Indian Army News & Discussions

[RPK]

MoD Plans to Nominate BEL for TCS Project | India Defence Online

MoD Plans to Nominate BEL for TCS Project

The Indian Ministry of Defence is scheduled to give yet another discouraging sign to the private firms trying to enter the defence sector, by scrapping competitive bidding for the $2 billion project for developing the Indian Army’s futuristic Tactical Communications System (TCS).

The Indian Ministry of Defence has decided to hand over the crucial project to the state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) due to the crucial nature of the project and the secrecy needed. Sadly, it was the Ministry of Defence who had invited bids from the private sector in the first place. The India Defence Ministry has declared that the turnaround was caused after reviewing the new cyber policy formulated by the apex National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) – a secretive body that functions under the Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees electronic intelligence.
The TCS project also falls under the purview of this body. The TCS project involves the Indian government funding 80 per cent of the research and development cost, with the remaining 20 per cent to be funded by the chosen vendor for the project.

As for the TCS, it functions like a cellular phone network, the TCS’s exchanges and switches will be installed in high-mobility vehicles which will enable them to be transported and set up anywhere. The messages sent out over the TCS cannot be easily intercepted or jammed since they will not remain on a single frequency. The TCS will be configured in such a way that the transmissions will hop frequencies dozens of times every second in a pre-programmed sequence. This sequence is called a “hopping algorithm”.

The Indian Defence Ministry has declared that in order to maintain the secrecy of this “hopping algorithm”, or the sequence in which the TCS hops frequencies, the state-owned BEL is being handed over the TCS project.

The NTRO has also mandated that the “hopping algorithm” must remain the exclusive preserve of the government. Added to this, a special defence ministry committee is about to recommend that the TCS procurement be categorised as “Make – Strategic, Complex and Security Sensitive Systems”, as opposed to the prior “Make – High Tech”, wherein the private sector was invited. Under the Defence Procurement Policy and the NTRO’s guidelines and its mandate, the TCS project will automatically go to the state-owned firms Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and BEL.

The private sector firms who are left groping in the dark are Wipro, Mahindra Defence Systems, Tata Power, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Rolta and HCL.

These private sector players have blamed the Indian Defence Ministry for belittling their competence in the area of Information Technology, software and communications by making these unfair moves against them. The private players have warned that the current turnaround of events in the TCS project, and a host of others which the Indian government dangles and then snatches away, will only drive away the private sector players as well as shareholders investments in the defence sector.

While the private sector players have been involved in highly crucial projects involving secrecy, the current blow has come as a shock to them. In the TCS project, last year it was decided that top-secret algorithms in the TCS would be developed by the DRDO’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), but the private sector could develop the rest of the project. Even the Kelkar Committee had recommended that companies with a history and proven potential in defence production should be designated Raksha Udyog Ratnas (RURs) and treated at par with DPSUs in the award of projects like the TCS. But, the Indian defence ministry decided against nominating RURs as well.

The private sector players claim that the secrecy can be fully preserved by reserving the ‘hopping algorithm’ for DRDO and BEL, and it seems unfair that just to safeguard the secrecy of the microchip which contains the ‘hopping algorithm’, the defence ministry is handing them an entire $2 billion project.

This will only lead to future crucial projects finding their way in to the laps of the state-owned companies.

The private sector has also cited the false notion of indigenisation that the state-owned firms are fronting in these projects and said that the BEL, which has been awarded the TCS project, builds systems that are built mainly from foreign components. BEL’s Artillery Combat Command and Control System (ACCCS), a system similar to the TCS, has computers and software from Israeli company, Elbit.

In the past, Indian private companies have played important and responsible roles in some of India’s most secret defence projects. Larsen & Toubro, built most of India’s nuclear submarine, INS Arihant, and will have a similar role in building successors to the Arihant. Another private company, Tata Power, which built crucial command systems for the Arihant, also designed the core of the top secret Samyukta Electronic Warfare system. However, they have been unfairly sidelined in the TCS project.

Even the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence, has raised concerns over the false indigenisation where Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) have allegedly fronted for foreign companies. Last year, the Standing Committee’s report noted that a large proportion of procurement takes place through the ordnance factories and DPSUs, which are indigenous sources, but have to depend on imports for manufacturing the finished product.

 

[baker]

some body enlight me what kind of Bullet Proof jackets we are trying to procure ,
like can we able to compare with US army bullet proof jackets..?

 

[Dash]

Its not a good sign. This will only degrade our capabilities to deliver things on time.
Why so much protective, if you can govern BEL then you can govern well private companies.
I simply dont buy the logic MOD is playing right now.
You want to be self relient but you block things.

What I think you choose a logic and better stick to it.

Why so confused??

 

[RPK]

MI-17, Dhruv to be mounted with multi-barrel guns

MI-17, Dhruv to be mounted with multi-barrel guns :: Brahmand.com

NEW DELHI (PTI): The government has invited proposals for procuring multi-barrel gatlin guns which can be mounted on MI-17 and 'Dhruv' helicopters for use by security forces like the NSG and para-military commandos.

A Quality Requirements (QRs) specification has been floated by the Home Ministry to procure six-barrel guns also known as Dillon Aero Guns, presently used by NATO forces.

The weapon is mounted on helicopters to launch devastating aerial attacks on enemy positions on the ground and also protect troops on-board from fires and rocket attacks emanating from the surface.

The gun will be able to hit a target in the range of 1000 metres including areas inside dense jungles and hideouts and is enabled with night vision capabilities.

The QRs have specified that the gun, to be operated by two people, with an operating system which can be electric or gas run, should be capable to be mounted on the MI-17 and Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) 'Dhruv' which have been recently deployed for anti-Naxal operations in the country with bases at Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Raipur (Chhattisgarh).

It has been specifically stated that the 7.62mm calibre gun should have the compatibility to run on country-made ammunition.

 

[RPK]

Assam Rifles' motorcyclists reach Jorhat on their way to Nagaland

Assam Rifles, one of the first paramilitary forces of India, is taking out a motorcycle peace rally, on the occasion of the 175th anniversary celebrations of the Rifles, these days.

On Friday (March 12), the motorcyclists who commenced their journey from New Delhi on March 2 reached Jorhat and will further head for Kohima via Dimapur in Nagaland.

The objective is to garner goodwill and spread the message of peace and harmony in all the insurgency affected states of the north-east region of the country.

"On this occasion, this is an attempt of us so that we can reach the people of northeast and Assam Rifles have always been in northeast and they are doing a good job in northeast. So, this is just an attempt to reach the people and to spread a message of harmony and peace and to showcase the spirit of Assam Rifles to the local people of northeast," said Captain Devadesh of Assam Rifles.

Earlier, the rally reached Guwahati from where it was flagged off by the Governor of Assam, J.B. Patnaik.

The rally will cover about 2500 Kilometers in a span of 20 days and will be flagged in on March 25 to mark its culmination at Shillong in India's northeastern Meghalaya state.

The unit can trace its lineage back to a paramilitary police force that was formed under the British in 1835 called Cachar Levy.

Assam Rifles now has 46 battalions, 15 of which are deployed along the Indo-Myanmar border. Each battalion comprises around 1,000 personnel. (ANI)

 

[RPK]

Army turns to HAL for 20 Cheetals in bid to plug chopper gap - Economy and Politics - livemint.com

Bangalore: After years of delays in finalizing a global tender for 197 new helicopters, the Indian Army has recently decided to buy 20 Cheetal helicopters from Bangalore-based military plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), three people familiar with the matter said.

The army had first floated a global tender for 197 advanced choppers in 2003 to replace its ageing fleet of Cheetahs and Chetaks, also from HAL and in use for at least three decades.

The Cheetal uses the same platform as the Cheetah, even if it has more powerful engines to take troops and weapons to higher altitude regions in the Himalayas and the North-East.

The purchase is the latest of several ad hoc defence deals India has struck in recent years to tide over delays to the army’s modernization plans, often a result of bureaucratic hurdles, cautious decision-making or corruption charges.

“Ad hoc purchases also means you are spending the money allocated for some other aircraft and not necessarily the full funds,” said Deba Ranjan Mohanty, senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a strategic think tank in New Delhi.

Each Cheetal costs about Rs25 crore. The estimated cost for the 197 choppers is nearly $1 billion (Rs4,500 crore).

A spokesman for the Indian Army did not respond to calls or emails sent early March.

The delay in the purchase of the 197 helicopters is because the army had to scrap the contract it had given to France-based Eurocopter SA after allegations of unfair trials by competitor Bell Helicopter, a division of Textron Inc. It floated a second tender in 2008.

“Delays mean using old aircraft on extended life, including training and operations,” said a defence ministry official, one of the three people mentioned earlier. “This will affect operational capabilities.” The official and the two other people familiar with the matter did not want to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the development.

“These ad hoc purchases will affect the modernization plans of the armed forces,” said Mohanty.

Nearly half the weapons in India’s military inventory are obsolete, accounting firm KPMG and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said in a report in January. The defence ministry has had to surrender 3-9% of its capital budget in the previous seven fiscal years as it couldn’t spend all the money allocated to it for weapon purchases, said the KPMG-CII report. India is expected to spend $100 billion (Rs4.5 trillion) by 2022 on buying new aircraft, helicopters, ships, tanks and missiles, it said.

Its most expensive purchase would be that of 126 jet fighters at an estimated $10 billion. Trials are now on for the fighters.

The development of Tejas, the light combat aircraft planned to replace the ageing MiG-21 fleet, has been delayed by at least five years. The government is also yet to finalize the upgradation of 51 Mirage 2000 fighters.

Last week, during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi, India agreed to buy 42 additional Sukhoi 30 MkI fighters. This is to fill gaps and beef up capacity of the Indian Air Force’s fighter squadrons. The air force is operating at least six squadrons below its sanctioned strength of 39.5 squadrons of 18 planes each.

Recently, India opted to buy 145 lightweight towed howitzer guns from BAE Systems Plc. after it had to scrap an earlier tender, in which the front runner Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd was blacklisted on charges of corruption.

When planned procurement processes get delayed and are “fast-tracked through ad-hoc purchases, it also means the model of open competition is also suffering,” said Ratan Shrivastava, director for aerospace and defence at researcher Frost and Sullivan. “You go in for whatever is available, which may not be an optimum solution.”

 

[RPK]

New Delhi, March 15 (IANS) Four Indian Army soldiers were killed and three injured during night firing practice of mortars at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan, an officer said Monday.
“The accident took place due to a barrel burst at around 8.45 p.m. Sunday. Four infantry soldiers operating the 81mm mortar were killed. Three others were injured and admitted to the military hospital in Jodhpur,” the officer told IANS, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media on the subject.

“A code of inquiry was ordered today (Monday),” he added.

The Indian Army’s field firing range at Pokhran is the biggest and one of the busiest in the country. It is spread over an area of 30-40 km. The effective range of am 81mm mortar is between three-four km.

Two years ago, three soldiers had died in a similar accident at the same firing range.

“Though the inquiry is yet to start, we suspect a defecct in the ammunition, which was manufactured and supplied by one of our ordnance factories,” the officer said.

Indian ordnance factories are the biggest suppliers of 81mm mortar, a lightweight weapon that can fire six to eight rounds per minute.



More at : Barrel burst kills four army soldiers in Rajasthan Barrel burst kills four army soldiers in Rajasthan

 

[RPK]

BSF Buys Thermal Detectors | India Defence Online


BSF Buys Thermal Detectors
India’s Border Security Force (BSF) and Paramilitary Forces will soon be equipped with 340 hand-held cooled thermal detector sights, in order to curb illicit arms and ammunition trade that occurs in the sensitive border areas of India.

India has placed an order to the tune of $10 million with the Indo-Israeli joint venture Alpha-ITL Electro-Optics for the supply of these high-tech hand-held cooled thermal detector sights, called “Drushti”. These detectors will be used by various commanders of the BSF and other paramilitary organisations to track movements across the border areas.
“Drushti” is a compact and light-weight night vision binocular for long-range ground observation and can scan an area within the range of 2-8 kilometres. The development of “Drushti” by the Indo-Israeli joint venture was achieved with significant contribution and expertise from both the sides. While the Indian side provided the optics, printed circuit boards, power system, video cards, software, eye piece assembly and outer casing, the Israeli firm Semi-Conductor Devices has contributed with the crucial ‘Coolant Dewar Detector.’

As for the salient features of “Drushti”, it weighs less than 3 kilograms, has a more powerful detector (320X256 InSb FPA) than the present one used by the Indian forces and has a reasonable price tag of only $26000. As for the current monocular devices used by the Indian forces, they have weak detectors, weigh 5 kilograms and came with a price tag of $40000, besides straining the eyes. The “Drushti” thermal imager can perform versatile roles with modifications, like operating as a tank sight, or as an aerial sight for helicopters.

Since India needs these crucial devices to secure border areas, the Indian government will be floating another tender to acquire 750 more thermal imagers. As of now, the “Drushti” thermal imagers are being tested by the BSF soldiers at night to scan in the hilly border areas.

 

[RPK]

Indian Army goes green on energy consumption | 18 March 2010 | www.commodityonline.com

NEW DELHI (Commodity Online): Indian armed forces are considering replacing dry and wet batteries with solar power as a part of a major initiative towards adopting energy efficiency and conservation in operations and cantonment complexes.

Disclosing the rationale of the initiative, Air Marshal D. Kukreja, Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, DCIDS (Operations), informed that the day was not far, when the Jawan treading up the Siachen glacier along with his platoon would not need to carry the heavy batteries; instead the Army is planning to replace dry and wet batteries with solar power packs.

In a seminar on ‘renewable energy for defence services’, Air Marshal Kukreja said that the three Services have completed an energy audit of few major installations. “At least one building in each Command would soon meet the GRIHA standards – Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment – A national rating system of India - and the ball has been set rolling by the engineer-in-chief’s branch,” he added.

World events analysis and how they affect Markets

The GRIHA, an acronym for the ‘Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment’, is an energy efficiency classification scale awarded to environment friendly buildings by The Energy Research Institute (TERI). GRIHA is also recognized by the union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for granting subsidies in registration and various other charges.

Defence Forces around the world being amongst the largest consumers of energy, it is imperative of them to optimize consumption of diesel and conventional energy sources, noted the Minister of State for Defence Dr MM Pallam Raju. “I can foresee that in the future we may have a treaty thrust upon us which may restrict our consumption of fossil fuels and thus put a cap on our growth and development,” said Raju, who is also the Chairman of the Task Force set up by the Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) to monitor the progress of the application of non-conventional and renewable energy in the military environment.

 

[sudhir007]

BEML Bags Rs.632 Cr. Order From Indian Defence Ministry

BEML, bagged an order for Rs.632 crore from India's Defence Ministry for supply of BEML Tatra variants.

The order comprises of supply of BEML Tatra variants of 498 8X8 ( used for tank transportation as well as personnel) , 278 6X6 ( high mobility vehicles used for GS role) with winch (for self recovery and loading of dead tanks on the trailor) and 12 6X6 vehicles without winch to the Indian army.

These 788 BEML Tatra vehicles have to be delivered to the Indian army within 18 months. The Defence ministry has made a 50% advance payment of Rs.315.83 crore to the company.

BEML Bags Rs.632 Cr. Order From Indian Defence Ministry

 

[Justin Joseph]

Indian Army goes green on energy consumption

NEW DELHI (Commodity Online): Indian armed forces are considering replacing dry and wet batteries with solar power as a part of a major initiative towards adopting energy efficiency and conservation in operations and cantonment complexes.

Disclosing the rationale of the initiative, Air Marshal D. Kukreja, Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, DCIDS (Operations), informed that the day was not far, when the Jawan treading up the Siachen glacier along with his platoon would not need to carry the heavy batteries; instead the Army is planning to replace dry and wet batteries with solar power packs.

In a seminar on ‘renewable energy for defence services’, Air Marshal Kukreja said that the three Services have completed an energy audit of few major installations. “At least one building in each Command would soon meet the GRIHA standards – Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment – A national rating system of India - and the ball has been set rolling by the engineer-in-chief’s branch,” he added.

World events analysis and how they affect Markets

The GRIHA, an acronym for the ‘Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment’, is an energy efficiency classification scale awarded to environment friendly buildings by The Energy Research Institute (TERI). GRIHA is also recognized by the union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for granting subsidies in registration and various other charges.

Defence Forces around the world being amongst the largest consumers of energy, it is imperative of them to optimize consumption of diesel and conventional energy sources, noted the Minister of State for Defence Dr MM Pallam Raju. “I can foresee that in the future we may have a treaty thrust upon us which may restrict our consumption of fossil fuels and thus put a cap on our growth and development,” said Raju, who is also the Chairman of the Task Force set up by the Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) to monitor the progress of the application of non-conventional and renewable energy in the military environment.

 

[Justin Joseph]

In the race: Bofors in new avatar

SUJAN DUTTA

New Delhi, March 21: For 22 years, the Bofors shadow stymied the army’s efforts to buy heavy artillery. But now the defence ministry has come out with a list of big guns that it says it is “in the process of buying”.

Topping the list of competitors is — no prizes for guessing — Bofors in a new avatar.

Also, the US government and BAE Land Systems have taken the edge over a rival Singaporean firm with the government confirming that the army was going to buy ultra-light howitzers through the Pentagon’s direct foreign military sales route, skirting competition.

The total artillery modernisation programme of the Indian Army could top Rs 70,000 crore over 10 years.

Sources in the defence ministry confirmed that the SWS Defence AB of Sweden, now owned by BAE Land Systems, is competing for an order of 400 towed 155mm/52 calibre howitzers.

This is the first official confirmation that the company is in the race, though its contest with Singaporean firm, ST Kinetics, was reported earlier. The defence ministry’s clarification follows loud but with whispered comments from within the armed forces that an intricate defence procurement policy and defence minister A.K. Antony’s promises of transparency were slowing down acquisitions.

SWS Defence’s FH77B05 and ST Kinetics’s iFH 2000 towed guns were to go into winter trials near Kargil last month.

But after ST Kinetics requested for a deferment of the trials because its gun was damaged during shipment, the tests are now put off for six months. The FH77B05 is an upgraded version of the Bofors 155mm/39 calibre guns that erupted into a scam in 1986. The guns were seen in action in the 1999 Kargil war.

In the category of towed howitzers, the army will buy 400 guns off the shelf. An additional 1,180 is to be made by the winner of the competition through technology transfer to India.

Apart from the towed guns, the army is in the process of buying heavy artillery in three other categories — 180 wheeled and 100 tracked self-propelled guns and 145 ultra light howitzers (of 155mm/39calibre).

Slovakian firm Konstrukta and German firm Rheinmetall are competing for the wheeled self-propelled guns. For the tracked ones, the government is still framing the technical specifications that will be detailed in the global tender, said sources in the ministry.

In the ultralight category, BAE Land Systems’ M777 and ST Kinetics’ Pegasus were in the race till last year when ST Kinetics was blacklisted by Antony following a CBI report on investigations into its relations with former ordnance factory board chief Sudipto Ghosh.

In December, the ministry said ST Kinetics and six other companies were still eligible to compete for orders but pending the investigation no contract would be awarded to them.

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Nation | In the race: Bofors in new avatar

 

[Justin Joseph]

Murmur in army over fast-track weapons purchases post-26/11
Josy Joseph / DNA

Monday, March 22, 2010 0:16 IST

New Delhi: Fast-track purchases for the army without competitive tendering after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks have come under government scanner following allegations that vested interests were trying to influence decision-making.
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Director-general (infantry) Lieutenant General Jasbir Singh, who was overseeing those purchases, besides several other big-ticket procurements for infantry units, was quietly moved out last week.

The official position is Singh had to be shifted out because he completed three years in Delhi. Lieutenant General SN Handa took over from him on March 13.

Sources in the defence establishment, however, said the decision was taken by army chief General Deepak Kapoor “in consultation” with his successor-designate Lieutenant General VK Singh after they were briefed about “vigorous efforts” to push through certain deals. VK Singh takes over as army chief on March 31.

The military top brass was also briefed about certain meetings of some senior officers in their official residences with representatives of arms companies. Such contacts are prohibited.

The sources did not say whether a formal investigation had been launched into purchases and tenders initiated by the infantry directorate. The army leadership could take a re-look at some of these purchases and tenders in the coming days, the sources added.

There were several inputs with the army leadership and the ministry of defence about strong efforts by the infantry directorate to “hastily” push through a host of purchases.

Those fast-track purchases were sanctioned after the 26/11 attacks, and were mostly meant to equip the Ghatak units.

Each of the infantry units of the Indian army has a Ghatak (lethal) unit which comprises about 20 soldiers trained as commandos for carrying out shock attacks on enemy positions and conducting ambushes.

Government sources said several other tenders of the directorate have come under scrutiny. Among them was the move to purchase a foreign rifle in place of the Insas (Indian small arms system) assault rifle, which is developed by the Ordnance Factory Board. The infantry directorate had also rejected the Insas carbine after several months of trial and without much explanation.

Murmur in army over fast-track weapons purchases post-26/11 - dnaindia.com

 

[jha]

have a go..


Soldier Technology India

 

[Justin Joseph]

Army to boost North Bengal infrastructure

Pinak Priya Bhattacharya, TNN, Mar 24, 2010, 02.02am IST

JALPAIGURI: In a bid to increase its presence along the Sino-Indian border in the northeast, the Indian Army is looking for land in the area to match the infrastructure developed by the Chinese in their territory. Accordingly, Army officers held a series of meetings with district officials in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri on key issues, beginning with an airbase at Bagrakote.

District officials have been asked to acquire land to strengthen the road network to the border in the entire east and the northeast. The plan will be taken up in a phased manner for the next 20 years.

First comes the widening of NH-31A connecting Sikkim with the rest of the country. The Army had decided to lay the road afresh for better mobility and also to prevent damage by recurrent landslides during rains. There is yet another proposal to construct a new road via Odlabari in the Dooars bypassing NH-31A. The proposed road will touch Gorubathan, Lava, Algara, Pedong, Rishi and Ranipur before it reaches Gangtok. This route is not prone to landslides and is also a shorter one to Sikkim. Besides, another road to Sikkim through Bhutan is under consideration.

"Look at the other side of the Sino-Indian border. China has built four-lane roads along the border on the other side of Nathu La. They have total road connectivity along the Sino-

Indian border and this has been a cause of concern for the Indian Army. The Army has thus decided to overhaul the road link. Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts are strategically very important for the Army," said a senior state government official.

Apart from developing the road links, the Army is also planning an air base at Bagrakote in Odlabari, spread over 400 acres. The new air base has been named Shaugaon Air Base. The Army has urged the Jalpaiguri administration to acquire about 300 acres. The remaining 100 acres is lying with the Army.

"We have asked the Army to deposit the money before we start the acquisition. Most of the land is vested and there are only 20-25 families that need to be compensated. The Army has conveyed it would deposit the money shortly. Once that is done, we will start the process of land acquisition," said a senior district administrative official.

In a meeting with the district administration, the Army has also sought for a piece of land to set up a modern armoury that can help them reinstate forces in exigency.

Army to boost North Bengal infrastructure - Kolkata - City - The Times of India