case of emergency)

3 HARDPOINTS (under right wing) Tailess, compound delta-wing platform Single engine

3 HARDPOINTS (under left wing) LENGHT : 13.2 M

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Generation, twin-engine medium combat aircraft programme. Another major spin-off from the LCA programme is that it gives the Indian aeronautics community a boost to undertake midlife upgrades of other fighter and transport aircraft in the IAF’s inventory. And with India acquiring potentially the technological capability to design and develop a Fourth Generation Fighter Aircraft the country joins an exclusive club of industrially advanced countries that have successfully built this class of fighter aircraft. A fully operational LCA in the coming two decades and beyond will strength substantially the force’s airpower capabilities. Besides, the LCA will prove useful in training pilots to this sophisticated level of technology before they can progress onto other types of fighter aircraft. The LCA has immense implications for both the IAF and the Indian aeronautics sector. Considering the shrinking size of the IAF fighter fleet – with the bulk of the aircraft due to be phased out by the end of the decade – a functioning LCA is an invaluable replacement. The IAF has so far placed an order for 40 aircraft but they will need at least another 200 if the Tejas is to fill in the numbers being vacated by the aging MiG-21s. Even, if and when, the Ministry of Defence makes its decision on inducting the long-pending 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) and the 280 Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft that are to be licenceproduced into the IAF’s inventory, they will account for only around 13-14 fighter squadrons – far short of the Air Force’s authorised squadron strength of 39.5 squadrons or around 790 aircraft. For all its obvious attributes the Tejas will only be useful to the IAF if it is produced

7th HARDPOINT (under fuselage)

In the cockpit of Tejas

quickly and in numbers. Recently, the chairperson and managing director of HAL, Ashok Nayak announced that the company could roll out ten LCAs per year. But that figure is not good enough. It has been reported that the IAF needs 200 single-seat and 20 two-seat conversion trainers, while the Indian Navy may order up to 40 single-seaters to replace their aging Sea Jump Jet Harrier fleet. HAL’s past record, if the assembling of the Hawk trainers is anything to go by, has not been inspiring. According to aeronautics experts, HAL will have to dramatically upgrade and add on more assembly lines and more importantly seek the help of consultants in production facilities if it has to achieve its targets. If the figures are not achieved the IAF may be compelled to acquire other options like the Swedishdesigned JAS-39 Gripen NG which is in the heavy light category.

COURTESY/ THE WEEK: BHANU PRAKASH CHANDRA

COMBAT AIRCRAFT

Why the IAF needs the LCA?

As with any combat Air Force, the IAF too needs to be equipped with at least three broad categories of fighter aircraft the heavy deep strike, the medium multirole and the light, quick reaction, easy to maintain aerial platform. While the IAF has in the Sukhoi Su-30MKI a deep penetration fighter; it has in the Mirage 2000s the lower end of the medium-role category. And with the eventual acquisition of the $10 billion126 MMRCAs India will fill its medium fighter requirement. But the Air Force lacks aircraft in the light category, a gap which can effectively be filled in by the indigenously designed and developed LCA Tejas. Since the 1960s, the Russian-designed MiG-21s have filled in the slot. But with the MiG-21s reaching the end of their service life the IAF badly needs a replacement. The LCA – an aircraft which is light,

BOMBS

MISSILES

KAB-1500L laser-guided bombs, FAB-500T dumb bombs, OFAB-250-270 dumb bombs, OFAB-100120 dumb bombs, RBK500 cluster bombs

Air-to-air: Python 5, Derby, Astra BVRAAM, Vympel R-77, Vympel R-73 Air-to-surface: Kh-59ME TV guided standoff missile, Kh-59MK laser-guided standoff missile Anti-ship: Kh-35, Kh-31

GUNS 1 mounted 23mm twin-barrel GSh23 cannon, 220 rounds.

8th HARDPOINT (beneath the port-side intake trunk)

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simple to operate, maintain and turn around, but also technologically sophisticated – needs to be quickly inducted into squadron service. There are those who argue that even one deep strike aircraft like the Su-30MKI can perform the role of as many as four or even five light fighters. But the argument of ‘force multipliers,’ like the Su-30MKI being a substitute for numbers, is a limited one. Long distance, long mission fighters are more complex, they are expensive, need more maintenance, human resources and infrastructure, such as longer runways, to operate. These twin engine fighters also, on an average, need two-and-a-half more pilots per aircraft as compared to the LCA. The tailess, compound delta wing Tejas, presently powered by the USdesigned GE F-404 IN20 engine, perfectly caters to the IAF’s needs. Today, the completion of the LCA programme has assumed top priority. The IAF, which is the primary agency to secure the country’s airspace from hostile threats, has to be operationally effective on a number of fronts. The ‘hot’ war at Kargil over a decade ago and the continued tensions that plague the India-China boundary over Arunachal Pradesh have prompted the IAF to activate advanced landing grounds in the northern and eastern sectors and also re-designate fighter bases. The development of the LCA programme also has another significant spin-off: co-ordination between a number of DRDO and non-DRDO laboratories and the ability and confidence to take on aircraft design capabilities which will result in import substitution industrialisation ensuring operational readiness of as many aircraft as possible. Once this happens, the IAF will not be held hostage to ‘spare parts’ diplomacy,

The ancillary sector which invariably comprises start-ups of small private players or former defence technologists-turnedentrepreneurs needs to be nurtured and not harassed by officials if the LCA has to fly in the IAF’s fighter squadrons.

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through which foreign vendors withhold spares to make their aircraft in the IAF’s inventory unserviceable. This strategy was common in the Cold War and the post-Cold War periods when foreign governments made their aircraft vendors/manufacturers cut-off supplies depending on the twists and turns of international politics.

Ancillary Industries The IAF as a combat force derives its strength from the country’s airpower capabilities which encompasses both civil and military aviation, besides the aeronautical engineering infrastructure. In the Indian context, the state-owned aeronautical sector, represented by HAL and a dozen DRDO organisation based in Bangalore, have evolved to some extent, unlike the ancillary sector which is still in an embryonic stage. Private players comprising the ancillary sector, however, are yet to integrate with

the state-owned defence sector. To reach this objective they have to comprehend the exact manufacturing specifications of the aeronautics industry after constantly dialoguing with the nodal agency, namely HAL, in order to cater to requirements. Only after this stage is accomplished will the Indian private sector aeronautics industry reach maturity and be able to partner HAL in the production of the LCA. As has been seen from the LCA programme integration of the ancillary sector in the private industry with the state-owned defence industry is crucial if indigenously developed programmes like the LCA are able to meet its production targets. The ancillary sector which invariably comprises start-ups of small private players or former defence technologists-turned-entrepreneurs needs to be nurtured and not harassed by officials, if the LCA has to fly in the IAF’s fighter squadrons. The LCA Tejas plays a major role if the country and the IAF want to eventually have a 45-strong squadron Air Force, a force that can fly across diverse terrain like plains, mountains and seas. The IAF has never ever had 45 squadrons, it has not even exceeded 35 squadrons. Unfortunately, over the last few years, this figure has further dropped down to an abysmal 29 or so squadrons, chiefly due to the ‘number plating’ of the old Russian MiGs and the numerous crashes that have beleaguered the Service. The Tejas is also emblematic of a resurgence in the Indian aeronautics sector which has lost out over the past decade after the crash in 1974 of the still-born Hindustan Fighter-24 aircraft project. Its success will not only pave the way for an adequate number of aircraft in the IAF’s inventory but will also serve as the launch pad for future fighter programmes.

LIGHTWEIGHT AND LETHAL MIRAGE 2000 7,500 kg TEJAS 5,680 kg

SUKHOI 30MKI 18,400 kg

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MILITARY HELICOPTERS

BIRDS OF WAR India is preparing to expand its helicopter fleet over the next decade through imports and by inducting indigenously designed platforms

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Corps (AAC), adding that it allows commanders to achieve the effects of mass without amassing weapon systems. RAHUL BEDI

KEY POINTS ! By the end of the 13th Finance Plan in 2022 all three Services aim to operate over 1,000 advanced light utility, attack, heavy lift, ship-borne, anti-submarine warfare and attack helicopters. ! Rotary assets will play a vital role in India’s hotly debated ‘Cold Start’ doctrine. ! There remains a lack of clarity and consensus among force planners and the MoD about the Army Aviation Corps’ exact role and its desired acquisitions.

A soldier stands guard as a weaponised combat Dhruv helicopter flies past in Bangalore

AFP

ndia’s military is preparing to expand its helicopter fleet over the next decade through imports and by inducting indigenously designed platforms but with imported technology and components for enhanced tactical and broader strategic deployment. By the end of the 13th Finance Plan in 2022 all three Services plan on operating over 1,000 advanced light utility, attack, heavy lift, ship-borne, antisubmarine warfare and attack helicopters to discharge operational requirements dictated by revised military doctrines, emerging contingencies in a disturbed neighbourhood and to conduct rescue and relief operations following ever-increasing natural disasters. Rotary assets are also projected to play a vital role in India’s hotly debated ‘Cold Start’ doctrine of swiftly launching division-sized, all-arms integrated, pivot battle groups in a nuclear weapons environment to depreciate the adversary’s holding formations, capture and temporarily hold territory ahead of negotiating a favourable settlement. Additionally, they will also perform air missions in support of ground forces, sustain burgeoning networkcentric warfare capabilities and battle management systems. “Army aviation expands battle space at each echelon to which it is assigned, providing a capability where none previously existed,” former Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Vijay Oberoi has said at a recent seminar on the Army Aviation

Obstructive Procedures

Military officials, however, admit that the proposed helicopter fleet expansion, along with accompanying offensive assets, continue to be plagued by bureaucratic procurement procedures and the absence of ‘jointness’ between the Services to formulate a cohesive approach to overall capability development. Their collective inability in formulating realistic request for proposals (RfPs), many of which are trapped in a cycle of repeated modification, withdrawal and then reissuance by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) too has contributed to the problem. They also acknowledge that despite new procurement procedures, highly publicised but hesitatingly executed private sector involvement in India’s vast but inefficient military-industrial complex and relaxed rules for foreign investment in the defence sector, the military will for long remain import dependent for its helicopter requirements. Even Dhruv, the locally designed advanced light helicopter (ALH), and upgrades of various other existing platforms, depend almost exclusively on imported engines, avionics, ordnance, armaments and varied technologies. In a recent report tabled in Parliament last August, the government watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), for instance, has claimed that around 90 percent of the value of material used in Dhruv has been imported and castigated Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), its designers and builders, for its inability in identifying alternative, indigenous suppliers. The Army, however, privately claims that around 67 percent of Dhruv’s components have been imported and even then the helicopter is being disqualifed as an indigenous product. Successive Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) editions mandate a 50 percent ceiling in the value of all imported equipment fitted onto locally developed military platforms failing which it ceases to be home-grown. “Not only is the MoD’s entire acquisition process laborious but all three armed forces are confused over their rotary aircraft requirements to execute the full spectrum of conflict they confront from insurgencies to regional battles, out-of-area contingencies and even nuclear war,” former Major General Sheru Thapliyal says. This situation,

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MILITARY HELICOPTERS the retired artillery officer adds, is further compounded by the MoD’s vacillation in the decision making process for timely platform induction for operational efficiency. The most significant helicopter expansion involves the AAC whose role is increasingly gaining importance in the Army’s ‘Cold Start’ doctrine that also stresses enhanced ‘jointmanship’ and ‘synergy’ with the two other Services. The 24-year-old AAC’s projected requirements over the next decade envisages a squadron of 15 utility and light-armed observation helicopters for each of the 13 corps or around 195 to 200 helicopters and an observation flight with each of the Army’s 37 divisions or some 185 to 200 units, making it a total of over 400 rotary assets for its proposed Combat Aviation Brigades. In an attempt at duplicating the US Army’s heli-borne units as part of its overall makeover and expanding its area of influence and concentration, the AAC also plans on acquiring an unspecified number of attack helicopters of varying tonnage to replace and augment the military’s 30-odd Mi-35s/Mi-25s to achieve operational autonomy and provide flexibility to ground force commanders. Presently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) operates the attack helicopter fleet for use by the Army; but this arrangement has inbuilt friction and is plagued by interService, doctrinal and operational rivalries over multi-faceted tasks like armed reconnaissance and ground attack operations over which the AAC claims greater competence than the Air Force. This antagonism which frequently surfaces, particularly in the field has roots in the IAF’s opposition to the AAC’s formation on November 2, 1987 and its blatant inconsideration in allotting assets to the Army’s nascent air wing. Like the world’s other Air Forces, the IAF too argued, somewhat disingenuously, that it was better suited to operate and maintain air rotary assets of the utility and attack variety which, it claimed, will be available to the Army whenever necessary. Consequently, only light observation helicopters – like the Cheetah’s-licence built French Aerospatiale SA-315B Lamas by HAL and Chetak’s-Aerospatiale SA-316 Alouette IIIs, similarly, constructed locally and capable of light reconnaissance, observation and evacuation of casualties – were handed over to the AAC.

AFP

ACC’s History

Commandos propel themselves down from an advanced light helicopter

Over decades these redoubtable helicopters have laudably serviced Army units stationed at heights above 21,000 feet along the Siachen Glacier and the snow-bound Pakistani and Chinese frontiers, surprising even their French manufacturers by their arduous, continuing and efficient employability. The AAC’s founding, however, was driven not entirely by operational reasons but also by compulsions to match rival Pakistan Army’s Aviation (PAA) wing that gained autonomy from the country’s Air Force in 1958 and got full corps status 19 years later – a decade before the formation of India’s AAC. The AAC has yet to attain that grade headed as it is by an Additional Director General of the rank of Major General and according to insiders, treated ‘shabbily’.

PAA More Robust

Presently, Pakistan Army Aviation has 21 squadrons or around 400 airworthy assets that include a mix of AH-1F/SCobra attack helicopters, Puma and Bell LUH variants and Mi-17 and Eurocopter AS350 LUH/ Observation platforms which became a lifeline to tens of thousands of Pakistanis

marooned during floods that ravaged their country last year. The AAC officials admit discreetly that PAA’s platforms are ‘younger and operationally more robust’ compared to their obsolete assets. During the Kargil conflict, helicopters were employed effectively by the AAC and somewhat less efficiently by the IAF which lost one Mi-17 gunship in the early days of the border war. Subsequently, the Army has argued, albeit with limited success at various MoDs and inter-service fora, that its air wings needs greater autonomy to perform varied roles. These include special heli-borne operations, battlefield logistics, including carriage of under-slung loads, casualty evacuation, aerial surveillance, air-borne command post and electronic warfare and combat, search and rescue missions. It has declared its armed roles to include anti-tank and armed reconnaissance of which it claims the IAF has limited understanding, orientation or training. For now, however, there remains a lack of clarity and consensus among force planners and the MoD about the AAC’s exact role and its desired acquisitions. There is also no separate budgetary allocation for the AAC, with money for its imminent acquisitions, which includes the outright purchase of 133 light utility helicopters (LUHs) weighing between 2.2 and 3 tonnes, being debited to the Army’s capital budget allocation. Presently, a total of 197 LUHs – including 64 for the IAF – in a contract estimated at around $750 million are under acquisition. Eurocopter’s AS 550C3 Fennec and rival Russian Ka-226T have concluded field trials last year, both locally and overseas. Intended as replacements for the outdated Cheetahs and Chetaks, the two rival models are presently under evaluation ahead of launching price negotiations. But the AAC does not anticipate the LUHs, that entail a 50 percent offset obligation of the contract value – up from the stipulated 30 percent required for all Indian military purchases over Rs 300 crore under the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) – to begin arriving by 2014 to 2015 at the earliest. Alongside, another 187 LUHs will be built by HAL for both the IAF and the AAC based broadly on the 5.5 tonne, twinengine Dhruv of which around 90-odd are in service with the AAC, IAF, the Indian Coast Guard and the Border Security Force. Their development by HAL’s

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MILITARY HELICOPTERS Chinook CH 47F and Mi26s are vying for the heavy lift helicopter tender.

A helicopter during an exercise along the Siachen Glacier

Rotary Wing Research and Development Centre (RWRDC) in Bangalore is being funded by the MoD to reduce materiel import dependency currently hovering around 80 percent. This will consist of firming up joint ventures with overseas manufacturers, outsourcing design and development and involving private Indian companies. The first RWRDC prototype of the locally designed LUH is projected to be ready by 2013-14.

IAF’s Rotary Assets

More imminently, the IAF will by March 2011 onwards begin receiving its 80 Russian medium-lift Mi-17IV weaponised helicopters acquired in 2008 for $1.345 billion. The deal with India’s largest weapon’s provider includes spare parts and the mandated offset obligation of $400 million for employment in the domestic defence and the recently opened up aviation and internal security sectors under the updated DPP 2011 edition. Delivery of the Mi-17IVs, with an operational ceiling of six kilometres to augment the Indian military’s logistical support, deployment on disaster management, medical evacuation, search and rescue missions and possibly even counterinsurgency operations, is likely to be completed by 2015. The 80 Mi-17 IVs will supplement around 175 to 180 Mi-8s and Mi-17s already in the IAF service including 40 Mi-17IVs acquired eight years ago. The IAF’s latest rotary acquisition in

Dhruv In Demand

March 2010, which has contributed nothing to enhancing its operational capabilities, is the fast-forwarded Euro 560 million-deal for 12 AugustaWestland medium-lift AW101 helicopters to transport VVIPs like the president and prime minister. With state-of-the-art sensors and jammers as defence against incoming missiles and provided nuclear, biological and chemical protection the AW101s will replace the IAF’s Russian Mi-8 helicopters, acquired in the early 1980s and converted some years later for VIP transportation. The contract, delayed by over 12 to 14 months following objections from the Finance Ministry over their cost , requires the first two helicopters to be delivered by March 2012 and the remaining ten within the next year. The agreement also includes a five-year logistic support service and initial aircrew and technician training. Eight of the AW101s with state-of-theart, open-architecture communications suites will be utilised exclusively for VVIP use with a maximum load of ten passengers each; the remaining four helicopters will ferry Special Protection Group commandos as escort and carry up to 30 passengers. The IAF is also evaluating trial reports in support of its demand for 22 attack and 15 heavy lift helicopters to replace the Sovietera M-24/Mi-35s and Mi-26s. The attack helicopter procurement had Boeing’s Apache AH-64D Longbow ranged against Russia’s Mil Mi 28N Havoc while Boeing’s

Meanwhile, HAL presently has orders to supply 105 to 159 Dhruvs to the AAC and 54 to the IAF for ` 140 billion of which 66 will be the light combat helicopter (LCH)/ALH Weapons Systems Integrated (ALHWSI) version configured to carry air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, hopefully circumscribing the need to import large numbers of attack helicopters for the Army’s expanded air wing. Powered by the French TurbomecaSafran TM 333-2B2 engine, Dhruv has a 640km operating range, an optimum of 3.7 hour endurance, maximum cruising speed of 250km at sea level and the capability to operate at heights up to 6km. It can also transport a 14-member complement, a 1,500 kg under-slung load and land on small and restricted helipads with a ten degree gradient. Dhruv’s Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)-supplied avionics package, Marconi Doppler GPS navigation system, US-built weather radar and high frequency transreceivers and a French automatic flight control system, all detract from its claims of being an indigenous product but HAL claims to be working on reducing Dhruv’s import content of the helicopter and though AAC officers have expressed an overall approval of Dhruv they still maintain that it requires ‘stabilising’ and reduced ‘down time’ presently needing servicing between 500 and 700 hours track record. The IAI has also supplied the glass cockpit for Dhruv’s export model of which seven were sold to the Ecuador Air Force in early 2009 for $50.7 million in India’s first-ever major export of a locally designed platform. One Dhruv, however, crashed during a military parade in the Ecuadorian capital Quito in October 2009 reportedly due to pilot error while locally five have been lost in accidents since 2003. Two Dhruvs were also transferred to Nepal – one of which was damaged in a hard landing in 2004 – and one temporarily to Israel for VIP transportation at an ‘undisclosed, friendly price.’ Other potential Dhruv orders from Peru – for two heli-ambulance versions – Turkey, Bolivia, Mauritius and Maldives are at various stages of closure and negotiation. Later, the ALH and LCH/ALHWSI versions will, however, be powered

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by the new PM33B Shakti engine, jointly developed by France’s Turbomeca-Safran and the HAL, replacing its current Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 power pack. The joint venture to develop Shakti was agreed in January 2003 and permited Turbomeca to licence produce the engine in France where it will be called the Ardiden1H. HAL officials claim Shakti provides around 30 percent more power than the TM 333-2B2 engine which, in turn, translates into a ‘150 percent increase’ in payload capability. The civilian ALH version for use by state governments will continue to be fitted with the TM 333 2B2 power pack of which Turbomeca has contracted to supply the HAL 318 units. In August 2007, the HAL successfully test flew Dhruv with the Shakti engine and in March 2010 conducted the LCH technology demonstrator-1s (TD-1s) maiden test flight over a year behind schedule with the same power pack but without resolving its excessive weight problem. The LCH weighs 580 kg more than its mandated 2.5 tonne, seriously compromising its weapon and ordnance carrying capacity at over 20,000 feet but the HAL engineers are confident about progressively reducing this between 345 kg and 375 kg in the first three technology demonstrators. Eventually, the LCH/ALHWSI is envisaged being around 200 kg heavier than planned, a weight the military has reportedly accepted in its revised qualitative requirements. Developed to perform an anti-tank role, provide close air support to ground forces, deployment in air-to-air combat, as a battlefield scout and for anti-submarine and anti-surface vessel warfare the LCH/ALHWSI’s 700 kg weapon suite will include a 20mm M-621turret gun from France’s GIAT-Nexter, four 70 mm and 68 mm anti-tank guided missiles supplied by Forges de Zeebrugge (FZ) of Belgium and French Matra BAE Dynamics Alenia (MBDA) Mistral 2 air defence missiles. Expected to enter service by 2016-18 the LCH will also be fitted with Helina, a derivative of the locally designed Nag anti-tank missile with an extended seven kilometre range. Lockheed Martin is also in talks with the Army to provide it Hellfire II modular missile systems for aerial platforms like the LCH. The LCH will also be equipped with Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), Charge Coupled Device (CCD) cameras, helmet pointing systems and data links duplicating those fitted onto Dhruv.

An Air Force technician attaches a missile pod to an Mi-35 attack helicopter at Suratgarh Air Force base, Rajasthan

Enter the Navy

The MoD has also appointed HAL the prime contractor to design and build 80 to 100 medium-lift 11 tonne to 13 tonne Indian Multi-Role Helicopters (IMRHs) for all three Services and the Coast Guard but with overseas collaboration. The Joint Service Qualitative Requirements (JSQRs) for the IMRH, intended to prosecute troop, cargo and equipment, including light weight howitzers to high altitudes, are awaiting closure, victim to bitter AAC-IAF rivalries over its eventual employment and ownership. Discussions have also been initiated with overseas helicopter makers like AugustaWestland, Eurocopter, Kazan, Mil and Sikorsky but are on hold for the moment. The Indian Navy (IN) is also evaluating three rival ten-tonne ship-borne twin-engine helicopters ahead of procuring 16 armed with cruise missiles and lightweight torpedoes

AFP

MILITARY HELICOPTERS

for advanced anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare for around $550 million to $650 million. Further, Europe’s NH Industries NH 90, Sikorsky’s S-70B Sea Hawk and Sikorsky/ Lockheed Martin’s MH-60R Romeo multimission models are competing for the contract to replace a similar number of Sea King Mk42Bs and Sea King MK42Cs that are nearing retirement. The Navy is also mulling a tender for twin-engine LUHs to replace its ageing fleet of around 66 partially upgraded Chetaks. The Indian Navy will also soon take delivery of five additional Kamov Ka-31 Helix-B airborne early warning, surface reconnaissance helicopters in a deal agreed in August 2009 for around $20 million. The Ka-31s with the belly-mounted electronic warfare radar capable of tracking 30 to 40 air and ground targets will supplement the nine Ka-31s already in service with the Navy.

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POLICY

NEW PROBLEMS, The scope of the new Offset Defence Policy may have been enlarged but the basic structure remains the same

MRINAL SUMAN

KEY POINTS

! The Defence Offset Policy was recently subjected to a review as part of a biennial revision of the defence procurement procedure but the basic structure remains unchanged. ! The new policy not only safeguards the interests of the public sector but strengthens its primacy further. ! The MoD does not possess an effective monitoring mechanism to oversee diligent implementation of all offset programmes.

ffsets are formal arrangements through which a foreign vendor undertakes specified programmes with a view to compensate the buyer as regards his procurement expenditure and outflow of resources. Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tryst with offsets in defence purchases began in 2005 primarily to boost exports from the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and the ordnance factories which were stagnating at a paltry $50 million per annum. The scope was subsequently enlarged to accommodate the private sector. As India has no national offset policy, the Defence Offset Policy continues to be the exclusive initiative of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

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FEBRUARY 2011

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OLD POLICIES

AFP

Indian Army T-72 tanks

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POLICY But the truth is that although India has signed offset contracts worth ` 9,943 crore not a single contract has been fully completed so far. To that extent, the efficacy of the MoD’s policy remains untested and unproven as yet. The policy has undergone several reviews but the basic structure remains unchanged – for all import contracts with an indicative value of over ` 300 crore India demands offsets equal to 30 percent of the contract value. Foreign vendors are at liberty to choose Indian partners and can opt to fulfill their obligations through one or more of the following routes: First, direct purchase of or executing export orders for defence products and services provided by Indian defence industries; second, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Indian defence industries and third, FDI in Indian organisations engaged in research in defence research and development (R&D). The Defence Offset Policy was recently subjected to a review as part of a biennial revision of the defence procurement procedure. Responding to the MoD’s call for inputs, major stakeholders submitted some recommendations. To maximise the flow of offset benefits into the country, it was suggested that the offset threshold be reduced from ` 300 crore to ` 100 crore and offset value be fixed at 100 percent instead of 30 percent. Highlighting the importance of infusion of technology for achieving self-reliance, the acceptance of technology transfer against offsets was also strongly advocated. Additionally, the private sector sought a level playing field. It demanded the resurrection of the Raksha Udyog Ratnas concept through which select private sector defence companies were to be considered at par with DPSUs as regards defence business.

Pechora missiles being showcased in New Delhi during the anniversary celebrations of the Indian Air Force

AFP

Foreign Vendors’ Wish List

Six leading defence-aerospace trade associations, representing the interests of almost all the defence companies of the United States, Britain, Canada, France and Germany, submitted a joint communication to the MoD in August 2010. It suggested the creation of a single standing offset authority with decisiomaking powers for an efficient management of the whole process. It wanted that the process should approve, validate, discharge and measure offset contracts and also be free of all ambiguities. Apprehending an inability of the

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POLICY Indian industry to absorb billions of dollars worth of offsets in the nascent defence sector, the missive sought the expansion of the scope of activities to be counted against offsets. Further, an introduction of multipliers was advocated to steer offsets in ‘critical economic areas and technologies which have higher national security priorities’. The memo also wanted the validity period of banked offsets to be increased from five to seven years and financial penalties in case of defaults to be capped. Citing the potential of offsets to kickstart the development of the indigenous defence industry, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) wanted India to make technology transfer the preferred methodology for offset fulfillment. The organisation felt that the highly compelling leverage of offsets should be exploited in order to force foreign vendors to part with cutting-edge technology which they would not be willing to sell otherwise.

Wider Scope

The scope of the offset policy guidelines has been expanded to include civil aerospace, internal security and training fields. Earlier, the fulfillment of offsets was restricted to the export of defence products and services and FDI in defence industry and defence R&D. Now, the term ‘defence products and services’ has been replaced by ‘eligible products and services’. It is claimed that the expanded scope will offer foreign vendors a wider choice of programmes to fulfill their offset obligations, thereby meeting their long standing demand. In addition to existing defence products, the new list of ‘eligible products’ contains products for internal security like arms and ammunition; protective equipment and vehicles; surveillance and night fighting devices; counter-insurgency equipment and gears; and training aids. Civil aerospace products included are air frames, aero engines, aircraft components, avionics, raw material and semi-finished goods. For the discharge of offset obligations, ‘services’ means maintenance, overhaul, upgradation, life extension, engineering, design, testing of eligible products and related software or quality assurance services. As regards training, it includes training services and training equipment but excludes civil infrastructure.

Offsets worth $21 billion are expected to flow into India during the next ten years. It is an enormous amount by all accounts. India must ensure that it draws maximum benefits from it. India cannot afford to continue with its current directionless policy. To achieve the often repeated goal of achieving self-reliance in defence production, India must accept technology against offsets.

”

The scope of FDI in Indian industries for industrial infrastructure for services, co-development, joint ventures and coproduction has also been enlarged from ‘defence products and components’ to ‘eligible products and components’. Similarly, FDI is now being allowed in Indian organisations engaged in R&D and not restricted to ‘defence R&D’ as it was previously. To ensure that civil infrastructure and technologies easily available in the open market remain excluded the requirement of obtaining necessary certification from Defence Offset Facilitation Agency has been retained. The various stakeholders’ response to the above changes have been mixed.

Foreign companies are happy to have additional opportunities to fulfill their obligations but are disappointed at the rejection of their other suggestions. They wonder as to how the Indian government will be able to manage offsets without putting in to place an effective mechanism to oversee them. On the other hand, major Indian private sector defence companies too are apprehensive. They have invested considerable resources in defence products and services in the hopes of getting offset business. They fear that the opening of the aerospace and internal security sectors will reduce their opportunities as many foreign vendors may opt for non-defence offset

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FEBRUARY 2011

AFP

A multi-barrel rocket launcher; (left) official symbol of the DRDO

programmes. Further, they find nothing in the new offset policy enabling them to compete with the public sector on an equal footing. A close look at the ‘new’ policy changes reveals that they are of peripheral importance and will have no major impact on the ground situation. Therefore, the euphoria by foreign vendors is totally misplaced. Similarly, Indian companies have no reason to feel dejected. There is going to be no change in their business prospects – they were minor players earlier and will continue to languish at the same level. Consequently, their struggle for equal treatment, fairness and justness simply continues. Extending of offsets to the internal

security sector is of no consequence whatsoever. Every single item mentioned under internal security products is already appearing as a defence product. Even earlier, all activities that are even moderately related to defence goods/services were allowed. Thus all dual-use programmes already stood included. For example, software and electronics developed for military transport aircraft were equally applicable to civilian carriers as well. Here, it is worth recalling that according to the policy guidelines of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion of January 2002, licences for the production of arms and ammunition are to be issued in consultation with the MoD.

DSI

Further, the MoD has the final say as regard to their procurements, sales and exports (even for non-lethal items). Thus, clearly an inclusion of the internal security products mentioned in the list is a cosmetic change with a negligible impact. Interestingly, most of these products are manufactured by the ordnance factories who have reasons to be happy with the amendments. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) should also be pleased. The behemoth straddles the Indian aerospace industry like a colossus. While the private sector possesses insignificant production capabilities in the area of air frames, aero engines and avionics, it also has negligible competence in aircraft design and engineering services. With burgeoning offset obligations worth billions of dollars, it is almost impossible for foreign vendors not to partner HAL. Clearly, HAL is going to be the main beneficiary as it faces no challenge whatsoever. So, changes in the offset policy means little. The MoD has cleverly expanded the ambit to include only those sectors which help its own public sector. Other sectors like power and energy have been deliberately kept out, lest they prove more attractive to foreign vendors. The recent changes are merely a cover to appear progressive and liberal. The new policy not only safeguards the interests of the public sector but strengthens its primacy further. The public sector has reasons to remain smug bolstered by the confidence that their position of predominance remains unchallenged. As usual, the private sector will remain relegated to playing second fiddle.

The Way Forward

Every country seeks offsets that are in consonance with its national economic objectives in order to fill an important technological or economic void. It is a crucial decision and demands careful consideration as it is not the type of offset but its relevance that should dictate the selection. Buyer nations allocate priorities to all desired offset programmes by assigning ‘multiplier value’ to each one of them. The offset programme value (usually referred to as credit value) is determined by multiplying the programme base value by its multiplier value. It is a methodology of assigning weightage to different offset programmes to provide vendors with incentives to offer offsets in areas of the buyer-nation’s choice.

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POLICY

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INS Mysore, India’s second missile guided destroyer, moored at the Mazagon docks in Mumbai

Inexplicably, India’s defence offset policy spells out no objectives at all. It is not clear what India aims to achieve through offsets. It grants total freedom to foreign vendors to select Indian partners and offset programmes. Needless to say, foreign vendors will always choose programmes that are easy to implement and cost the least. Under this policy, India’s technological and economic needs get no importance. Further, offsets carry a cost penalty and all sellers amortise the additional expenditure by suitably factoring it in the price quote. By abdicating its right to select offset fields, India has trivialised the highly potent leverage of offsets into some sort of largesse being offered by a magnanimous seller. It is time this infirmity was corrected. Offsets worth $21 billion are expected to flow into India during the next ten years. By all accounts, it is an enormous amount and India must ensure that it draws maximum benefits from it. We cannot afford to continue with this current directionless policy. To achieve the oft repeated goal of

Offsets are highly prone to corruption as they go out of focus once a contract has been signed. Transparency International, in fact, has repeatedly sounded alarm bells. Presently, the Ministry of Defence does not possess an effective monitoring mechanism to oversee the diligent implementation of all offset programmes.

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achieving self-reliance in defence production, India must accept technology against offsets. The DRDO should be asked to identify technologies that it wants to receive; technologies on which it has been working without satisfactory progress and in which import of know-how will hasten development. Multipliers can thereafter be applied according to the priorities indicated by DRDO. Offsets are prone to corruption as they go out of focus once an offset contract has been signed. Transparency International, in fact, has repeatedly sounded alarm bells in this area. Presently, the Ministry of Defence does not possess an effective monitoring mechanism to oversee the diligent implementation of all offset programmes. It is totally dependent on periodic progress reports submitted by the vendors. Collusion between insincere foreign vendors and their scheming Indian partners can rob India of envisaged benefits, and worse, needlessly embroil the Ministry of Defence in scams of massive proportions.

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Indian-Russian Cooperation

URING THE visit of D.A. Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, to India, FSUE “Rosoborone!port”, the company included in State Corporation “Russian Technologies”, and HAL Corporation (India) signed a contract on the development of a fifth-generation jet fighter technical design. A.P. Isaikin, Director General of “Rosoborone!port” FSUE, and M.A. Pogosyan, Director General of “Sukhoi Aviation Holding Company” JSC and “MiG Russian Aircraft Corporation” JSC put their signatures in the contract from the Russian side. This advanced jet fighter will be a joint project of the Unified Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and the Indian State Aircraft Corporation. According to experts and specialists, 70 to 80% of innovative developments applied for the design of the fifthgeneration jet fighter belong to various companies within “Russian Technologies” State Corporation. These include propulsion units, advanced equipment, up-to-date fighter armament having no analogues in the world, as well as jet fighter hull made of state-of-the-art composites under Stealth technology. Thus, the Russian-Indian cooperation in aircraft building industry will rise to a new level. Before, A. K. Antony, Minister of Defence of India, during his meeting with A.E. Serdyukov, Minister of Defence of Russia, declared that India

S.V. Chemezov Director General of “Russian Technologies” State Corporation. According to experts and specialists, 70 to 80 % of innovative developments applied for the design of the fifth-generation jet fighter belong to various companies within Russian Technologies State Corporation.

will purchase 250-300 Russian-Indian jointproduced fifth-generation jet fighters. The Government of India plans to allocate a huge amount of money – about USD30 billion - to implement this project. The government also expects to get first fighters ready in 2017-2018. “The multirole transport aircraft and “fifthgeneration” jet fighter shall be excellent examples of Indian-Russian cooperation in the field of defence during the upcoming decade. These two projects shall become the leading ones”, - said the Minister of Defence of India. This was confirmed by a similar statement of Pradeep Naik, Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force and Air Chief Marshal, who underlined that Indian Air Force plans to purchase 200-250 fifth-generation jet fighters staring from 2017. Though FGFA Indian fighter will be based on T-50 Russian fighter, this new jet will be constructed with account of the requirements set by the Indian Air Force. At present, the list of requirements is being worked out by the latter. These 250 jet fighters will cost USD25 billion to the Indian Air Force, that is USD100 million per fighter. “Signing a contract with India for the construction of the fifth-generation jet fighters shall not prevent Russia from participation in a tender for the supply of 126 jet fighters within the frameworks of the Indian Air Force modernization program. We will compete with the leading aircraft building companies of the world for this most major project over the last 15 years”, - said Sergey Chemezov, Director General of “Rostekhnologii” State Corporation which comprises “Rosoboroneksport”, chief Russian special exporter of armament and military equipment. COMMERCIAL JET FIGHTER PROVED THE BEST Heavy class multirole jet fighter Sukhoi Su30MKI (upgraded commercial Indian) was the first fighter worked out in Russia specially for India. The contract for the construction of this jet fighter was signed in 1996. It was followed by a number of new contracts in 2000, 2004 and 2007 signed for the extension of this project. Sukhoi Su30MKI was the first serial airsuperiority jet fighter and also first export combat aircraft equipped with phased antenna array radars in the world. In fact, Sukhoi Su30MKI was the highest point of the fourth-class heavy fighters development (among serial fighters). The appearance of Sukhoi Su30MKI was defined to a great extent by Indian specialists. At present, these jet fighters produced at the Irkutsk Aircraft Plant as well as sets for Sukhoi Su30MKI assembly at the licensed companies within Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Indian SC are supplied to India. On completion of

the current contracts there will be 230 Sukhoi Su30MKI jet fighters in the Indian Air Force. Sukhoi Su30MKI jet fighters formed a basis for the Indian Air Force. They are deployed on the most important directions and make Indian Air Force superior to the air force of potential rivals. As a rule, Indian Air Force pilots operating Sukhoi Su30MKI jet fighters defeat modern foreign jet fighters, including American fighters, during training air combats. In November, 2009, the president of India Pratibha Patil took a flight aboard Sukhoi Su30MKI. The ex-president Abdul Kalam also took a flight aboard Sukhoi Su30MKI in 2006. This Sukhoi Su30MKI program opened a new stage of the Russian-Indian cooperation in the aircraft building industry. Russia proceeded from direct supply of equipment to scientific and production cooperation and production of jet fighters at HAL corporation plant in India. Special attention shall be paid to the equipment of these jet fighters with Russian –Indian BrahMos missiles. According to foreign experts, this weapon complex Sukhoi Su30MKI + BrahMos is inferior to none in terms of efficiency. “MiG” FOR INDIAN NAVY Another jet fighter specially designed for India is MiG-29K shipborne aircraft. The contract for the supply of these jet fighters was signed on January 20, 2004. It involves the supply of 12 single-seater MiG-29K fighters and 4 twin-seater MiG-29K/KUB fighters, as well as training of the customer's pilots and maintenance personnel, supply of flight simulators, spare parts, arrangement of aftersale support of the supplied fighters at the customer’s premises. On February 19, 2020, an official ceremony of acceptance of the first batch of MiG-29K/KUB shipborne fighters took place at Hansa air base in India. The fighters entered into service of Black Panthers squadron. Arakkaparambil Kurian Anthony, Minister of Defense of India, noted: "Introduction of Russian MiG-29K/KUB jet fighters to the service of India's Navy shall provide for strengthening of our country’s defense power and further improvement of strategic partnership between our countries". The fighters received high appraisals from Indian pilots and in March 2010 a contract for supply of another 29 MiG-29/KUB jet fighters to the Indian Navy was signed. Currently MiG29K/KUB is one of the best airborne combat aircrafts in the world as for “efficiency/cost” ratio. The Russian Navy authorities resolved to purchase these jet fighters. MiG-29K/KUB became the basis for designing land-based combat aircrafts of “4++” generation, among

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in the Aviation Industry Proceeds in All Areas

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Dmitry A. Medvedev, at the Joint Press Conference, in New Delhi on December 21, 2010 which MiG-35 multirole jet fighter hold a special place. This aircraft combines excellent performance, advanced combat capacities and improved operation properties. MiG-35 fighter avionics were supplemented with new generation informationguidance systems. These include side-looking airborne radar with active phased antenna array and multi-channel optoelectronic systems designed at “Rostekhnologii” State Corporation. AIR CARRIERS FLEET TO BE UPGRADED Works within the framework of MTA (Multirole Transport Aircraft) project have intensified. This aircraft with 20 tons loadlifting capacity is necessary both for Russia and India's Air Forces to replace numerous medium military transport aircrafts, such as Antonov An-12, Antonov An-32 etc. On September 09, 2010, HAL and UAC Corporations signed an agreement for designing MTA. According to the terms of the agreement, the parties shall invest USD300 million each into this joint venture. Manufacturing facilities shall be located both in Russia and in India. Pre-order of the Ministry of Defense of India amounts

to 45 MTAs. Russian Air Force is expected to purchase about 100 aircrafts. According to Ashok Nayak, Head of HAL Corporation, 205 fighters are to be produced at the initial stage, about 30% of which shall be sold at the world market. The Head of HAL expects MTA to make the maiden flight in 2016-2018. In order to fulfill the agreement, a joint venture was registered in November in India that shall undertake the program implementation. Joint venture participation shares shall be distributed as follows: HAL - 50% of shares, Russian Corporate Group “UAC-Transport Aircraft” - 25% of shares and “Rosoboroneksport” - 25% of shares. DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS According to leading experts in military technical cooperation, at present the prospect of RussianIndian cooperation in combat aviation production has been clearly defined. It includes the following aspects: n production cooperation under Sukhoi Su30 MKI program that shall expand due to the creation of a complex “Su30 MKI + BrahMos

Russian-Indian missile”; n delivery and production cooperation in respect of MiG-29K/KUB; n upgrading of MiG-29 fighters of Indian Navy to be performed in cooperation between Russian and Indian enterprises; n possible purchase and production cooperation under MMRCA program (MiG-35/MiG-35D aircraft); n Russian-Indian program for the development of a fifth-generation jet fighter. The well-coordinated implementation of these programs shall provide for: n maintenance and development of unified aviation fleet that shall enable the Indian Air Force and Navy to establish integrated combat systems; n creation of a unified infrastructure of aftersale support for the most of aircraft within the aviation fleet of India’s Military Forces; n steady development of Indian aviation and electronic industry. It is obvious that Indian-Russian cooperation in the aircraft industry will progress in all directions.

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KEEPING

THE COAST CLEAR After the 26/11 seaborne attacks on Mumbai, the Indian Navy is fast-tracking a robust Coastal Security Network

AJAI SHUKLA

KEY POINTS ! A new coastal security network is imposing a physical and digital presence to secure India’s seaboard. ! Awareness about security is being drilled into the coastal populace as well by the Navy and Coast Guard. ! Despite the urgency, difficulties in implementing the new scheme are staggering as it involves monitoring 3,331 villages, thousands of fishing boats and securing ports and harbours.

wo years after an ISI-coordinated terrorist plot in which ten Lashkar-eToiba fidayeen sailed out from Karachi, hijacked an Indian fishing boat and sailed into the heart of Mumbai, undetected, New Delhi has done a great deal to boost the security of its coastline. After having long regarded its northern land borders as the key security challenge, New Delhi has made a significant mind shift in devising and implementing a new, robust Coastal Security Network (CSN).

With the CSN eventually imposing a physical and digital presence across the length of India’s 7,600km coastline, these will be amongst the most carefully watched waters in the world. Physical monitoring will be done by a brand new network of coastal police stations, funded by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA). Supplementing this will be an electronic network based on a chain of electro-optic sensors, including radars and day and night cameras housed on the lighthouses and towers that stare out at the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

Physical Security

A new coastal police station at Fort Kochi is one of the 73 new outposts that will come up in a five-year timeframe as the new frontline against sea-borne terror. Carrying a distinctive blue-and-white maritime motif to differentiate it from the traditional police thana, the chairs inside still bear their original plastic protective covering. Parked on the waterfront outside are three Fast Interceptor Boats, part of a fleet of 204 boats, specially built for the coastal police

by defence shipyards – by Goa Shipyard Limited for the Arabian Seaboard and by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata, for states and Union Territories on the Bay of Bengal. Capable of cleaving through the water at 70km per hour, these boats are manned and operated by coastal policemen. The inspector-in-charge of the Kochi police station says a police patrol spends three hours each day sailing out to the seaward approaches to Kochi and checking fishing boats for registration papers and identity documents. For this, the policemen draw a sea-going allowance of 50 percent of their basic pay. Besides regular patrolling, security

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An Indian Coast Guard helicopter and ship take part in an exercise off the coast of Porbandar in the Arabian Sea

consciousness is being drilled into the coastal populace through a citizens’ watch, a Kadalora Jagratha Samithi (Coastal Awareness Committee) in Kerala. Created by the Navy and the Coast Guard in each coastal district, this uses the dynamic fisherfolk networks to keep an eye on activities across the country’s sprawling fishing grounds. Even though policing is a state subject, all this is paid for by New Delhi. A lump sum of `400 crore has been allocated for setting up the coastal police network, and `150 crore is remitted each year for running expenses, including fuel and maintenance for the boats. India’s maritime border runs through

nine states – Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal and four Union Territories, that is Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. After the Mumbai terror attack of 26/11, New Delhi decided that coastal security could not be held hostage to the precarious financial situation of many states. Besides funding, New Delhi has also allocated clear responsibilities for coastal security. At a seminal meeting held in the wake of 26/11, the Cabinet Committee for Security issued detailed orders and allocated the funding needed to ensure an year-round 24x7 vigilance. The Indian Navy was charged

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with overall responsibility for maritime security and for coordinating with the multiplicity of agencies – including the coastal state and Union Territory governments, the fisheries department, the department of lighthouses and lightships, and port authorities, amongst others – that hold various forms of authority along the coastline. Operating under the Navy, the Coast Guard was made responsible for security within India’s territorial waters, which extend 12 nautical miles (about 22km) from the shore. The third line of security, the coastal police station network, monitors up to five nautical miles (about nine kilometre) from the coast and also maintains order on the shore.

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SECURITY Fourth Service

Although the Navy is overall in-charge, the Coast Guard – which also safeguards India’s two million square kilometres Exclusive Economic Zone and responds to emergencies in the four million square kilometres Indian Search and Rescue Region – is being rapidly expanded into a maritime force that will be larger than many countries’ Navies. The Coast Guard’s current fleet of 93 surface ships and 46 aircraft is being more than doubled. Growing as fast as shipyards can build and deliver, the current fleet includes 10 offshore patrol vessels (OPVs); 6 advanced OPVs; 15 fast patrol vessels (FPVs); 13 inshore patrol vessels (IPVs); 19 interceptor boats and other craft. The aircraft include 18 Chetak helicopters; 4 Dhruv helicopters and 24 Dornier coastal surveillance aircraft. Another six twinengine, multi-role maritime surveillance aircraft are under fast-track procurement. “We are implementing a five-year Coast Guard Development Plan,” says a top Coast Guard official. “Eventually the Coast Guard will have a fleet strength of around 200 ships and small craft and around 90 aircraft.” To man this expanded fleet, the Coast Guard is recruiting fast. On October 25, 2010, Defence Minister A.K. Antony announced that the Coast Guard has been sanctioned an additional 4,026 personnel, an increase of more than 30 percent. This will bring the strength of the ‘fourth service’ up to 12,043, including 1,659 officers. A significant expansion of the shore establishments is taking place – contrasting with the leisurely pace before 26/11. After the 1993 Mumbai blasts, the Coast Guard had set up four stations along the coastline. Immediately after 26/11, the MoHA provided `380 crore for boosting the Coastal Security Network. By last October, five new Coast Guard stations namely, Karwar, Gandhinagar, Veraval, Hutbay and MurudJanjira were set up. Another five are planned for 2011 at Ratnagiri, Minicoy, Mundra, Kolkata and Dahanu. Next on the agenda are nine more stations at Pipavav, Androth, Karaikkal, Krishnapatnam, Nizampatnam, Gopalpur, Frazergunj, Kamorta and Mayabunder. According to the defence minister, 42 Coast Guard stations will function along the coast by the end of the current 11th Plan. Despite this new urgency, the difficulties in implementing the Coastal Security Scheme are staggering. It involves monitoring 3,331 designated coastal villages, tens of thousands of fishing boats, and

Boats setting out from Colaba fishing village, Mumbai

securing dozens of major and non-major ports and harbours. Then there are the peculiar problems of the two major island territories – the Andaman & Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep chain in the Arabian Sea, both potential staging posts or havens for trouble-makers.

Three Initiatives

All this will be achieved, senior MoHA officials say, with the help of three ongoing initiatives: Firstly, the issue of biometric identity cards to all fishermen, a project that is being handled by state governments with the department of fisheries in New Delhi as the nodal agency. A consortium of PSUs led by BEL (Bharat Electronics Ltd) has been asked to capture biometric details, take photographs, digitise the data and design and manufacture biometric ID cards for fisherfolk. In Kerala, for example, ITT Palakkad has already begun collecting biometric data from the fisherfolk community. The MoHA is funding this initiative with ` 25-30 crore as start-up money.

Secondly, the Registrar General of India (RGI), which functions under the MoHA, is implementing a project to issue Multipurpose National Identity Cards to the coastal population ahead of the 2011 Census. The National Population Register, being compiled by the RGI for the census, has been fast-tracked for coastal regions. This process will be linked with the smart card initiative mentioned above. The third initiative requires the registration of all sailing vessels under a uniform system under the department of fisheries. Earlier, vessels above 300 tonnes needed to have an Automatic Identification System which identified them as friendly vessels. After 26/11, a new electronic tracking device was identified for all fishing boats larger than 20 feet. And now the Ministry of Shipping is studying a Ministry of Defence request to make this compulsory even for boats that fall below 20 feet. New Delhi is keeping a sharp eye on the implementation of all these measures. A National Committee for Strengthening

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India’s maritime border runs through nine states – Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal – and four UnionTerritories – Daman & Diu, Lakshwadeep, Puducherry and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. After the Mumbai attack, New Delhi decided that coastal security cannot be held hostage to the precarious financial situation in many states.

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Maritime and Coastal Security (NCSMCS) against threats from the sea, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, is the apex committee for monitoring progress. The NCSMCS includes representatives from all the concerned ministries/departments/organisations in the government as well as the chief secretaries/administrators of the coastal states/UTs. In addition, Defence Minister A. K. Antony,keenly aware that the buck stops with the Navy, is holding regular meetings to personally monitor coastal security.

The Digital Network

The physical policing of the coastline and territorial waters is just one, albeit crucial, dimension of the CSN. Those human eyes and ears are now being supplemented by a high-tech digital surveillance network, the Coastal Surveillance Scheme (CSS), which will keep a watch over anyone approaching India’s coastline. Physically installing visual, infrared and radar sensors all along the coastline is just one challenge. Equally important is the

transmission of sensor data to surveillance centres located in the interior, where that information must be integrated into a coherent operational picture. That challenge has been met, says BEL, which has led a ` 700 crore project to develop the software for the CSS. Visit BEL, Bangalore and you can see how the system will function in a Remote Operating Station (ROS), the name for the forward layer of Coast Guard surveillance centres, which receives data from the chain of lighthouses and towers along the coastline. “Data fusion is a key design challenge,” affirms BEL’s R&D chief, I. V. Sarma. “If two adjoining radars pick up a single boat, which often happens, the software must recognise that and combine those two images into that of a single boat. Fortunately, BEL has built up enormous experience in data fusion while developing the Navy’s Combat Management Systems, which also integrates the inputs from multiple radars on board a warship and also while building an Integrated Air

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Command and Control System for the Indian Air Force.” Besides, creating a clear operational picture, BEL’s software allows the ROS to remotely manipulate its coastal radars and cameras – through a Camera Management System – to observe suspicious objects in greater detail. In a staged demonstration, an oil tanker, which a thermal-imaging night vision camera had detected when it was 36km from the coast, was declared a suspicious vessel. A click by the operator on the oil tanker’s screen image automatically fed its coordinates to the camera on a lighthouse, which zoomed in quickly, allowing the operator in the ROS a detailed look. The software also performs other tasks that include monitoring the health of the remote systems, acting as an alarm system that alerts the operators when a vessel enters a designated ‘sensitive zone’. “The hardware for the surveillance systems is still imported,” admits BEL, “but we are working on developing that indigenously.” The IR camera is Israeli and the day-cum-low-light camera is Canadian. The coastal surveillance radar that scans the coastline is from Danish company, Terma. In Phase-1 of the CSS, the Coast Guard will set up 46 electro-optic sensor stations in high-threat areas and 12 ROSs. Phase-II will see this expanded to the entire coastline over three years. The most recent installations are radar stations in Dwarka and Navodra, which feed into a ROS at Porbandar, about 100km away. Distance is irrelevant, with data being transmitted through two dedicated lines of 2 MBPS each. The 12 ROSs feed into one of four Regional Operating Centres (ROCs) located at places like Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai and Visakhapatanam. Finally, all this information is fed in real time to the apex Control Centre at New Delhi, where it is integrated into a single national-level picture. The structure of the Coastal Security Network is regularly tweaked, based on Vulnerability Gap Analyses carried out by coastal states and UTs. Phase-II of the Coastal Security Scheme has already been drawn up. This will see the number of coastal police stations boosted, even doubled, along with the resources allocated to each. Home ministry officials emphasise that all this is just the start of a truly comprehensive coastal security network that will provide a much-needed Maritime Domain Awareness to deter potential intruders.

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Leader Of Russian Optical Instrument Industry Interview with Sergey Maksin, Director General of the Urals Optical and Mechanical Plant, head of the Optical Systems and Technologies holding

Sergey Maksin, Director General of the Urals Optical and Mechanical Plant, head of the Optical Systems and Technologies Holding n UOMZ is one of Russia’s largest defense enterprises, the flagship of the Optical Systems and Technologies holding being created by the Russian Technologies State Corporation. Tell us about the Plant and its products. UOMZ is a modern high-tech enterprise developing and producing optical and electro-optical (EO) systems for military and civilian applications, optical surveillance systems. In addition, we manufacture medical equipment, geodetic instruments, lighting equipment, undertake extensive research and development efforts. The Urals Optical and Mechanical Plant is one of the oldest enterprises in the industry – it recently marked its 160th anniversary. UOMZ is known as a leading developer and manufacturer of optical sighting stations and EO systems for combat aircraft and helicopters. Our products are part of the onboard equipment installed on Sukhoi, MiG, Tupolev aircraft and Mil and Kamov helicopters. Recently, we have developed or heavily upgraded more than a dozen EO systems for such modern aircraft as the Sukhoi Su27, Su-27SM2, Su-30, Su-30MKI, Su-30MKK, Su30MKM, Su-34, MiG-29 and some others. Among our latest projects I’d like to note the optical sighting system for the Kamov Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter. In 2010, the system successfully completed its one more stage of testing. According to pilots and experts, this is one of the world’s best helicopters. Similar work is under way with the Mil Company, for which we have developed and are manufacturing a

variety of systems. Some of them are exported as part of helicopters. n By the way, UOMZ is one of the few Russian defense enterprises granted the right to engage in independent foreign economic activity. What advantages does the right give the Plant? Since 2003 UOMZ has been authorized to engage in independent foreign economic activity regarding spare part supply, repair and maintenance of previously supplied military equipment. UOMZ products are delivered to a total of 75 countries. The right to independently operate in the external markets offers great opportunities for participation in establishing service centers in the countries that operate aircraft and helicopters equipped with our EO systems. The independent export activity involves a particular responsibility to the partners, accurate fulfillment of contractual obligations. UOMZ sees its main objective in ensuring speedy delivery of spare parts and service. We are guided by the principle of "3 +3". This means that spare parts should be supplied within a period not exceeding three months from the date of signing the contract, while repair should be done within three months from the date of delivery of equipment to the Plant’s service center. The benefit is obvious both for us and customers. n As is known, President Dmitry Medvedev is pursuing a hard line on upgrading Russian industry and making it more innovative. Nevertheless, the process is not going smoothly everywhere. What is the role of innovative

developments and re-equipment at UOMZ? We are paying close attention to improving the production of EO systems for all types of aircraft, ships and ground vehicles. We have set up special production sections for specific types of equipment aircraft, helicopters, etc. Our current research and development efforts are literally cutting edge science, the synthesis and development of the newest achievements of applied optics, laser, television, and thermal imaging technologies, precision electromechanics, control systems theory and methods, microelectronics and information technology. We are also building the relationships with our partners with emphasis on specialization. For us, it is of critical importance that research centers should appear which would specialize in one area or another. It is simply economically impractical to develop all technologies at one enterprise at once. We invite all who share this approach to cooperate. Dozens of delegations visit UOMZ every year, we share experience with them and offer diverse options for joint technology development. Widespread implementation of information technologies and computer-aided design has speeded up the pace of development almost five times. Today, we are able to design a new system within an average year and a half! Since 2001 the Plant has been implementing a common corporate information system based on enterprise resource management and engineering data systems, the geography of the single network infrastructure is also expanding. Currently, the information technologies encompass every aspect of our activities (development, manufacturing, finance, marketing, logistics, etc). More than 2000 people work in the corporate information system every day, the amount of stored electronic information is 8 Tb. Information technology implementation is a continuous process. Our IT service launches approximately 140 new software products into operation a year. This activity involves dozens of our

Director General S.V.Maksin demonstrates the UOMS products to the Prime-Minister of Russia V.V.Putin at the Forum “Engineering Technologies”, July 2010

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units. Such a pace helps us not only improve the corporate information system, but also, which is the main thing, cut production costs. The payback period of our investment in IT technologies was about 7 months.

unprecedented level. In late 2009, UOMZ signed a major contract with the Ministry of Defense of this country. We attach great importance to developing relations our European partners, primarily with the Republic of Poland. Deliveries of the Mi-35 helicopters to Latin America took place. This helicopter was selected inter alia for its UOMZ-made EO systems. Foreign customers were presented a modern machine, competitive not only in flight performance, but in avionics as well. It is worth saying few words about EO systems for civilian platforms of various types. Contracts were concluded to develop and deliver the SON 730, SON 820 and SON-M civilian optical surveillance systems. Their first production models have attracted the attention of specialists at international exhibitions, particularly at Le Bourget and MAKS. I’d like to specially emphasize that UOMZ is closely cooperating with the European partners in the

n Quite recently India has overtaken China as the major customer of Russian defense and dual-use products. Is this market interesting for you? Of course, it is of interest. And we are actively operating on it. In December 2010, during the visit by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to India, an unprecedented contract was signed to perform the front-end engineering design for a fifth-generation fighter, which will be based on the Russian T-50 (PAK FA) aircraft. The aircraft will feature a high level of board intellectualization, will be able to take off and land on shortened runways, will be super maneuverable and able to perform combat missions in any weather and any time of day. According to experts, the total estimated value of the joint project will be US$ 8 to 10 billion. As expected, the first prototype fighter will take off in five years. Indian Air Force Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik said that the Air Force would acquire 200 to 250 fifth-generation fighters. Our company won the tender to develop a multifunctional EO system for the T-50. This is a great honor and responsibility for us. With the recent Russian-Indian agreements, it is not impossible that we will work jointly with Indian colleagues on this project. Helicopter equipment, too, occupies a prominent place in cooperation with India. Industry and Trade Minister of Russia V.B. Khristenko UOMZ has prepared a very interesting inspects the Urals Optical and Mechanical Plant proposal for Mi-171 helicopters to be civilian system area. This relates both to the SON-M supplied to India under a big contract signed by modular system, whose design provides for the Rosoboronexport and the Indian Air Force in installation of any channels on customer request, and December 2008. the SON 820 "ball" designed for light aircraft, n How was UOMZ successful on other world including UAVs. markets in recent years? What markets are most We have consciously put emphasis on the interesting to you? European continent, because this is a very large The last two years were successful for the Urals market, which, on a par with the US, sets the main Optical and Mechanical Plant. More than 100 new trend of development for the entire industry. At the equipment models were launched into production in same time the cooperation with the Europeans 2010 alone. The share of independent militaryinvolves extensive preparatory work in the legal technical cooperation grew significantly. The Plant framework area, harmonization of the Russian and fulfilled all its obligations to foreign partners Western standards. Entering the European market is, concerning spare parts supply, warranty and service above all, the indicator of the enterprise's capacity to support accurately and timely. meet the most up-to-date requirements. A lot of work has been done to promote new products, primarily related to helicopters, in the n As is known, today product diversification is external market. The heliborne systems have key to sustainable economic development of any substantially diversified UOMZ product line and have defense enterprise. What type of grown today into an independent area of activities. your civilian products offers the greatest export The current situation on world markets confirms that potential? the development strategy chosen in the 1990s was Our goal is to become a global supplier of high-tech right. This is the niche where we went in at a proper civilian products. These include sophisticated medical time and where we have been developing in line with equipment, energy-efficient lighting systems, modern the global trend. geodetic instruments, security systems and much Gradual geographical diversification of special more - everything that is in demand on the market product deliveries is also taking place. China and today. We have formed a separate development India are our major foreign partners as before. At the program and a detailed marketing plan for each type same time the implementation of ever-growing MTC of products. Up to 4 business plans in the field of plans requires expanding our markets. Great civilian instrument-making are reviewed monthly. advances have been made in this area recently. First For example, we have formed and are of all, our cooperation with Malaysia is reaching an successfully implementing the Medical

DSI Marketing Promotion

Instrumentation Program 2020, which provides for the development and batch production of more than forty high-tech medical devices. UOMZ products are well known to consumers both in Russia and abroad. Our newest development product is the BONO incubator-transformer showcased at the Medica 2010 International Healthcare Exhibition has gained the most positive responses from health professionals. The device features a unique concept allowing an open intensive care system, a neonatal table and an incubator with a monitor support to be implemented on a single platform. Recently, our developers have made much progress in the area of intensive care and anesthesia and respiratory equipment. A unique artificial lung ventilation system based on a turbine type flow generator is being launched into production. Such devices are now available from the world's leading manufacturers VersaMed, Hamilton Medical, ImtMedical. The development and production of lighting equipment is another key area where we have gained considerable expertise. Since 2005 UOMZ has been mass producing lighting devices based on semiconductor sources. Approximately 100 items, including road and rail traffic lights, street and industrial lamps and other products, have been assimilated over this time. About seven different energy-saving lamps are launched into production every month. n UOMZ is one of the largest enterprises of the Optical Systems and Technologies holding being formed, which you will lead. What are the tasks set for the holding company? What will the enterprises, in particular UOMZ, get from participation in it? The Research and Production Concern “Optical Systems and Technologies” is being formed in line with the government’s defense industry development and reform policy. Its mission is to enhance the competitiveness of the Russian EO industry in the global market. It includes 20 high-tech organizations – the developers and manufacturers of military and civilian EO systems, optical technologies and materials, hightech medical equipment and high-tech civilian products. The holding will employ a total of more than 24,000 people. The formation of the holding will promote both the integration of its affiliated enterprises and global development of cross-sectoral linkages. For example, there is already a cross-sectoral program for EO and laser technology development through 2020 signed by our holding, Rosatom and Roskosmos. To win steady positions in the Russian and international markets, Optical Systems and Technologies is forming joint work programs with key Russian integrated entities like the United Aircraft Corporation, Aircraft Engineering Concern, VEGA Radio Engineering Concern, Armored Holding, Ammunition Holding and others. The strategic goal of the entity being creation is a steady growth and innovative business development. In conclusion I’d like to invite our Indian partners and all visitors to the air show in Bangalore to get acquainted with UOMZ display.

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NEIGHBOURS

HOW DO YOU SOLV

CHINA? JAYADEVA RANADE

As the Year of the Rabbit draws in, the world will see a more agressive China, conscious of its growing economic clout and displaying new-found confidence KEY POINTS The assertiveness now seen in China’s policies is a result of the newfound confidence of the Chinese leadership and people. ! The US is willing to let China exercise the role of regional hegemon while retaining for itself the mantle of global superpower. ! Although border negotiations and official-level contacts between India and China continue military pressure along the disputed Indo-China border continues as do incursions. !

or the past three years, China has adopted an overtly assertive posture and this has triggered an alarm in most world capitals, especially in China’s neighbourhood. Particular notice has been taken of the strong suggestion of military muscle in China’s diplomacy and Beijing’s demonstrated willingness to use force. This

trend reflects the Chinese leadership’s assessment that China is now in a position to overtly push on issues benefiting its national self-interest. It also reveals that China’s leaders have decided to discard the formulation, enunciated in 1979 of ‘taoguang yanghui’, or ‘lie low, bide your time’. The assertiveness now seen in China’s policies is a result of the newfound confidence of the Chinese leadership and people. It is a consequence of a combination of factors including China’s steadily burgeoning economy, growing military might and increasing diplomatic heft. At the same time, Chinese analysts assess that the US military is over-stretched because of its involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and that the world’s major economies, especially the US, have been considerably weakened because of the deleterious effects of the international economic crisis. Beijing’s success in compelling European countries to retract long-held positions on contentious issues, like Human Rights and

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Chinese soldiers salute the Army flag during a ceremony in Chengdu Sichuan Province, China

AFP

E A PROBLEM LIKE

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An Indian soldier gestures as he chats with his Chinese counterpart at Bumla on the India-China border, in Arunachal Pradesh

Tibet, have given further encouragement. China’s assessment seemed to have been substantiated when Hillary Clinton, during her first visit to Beijing as US Secretary of State, too, failed to mention these issues or even talk of democracy in meetings with Chinese leaders. US President Obama declining to meet the Dalai Lama during the latter’s visit to Washington provided additional confirmation of apparent American weakness. Against this backdrop, the joint statements issued after the two summit meetings between Hu Jintao and Obama, in September and November 2009 respectively took on greater significance for the Chinese. They assumed that the US was willing to let China exercise the role of regional hegemon while retaining for itself the mantle of global superpower. China’s leaders, therefore, perceived the current time as opportune for China to make its bid for pre-eminence in the broader Asia-Pacific region.

Maritime Sphere

China re-opened the hitherto settled issue of Sikkim and enhanced the profile of its territorial claim on Arunachal Pradesh. It initiated a policy of declining visas to residents of Arunachal Pradesh – very recently altered to issuing stapled visas – and compelled international institutions not to extend loans for development projects in that state. More recently, it raised the ante in Kashmir when it began issuing loose-leaf visas.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the maritime sphere has dominated Chinese strategic thought. That a large role was envisaged for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) became evident as far back as in 1982 when Admiral Liu Huaqing, with

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Deng Xiaoping’s approval, defined the term ‘coastal waters’. With Deng Xiaoping’s approval he defined this to include, “The Yellow Sea, Eastern Sea (East China Sea), the Southern Sea (South China Sea), the Nansha Archipelago and Taiwan, the seas on this side and that side of Okinawa as well as the Northern Region of the Pacific.” It was evident that the PLA Navy would play a major role in the future. Consequently, ever since China adopted its assertive policy in 2008, the number of stand-offs between China and the US and other countries increased noticeably. A demonstration of Chinese assertiveness was the manner in which PLA Navy vessels confronted the US survey ship, USNS Impeccable in March 2009, described by US officials as the ‘most serious’ incident since that involving the EP-3 aircraft in 2001. Another incident occurred in June 2009, when a Chinese submarine hit an underwater sonar array being towed by the destroyer USS John McCain. This occurred in Subic Bay, off the Philippines coast. The confrontations demonstrated the PLA Navy’s capacity to defend China’s territorial waters and willingness to confront the USA, if necessary, to safeguard its interests. They were also a

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NEIGHBOURS clear signal to Taiwan and other countries in the region, who have off-shore disputes with China, that reliance on US assistance would be inadequate. Coinciding with these incidents were the unpublicised clashes taking place between Chinese Navy vessels and Vietnamese craft since late 2007. Clear indications of China’s intention to pursue its maritime territorial ambitions include the submarine manufacturing base in Sanya on Hainan Island and the aircraft carriers being constructed in the shipyards at the Dalian and Shanghai ports. The PLA Navy has plans to deploy three aircraft carriers by 2020. China has simultaneously begun to prepare the legal basis for enforcing its maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The India Chapter

It is during this period that China adopted an assertive posture with India too. While at the political level border negotiations and official-level contacts between India and China continue military pressure along the 4,057km-long disputed India-China border increased as did the number of intrusions. China has re-opened the hitherto settled issue of Sikkim and enhanced the profile of its territorial claim on Arunachal Pradesh. It initiated a policy of declining visas to residents of Arunachal Pradesh – very recently altered to issuing stapled visas – and compelled international institutions not to extend loans for development projects in that state. More recently, it raised the ante in Kashmir when it began issuing loose-leaf visas – also replaced by the granting of stapled visas – to residents of the state and later declined a visa to the Northern Army Commander on the plea that he commands troops in the ‘disputed territory of J&K’. China has additionally injected a military component to stiffen its actions. In addition to the major military exercises conducted by the Chengdu Military Region inside Tibet across India’s borders, defences and road and rail networks have been upgraded. Plans envisage a railway running along China’s border with India from east to west. Interestingly, the number of Lieutenant Generals and Major Generals in the PLA and Pan-American Powerlifting Federation (PAPF) in the Chengdu Military Region have registered an increase. By mid-2010, there were 80 officers of the rank of Major General and above in the Chengdu Military Region of which 13 were deployed in the Tibet Military District.

The assertiveness now seen in China’s policies is a result of the new-found confidence of the Chinese leadership and people. It is a consequence of a combination of factors including China’s steadily burgeoning economy, growing military might and increasing diplomatic heft. At the same time, Chinese analysts assess that the US military is over-stretched because of its involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Air Force Strengthened

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The PLA Air Force (PLAAF) has been augmented in Tibet with additional types of fighter aircraft being deployed in 2010 for the first time at Gonggar airfield. China has also operationalised seven modern airfields in Tibet and announced plans for constructing 59 airfields in and around Tibet. Today, the PLAAF has 400,000 personnel, 1,000 bombers and close support aircraft and 650 transport aircraft. These numbers are spread over 33 divisions, including 27 fighter, 4 bomber and 2 transport divisions. The PLAAF is assessed to be now capable of waging high-level, long-distance combat, rapid manouvreability and air defence and is able to assist the navy and ground forces. Senior PLAAF officers believe their mobility and attack capabilities will enable them to react appropriately to any situation, including gaining air superiority, supporting ground forces and conducting counter- attacks inside enemy borders. The acquisition and deployment of strategic bombers, mid-air refueling of aircraft and

AWACS has enhanced the PLAAF’s deep strike capability. Modernisation of the fighter force is continuing as evidenced by the unveiling recently of the J-20 Stealth Fighter aircraft built at the Chengdu Aircraft Industries Companies facilities. The PLAAF is currently also accelerating development of its indigenous Theatre Missile Defence System. The missiles being developed for the Second Artillery accentuate the military threat to India. Once extension of the Qinghai-Lhasa Railway, which links Delingha with Lhasa, with Shigatse is completed by 2011, it will be possible for the PLA and Second Artillery to bring their missiles up to the borders with Arunachal Pradesh, or what the Chinese call

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of other nations. One example is ‘southern Tibet’. The Chinese, who Chinese that of Japan, where rare earth have been acutely conscious of the paramilitary need to ensure a second retaliatory soldiers being exports were used as an economic weapon. China was strike capability and conceal their trained in also unrelenting in its stance on missiles and missile sites, have also Shanghai the capture by Japanese forces of a developed rail and road mobile, capable missiles. The Transporter Erector Chinese fishing vessel. A more serious issue that impacts on the Launcher (TEL) for the DF-21 can now be positioned at a pre-selected place, which livelihoods of millions of people relates to means that a DF-21 launched from around the construction of dams on the upper or south of Lhasa can reach Chennai. Mekong River thereby reducing water Other missiles such as the DF-15, a flows downstream. The proposed diversion solid-fuel short-range ballistic missile of the Brahmaputra river waters to China’s with a 200-600km-range, can similarly be arid, but populated, north will adversely impact India. deployed in a short time. Taken aback by the widespread alarm at There are other instances where China has assertively pushed its self-interest Chinese actions though a debate has been disregarding the articulated valid concerns generated inside China as to whether

discarding the policy of taoguang yanghui has been premature. Some articles that occasionally appear in the People’s Daily and Guangming Daily explore the possibility of Beijing reverting to its earlier policy. A few Chinese commentators have candidly acknowledged that China’s policy of ‘peaceful rise’, modified to ‘peaceful development’, has apparently not found many takers. They have recommended that Beijing reverts to its earlier policy and bides its time. Whether and how China’s leadership will try to retrieve its position and refurbish the image it had so assiduously cultivated earlier is unclear. But it will be impossible to put this genie back into the bottle.

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HISTORY

BENGAL’S FORGOT Raised before World War I, the 49th Bengalis was the only regiment where recruitment

ASHOK NATH

KEY POINTS ! On July 1, 1917 the 49th Bengal Infantry was officially raised at Karachi. ! It took some convincing and political lobbying to raise a Bengali infantry regiment since the community was considered ‘non-martial’. ! Unlike other Indian regiments of that era, recruitment was not based along religious, caste or community lines. Instead, an overall Bengali identity pervaded the regiment.

t used to be said, ‘What Bengal thinks today, India will think tomorrow.’ At the outbreak of the First World War, the anxious question arose, how will Bengal react to Britain’s call for help? Undoubtedly, the winds of change, brought about by the 1905-11 partition of the province had effectively sown the seeds of nationalism, communalism and dissent. Bengal’s positive response, surprising many in the establishment, came in the form of a field ambulance corps, a signal company and an infantry regiment – the 49th Bengalis. The latter especially attracted the elite among young men evoking a special sense of Bengali pride. Here was an opportunity to prove themselves; earlier, Bengalis were excluded by the British Indian Army for recruitment into their ‘fighting arms’.

War was declared on August 4, 1914 and India rallied to Britain’s call. Indian political leaders believed the cause for India’s Independence might best be served by assisting Britain. Scions of numerous Indian Princely states, on the other hand,

felt a show of loyalty to the King Emperor would enhance and strengthen their individual positions within the hierarchy and offers of financial and military help came pouring in from across the country. But clearly, raising a Bengali ‘fighting

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TEN REGIMENT

was not based on caste or religion: First, in an occasional series on India’s military history supremacy’ that prevailed in the British Empire at that time.

Formative Years

Illustrations of soldiers belonging to the Bengal Native Infantry Regiment, which was part of the Indian Army; (Top right) The insignia of 49 Bengalis

unit’ was not a top priority with the government. It was argued, Bengal had produced armed revolutionaries dubbed ‘terrorists’; besides, Indian troops should not be made to fight Europeans as this would undermine the concept of ‘white

Initially then only the formation of medical, signal and transport units from Bengal was permitted and it took a certain amount of convincing and political lobbying before consent was given for raising an infantry regiment. A civilian committee, dubbed the Bengali Regiment Committee, was formed at Calcutta, now Kolkata, to motivate and create awareness among the Bengali youth. It was headed by Maharaja Bijoy Chand, a confirmed Raj loyalist who earlier had risked his own life, saving Sir Andrew Fraser, the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, from an assassination attempt. Permission was granted in August 1916 to raise two infantry companies, known as the Bengali Double Company. Recruitment was open to all Bengalis regardless of caste or religion. There was no dearth of volunteers; indeed many had to be turned away, amongst them, Subhash Chandra Bose who was rejected on grounds of poor eyesight. By September 1916, the Bengali Company was relocated to Naushera in Punjab for training. After their first phase of training was complete, the men went to Karachi for the second phase and the government decided to upgrade the unit into a full-fledged infantry regiment. On July 1, 1917, the 49th Bengal Infantry was officially raised at Karachi. The title soon changed to 49th Bengalis. Lieutenant Colonel A. L. Barrett was appointed its commandant with Major V. V. V. Sandiford as the second-in-command. All officers posted in the unit were British, many of the junior lot coming from the Indian Army Reserve of officers, mainly civilians, who had hastily been given wartime commissions. But not everyone was happy. A Commandant – a soldier of the ‘old school’ from an ‘up country regiment’ recruiting the so-called ‘martial races’, made no bones about his resentment in being posted to a ‘non-martial unit.’

Cultural prejudice sometimes bordering in outright racism was not uncommon among British officers of the Indian Army. ‘Martial races’ was a designation coined by officials in British India, and increasingly in vogue after the Second Afghan War of 187880. It represented a collective expression of beliefs prevalent among the British Indian Army officer corps which had gained wide currency under Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar (Kipling’s ‘Bobs Bahadur’), a popular Victorian military hero. This policy, which received its ideological justification through a racist ideology, influenced by both the Indian caste system and Social Darwinism, was referred to as ‘scientific racism.’ In addition and closely linked to it, there were military and environmental (climatic) perspectives. All three combined as criteria for purposes of evaluation and recruitment. It must be underlined, however, that the classification of the Indian people into the ‘martial’ races and ‘non-martial’ races was not only an invention of the British; it was also the recognition of something already implicit in the Indian social system. In August 1914, India’s Army comprised 77,000 British and 1,60,000 Indian soldiers trained and commanded by British officers. India’s armed forces were organised basically for the maintenance of internal order and to defend the subcontinent against external aggression. Small contingents of Indian troops had occasionally been dispatched to other British protectorates but India’s Army was neither designed nor equipped to provide a substantial expeditionary force for overseas service. Yet, in spite of its inherent deficiencies, this was outside Britain, the most suitable standing Army immediately available. The heavy demand for manpower and the significant losses suffered in the early stages of the First World War led to a change in recruiting policy and the socalled martial race theory was hastily abandoned in order to tap other sections of the Indian community for recruitment.

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HISTORY Indian officers at that time held a limited position within a regiment known as the Viceroy’s Commissioned Officers (VCO). The VCO, a junior commissioned officer (JCO), wore a distinct officer’s uniform and was entitled to receive a salute from any Indian soldier or noncommissioned officer (NCO). This individual functioned either as a platoon leader or company commander, and indeed, most of the platoons and companies of Indian regiments were led by such soldiers. They had no authority over the white enlisted men of British regiments or even over British officers who might be junior to them. In fact, they were outranked by any holder of the King’s Commission, and thus by all British or white colonial officers. The VCOs of the 49th Bengalis comprised a motley collection, many were former civilians holding some position of authority or scions of prominent Bengali families while others had been posted from non-combat arms. None had actual combat experience or service with an infantry regiment. The most respected among them, Subedar Major Shalindranath Basu, had been awarded the Indian Distinguished Service Medal for bravery and a Mentioned in Dispatches. From a prominent Bengali family, he had been serving with the Supply and Transport Corps. Earlier, as the much admired secretary of the Mohan Bagan Football Club he had lifted the club’s reputation from obscurity by winning the most prestigious football title of the country, the IFA Challenge Shield. The next in seniority was a lawyer of the Calcutta High Court. Other prominent personages included the Nawab of Dhaka.

Maharaja Bijoy Chand

A civilian body, the Bengali Regiment Committee, was formed in Kolkata to motivate and create awareness among the Bengali youth. It was headed by Maharaja Bijoy Chand, a Raj loyalist.This body was gradually developed into a fullfledged infantry regiment.

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Seige of Kut-al-Amara

Turkey’s entry into the war prompted Britain to open a new military front in the remote Ottoman province of Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). Mainly Indian, with some British troops, were sent to the Persian Gulf to protect British oil interests, made rapid progress inland against weak Turkish resistance. Despite the unforgiving climate, the British Indian forces under the leadership of General Charles Townshend progressed steadily up the river Tigris taking the town of Kut-al-Amara just south of Mesopotamia’s major city, Baghdad. The tide turned quickly, however, at the Battle of Ctesiphon, a bloody affair in which Turkish troops defeated Townshend’s attacking forces. More than half of the 8,500

Indian troops who fought at Ctesiphon were killed or wounded. The survivors endured a dangerous and exhausting retreat to Kut-al-Amara without decent medical or transport facilities. Bolstered by 30,000 reinforcements, Turkish troops besieged Townshend’s forces in Kut-al-Amara before the Allied troops could act on the British War Cabinet’s advice to withdraw further down the Tigris. The siege of Kut-al-Amara lasted 147 days before the 11,800 Indian

troops inside the garrison town finally surrendered in April 1916. Conditions during the siege were appalling. In bitterly cold weather and with little medical treatment, many of the soldiers did not survive the winter. Several attempts were made to relieve the besieged town but they encountered stubborn Turkish resistance and all ended in failure. The surrender of Townshend’s Army in late April 1916 shocked people in Britain and India, for whom the Mesopotamia campaign had previously been a distant and largely successful venture. Meanwhile, horrific repercussions were taking place on the ground. Captured Indian soldiers were brutally treated on their march to Turkish prisoner-of-war camps in Anatolia. Of the 11,800 men who left Kut-al-Amara with their captors in May 1916, 4,250 died either on their way to captivity or in the camps that awaited them at the journey’s end. Despite the setback, the British position in Mesopotamia was far from hopeless. Indeed, with reinforced troop divisions and a new leader, the force mainly comprising Indian troops, again advanced rapidly up the Tigris in early 1917. Kut-al-Amara was recaptured and on March11, 1917, British and Indian troops finally entered Baghdad. The path was cleared for an advance into northern Mesopotamia, towards the heart of the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia.

Limited to Garrison

Reinforcements were desperately needed to guard the overstretched lines of communications, the 49th Bengalis undergoing training in Karachi was ordered to mobilise for immediate departure. Reaching Baghdad towards the end of September, 1917 they were assigned to garrison duties along the lines of communications. The unhealthy climate did not suit the men and there were several cases of sickness within the battalion. An interesting observation confirms this fact in a book by General Sir William Marshal, Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in Mesopotamia, and best described in his own words: “Shortly after taking over command, I went to inspect this unit [49th Bengalis] and met by Lieutenant Colonel Barrett [known as] ‘The Boomer’ on account of the quality of his voice, I was taken round the battalion, which was not drawn up in the ordinary way but dotted about in squads, some large, some small. On arrival at the first squad Barrett announced; ‘The Measles

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Squad’; at the second, ‘The Whooping Cough Squad’, at the third, ‘The Scarlet Fever Squad’, and so on, through the most known diseases. The crème-de-la crème of the battalion, those not convalescing from any particular disease, numbered some 65, but the only men I saw was the senior Indian officer, a brother of a prominent Bengali politician”. On June 9, 1918, a shocking incident occurred within the unit lines. The popular Subedar Major Basu, along with Jemadar Mukerjee and Subedar Mittra was shot while he lay asleep in the tent. The two were seriously injured, Subedar Mittra succumbing to his injuries shortly afterwards. A naik (NCO) and a sepoy from the regiment purported to have carried out the crime were arrested. A court of enquiry subsequently found that the affair was caused by jealousy, and the crime was an outcome of private spite prompted by alleged ill-treatment of the other ranks by the Indian officers.’ The naik and sepoy confessed to the firing and the Court considered a third person, Subedar D. K. Sen, also responsible although there was no evidence against him. Sen was greatly disliked in the regiment and on unfriendly terms with Subedar Major Basu. It appeared that Jemadar Mukerjee had been shot by mistake for another, Subedar D. P. Banerjee. The court also concluded that ‘there was no reason to believe that political motives inspired the crime.’ The incident was downplayed. No one was really interested in publicising this unfortunate episode especially in Bengal. The war ended with the defeat of the Turkish armies. During the entire duration of the war, the 49th Bengalis did not see combat, being assigned garrison or guard duties. The closest chance for action came during mid-1919 when Kurdistan declared Independence and some soldiers from the 49th Bengalis took part in this punitive expedition. The Mesopotamian campaign was largely an Indian Army campaign. During its four years of fighting, over 31,000 officers and men mostly Indians, died in combat or from disease.

Ahead of its Times

The 49th Bengalis were to remain in Mesopotamia until July 1920. The post-war stringent economic measures imposed required a drastic reduction of the Army. Those units considered unsuitable for retention were the first to be axed – among them the 49th Bengalis.

Bengal’s famous rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam

Exposure to overseas service created a broad mentality and political awareness influencing many who served within its ranks. Among them Nazrul Islam, one day to become the national poet of Bangladesh, whose earliest poems were composed while serving in this regiment.

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The 49th Bengalis in many respects were pioneers well before their time comprising educated men mainly from urban backgrounds. Unlike other Indian regiments of that era which recruited from the illiterate rural peasantry, compartmentalised into caste or religious-based sub-units or regiments, they were not based along religious, caste or community lines, instead an overall Bengali identity pervaded. But, the regiment appears to have lacked an effective and inspiring leadership,

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essential for creating the necessary espirit de corps. The manner in which the regiment was presented by its British commanding officer to the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Mesopotamia gives an impression that the Commandant did not quite take his own men seriously. The majority of officers posted to the regiment appear to have been inexperienced. The more senior officers did not wish to serve in the regiment which they deemed ‘un-martial’. The Indian officer cadre, all from non-combat arms, failed to inspire their men who were educated and required careful handling. In fact, one of the causes of the shooting, it was alleged, had been on account of the ill- treatment meted out to the other ranks by the VCO cadre. At the time of recruiting it was believed an overall Bengali identity would cement the unit. To the extent of fostering communal harmony among Hindus and Muslims, the experiment was successful. However, at a micro-social level it created problems between the Brahmans and Kayasthas, the two dominant Hindu communities in the regiment, as rivalries among them over promotions soon broke out. On a more positive note, exposure to overseas service created a broad mentality and political awareness influencing many who served within its ranks: Among them Nazrul Islam, one day to become the national poet of Bangladesh, whose earliest poems were composed while serving with this regiment. From a point of view of historiography, hardly any books written by Indian soldiers documenting their experiences in the First World are known to exist, except two in Bengali, and both were written by men who had served with the regiment. The 49th Bengalis were a unique Indian regiment, the only one to have among its ranks an educated elite, and therefore, possibly, also a reason for its failure in the conventional military sense. Readings include ! British Library, India Office Papers , (printed archive. L/MIL/7/7279) ! The Quarterly Indian Army List , (January 1919, Army Headquarters, India, Superintendent Government Printing , Calcutta 1919) ! Marshall, Lieutenant General Sir William, Memories of Four Fronts. (London: Ernest Benn Ltd, 1929) ! Singh, M.B, Subedar, Sainik Bangali , circa 1939 (Photostat copy examined in the Rajshahi College Library)

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DEFENCE BUZZ

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A soldier from the Rashtriya Rifles near the Line of Control in Kashmir

Hype, Hype But No Hurray! THE widely publicised Ministry of Defence (MoD) goal to augment private sector participation in the country’s moribund military-industrial sector under the recently revised Defence Production Policy, remains a little more than hype going by one of its more recent tenders for 5.56 mm carbines estimated at over ` 2,000 crore. The MoD’s request for proposal (RfP) to 39 overseas vendors dispatched in late last December for 44,618 5.56 mm close quarter battle (CBQ) carbines – and over 33 million rounds of ammunition – mandates a transfer of technology (ToT) exclusively to the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to locally build some 380,000 to 400,000 carbines. The 5.56 mm carbines will replace the outmoded 9 mm model presently in Army service and eventually be issued to India’s sizeable paramilitaries and state police forces. Earlier, attempts by the inept Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) through the 1990s to locally design a 5.56 mm carbine under the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) failed despite tall claims and equally ambitious aspirations. But the exclusion of the private sector from this forthcoming procurement – several defence contractors in anticipation of such a requirement have acquired licences to build them – has convinced

it that the MoD merely wants to perpetuate the monopolistic state-run military-industrial behemoth which, over decades, has produced little of worth. This conglomerate that includes 39 OFB entities and eight Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs) remains constrained by inherent inefficiencies resulting in long delays and inordinately high costs to largely produce low to medium-technology materiel confined primarily to licensed production. Consequently, nearly 75 percent of India’s military hardware is imported and Service officers concede that this overseas dependency is unlikely to decrease over the next two decades, as major obsolete platforms and systems are replaced. The MoD, anxious to protect its turf, continues to disregard the private sector and opts, like in the proposed 5.56 mm carbine contract, for economically unsound OFB plants and DPSUs, having long abandoned the government’s fantastical aim of attaining 70 percent self-reliance in its defence needs by 2005. The Defence Ministry seems willing to participate in the collective OFB and DPSU falsehood that specialises in passing off largely assembled equipment having, over years, merely absorbed mediocre engineering but no technological skills. Meanwhile, another imminent MoD RfP long

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DEFENCE BUZZ under formulation, in what is anticipated to be one of the world’s largest small arms contracts valued at over ` 4,000 crore and which too could well go to the OFB, is for 5.56 mm assault rifles (AR). They are to replace the operationally incompetent INSAS 5.56 mm ARs the Army has grudgingly employed since the mid-1990s. Other than the carbine and AR the INSAS family of weapons also included a light machine gun which too was abandoned resulting in the obvious fall back import option. Alarmingly, the shortfall in the Army’s 359 infantry battalions and associated 66 Rashtriya Rifles units is desperately in arrears. Other than 200,000 CQB carbines and ARs they require some 15,000 general purpose machine guns, 1,100 light-weight anti-materiel rifles, 225 mine-protected vehicles and 64 snow scooters for employment in Siachen. There is also a requirement for 390,000 ballistic helmets, over 30,000 third-generation night-vision devices and 180,000 lightweight bullet-proof jackets. Ordnance like grenades and 84 mm rocket launcher ammunition too are in short supply, all pending procurement for an average of over five years.

Complex Riddle Within A Conundrum WITH the end of financial year (FY) 2010-11 approaching, comes the prospect of unspent Ministry of Defence (MoD) funds either reverting to the federal fund or being ‘parked’ at Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs) and the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to circumvent that alternative. In FY 2009-10, for instance, the MoD was unable to spend ` 70 billion for new military acquisitions from an allocation of ` 191.18 billion due to collective delays by the ministry and the three Services in confirming equipment acquisitions and modernisation programmes. Earlier in FY 2008-09, the MoD returned ` 70 billion earmarked out of ` 480 billion assigned for procurements for similar reasons while between 2002 and 2008, the amount it gave back was ` 225.17 billion causing Defence Minister A. K. Antony to declare that despite his ministry’s ‘pockets being full’ it was often unable to buy the much-needed materiel. “Even though our government is earmarking huge budgets, it is not being fully reflected in our modernisation efforts. Allocation of money has never been a problem; the issue has been its timely and

FEBRUARY 2011

judicious utilisation,” Antony told a Defence Research Development Organisation seminar in New Delhi in early 2009 and not much has since been changed. Other military officers said these delays adversely affected India’s operational preparedness leaving it not only short of crucial equipment but also ‘helpless’ when emergencies arose like the 1999 Kargil crisis and later when India was helplessly mulling a military riposte to the 26/11 strike on Mumbai by ten gunmen from Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Army and to a lesser extent the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force has ‘parked’ large portions of these unspent funds with the OFB and the DPSUs effecting a ‘book keeping’ exercise, thereby ensuring it receives equal if not additional funding the following year. Despite talk of transparency in defence acquisitions and moderinsation programmes, most aspects of defence planning and spending in India remain shrouded in mystery – a complex riddle within a conundrum – with little or no effort on the MoD’s part to demystify its activities to the public that finances its operations. The common perception is that the MoD’s task is essentially one of harnessing resources – financial, technological and human – to create, over time, desired military capabilities which are in concert with national defence and security strategy to protect and enhance domestic interests. But unfortunately, over time, India’s force capabilities have not seen any major jump in efficiency or capacity. On the contrary, this pervasive all-round

Mirage 2000H

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indecisiveness has led to an increased qualitative and technological gap with China’s military capabilities and near symmetrical conventional parity with Pakistan. In terms of military modernisation, China is speeding ahead and is on the threshold of emerging as a first world technologically-savvy military, dramatically changing threat levels for India. In the case of Pakistan, the relative military advantage that has favoured India both operationally and in force ratios, for decades is fast diminishing.

It’s All About the Money, Chérie THE upgrade of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) 51 Mirage 2000H fighters to Mirage 2000-5 standards was deferred following severe price differences with Thales-Dassault Aviation ahead of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s four-day visit to India last December. Official sources say that the IAF and the Ministry of Defence have dismissed Thales-Dassault’s demand of ` 100 billion` 150 billion or ` 2.2 billion-` 2.9 billion per aircraft to retrofit the Mirage 2000H fleet as ‘exorbitant’ and ‘unacceptable.’ Both have concurred that each upgrade which included equipping the fighters with new avionics, advanced navigation systems, mission computers and a pulse doppler radar capable of identifying objects up to a distance of 70 nm, is equivalent to the price of a new fighter. In comparison, upgrading the IAF’s 63 MiG-29 fighters presently underway

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DEFENCE BUZZ

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Admiral Nirmal Verma in Russia is costing $964 million or an affordable $15.3 million each. Thales officials, however, recently have rationalised this expense claiming that the upgraded fighters will provide IAF commanders the operational flexibility to commit fewer aircraft on combat missions for higher success rates, thereby rendering the upgrade cost effective. Additionally, the upgraded electronic warfare systems, including radar warning receivers with instantaneous wide-bank receivers, electronic jammers and counter-measure systems and enhanced fuel capacity will keep the Mirage 2000Hs operationally relevant for over two decades. Glass cockpits and helmet-mounted displays will complete the upgrade. The retrofitted Mirage 2000Hs will also be armed with Rafael Armament Development Authority’s medium-range stand-off AGM-142 Raptor/Have Nap/Popeye air-to-surface launched cruise missile specially configured for the IAF and codenamed Crystal Maze with an 80-100km range. They will also be armed with MBDA’s Interception and Aerial Combat Missile (MICA) the anti-air multi-target, all weather, fire-and-forget short and medium-range missile systems. India, meanwhile, is also in talks with Matra BAE Dynamics Alenia (MBDA) to re-start the Maitri low-level quick reaction missile programme for joint development with the state-owned DRDO to augment the IAF’s obsolete air defence capability. Alongside, the Indian Navy (IN) is holding

exploratory talks with France’s Direction des Constructions Navales (DCNS) to equip two of its six Project 75 Scorpene submarines under construction at Mumbai’s Mazagaon Dockyard Limited (MDL) with an air independent prolusion (AIP) system that will enable them to remain underwater for up to three weeks without surfacing. DCNS’s chief Patrick Boissier, accompanying Sarkozy to India, says his company is in consultation with the IN for the AIP system which will be fitted onto the fifth and sixth MDL-built Scorpene. Last December, IN Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said that the first of the long-delayed Scorpene submarines will be inducted into service in 2015, three years behind schedule and the sixth by 2018.

American Connections

THE US is swiftly climbing up the Indian military’s supply chain with Boeing’s Apache AH-64D Block III Apache helicopters upgraded to Longbow standard ranged against Russia’s Mil Mi-28N Havoc in support of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) requirement for 22 attack helicopters. Alongside, Boeing CH-47F Chinook and Russian Mi 26s were competing for the IAF’s tender for 15 heavy lift to replace its Soviet-era Mi24 (Hind)/Mi 35s and Mi 26 (Halo) models respectively. The initial tender for the attack helicopters floated in May 2008 was withdrawn after Bell-Textron and Boeing pulled out, claiming that the enhanced offset obligation of 50 percent for the over

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$1 billion contract was ‘commercially unviable’. They also declared their preference for routing the helicopters through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme an option not included in the Ministry of Defence’s RfP which stipulated the participation of only original equipment manufacturers. The RfP, re-issued in May 2009, reduced the offset obligation for attack helicopters to 30 percent of the contract value and permitted the FMS route, resulting in Boeing re-entering the competition and along with the MI 28N recently completing trials in India and abroad. Trials for the rival heavy lift helicopters too have concluded. Meanwhile, in late December 2010, a confident Pentagon notified the US Congress regarding the possible sale to India of 22 Apache helicopters for $1.4 billion. “This notification is being made in advance so that, in the event that the Boeing-US Army proposal is selected, the US might move as quickly as possible to implement the sale,” the US Defense Department has declared. The accompanying notification was for the $200 million sale of 21 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for fitment on the IAF’s fleet of Jaguar/IM based at Jamanagar to enhance their maritime warfare capability by providing them the capacity to strike land targets and littoral areas. “These proposed sales will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the US by helping to strengthen the US-India strategic relationship and to improve the security of an important partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in South Asia,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement last December. If India selects the Boeing-US Army proposal for the AH-64 platform, India is expected to request a possible sale of 50T700-GE-701D engines, 12 AN/APG-78 fire control radar, 12 AN/APR-48A radar frequency interferometers, 812 AGM-114L-3 Hellfire Longbow missiles, 542 AGM-114R-3 Hellfire II missiles, 245 Stinger Block I-92H missiles and 23 Modernised Target Acquisition Designation sight/pilot night vision sensors, rockets, training and dummy missiles. Since 2002, India, which has emerged as Washington’s close strategic and military ally after decades of hostile relations during the ColdWar years when it was a close Soviet partner, has either acquired or is in the

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DEFENCE BUZZ process of procuring US materiel worth between $12 and $13 billion via the FMS route.

All Thanks to FMS

LOCKHEED Martin has handed over the first of six C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft to the US Air Force on behalf of the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Marietta, Georgia last December.The transporters acquired in early 2008 via the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme for $1.2 billion have been specially configured for use by India’s Special Forces and equipped with AN/AAR-47 Missile Approach Warning Systems and radar-warning receivers. They are capable of precision low-level flying, airdrops and landing in blackout conditions and equipped with air-to-air refueling capability for extended range operations. A team of technical specialists will be based in India for three-years to initiate the IAF into operating the C-130J’s. The first two C-130Js will be flown out to India in early 2011 in time for the Aero India show at Bangalore scheduled in February and the entire Super Hercules Fleet, expected to eventually increase to 12 aircraft, will be based at Hindon near Delhi. The IAF will supplement the C-130Js with ten Boeing C-17 Globemaster III Very Heavy LiftTransport Aircraft (VHLTA) – with the option of acquiring six more – under the FMS programme for an estimated $5.8 billion, registering India’s most expensive US military equipment purchase. The C-17s will replace the IAF’s fleet of around 12 Russian Ilushin IL76 Gajraj transporters and complement around 104 medium-lift Russian-built Antonov-32 twin-engine turboprop models presently undergoing an upgrade in Ukraine for $400 million. The IAF is also finalising its requirement for 16 medium-lift transport aircraft for which Italy’s Alenia Aeronautica’s C27J Spartan and EADS’ CASA C 295 were under evaluation.

Smart ‘Cluster’ Bombs

THE US government has recently approved the sale of cluster bombs to India, via the Foreign Military Sales route, fulfilling a request outstanding since 2008. The sale of 512Textron Systems-designed cluster bombs and 41 training units for $257.73 million to the Indian Air Force (IAF) will make it the first overseas user of the US-designed cluster bomb with active laser sensors on each warhead capable of simultaneously detecting and engaging

FEBRUARY 2011

multiple stationary and moving targets on the ground within a specific area. The CBU-105 sensor fused weapons to be fitted onto fighters like the multi-role Su-30MKIs will significantly boost their strike capability against ground armour and other crucial land-based targets. The guidance systems on each of the CBU-105’s ten bomblets cause it to self destruct if there are no targets to engage either in the air or almost immediately upon hitting the ground. This neutralises any danger to either the civilian population or advancing troops from the attacking side. Considerable controversy surrounds cluster munitions which stand either banned or their use severely restricted by an international convention to which neither India nor the US are signatories. But according to Indian officials, the CBU-105s are not deemed illegal by most militaries as almost all of its bomblets exploded on contact with the battlefield. In sanctioning the IAF’s demands for these deadly cluster bombs, the US Congress declared that the CBU-105 induction will ‘assist the (two) air forces develop and enhance standardisation and operational ability.’

Ships Ahoy!

THE Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Defence Acquisition Council recently approved the acquisition of four additional Boeing P-8I Poseidon multi-mission maritime reconnaissance aircraft (MMMRA) and four landing dock platforms (LPDs) for an estimated $4.5 billion to augment the Indian Navy’s (IN) surveillance, strategic and sealift capabilities. The MMMRA and LPD procurement decision follows recent visits by Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Admiral Nirmal Verma to the US where they met with a cross-section of senior military and administration officials to discuss business and defence and security cooperation. MoD officials say that the four proposed LPDs-similar to INS Jalashwa (formerly USS Trenton), the 16,900 tonne second-hand Austin-class LPD the IN acquired in 2005 for around $50.63 million will cost the Navy $3.55 billion. They will be acquired under the ‘buy and make’ category of the Defence Procurement Procedures which permits licensed indigenous production of military equipment in collaboration with an overseas partner. At least two of the four LPDs will be constructed at the state-owned Hindustan Shipyard Limited atVishakhapatnam and the remaining two either imported or built abroad.

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INS Deepak The four P-8I MMMRA, a variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing is developing for the US Navy, will supplement eight others the IN has ordered in 2009 for $2.1 billion. Induction of the eight P-8Is is expected to begin by early 2013 and be completed three years later. In a related development the IN is inducting the first of its two Italian-built fleet tankers on January 21, 2011 and the second one at the year-end to augment its blue water capability by fuelling warships and task forces far from home. INS Deepak, built by Fincantieri Cantieri Navali of Italy for 159.32 million Euro under a 2008 contract, arrived in Mumbai on Christmas Eve. It will join the IN’s older fleet tankers, INS Jyoti and INS Aditya. Meanwhile, INS Shakti, the second Fincantieri-built tanker-ordered in March 2009 and launched last October, will be inducted some 11-12 months later. The 175m-long tankers, powered by two 10,000 m diesel engines capable of attaining an optimum speed of 20 knots can refuel four warships simultaneously, and transport 17,900 tonne of cargo, including 15,250 tonne of fuel. They can also embark a 10-tonne helicopter and house 250 personnel, including the crew. Finacantieri is also servicing two contracts with the Indian Navy agreed in 2004 for the design and propulsion system integration of its Indigenous Aircraft Carrier under construction at Cochin.

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The technology of yesterday’s dogfights will not win in the modern battlespace. The Super Hornet gives India the advanced capabilities required to prevail for decades to come. It’s the only aircraft available today with a proven, fully integrated suite of networked radar, sensors, avionics and weapons systems — enabling the Super Hornet to engage potential threats beyond visual range like nothing else. To engage, fight and win.

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