New Delhi: The NDA government has deferred its decision on the procurement of 16 multi-role helicopters for the Indian Navy as one of the two companies in the race for the deal is linked with Finmeccannica– the parent organisation of the scam-tainted firm AgustaWestalnd.
The Defence Acquisition Council headed by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley put off its decision on the procurement of the helicopters for the Navy from vendors including American Sikorsky and European NH Industries, which has Finmeccannica as one of its partners, highly-placed sources said.
Finmeccannica is the parent firm of AgustaWestland firm, whose Rs 3,600 crore contract for supplying 12 VVIP choppers to the IAF has been scrapped by the Government over the charges of paying kickbacks to Indian agents.
Finmeccannica is the parent firm of AgustaWestland firm has been scrapped by the Government.
The government had cancelled AgustaWestland’s contract on January 1 and began the process of encashing bank guarantees of the Anglo-Italian firm worth around Rs 2,200 crore deposited in banks of Italy and India. In its July 19 meeting, the DAC, which is the highest body in the Ministry to decide on procurements, the members had to decide on deviations sought by the two vendors in offsets proposal and the road ahead for the deal, sources said.
The deal has been hanging fire for several years now and has seen a series of anonymous complaints leading to a delay in the procurement of helicopters required by the Navy for its warships. The Indian Navy has not inducted a single multirole helicopter for over a decade now and is presently flying the SeaKing choppers procured from the UK in the 1980s.
The first DAC meeting under Jaitley cleared proposals worth over Rs 21,000 crore including a go ahead for a tender to produce transport aircraft by indigenous private sector companies.
The DAC had also approved the revised schedule of delivery of Project-75 submarines called Scorpene being built by the Mazagon Dockyards Limited in Mumbai in cooperation with French firm DCNS. The submarines were slated to be delivered in 2012 but now the first vessel is expected to be delivered in September, 2016 as per the new schedule approved by the DAC, the sources said.
The meeting has also cleared a proposal to procure training simulators of the P-8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft for the Indian Navy, they said. The simulators worth Rs 1,226 crore would help the Navy in training its officers and men for operating the aircraft in the country itself as sending personnel again and again to the US for training was proving to be expensive, sources said.
India has signed a deal worth around Rs 12,000 crore for procuring eight P-8I anti-submarine warfare and surveillance aircraft from the US and is planning to buy four more under the repeat order clause.
Other deals cleared in the meeting include the Rs 9,000 crore tender for the construction of five Fleet Support Ships for the Navy, which will be built by the private sector shipyards in the country.
The vessels would be used by the Navy to support the operations of the aircraft carrier fleet of the force in the future. The DAC also approved a proposal for procuring 32 ALH Dhruv choppers to be equally divided between the Coast Guard and the Navy at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore.
(Source: IBN Live July 28, 2014)
6-YR TIMELINE FOR NAOB RAMBILLI
VISAKHAPATNAM: Naval Alternative Operations Base (NAOB) project of the Indian Navy at Rambilli in the district will be completed in the next five to six years as land acquisition is almost over and project work has already begun, a top Indian Navy official said here on Friday.
According to sources, the state government has allocated more than 5,000 acres to the Indian Navy at Rambilli mandal in the district and except for a few local problems, the project work has been proceeding at a fast pace.
Meanwhile, India’s first ever indigenous nuclear submarine Arihant, which is under construction at the naval ship building centre at Visakhapatnam, will be ready to serve the nation by 2017, naval sources said.
According to sources, the big vessel has already completed harbour trails and preparations are underway to conduct sea trails by the end of this year. “If everything goes as per plan, all the works pertaining to the nuclear submarine project will be completed in the next three years and the submarine will be ready for duty. There are sufficient funds for the project,” said a naval source.
This apart, the senior naval official revealed that the proposed Very Low Frequency (VLF) Communications station project in Ranga Reddy district needs an initial investment of Rs 1,000 crore.
“The Navy has already got the first phase of clearances from the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the VLF station. For the next phase of clearances from MoEF, the Navy needs a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Telangana government, which is expected soon,” said the top official, adding that the Navy opted for Ranga Reddy district as it is a strategic location for the VLF station.
“Navy needs a huge chunk of land as the antennas are very big in size. With this VLF station, the Indian Navy can communicate with vessels and men even underwater,” he added.
Meanwhile, sources said the Navy was not ready to move out of the existing Visakhapatnam airport, which is under their control. “The Navy will not move out of the INS Dega airstrip because it is a strategic location. However, the Navy will not oppose any development works at the airport by the aviation ministry. It will develop its own airstrips at various places like Badangi near Bobbili in Vizianagaram district but will continue to hold onto INS Dega,” a source said.
(Source: Times of India July 28, 2014)
EXTRA CARE DELAYS NUCLEAR SUBMARINE’S SEA TRIALS
Visakhapatnam: The Indian Navy is being extra-careful with India’s first indigenously built nuclear powered submarine INS Arihant, which is now at the naval base in Vizag.
The nuclear sub is likely to go to sea trials by this year end and is expected to be commissioned by 2017.
The sea trials and the commissioning of the submarine, capable of carrying nuclear missiles, has already been delayed by more than two years.
As per the original schedule, the nuclear submarine, which was ceremonially launched on July 26, 2009, was supposed to go for sea trials in 2010 and formally be inducted into the Indian Navy by 2011.
In August 2012, the then Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma was quoted saying that the nuclear sub would go for sea trials ‘very soon’ and was expected to be commissioned within 18 months.
But, till date the submarine is not ‘ready’ for sea trials for unknown reasons.
“The nuclear submarine is undergoing all the standard testing procedures of all its capabilities, since it’s the first of its kind built by India proper care is being taken,” said a top official of the Eastern Naval Command.
This comes in view of the string of accidents involving Indian Navy ships and submarines since last August, which has claimed lives of as many as 21 navy men in three mishaps, the worst being the mishap on INS Sindhurakshak at the Mumbai harbour last August which killed 18 men in the torpedo compartment of the submarine.
There were at least 12 naval mishaps since 2010, of which 10 occurred in the last year.
INS Arihant is part of the Indian Navy’s secretive Advanced Technology Vessel project.
With INS Arihant’s induction into the Navy, India will join the league of five nations with the ability to design, build, and operate its own nuclear submarines.
(Source: Deccan Chronicle July 28, 2014)
100 SHIPS FROM 60 NATIONS: VIZAG BRACES FOR IT’S BIGGEST FLEET REVIEW IN 2016
VISAKHAPATNAM: The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) will, for the first time, host the International Fleet Review 2016. Warships from over 60 maritime nations will be invited to participate in the event. This would be the second time that the Indian Navy will be hosting the International Fleet Review after the one held in Mumbai in 2001.
Top sources in the Indian Navy at Eastern Naval Command said that the event is being hosted to build better relationship with the other nations.
President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Indian dignitaries, along with the Naval heads of the participating nations, are expected to attend the fleet review.
People can also witness the extravaganza which would include a fly-past at the Beach Road, among other events. “The Presidential Fleet Review held at Visakhapatnam in 2006 can be considered as a trailer when compared to the International Fleet Review to be held in 2016,” a senior Naval officer said.
In the International Fleet Review 2001 held in Mumbai, more than 60 ships from over 22 nations including USA, UK, Japan and Australia participated. Naval officials are expecting the participation of more maritime nations during the latest international fleet review to be held in 2016 in the Bay of Bengal.
Though the preparations are in the preliminary stages, senior officials said that international seminars on maritime issues, sports, band concerts and other events will be held for the maritime nations participating in the event.
Meanwhile, the Navy will be commissioning a VLF (very low frequency) station proposed at Pudur village in Vikarabad mandal in Ranga Reddy district, near Hyderabad, within the next three years after the land is handed over by the Telangana government. They will be paying `115 crore to the Telangana government for compensatory afforestation and the net present value of the land. The Navy will also take up the re-establishment of the VLF equipment at INS Kattabomman situated near Tirunalveli in Tamil Nadu, with the equipment having served the Navy for 25 years since its inception in 1991.
A VLF Station houses very low frequency transmitters and is used to send encrypted signals for communicating with submarines underwater. A submarine on the surface can transmit and receive wireless messages like a ship but submarine underwater can only receive wireless messages on Very Low Frequency (VLF). VLF transmitters require a huge array of antennae suspended high above the ground. Sources said that Pudur was chosen for the VLF station for its strategic location.
Both the VLF stations, at Tirunalveli and Pudur, would be used to keep tabs on the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. “Nearly 3,500 people will be employed thanks to the the VLF station. We are expecting the No Objection Certificate from the Telangana government any day now and will start getting clearances from various government departments at the earliest,” said top Naval sources.
(Source: New Indian Express July 28, 2014)
ARMY HAPPY WITH ‘QUICK’ GOVT
NEW DELHI: India’s armed forces top brass are a happier lot since the Narendra Modi government took over and have been gushing over the “decisiveness” of the NDA government at meetings and during private conversations.
The latest to do so, that too publicly, was Army chief General Bikram Singh at a farewell tea hosted by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley last week.
At the get-together of all top officials from the ministry above the Joint Secretary rank and senior officials from the armed forces, Singh told in presence of Jaitley, that he was “very happy” with the quick decision-making capabilities of the Defence Minister and the government’s political leadership. “During the brief time-period in which I worked with the new government, I was impressed with the decisiveness that was shown,” he was quoted as saying at the farewell by Ministry officials.
Just days ahead of the farewell meeting, Singh’s Navy counterpart Admiral Rabindra Kumar Dhowan was “very impressed” with the manner in which Jaitley had conducted his first-ever Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting, on a Saturday, when the government offices are usually closed.
The armed forces have a reason to rejoice. Not only did Jaitley, as Finance Minister, hike the defence capital budget by `5,000 crore for this fiscal to `94,588 crore, which was announced by the previous UPA government in February this year, he also set aside `1,000 crore from the hiked amount for creating rail networks along Pakistan and China border for quicker and easier movement of troops and their equipment.
Jaitley also hiked the allocation for ‘One Rank, One Pension’ for ex-servicemen by two times from Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 1,500 crore. The government also took less time to prune the list of items that are to be manufactured under the Defence Ministry’s license. The Modi government also quickly decided to hike the Foreign Direct Investment cap from the one-and-a-half-decade-old policy of 26 per cent to 49 per cent through Foreign Investment Promotion Board approval.
If these decisions came about in the budget, the NDA government surprised the armed forces, with the Environment Ministry under Prakash Javadekar announcing that a policy framework for speedier clearances to key border infrastructure and roads was being prepared. That would mean at least 80 key border roads of approximately 6,000 km along the China border would get the needed impetus.
On the issue of North East infrastructure, General Bikram Singh, within a month of the NDA government assuming power, had met General (Retired) V K Singh, who is the Minister of State for North East Development, to seek cooperation for the military projects.
Also, going by the advice of the Army, the government recently ruled out any changes in the policy on the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir at the first meeting of the Modi-headed Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
On military acquisitions, the CCS also approved the budgetary allocation of Rs. 19,000 crore for completing the first indigenous aircraft carrier project— the 40,000-tonne INS Vikrant—at the Cochin Shipyard.
The first DAC meeting under Jaitley’s chairmanship cleared the Rs. 15,000-crore tendering process for 56-plane project to replace the ageing fleet of Air Force’s Avros transport aircraft.
This apart, the DAC in its meeting a week ago, also cleared procurement proposals worth Rs. 21,000 crore, including the supply of 32 HAL-built Advanced Light Helicopter ‘Dhruv’ to the Coast Guard and the Navy at a cost of Rs. 7,000 crore. The two maritime forces would get 16 Dhruvs each under the supply order.
(Source: New Indian Express July 28, 2014)
INDIA GIVING BEFITTING REPLY TO CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS: LT GEN K H SINGH
Jammu: Lieutenant General K H Singh today said that the Indian army is giving a befitting reply to Pakistani troops over the ceasefire violations and infiltrations attempts from across the border.
Singh told the media, “This time there is a marginal increase in ceasefire violations. Let me assure you, the counter infiltration bid is firmly in place and I can say with a lot of confidence that our troops on the Line of Control (LoC) are giving a befitting reply and will continue to do so. Any nefarious designs of the enemy will be defeated.”
The Lieutenant General also said that the ceasefire violations by Pakistan are “quite normal” compared to last year.
“I would like to assure you all that the ceasefire violations around this time generally increases because of the undergrowth, because of the situation in Pakistan and also because of the upcoming elections. But is quite normal compared to last year.
(Source: Business Standard July 28, 2014)
ARMY RECOVERS WAR LIKE STORES FROM MILITANT HIDEOUT IN BARAMULLA IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Baramullah (Jammu and Kashmir): The 46 Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army along with special group of Jammu and Kashmir police, recovered war like stores from a militant hideout from the forests here in the state today.
The recoveries are one AK 47, two pistols, three UBGL grenades ,19 RPG ,13 detonators and 5kgs of IED and others .
This is a major recovery in Baramulla district after a long time. Later the explosives were destroyed in a nearby forest area.
(Source: Business Standard July 28, 2014)
WHY INDRA MATTERS TO RUSSIA AND INDIA
In April 2011, the Indian Navy’s three most renowned destroyers, INS Delhi, INS Ranvir and INS Ranvijay, sailed over 8500 km to the eastern Russian port of Vladivostok for the INDRA joint exercise with the remnants of Russia’s once mighty Pacific Fleet.
But when the Indian warships arrived in Vladivostok, the Pacific Fleet was missing. According to the Russian naval brass, their ships were assisting the Japanese with rescue operations at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Even as the Indian warships were returning to Visakhapatnam, the Indian Defence Ministry discovered the Russian warships had sailed out for an exercise of their own.
According to some observers, the Russians were showing their displeasure at losing out in the Indian jet fighter competition. But it is highly unlikely the professional Russian military would agree to insult their Indian friends at the behest of some wound up diplomat in Moscow.
The more plausible reason is the Russian Navy was in such a poor state that it simply cried off. It’s like you don’t invite anyone inside your house because it is so shabby.
With $132 billion earmarked for shipbuilding through 2020, the future Russian Navy could turn out to be a formidable force. But if funds could make a navy, then Saudi Arabia and Qatar would own the leading navies of the world. At any rate, the bulk of Russian funding will go to attack and SSBN (nuclear powered, ballistic missile) submarines.
The current reality is that the Russian fleet has a comparatively small number of ships that are able to deploy far from their ports for extended periods. No surprises really. The Russian Navy has always been a submarine focussed force, and its surface vessels are not really in the same class as the US Navy’s.
The Russian Navy looks good when compared with its Indian counterpart. With 11 major accidents claiming the lives of 21 officers and sailors between March 2013 and August 2014, the Indian Navy currently ranks among the most dangerous fleets in the world. The shocking episode was the INS Sindhurakshak explosion. On August 14, 2013 while it was berthed in Mumbai harbour, blasts ripped through the attack submarine’s torpedo compartment, killing 18 crew members. Expired batteries were reportedly the cause of the disaster.
On March 7, 2014, just weeks before the Indian Navy’s most modern destroyer, INS Kolkata, was to be commissioned, Commander Kuntal Wadhwa died after inhaling carbon dioxide leaking from a malfunctioning unit while the vessel was undergoing trials at Mazagon Docks, Mumbai.
Both navies not only have a blemished record at sea but also lack the end to end capabilities required to qualify as world class fighting forces. Take the August 2009 Kursk submarine disaster in the Barents Sea. The Kursk was the most lethal and modern hunter-killer sub in the world yet when it sank after a mysterious explosion or collision, it was Norwegian – not Russian – divers who opened its hatches seven days later. Again, it was a Dutch team that raised the hull to the surface a year later.
Similarly, five months after it sank, Sindhurakshak was raised to the surface by an American – not Indian – salvage firm.
Under such circumstances, joint exercises such as INDRA – derived from India and Russia – are vital for keeping up morale, improving sailing skills, and monitoring the seaworthiness of naval vessels.
The Russian and Indian navies cannot train extensively with foreign navies because of the absence of the trust factor. Recently, an Indian warship that docked during a friendly visit to China hosted a Chinese admiral who insisted on entering the ship’s bridge – the commander’s control room. The Indian captain firmly but politely declined.
Similarly, it is an open secret that western countries allied to the US have extensive espionage networks in India. They will not lose the slightest opportunity to do on the sly what the Chinese admiral was trying to do openly. US whistleblower Edward Snowden has revealed that American spying on India – including the ruling BJP – has been on the upswing. India knows this very well – when the Indian Air Force trains with the Americans and British, its Sukhoi-30MKI pilots are under orders not to use the aircraft’s radar at any time.
INDRA background ::
The collapse of the Soviet Union meant that the Russian Navy, especially its mighty Pacific Fleet, which was transformed into a mighty fighting force by Admiral Sergey Gorshkov during the 1970s, was allowed to rust in port because of the economic collapse that followed.
The military, which was considered irrelevant during those days of misplaced Russia-US bonhomie, was the first casualty. The Boris Yeltsin era saw steep cuts in defence budgets which led to the collapse in shipbuilding and naval activity in Russia throughout the 1990s.
During this period of neglect, the Russian Navy had no presence in the Indian Ocean. The navy that in 1971 threw a cordon sanitaire around India to protect it against an American-British naval attack on Indian cities, was idling – and rusting – at Vladivostok.
Such a state of destitution continued until 2001, when a contingent of Russian Navy vessels, docked at Mumbai. In April 2003, nine warships of the Russian navy departed from their bases at Sevastopol in the Black Sea and Vladivostok for the Indian Ocean. These units engaged in a number of exercises with the Indian Navy. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov proposed joint naval exercises to be held later that year.
Operational philosophies ::
While protection of navigation against pirates and terrorists as well as combat training were key aspects of INDRA-2014, what’s more important is do the two navies have a common operational philosophy?
It has been reported that both India and Russia have held discussions in this matter, following the visit of the Russian Naval chief, Admiral Vladimir Vysotskiy, to New Delhi. But do Russia and India have a common enemy or goals on the high seas?
The Indian Navy has long given up on its dream of seeing the end of American presence in the Indian Ocean. Its focus is now China, which has swooped down into the Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal in a big way. Stopping the Chinese from encircling India with bases in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Pakistan is India’s priority now.
The Russian Navy has a different aim. “Russia has extensive coastlines as well as assets such as off-shore drilling sites to protect,” says a report by the School of Russian & Asian Studies. “Russia’s export economy requires that ports and transport routes be protected and gives Russia a substantial interest in helping international efforts to combat piracy.”
Future focus
Because India and Russia do not have an adversarial relationship, they should ideally train more often. But in fact since 2003, both countries have conducted just five of the INDRA series military exercises between the armies and navies of both sides. On the other hand, India has conducted over 60 military exercises with the United States.
As panic buttons are being pressed in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Ukraine and the Pacific, there is the danger that India and Russia will get sucked into a global conflict. In such an eventuality, India may find itself ranged against the very players – the West – with which it trains regularly. On the other hand, by syncing their military forces, Russia and India could gain better synergies.
As they say in the military: If you train hard, you fight easy.
(Source: Russia & India Report July 28, 2014)
ARMY TO LET WOMEN HEAD COMBAT UNITS
New Delhi: In a change of policy, the Indian Army has decided to allow women officers to command combat support branches like Army aviation and signal corps from 2015 onwards.
“Our policy on women officers has changed. We have received Defence Minister’s (Arun Jaitley) approval on empowering women officers from 2015 onwards,” top Army sources said here on Sunday.
Currently, women officers are recruited in short service commission and they are not allowed to command combat support unit, in which they work.
Women officers currently work in several branches of all three services, except the combat arms like infantry and armour corps.
As per the new proposal, women officers at the time of recruitment will be given a choice. If they respond positively, they would be groomed and their physical ability will be checked before they are evaluated on par with their male colleagues in the command position. Such women officers will be asked to take up several military courses for the grooming purpose.
Currently, women officers are not allowed to serve in the combat arms of all the three services.
Earlier, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff and a High Level Tri-Services Committee carried out separate studies on employment of women in Armed Forces in 2006 and 2011 respectively, taking into account role of women in Armed Forces of some other countries. They, however, did not recommend induction of women in combat duties.
(Source: Deccan Herald July 28, 2014)
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