Indian Military Picture Thread

[Koovie]

CRPF

French Air Force M2000

 

[Echo_419]

CRPF

French Air Force M2000

Someone clearly has a lot of free time

 

[Unknowncommando]

The Arjun BLT (or Bridge Layer Tank) is a combat engineering vehicle, designed to carry, lay and retrieve an assault bridge. It was developed by DRDO. The reason this bridgelayer was developed, is because the current Indian AVLBs are not capable of supporting the Arjun MBTs, that are much heavier than the previous tanks, operated by the Indian Army. It is worth mentioning that to date there were no production orders on this armored bridgelayer.

This combat engineering vehicle is based on the Arjun main battle tank, which is in limited service with the Indian Army. The turret was replaced with a bridgelaying system. It can handle larger loads and uses cantilever type bridgelaying method, where bridge is laid horizontally. The main advantage of such design, is that it can not be observed some distance away by the enemy.

It is an MLC-70 class bridge, with a payload capacity of 70 t. It provides passage for wheeled or tracked military vehicles. It is also capable of supporting the lighter T-72 or T-90 main battle tanks, that are currently in service with the Indian Army.

The Arjun BLT can carry two types of bridges. A steel bridge can span a gap of 24 m, while aluminum bridge can span a gap of 26 m. The bridge can be recovered from either end. On travelling the bridge is carried in two halves one on top of the other. It is claimed that Arjun based armored bridgelayer is superior to the T-72 based units.

This armored bridgelayer has a crew of two, including driver and commander (bridge operator).

The Arjun BLT has the same level of cross-country mobility as the Arjun main battle tank. Vehicle is powered by a German MTU MB 838 Ka-501 turbocharged diesel engine, developing 1 400 hp.

Crew 2 men

#Dimensions and #weight

Weight (with bridge) 58.5 t
Length ~ 11 m
Hull length ~ 7 m
Width ~ 4 m
Height ~ 5 m

#Bridge

Load class MLC-70
Bridge length 24 / 26 m
Bridge payload 70 t
Construction time 4 ~ 5 minutes

#Mobility

Engine MTU MB 838 Ka-501 diesel
Engine power 1 400 hp
Maximum road speed ~ 70 km/h
Range ~ 450 km

#Maneuverability
Gradient 60%
Side slope 40%
Vertical step ~ 0.8 m
Trench ~ 2.3 m
Fording ~ 1.4 m

 

[Kaalapani]

[/quote]

E kahan se laya tu ne.

 

[Unknowncommando]

INDIAN ARMY QRT

SEA HARRIER PILOTS

LADAKH SCOUTS PATCH

INDIAN ARMY TROOPS SHOOTING PRACTICE WITH INSAS 1B1

IAF JAGS

CRPF TROOPER WITH X95

IAF JAG

 

[Juggernautjatt]

General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15 Corps Lt. Gen Gurmeet Singh along with local Muslims praying for peace during the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr at Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) Headquarters

 

[hkdas]

One of the rarest pictures, of Il-76 firing its guns.

India defence firm bags order from Ecuador

Indian security equipment manufacturer MKU on Monday said it has bagged an order to provide 40,000 pieces of body armour to Ecuador.
IANS | Jul 28, 2014, 08.10PM IST
NEW DELHI: Indian security equipment manufacturer MKU on Monday said it has bagged an order to provide 40,000 pieces of body armour to Ecuador, which is upgrading the protection ability of its police force.

"India is looked upon primarily as an importer of defence and security equipment. Orders like this will help in putting India on the export map of world class defence and security technology," said Manoj Gupta, chairman, MKU.

"It was about 15 years ago that India had imported body armour for Kargil. It makes everyone at MKU very proud that today we have achieved the technological excellence to export these from India."


According to the company, it had participated in a global tender in Ecuador for the contract. The Body Armour selected by the Interior Ministry, Ecuador had gone through extensive tests and field trials before being selected.

A delegation from Ecuador would be coming to India to hold discussions with the Indian Home Ministry for an memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a strategic alliance, according to Ecuador Interior Minister Sr. Jose Serrano Salgadoat.

MKU was setup in 1985 and till date has provided protection to over 1.5 million soldiers through its products.

The company has 25 years of experience in providing end-to-end solutions and project management in development and production of ballistic protection systems for aircraft, land vehicles, naval vessels and objects against blast waves, splinters and bullets.

The company is also a registered NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) supplier since 1993.

MKU has in its repository, over 1,000 protection solutions for more than 100 threats. Its products and solutions are used by over 230 forces spread across 100-plus countries including most of the member states of the European Union (EU).

The company is headquartered in Kanpur, India, and has manufacturing facilities in India and Germany.

The company is also in a process of setting up a state-of-the art plant for manufacture of sophisticated night vision devices in India.
India defence firm bags order from Ecuador - The Times of India

 

[hkdas]

THE GREAT INDIAN NUCLEAR SUBMARINE SAGA
May 17, 2014 · by defencyclopedia · in Military, Navy. ·


On 4th April 2012 , The Indian Navy commissioned the INS Chakra , an Akula II classnuclear submarine into their submarine fleet . It’s their only nuclear submarine in service . But that’s not what makes it special , nor does the fact that it’s the most advanced and powerful submarine in Asia , outside of Russia. What is special is , the way they obtained the submarine by cleverly finding a loophole in international laws. According to International Law , a country cannot sell or purchase a nuclear powered ship / submarine from another country . But the law never mentioned anything about a lease .



The old INS Chakra which was a Charlie class sub

The Indian Navy , like any other growing regional power , aspired to operate a nuclear attack submarine(SSN) . Their wish was fulfilled when they leased an oldCharlieclass sub from the Soviet Union from 1988-1991. But that sub had to be returned after 3 years according to the lease agreement. India didn’t actually have full access to the sub although it was under Indian command. The reactor and missile chambers were operated by the Russians and Indians weren’t given access to it and it also couldn’t be used in a war. This gave them a superficial nuclear submarine capability. There was no indigenous SSN being built in the near future. The breakup of the Soviet Union made leasing another submarine impossible as the Russian Navy was in disarray. But once things stabilized in Russia , and their shipbuilding yards started working in capacity , it came to India’s notice about the hulls of 2 Akula class SSNs which were lying unfinished at the Amur shipyard in Russia due to lack of funds to finish it’s construction. Seizing the opportunity , India paid an estimated 650 million $ for the completion of one of the hulls named Nerpa (K-152) after Russia offered the hulls to them. The final amount was said to be a total of 900 million $ for a 10 year contract. And the new Chakra could be used in a war. This is the news report. Now I’ll start with my analysis.


Chakra with its backup diesel generators smoking

Who on earth pays half the amount for the construction of a submarine and follows it up with lease payments totalling up to the entire cost of the submarine , if they are not planning to keep it. The actual cost of INS Chakra is said to be around 1.5 billion $. The Indians have already paid 900 million $ inclusive of the lease which is about 300 million $ for 10 years. The contract allows them to keep the sub from 2012 to 2022. And according to official reports , if it is returned back to Russia , India will never recover the cost of construction of the Chakra. Russia will greatly benefit from it. But since India is in no state to donate a nuclear submarine they paid for , they will be keeping it , under the pretext of ‘leasing’ it as the sale is prohibited. India will pay 300 million $ per decade for the next 2 decades to make the full payment of the entire cost of the sub , weapons and training. So 900 million $ at present + 300 + 300 million $ in the future will total 1.5 billion $ , the original cost of the sub. This being said , I strongly feel that Chakra will never enter service with the Russian Navy again and will be kept in the Indian Navy till the end of its useful life , under the disguise of a lease.



Chakra will never enter service with the Russian Navy again and will be kept in the Indian Navy till the end of its useful life



The other interesting thing is that the submarine is probably built according to Indian specifications , with 8 X 533 mm torpedo tubes instead of 650 mm ones. It has digital displays and systems in place of the analog ones. It has a capacity for 40 torpedoes and missiles which can be launched from the torpedo tubes. The Russian versions have the 3000 km range Granat cruise missile. But according to MTCR , such missiles can’t be exported and it is equipped with the 300 km range Klub-S Anti Ship Cruise missile and torpedoes. This gives it a formidable strike power , double that of existing Indian diesel subs. Chakra also has an escape pod mounted in the tail fin which will help the crew to escape in case of an emergency.



8 torpedo tubes and the loading bay(door open) of an Akula class is visible in Drydock.

Now that I’ve told you my analysis of the purchase , I’ll tell you about the reason why India went to such great lengths to procure a nuclear submarine. The Indian Navy has kept it no secret that it aspires to be a blue water navy in a couple of decades. Such a Navy requires ships which can travel large large distances and project enormous amount of power. The only ships that can do that are Aircraft carriers and Nuclear Submarines. India has already embarked on an ambitious plan to operate 3 carriers by 2025. The plan is well underway with the first carrier INS Vikramaditya being commissioned a few months ago. The second carrier INS Vikrant is under construction and is expected to join the fleet by 2020. The third carrier which is still on the drawing board is expected to begin construction in 2016 and enter service by 2025. A carrier is extremely vulnerable without powerful escorts on the surface and underwater. India has plenty of high tech surface escorts with long range , but it had no submarines which could accompany the carriers on long journeys. Only a nuclear submarine can do that job and do it well. Hence ,the navy planners decided that they must operate a minimum of 2 nuclear attack submarines by 2020 and the plan was drawn up to lease an Akula into their Navy and if possible , a second Akula.



INS Vikramaditya

The second Akula hull is called Iribis. Not much is known about its state presently , but it’s rumoured that India has paid for its construction too and will lease it in the coming years. It is said that India has a 2 billion $ deal for the construction and lease of both the submarines. This will be a shot in the arm to their underwater force which had been on a steady decline in the recent years. The developments are being kept top secret of course and it will be publicized only when the deal is secured. If the deal actually goes through , then the Indian Navy will become an extremely formidable force in the Indian Ocean region and countries like China will think twice before messing with them.



INS Chakra

So what exactly does this mean for the future of the Indian Navy ? Their carriers will become tools of massive power projection when they are coupled with nuclear submarines and stealthy new destroyers . India will have enough power to ensure the main shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean remain open even in the event of hostilities with another country . They will also get the INS Arihant which is a nuclear powered submarine built indigenously. It’s an SSBN designed to be an underwater ballistic missile carrier and launcher unlike Chakra which is a fighting submarine . This will give India a nuclear deterrence and it’s enemies will think twice before launching a nuclear attack . Chakra will allow India to tail enemy subs across oceans , trail enemy carriers and deter enemy subs during peacetime. During war , it’s role will be to destroy enemy submarines and surface warships either as a part of a carrier battle group , or operating alone as a hunter . Either way , it will change the balance of power in the Indian Ocean.
The Great Indian Nuclear Submarine Saga | Defencyclopedia

 

[Koovie]

One of the rarest pictures, of Il-76 firing its guns.

That one belongs to the RuAF.

Incredible to see that somebody still uses tail gunners

 

[Water Car Engineer]

This is a picture thread, not a news thread.

 

[Unknowncommando]

IA CBRN QRT

IA TROOPS

IAF PILOTS

ITBP TROOPS

 

[Unknowncommando]

Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30MKI in firing a Kh-29 Air-to-Surface missile...

Selfie by Tejas Pilot..

MIG 29

 

[Unknowncommando]

IAF BIRDS

 

[Unknowncommando]

more IAF BIRDS

 

[Unknowncommando]

IAF BIRDS