Indian Army News & Discussions

[DeathInvader]

any idea on which carbines and rifles will India opt for.......! Please dont tell me tavor......

 

[xebex]

any idea on which carbines and rifles will India opt for.......! Please dont tell me tavor......

"TAVOR".....just kidding.. I dont know either man.

 

[DeathInvader]

Phew!
i was unnecessarily under the impression that the Officer and Men of Pakistan Army in particular and the Armed Forces in general are the most privileged lot on earth.
Thnx!

this privileges even apply for jawan except that they are not given flats....

 

[Xeric]

this privileges even apply for jawan except that they are not given flats....

We have started giving plots to the jawans also

 

[beckham]

This video show the cabrine (not sure) and the guy says sumthng about 6.8 cal ! Any idea ?

 

[beckham]

Paying 1.5 for getting into army is justified. The government of India has given so many privileges to the Indian Soldiers that despite an average pay, people are tempted to join the army. At an officers post the Indian army is given government flats, pensions, reservation, free traveling across the country in public transports, reservations for their children in school and colleges, also a huge pension plan after retirement....The Officer is allowed to do another job after retirement and the pensions would still be given......!
This doesn't affect national security a much because even after they are recruited they undergo rigorous training! Still an unfit man cant be allowed to stay in the army!

And dont forget about liqour quota !!

 

[RPK]

Army Chief in US, defence cooperation, AF/PAK to top agenda

Washington (PTI): A range of strategic issues, including America's AF/PAK policy, the regional security situation and Indo-US defence cooperation will top the agenda of Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor who arrived here on Monday on a week-long visit to the United States.

During his first trip to the US as army chief, Gen Kapoor is expected to hold discussions with senior US military and civilian defence hierarchy.

Among the top Pentagon officials he will meet are Chairman of the Joint Chiefs the Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, his counterpart in the US Army Gen George W Casey and Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

The two sides are expected to deliberate on contemporary strategic issues, including US AF/PAK policy and regional security situation. The discussions will also delve on the Indo-US defence cooperation, including joint training and exercises, exchanges and military equipment cooperation.

Gen Kapoor will be visiting important training institutions and operational headquarters to get a glimpse of the organisation, doctrinal concepts and training facilities for operational deployment of US Army in a global framework.

He will be touring the CENTCOM headquarters in Florida to hold discussions with its top generals about the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Indian Army Chief is scheduled to visit Fort Bragg in North Carolina -- America's most combat ready and active military installations. It is home to the 82nd Airborne Division and the US Army Special Operations Command.

Besides visiting Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, known as the intellectual centre of the US Army, he will also take a tour of the National Training Center of the US Army in Fort Irwin in California.

The visit comes at a time when Indo-US bilateral relations are on an upswing and there is a consensus from both sides to take the strategic partnership to a higher level for synergised efforts to combat global terrorism and to bring peace and stability in the region, Indian officials said.

The Indian army chief's tour coincides with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's five-day visit to India.

 

[EjazR]

A first: Women all set to guard borders
The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News

Punjab (Hoshiarpur), July 25
History was created when the Border Security Force (BSF) inducted the first batch of women constables, who will be deployed in a combat role on the international border.

This is the first time in India that women are being deployed in such a role in parity with their male comrades after undergoing 36-week rigorous training. As many as 178 constables presented a perfect march past in front of Home Minister P Chidambaram at the BSF training camp here today.

The relatives, too, could be seen hugging each other, as the girls took the last step towards achieving their long-cherished goal. In a country where society still frowns and discourages girls from embracing a hard life, the large turnout of family members and friends took even the organisers by surprise.

BSF officers said the constables had been trained in weaponry and all other duties that a general duty male constable did and their resilience during the long and arduous course was commendable.

They would be deployed along the 553-km-long Punjab border with Pakistan. Their primary role would be to search and frisk womenfolk going across the fencing to work with their male members in tilling their lands.

By inducting women constables, a long-pending demand of people of the border areas has been met since they resented the frisking of their womenfolk by male border guards.

If need be, the services of these constables will also be used on internal security duties and counter-insurgency roles being performed by the BSF, the officials added.

 

[a1b2c145]

look at the big eyes~~~~~~

 

[ejaz007]

Army struggles to stay fighting fit
Anubha Bhonsle & Vishal Thapar / CNN-IBN

Published on Sun, Jul 26, 2009 at 22:52, Updated on Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 07:42 in India section

TAKING A BULLET FOR YOU: The Indian Army soldier urgently needs foolproof bulletproof jackets.

Young soldiers trekked up the heights of Kargil 10 years ago and won a war for India. It was a miracle-- those soldiers were ill equipped and it was their guts and grit that won the war.

Five years after the Kargil war was won the Indian Army was battling with the Government for better bulletproof jackets. CNN-IBN has copies of letters written by the Rashtriya Rifles and Headquarters Quarters 16 Corps dating as far back as 2004 for better bulletproof jackets.

Soldiers complain their bulletproof jackets are heavy, cumbersome and sag towards the front, thus leaving upper parts of the chest, shoulder and neck exposed.

Even with the protective gear the Army says it has suffered fatal casualties: 28 per cent of its men died taking shots in the chest region, 11 per cent in the head and almost 14 per cent died because their face and neck region was exposed.

Most bulletproof jackets used by the Army are more than 15 years old and weigh about 10 kg. The market has jackets that weigh just about 6 kg and give high levels of protection.

“When India can send a satellite to the moon, I see no reason why we cannot get bulletproof jackets for our soldiers,” says General (retd.) V P Malik, who was Army chief during the Kargil conflict. “There is a (bulletproof jacket) shortage of almost about 40-50 per cent in the Indian Army. This is more in account of our production agencies not being able to get right quality and right quantity to the armed forces.”

Barring a few emergency purchases, the Army has struggled to get new bulletproof jackets for more than 10 years now. In 1998, the Army first put out a requirement for bulletproof jackets to counter weapons like a 9-mm carbine.

That requirement was modified in 2001 to include protection from more sophisticated weapons--like the AK47 gun--the enemy was using. Now eight years later in the light of fresh threat perceptions, the Army is thinking afresh.

Private companies, like the Tatas, believe they have the skills and the infrastructure to make a bulletproof jacket that suits specific needs of various combat operations. Hemant Acharya, COO of Tata Advanced Materials, says his company can manufacture bulletproof jackets based on the Army’s needs.

“One has to clear about the ammunition it has to protect against (and) which part of the body. One should also be clear what one is willing to pay for it,” says Acharya.

The procedure is such that even if the Army was to make up its mind tomorrow and due processes followed, it could be years before the solider on the ground gets to wear the bulletproof jacket he needs.

Bofors shadow

Bulletproof jackets or artillery guns the Indian Army's modernization drive has been stopped dead in its tracks by the phobia created by Bofors scandal.


:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::

 

[Mig-29]

Indian Army short of officers: Indian Defence Minister


The Indian Army is short of over 11,387 officers, Defence Minister A K Antony told the Lok Sabha today.While the Navy was short of 1,512 officers, the shortage in the Air Force was 1,400, he said in a written reply.However, there is no significant shortage of Personnel Below Officer Ranks (PBORs) in the Armed Forces and nearly a lakh joined the army in that category in the last three years.As many as 5,033 officers and 96,453 PBORs joined the Army in the last three years while 1,209 officers and 6,792 PBORs were enrolled by the Navy during the same period. As many as 1,451 officers and 21,311 PBORs joined the Air Force in the last three years, Antony said.During the last three years and in the current year, 3,764 officers and 27,477 PBORs of Army, 842 officers and 126 PBORs of Navy and 893 officers and 3,961 PBORs of Air Force have sought discharge/voluntary retirement, he said.Listing the steps taken to motivate the service personnel to continue in service and attract youth to join Armed Forces, Antony said all officers including those in Short Service Commission (SSC) were now eligible to hold substantive rank of Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel after two, six and 13 years of reckonable service respectively.The tenure of SSC officers has been increased from 10 years to 14 years, he said.Antony said 750 posts of Lt Colonel have been upgraded to Colonel after implementation of A V Singh Committee Report.He said 1,896 additional posts in the ranks of Colonel, Brigadier, Major General and Lieutenant General and their equivalent in the two other services have also been upgraded."The implementation of recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission with substantial improvements in the pay structure of officers of Armed Forces, will go a long way in making the services more attractive," Antony said.The A V Singh Committee was set up in 2001 by the government with an aim to achieve "combat effectiveness" by bringing down the age profile of battalion/brigade level commanders.

ASIAN DEFENCE: Indian Army short of officers: Indian Defence Minister

 

[Mig-29]

T-72 tanks moved to remote Sikkim area after China tests Indian defences


Chinese moves to test Indian control of the strategic Finger Area in North Sikkim last year have prompted the Army to deploy heavy tanks and armoured personnel carriers in the region and strengthen defensive positions.

In fact, the highest gallantry award to a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel was conferred to a dozer operator, Zalim Singh, who cleared a strategic road near Theing village — he was decorated with a Bar to Shaurya Chakra — for a column of advancing tanks.

While the Army brought armoured vehicles to the North Sikkim plateau in the late 1980s, the small detachment has now been replaced by the heavier and more powerful T-72 Main Battle Tanks and modern BMP troop carriers.

Sources said the mobilisation took place after repeated Chinese transgressions last year in the Finger Area, a one kilometre stretch of land in the northern tip of Sikkim that overlooks a valley called the Sora Funnel and is considered a strong defensive position.

T-72 tanks moved to remote Sikkim area after China tests Indian defences

 

[Mig-29]

Indian Army is considering induction Akash SAM


The Army has finally said yes to the Akash area air defence missile system. It recently expressed interest in acquiring the 30-km range missile to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).The Army's wishlist also includes a surface-to-air 50-km range missile and a low-level quick reaction missile for ranges less than 15 km.

But the requests for these two have not been finalised yet.The Army was engaged in a battle with the Indian Air Force (IAF) over acquiring the 50-km range missile. The IAF had said they needed the missile as they, unlike the Army, had to defend air space.But now, the Army has told the DRDO that "we are considering induction" (of the Akash missile system). C.K. Prahlada, chief controller at the DRDO, said: "We are grateful to the Army for this decision. In fact, Akash was developed keeping the Army in mind. I have assured them a world-class missile." The DRDO has said they'd deliver the missiles within two years from the date of the order.

"It will be to the Army's specifications and at a delivery rate of its choosing. We shall provide services for upgradation and product support," Prahlada said.The DRDO is interested in bidding for the low-level quick reaction missile that the Army needs, but it cannot pitch Trishul missile as its range is only 9 km. "We will have to develop a missile for a range of 12 km," he added.The DRDO is also happy that the two radars of the Akash missile system are generating a lot of business for the Indian indigenous industries.

ASIAN DEFENCE: Indian Army is considering induction Akash SAM

 

[Mig-29]

Armed forces to get more snoop-power


NEW DELHI: Defence ministry has approved another major induction of spy drones or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) for armed forces, with
surveillance and intelligence-gathering missions becoming critical on the western and eastern fronts as well as along the huge coastline. Army, for instance, is going in for two more “troops” (6-8 birds each) of advanced Heron UAVs from Israel for
Rs 1,118 crore after getting the nod from the Defence Acquisitions Council headed by defence minister A K Antony.

The 1.13-million strong force has also projected a requirement of seven “troops” of the Rustom drones being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation and Aeronautical Development Establishment in a Rs 1,000 crore project with Israeli help.

As a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) drone, Rustom will be capable of operating for 24 hours, with a 300-km range and a 10,000-metre maximum altitude. Army, of course, is already inducting the indigenous Nishant and Lakshya UAVs.

Similarly, Navy’s case for two more Israeli UAVs at a cost of Rs 386 crore has also been approved, in addition to the ongoing Rs 1,163 crore joint project between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and DRDO for NRUAVs (naval rotary UAVs).

Navy is already using its UAV fleet of eight Searcher-II and four Herons for maritime surveillance up to 200 nautical miles. “To be operated from warship decks, the NRUAVs will further extend the surveillance out at sea,” said an official.

Moreover, as reported earlier, Army also wants to induct a “large number” of man-portable “mini” and “micro” UAVs for short-range surveillance and NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) detection in the battlefield.

With Army planning to induct these miniature spy drones right down to the battalion-level by 2017, it’s keen they also be capable of carrying explosives for “hard kill” of “light targets”.

Apart from regular infantry units, Para (Special Forces) battalions will also get these “stealthy” drones for covert missions beyond enemy lines and counter-terrorism operations. The armed forces had gone in for a major infusion of Israeli UAVs after the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2002 Operation Parakram in the wake of Parliament terror attack.

At present, they have over 100 UAVs, primarily Israeli ones like Searcher-II and Heron, as also some “killer drones” designed to detect and destroy enemy radars by functioning like cruise missiles. While the aim in the 11th Plan (2007-2012) period is to also induct armed drones like the American ‘Predators’, which are being successfully used to take on Taliban in ****** region with their ‘Hellfire’ missiles, the eventual objective is to have full-fledged UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles). The plan, as of now, is to further boost the snooping capabilities of armed forces as well as fully-integrate UAVs with weapon platforms for delivering precision-guided munitions.

Armed forces to get more snoop-power - India - NEWS - The Times of India

 

[Mig-29]

Armed forces to induct 800 choppers in next few years


NEW DELHI: Supersonic fighter jets may grab all the eyeballs. But it's also raining helicopters for armed forces, who want to induct as many as
800 "rotary-wing birds" over the next few years at a cost of well over Rs 20,000 crore.

Yet another helicopter deal was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security on Tuesday evening, with the around Rs 950 crore acquisition of five Russian Kamov-31 early-warning helicopters getting the final nod, said sources.

The contract for Ka-31s, which will bolster Navy's long-range capability to detect airborne and surface ship threats, is to be inked in a month or so.

With the E-801M Oko (Eye) airborne electronic warfare radar mounted beneath the fuselage, a Ka-31 can simultaneously track up to 40 airborne and surface threats, with a 360 degree coverage, from 100 to 200 km away depending on the target's size.

Navy already has nine Ka-31 helicopters, inducted in 2003-2004, which operate from its solitary aircraft carrier INS Viraat and three Talwar-class "stealthy" guided-missile frigates as well as shore-based air stations.

Of the 800 new choppers, around half will come from foreign aviation majors. The different projects are:

VVIP: The multi-million dollar deal to acquire 12 VVIP helicopters, with self-protection suites to tackle hostile missiles and other threats, has been finalised with Italian aviation major AgustaWestland for its three-engine AW-101 choppers.

Multi-Role: Navy is hunting for multi-role helicopters (MRHs), armed with cruise missiles and lightweight torpedoes for advanced anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Though the tender has been floated for only 16 choppers as of now, Navy wants around 60 MRHs eventually. Capable of ferrying 15 soldiers and being refuelled in mid-air, each such 10-tonne helicopter will come for around Rs 110 crore.

Light Utility: India has sought bids from six foreign firms to supply 197 `light utility and observation' helicopters (LUHs), in a Rs 3,000 crore project, to service Siachen, Kargil and other high-altitude areas.

Another 187 such choppers will be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd by 2016-2017 to fulfil overall requirement of 384 LUHs for Army (259) and IAF (125) to replace the ageing Cheetah and Chetak fleets.

Attack Helicopters: IAF has re-launched its hunt for 22 lethal attack helicopters to add to its feet of Mi-35 gunships. It wants these gunships to be highly-agile, have good armour protection and a 20mm calibre turret gun, as also be capable of firing 70mm rockets with a 1.2-km range and missiles with at least 7-km range.

Medium-Lift: IAF will induct 80 Russian Mi-17 V-5 helicopters during 2010-2014 under a $1.2 billion deal already inked in December 2008. Weaponised for combat operations, the Mi-17s will ferry troops and supplies to even high-altitude areas.

ALH: HAL is already manufacturing `Dhruv' Advanced Light Helicopters, with 168 of them to be inducted into Army and IAF by 2013-2014. Incidentally, the 145 Army ALHs came for Rs 11,237 crore, with CAG criticising the deals since the choppers have "technological gaps".

LCH: HAL is also developing the 5.5-tonne twin-engine Light Combat Helicopter. IAF has projected an initial requirement for 65 LCHs, armed with a 20mm turret twin-barrel gun, cluster bombs, rocket pods as well as missiles.

Armed forces to induct 800 choppers in next few years - India - NEWS - The Times of India