Helipad in Siachen will help in troop mobilisation

[Hindustani78]

Updated: October 22, 2015 02:44 IST
Helipad in Siachen will help in troop mobilisation - The Hindu


Soldiers will also get fresh food during their long deployments.

India has quietly constructed and operationalised an Mi-17 helipad on the Siachen glacier near Kumar post at a height of about 16,000 ft, considerably augmenting the airlift capabilities for troop support and casualty evacuation. This comes 31 years after the Army occupied the icy heights under Operation Meghdoot in 1984.

One officer termed the helipad a “force multiplier” on the glacier. In addition to added capacity, it also means that soldiers can have more fresh food during their long deployments. While the 2003 ceasefire between Indian and Pakistan is holding across the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL), in case hostilities were to erupt, the helipad can be of great help in troop mobilisation and evacuation, another official told The Hindu.

Helicopters play a pivotal role in sustaining the troops deployed at the height of 20,000 ft on the Siachen glacier where temperatures plummet to minus 50 degrees in winter.

Currently only Cheetahs and their upgraded variant, Cheetals, can land on posts beyond Base Camp, but have limited capacity which further goes down due to high altitude. The indigenously built Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Mi-17 cannot land on small helipads and are limited to air dropping supplies. Mi-17 is a medium lift helicopter of Russian origin and is operated by the Air Force in large numbers.

 

[kaykay]

Good development.

 

[Hindustani78]

India-China border surveillance camera project fails - The Hindu


As a result, China, with better equipment, is at an advantage in border areas.
An ambitious project of the government to install high-resolution surveillance cameras along the China border has run into rough weather.

A pilot project undertaken in 2013 to monitor the movement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has failed to give the desired results and the government is now rethinking its strategy. China has a robust surveillance system on its side.

In the wake of the 21-day face-off with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China at Depsang Valley in the Ladakh region in 2013, the government had given the go-ahead to install surveillance cameras along the unmanned pockets on the China border.

It was decided that the cameras would be put up at 50 locations in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

The cameras were to relay live-feed in a 20-25 km range to help the security personnel deployed there to plan patrolling in vulnerable areas more effectively. The camera was installed at the Thakung post of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) near Pangong Lake, at an altitude of 14,500 feet.

“The pilot project was taken up at Thakung post, which is a high-altitude terrain. The weather is not favourable there as high-velocity winds and frost tend to blur the images. We had planned to link it to the Delhi headquarters, but it has not been possible to link it even with the battalion headquarters in Leh,” said a senior government official.

The official said they were looking at better technology now. “While the Chinese have put up a well-knit surveillance network on their side, we don’t have any such arrangements on our side. This project was essential to build up our own intelligence network,” said another government official.

The Indian Army, which is the second line of defence along the China border, does its own surveillance with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles but this also has its limitations.

“This system would have given us time to analyse the recordings. We decided to test the product of a particular service provider, but now we plan to open the floodgates to multiple vendors,” said the official.

Thakung is a post most prone to Chinese transgressions.

“Somehow, the Chinese know the exact movement of our troops. Whenever our men go for patrolling along the border, the Chinese come to know about it. Apart from human intelligence, we don’t have much electronic evidence to aid our patrolling,” said the official.

India has always maintained that incidents of transgressions occur due to difference in perception regarding the border. After the NDA government came to power, the frequency of patrolling along the China border has increased.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
17-March, 2017 17:52 IST
Siachen Glacier

Government is cognizant of the strategic importance of Siachen and requisite forces have been deployed in this area keeping in view the threat perception, ground situation and other operational aspects. The soldiers deployed in Siachen Glacier are suitably equipped and properly trained to undertake the operational challenges and carry out their mandated tasks. Besides, various modern technological equipment are being utilized by Army for surveillance in Siachen which includes Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, different types of Radars etc.


Thirteen rounds of talks to resolve the Siachen issue have already taken place between Governments of India and Pakistan, led by the respective Defence Secretaries. Indian Government has made it clear to Pakistan that the solution to Siachen Glacier is a part of the larger issue to include Pakistan’s support to terrorism in India.


This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to ShriNandi Yellaiahin Lok Sabha today.

 

[Hindustani78]

President's Secretariat
09-May, 2018 16:27 IST
President of India to visit Siachen base camp tomorrow

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, will visit Siachen Base Camp tomorrow (May 10, 2018) and interact with soldiers posted there. He will be the first President to visit this Camp since the visit of the then President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2004. The President will also visit the Kumar Post.

***
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind addressing the soldiers, during his visit to Siachen Base Camp on May 10, 2018. The Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat is also seen.

The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind laying the wreath at the Siachen War Memorial, during his visit to Siachen Base Camp on May 10, 2018. The Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat is also seen.

The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind signing the visitors’ book, during his visit to Siachen Base Camp on May 10, 2018. The Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat is also seen.

The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind meeting the soldiers, during his visit to Siachen Base Camp on May 10, 2018. The Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat is also seen.

The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind being presented a memento, during his visit to Siachen Base Camp on May 10, 2018. The Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat is also seen.

The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind with the soldiers, during his visit to Siachen Base Camp on May 10, 2018. The Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat is also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

President's Secretariat
10-May, 2018 15:32 IST
President Kovind becomes first President of India to visit Siachen in 14 years; addresses soldiers posted there; says every Indian is grateful to them and stands by them and their families

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, visited Siachen Base Camp today (May 10, 2018) and addressed the soldiers posted there. He also visited the Kumar Post. President Kovind is the second President of India to visit Siachen. The previous visit was undertaken by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in April 2004. This makes President Kovind the first President to travel to Siachen in 14 years.

Addressing the soldiers today, President Kovind said that as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and as the President of India, he has come among them carrying the gratitude of the entire country. The President noted that Siachen is the world’s highest battlefield and it is difficult to live even a normal life in the extreme climate. In such a situation, it is extraordinary for soldiers to stay in a state of constant mobilisation and combat readiness. Their determination and dedication is worthy of the highest praise – and their allegiance to the defence of India is an ideal for all our fellow citizens.

The bravery and valour of soldiers deployed in Siachen over the past 34 years, the President said, has given every Indian the confidence that our borders are safe and secure. The President said he had come to Siachen to iterate to the troops posted here that all citizens of India and the Government of India were always with them and supportive of their families.

The President also paid his respects at the Siachen War Memorial, which is a symbol of the sacrifice of 11,000 soldiers and officers who have been martyred since the Indian Army began Operation Meghdoot on the Siachen Glacier on April 13, 1984.

*****

 

[Hindustani78]

Hotting up: A file photo of Army jawans on duty at the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir. | Photo Credit: PTI

https://www.thehindu.com/news/natio...rs-in-high-altitude-areas/article24774110.ece

Communication through satellite-enabled telemedicine nodes will be a paradigm shift in the delivery of lifesaving health care
In a major effort to improve emergency medical support to soldiers posted in high-altitude areas, especially Siachen, the Integrated Defence Staff of the Defence Ministry and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday to set up telemedicine nodes in critical places across the country.

“ISRO will establish 53 more nodes in the first phase over and above the existing 20, in various establishments of the Army, Navy and Air Force across the country,” a defence official said.

In Siachen
As part of this, in addition to a functioning node on the Siachen glacier, four more nodes are being established to enable medical consultation between soldiers deployed on the glacier and medical echelons in the rear.

During winter months, many of the remote posts are cut off for several months because of adverse terrain and extreme weather, making emergency evacuation near impossible. Communication through satellite-enabled telemedicine nodes will be a paradigm shift in the delivery of lifesaving health care till the weather clears up and movement is possible.

This joint initiative by ISRO and the Armed Forces Medical Services will transform the reach of telemedicine to soldiers, airmen and sailors in remote and isolated posts, the official added.