Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta Spells Out Vision 2022

[nitesh]

This news comes close to the indigenous carrier being commissioned

http://www.defence.pk/forums/indian...o-russian-relationship-thread.html#post199821

so it will carry the NLCA and the MiG29K both.

 

[nitesh]

MiG29k deliveries to begin next year: Russian official

New Delhi, Sept 29: Russia will start next year the delivery of MiG-29k fighter jets for the aircraft carrier Admiral Goroshkov which India is in the process of acquiring from Moscow.

"We plan to begin delivery of MiG29k aircraft by spring next year," Mikhail T Globenko, India Director of Russian Aircraft Corporation-MiG told reporters in New Delhi.

He said the delivery will be in batches of four aircraft and Russian plans to dispatch all aircraft by autumn.

Under the 2004 contract for the acquisition of Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, India is to receive 12 single-seater MiG-29K and four two-seater MiG-29KUB with an option of ordering additional 30 fighters by 2015.

Globenko said training of Indian fighter pilots on MiG29k fighter jets has already commenced in Russia and engineers and technicians are also getting acquainted with the aircraft.

India can join in the design and development of twin seater fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), being built by the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), UAC President Alexey I Fedorov said.

He said Russia is building the single seater FGFA, which is expected to make its maiden flight next year.

Fedorov rubbished reports that Russia has hiked the price of the MiG-29k aircraft it has offered to India.

"MiG-29k price has not undergone any change," he said.

Bureau Report

Zee News - MiG29k deliveries

 

[nitesh]

Russia to release `interim` funds for Gorshkov refit

New Delhi, Sept 29: Breaking the Gorshkov price negotiation deadlock with India, Russia on Monday agreed to pump in funds into the aircraft carrier's refit programme as an interim measure, even as the two sides decided to extend their inter-governmental commission's tenure till 2020.

Under this arrangement, Russia would release USD 250 million to its Sevmash Shipyard for the repair of the aircraft carrier, which India bought in 2004 and renamed it INS Vikramaditya, Defence Ministry sources said in New Delhi.

A decision to this effect was taken at the 8th Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) for Military and Technical Cooperation meeting, jointly chaired by Indian Defence Minister A K Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov here.

The two sides also agreed to wait for the Union Cabinet's approval to the additional cost of the refit programme before returning to the discussion table for the price negotiations.

"Moscow has agreed to invest money on Gorshkov refit and has reiterated its demand for additional USD 1.2 billion to meet escalating costs of the repairs," sources said.

New Delhi had signed an USD 1.5 billion deal with Moscow for the ship and its air complement of 16 MiG-29Ks in 2004. The aircraft carrier alone cost USD 974 million.

Later, Russians made an additional demand for USD 1.2 billion for completing the work and delivering the ship to India. Consequently, the delivery of the aircraft was further delayed and the two sides have agreed to its rescheduled induction into the Indian Navy in 2012 instead of 2009.

Bureau Report
Zee News - Russia to release `interim` funds for Gorshkov refit

 

[nitesh]

Navy?s training centre inches closer to reality-Ahmedabad-Cities-The Times of India

Navy’s training centre inches closer to reality
30 Sep 2008, 0456 hrs IST, Anand McNair,TNN

GANDHINAGAR: The Indian Navy’s proposed plan to set up a ship training centre at Marine National Park and Sanctuary, extending from Jamnagar coast to islands in the Gulf of Kutch, inched closer to reality after it recently got a nod in principle from Union environment ministry.

Indian Navy has to get approval of Central Empowered Committee set up by Supreme Court, official sources told TOI. The ministry recently agreed in principle to regularise the INS Valsura’s training centre at a small area of 0.41 hectares (4,100 sq mt) near Rozi port, having rejected the request on earlier occasions. This training centre has been operational here for sometime, official sources said.

Marine National Park and Sanctuary, set up in 1980, and marine forests spread in an area over 900 sq kms, support an amazing array of marine life and bio-diversity and a variety of habitats. The area is rich in coral reefs, mangroves, mudflats, creeks, estuaries etc. where major species found are sponges, corals, jelly fish, sea horse, octopus, oyster, pearl oyster, starfish, lobster, dolphin, dugong and waterfowls.

Indian Navy wanted to regularise the training centre but it’s request was rejected by the Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) on the ground that it would damage marine life. However, Union ministry agreed to the Navy’s request when Gujarat government did not raise any objection to the move and assured steps would be taken to ensure marine life and mangrove forests are not adversely affected.

As far as Gujarat government was concerned, it has given its opinion on the issue. Now it is up to the Indian Navy how fast it can expedite clearance to the project by getting required approval from the Central Empowered Committee, the sources said. The Indian Navy officials were unavailable for comments on the issue.

 

[nitesh]

Admiral Sureesh Mehta, the Chairman, Chief of Staff Committee and the Chief of the Naval Staff, formally unveiled the 'Joint Doctrine for Special Forces Operations', here today, authored by HQ Integrated Defence Staffs, Doctrine Branch. The function was attended by the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee Lieutenant General HS Lidder and a number of distinguished inter-service officers.

The necessity for bringing out this latest doctrine has been mooted by current global trends where such integrated forces have operated jointly in numerous highly sensitive situations. The Special Forces of every nation are potent force multipliers. To recall India's own experience, during the latter part of the 80's, its Army and the Naval Special Forces were employed in operations conducted in Sri Lanka as part of the IPKF, while, to a limited extent, the Army and the IAF were also involved in the Maldives where they went in at the request of its government in distress.

Besides synergy and jointness amongst the three Services, all future wars or conflicts will demand the Special Forces to play an increasingly dominant role at all levels of war, be it strategic, operational or tactical. Therefore, the bringing. out of this Special Forces doctrine has been most timely and apt. Not only is it visually most appealing, it consists of an introductory and information packed nine chapters. The former provides the basic information of the respective Special Forces of the three Services that is the Para Special Forces of the Army, the Marine Commandos or MARCOS of the Navy and the Garuds of the Air Force.

Subsequent chapters cover the operational environment in which the Special Forces are likely to operate. They highlight the organisational set up and special characteristics of the Special Forces, which make them ideally suited for varied role across the entire spectrum of conflict, that is from strategic and operational level tasks to unconventional warfare and counter insurgency / counter terrorism tasks. The Doctrine also charts out the ideal command and control organisation necessary for Joint Special Forces tasking, joint planning aspects at theatre level, including operational, environmental and intelligence requirements. It has also briefly covered, apart from the aspects of detailed planning, conduct of rehearsals and integration of Special Forces in the overall theatre plans. The doctrine emphasises the need for providing timely, wholesome and accurate intelligence, fire support by attack helicopters, naval gunfire, artillery, precision guided munitions and rockets for the successful conduct of special operations. The Doctrine also highlights the importance of various aspects of joint training to achieve greater cohesion and understanding necessary for conducting joint special operations.
PIB Press Release

 

[nitesh]

India Today - India?s most widely read magazine.

N-submarine, what N-submarine?
Sandeep Unnithan
New Delhi, September 30, 2008

Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov allowed a smile to crease his grim visage just once during his joint press conference with his Indian counterpart A K Antony on Monday. It wasn’t a joke. It was a reporter’s question about ‘speculative reports’ in the Indian media about the impending lease of a Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine.

“A lot of things are being discussed in the media, but we don’t know what it is,” was Serdyukov’s pithy reply. The fact is that the Nerpa, (to be commissioned as the INS Chakra) has begun sea trials in the Russian far eastern shipyard of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in June this year.

Next month, a first batch of Indian crew are to board the submarine as she begins her sea trials in the Pacific Ocean off Vladivostok. The reluctance of either India or Russia to acknowledge the existence of the submarine, by now the worst kept secret, is a mystery.

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since both India and Russia signed a secret deal in 2004 for leasing the submarine-- the thought of India being allowed to conduct legitimate nuclear trade without signing the NPT would have been laughed at and energy prices had not made Russia the assertive power it is today.

The lease is also not without precedent—the former Soviet Union leased an older N-sub on a three-year lease in 1987. The United States, the only power capable of creating a fuss over the lease, knows about the project but is yet to officially comment.

Analysts say the US couldn’t care less as long as it helped India contain a rising China which has embarked on a massive post-Cold War expansion of its underwater arm.

Both India and Russia, however, continue to hold on to the secrecy clause they signed with the contract . An Indian defence ministry official gives it a Harry Potter-esque moniker, ‘the project we do not speak about’.

The Russian version of ‘Project India’ is undoubtedly a translated version of the same. Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta was the first to speak about the project when he stated last year that it was being leased to train Indian crews to man the indigenous nuclear submarine, the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) currently building at Visakhapatnam. The Chakra is due for commissioning by August 15 next year. Too early to tell if Serdyukov will be at the press conference then.

 

[nitesh]

expect some delay

RIA Novosti - Russia - Russia to start MiG fighter deliveries to India in spring 2009


NEW DELHI, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will start deliveries of MiG-29K Fulcrum-D carrier fighters to India in the spring of 2009, the aircraft manufacturer's marketing director said Monday. (MiG-29 K/KUB fighters for India - Image gallery)

Russia and India signed a contract on January 20, 2004, stipulating the delivery of 12 single-seat MiG-29K and four two-seat MiG-29KUB by 2009, to be deployed on the Admiral Gorshkov, currently being retrofitted in Russia for the Indian Navy.

"The first four MiG-29K aircraft will be delivered to India in the spring of 2009," Mikhail Globenko said, adding that the remaining 12 jets would be delivered "by the fall."

The MiG official said there was an option in the contract to supply an additional 30 fighters by 2015 and the company was in talks with the Indian navy on exercising this option.

"We are ready [to exercise this option] and it all now depends on the Indian side," Globenko said.

He also said that Indian pilots started Monday a five-month training course for MiG-29K in Russia and technical personnel had already been training in Russia for two months.

"By the time the first aircraft arrive in India, their pilots and technicians will be ready," the Russian official said.

 

[nitesh]

The Hindu : National : India enhances anti-submarine warfare capability

India enhances anti-submarine warfare capability

S. Anandan
Kochi: Even as Pakistan prides itself as the first South Asian country to commission into service a diesel-electric submarine, PNS Hamza, which has an air-independent propulsion system, India is on the threshold of perfecting its indigenous state-of-the-art underwater surveillance mechanism as part of its Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) programme.

Nagan, the low frequency active-cum-passive towed array sonar system developed by the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi, with support from industrial partners such as Bharat Electronics (BE), Larsen and Toubro (L&T), Uniflex Cables and Keltron, is in the advanced stage of user evaluation trials.

Presently, the Navy operates passive only towed array sonar system from Thales (France) onboard a few platforms such as INS Mumbai, a Delhi-class guided missile destroyer.

“Nagan marks a major technological breakthrough as it is capable of long-range detection. It is meant for fitment onboard surface ships,” NPOL Director S. Ananthanarayanan told The Hindu. The NPOL, along with the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam, had earlier developed Maareech, an anti-torpedo system with towed and expendable decoys. The Hindu has learnt that the Navy has already placed orders with BE for three torpedo defence systems that would be installed on ships at the Mazagaon Dock Limited.

Nagan, however, is a more complex system. “Towed array sonar system consists of a sensor array that is towed behind a submarine or surface ship. It is basically a long array of hydrophones that is trailed behind the ship using a long cable when deployed. The hydrophones are placed at equal distance on the array. This sonar is much more effective in detecting and classifying the vessels being tracked at variable depths, as noise due to turbulence of own-ship propulsion will not corrupt the signals received from the target,” said Mr. Ananthanarayanan.

“Anti-submarine warfare addresses the technological challenges of detecting quieter targets in increasingly noisy environment and the issues of detection and decoying of torpedoes. Development of passive towed array sonars during the last two decades has increased detection ranges against relatively silent submarines by an order of magnitude over the ranges obtained by the commonly used hull-mounted active sonars. Indigenous development of towed arrays over the past two decades has led to substantial competence build-up and growth of several Indian industries, in the field of electro-hydraulic winches, high density underwater connectors, electro-opto-mechanical tow cables, acoustic sensors, electronic cabinets, high performance polymer strength members and the like.”

Challenges in towed array systems lie in the deployment and retrieval of array and the understanding of the dynamic interplay of oceanic conditions and tactical scenarios. Snapping of fibre optic cable because of hydrodynamic drag and excessive deployment, and retrieval time had been major issues in the initial stages. Those, however, have been overcome.

Nagan was tested on board an offshore patrol vessel and the trials were successful.

 

[Contrarian]

Nagan is something indeed to be proud of. The first indegenous towed sonar array. If it turns out to be competitive, it would be fit on all pricipal ASW combatants of the Navy.

 

[nitesh]

good move

Indigenous AIP submarine in 4 to 5 years: DRDO-India-The Times of India

The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) hopes to develop an indigenous Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) submarine in four to five
years, chief controller, Research and Development, Dr A Sivathanu Pillai has said.

Research and development work was going on at the DRDO Naval Material Research Laboratory (NMRL) in Mumbai to develop hydrogen-based fuel cells for the diesel-powered submarines, Dr Pillai told mediapersons.

"NMRL already has developed number of fuel cells," Pillai, who was at Trikkakara near here in connection with a national symposium at the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), said.

Diesel power submarines will have to surface everyday for air, while the hydrogen based technology is new and presently not operational anywhere in the world. "It is being developed by one or two countries. We are also going to develop that technology and that will be installed in the diesel submarines," he said.

The hydrogen based technology could enable submarines operate for long duration, may be 20 to 25 days under water, he said.

To a query, he said while Pakistan got AIP developed by France last month under the deal to purchase the Agosta submarines, India would be able to develop the technology indigenously.

India may also go in for AIP system from France or some other countries for the six submarines that are being constructed at Mazgaon. "But, we are not interested in that system and want a better system that is based on hydrogen," Pillai said.

 

[nitesh]

Kochi, Oct 03: The Indian Navy is in a "comparatively envious position" of sourcing almost 60 to 70 per cent of equipment from indigenous sources and the trend is destined to grow further in the future, a senior naval officer said today.

"The road to self-reliance has been strewn with many obstacles but close cooperation and interaction between the designing agencies and the user has successfully overcome all hurdles," Vice Admiral Sunil K Damle, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, said.

He was inaugurating a two-day national symposium on 'Towed Array Sonar Systems: Engineering and Technology' as part of the DRDO's Golden Jubilee Celebrations, at the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) here.

The navy has been consistently encouraging DRDO in indigenous research and development with its commitment to induction of Indian-designed and built systems in preference to imports, he said.

Pointing out that the hull-mounted sonars developed by NPOL and produced by Bhart Electronics Ltd, have been inducted on various naval ships and submarines in the last two decades, he said, however, "progress on development of our own low frequency sonar has been relatively slow by comparison and it is here that the challenge of the future truly lies."

In his keynote address, A Sivathanu Pillai, Chief Controller, Research and Development, DRDO, asked Kerala industrialists to make use of the offset policy of the Centre to increase indigenous defence production.

"Developments are taking place and we are in a very competitive world. Unless we come upto the stage of competitiveness in the world level, our survival will be difficult," he said.
Zee News - Navy`s indigenous defence prog to grow further: Officer

 

[Marshal]

Indian Navy Invites Private Sector to Participate in Defense Information Technology
Indian Navy Invites Private Sector to Participate in Defense Information Technology | India Defence
Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta today called upon the Indian private industry to join hands with the armed forces on a formal platform in the Information Technology sector, which is increasingly relegating other conventional forms of warfare to the sidelines.

Inaugurating the two-day Naval Symposium on Information Systems (NAVSIS) organised jointly by the Navy and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here, Mehta said the industry could help complement the Navy's IT needs by providing a good mix of security policy and up-to-date technology. "This is an opportunity for the Indian industry, as the Navy was already implementing a number of projects that incorporate latest concepts and technology," he added.

According to Mehta, the Indian Navy aimed to leverage the power of IT and achieve net-centricity through collaborative integration and a strategic partnership with the industry.

"This was specially important as a number of projects are being implemented and there is need to benchmark these as per prevalent international standards," he added. Mehta also released a Technical Journal and inaugurated an exhibition on Information Systems on the occasion.

Earlier, CII National Committee on IT and ITES Ajai Chowdhry expressed optimism that the on-going IT drive initiative by the Navy would open more business opportunities for the Indian industry.

 

[nitesh]

LiveFist: EXCLUSIVE: The Chetak UAV inside/out

A contract between Israel Aerospace Industries Malat (IAI Malat) and HAL is currently pending final approval for the business terms and number of Chetak helicopter platforms are to be supplied in the first phase for conversion into Naval Rotary-wing UAVs (NRUAV), a platform that will make its first flight in September 2009. The Indian Navy will be the primary customer, though the product, to be given a name soon, is already being hawked aggressively to other countries -- obviously the benefits for both HAL and IAI are huge.

The above slides and the ensuing information are from a presentation made recently by IAI Malat at the Shephard's UV 2008 conference in London, a presentation that has also been made previously to the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, providing the first comprehensive look at the Chetak UAV.

The Chetak UAV will sport the ELTA EL/M M-2022 as its multi-mission radar payload for detection of small naval targets in high sea states, ground moving targets indication (GMTI), strip and spot SAR modes, inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR), range signature (RS), air-to-air mode, NAV and weather modes and detection of search and rescue transponder (SART). The radar incorporates a pulse-doppler airborne target detection and tracking mode: range-while-scan (RWS), detection of up to 64 airborne targets, tracking (TWS) of upto 10 airborne targets, TWS image expansion of close formation tracked targets.

The automatic identification system (AIS) provides ship data including: identification, position, course, and speed, with other nearby with ships and Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) stations.

(Will update this post later today with the remaining data and info)
PS: Check the photos on site

 

[nitesh]

part II of the above
LiveFist: EXCLUSIVE: The Chetak UAV inside/out (Presentation on capabilities) Part-2

 

[nitesh]

TIMESNOW.tv - Latest Breaking News, Big News Stories, News Videos -
Finally, Indian Navy to patrol Somali waters

10/15/2008 7:40:47 AM
The Indian government has finally allowed the Indian Navy to patrol the Somali waters to ensure that the safety of Indian sailors is not compromised.

In a statement issued yesterday (October 14), the government said," Neighbouring powers and international agencies are working with India to free the sailors."

The move came over a month after the Somali pirates set an ultimatum of 48 hours for paying ransom for the release of the 18 Indian sailors onboard the hijacked MT Stolt Valor.

The angry families have been demanding proactive action from the government and want the Navy to patrol the Somalian gulf in order to escort the ship back and avoid clashes with the pirates, as it could prove counter productive.

Seema Goyal, wife of captain of the ship Prabhat Goyal said she do not know which door to knock andcollect the money.

"Assurances don't work. This is the time when I want help from any quarter and solve the matter," she added.

She also urged the Indian government to take more initiatives. "I have never asked the government to pay ransom. I want the government to take initiatives and pressurise the Japanese
government to get our people back home soon," she said.

The seafarers on board MT Stlot Valor have been held hostage by the pirates who hijacked the cargo ship on September 15.

The ship is owned by a Japanese company and managed by Fleet Marine Ltd in Mumbai. The hijackers had earlier demanded a ransom of USD six million for the release of the crew and have now come down to USD two million.

The Somalian pirates have seized more than two dozen ships this year off the Horn of Africa.

Apart from the Valor, pirates have seized MV Faina - a Ukrainian ship loaded with weapons. US warships have surrounded Faina to prevent pirates from unloading the weapons. NATO is also sending seven ships to the treacherous waters where the Faina is being held, and the Russian missile cruiser Intrepid is on its way to rescue the loaded Fiana.

But there is a glimmer of hope to the family of the sailors, as in the last three months Somalian pirates have freed the crew of at least three vessels which they hijacked.

Yesterday, the pirates freed a cargo ship with 11 crew members, held for five days, after losing an offensive launched by the authorities to free the ship.

Four days ago, pirates freed 20 Filipino seamen who were held for more than 80 days.

Pirates also released 29 Iranian crew members and their cargo ship hijacked off Somalia's coast in late July.

Fresh hope for MT Stolt Valor crew

Even as the Indian government is mulling over options, Russia has already gone for the kill. Russia has dispatched its deadly Intrepid class frigates to the Somalian waters in a bid to free sailors taken hostage by Somalian pirates.

The intrepid class frigates are state of the art battleships carrying an impressive arsenal, which includes a battery of surface to air missiles, torpedoes and anti aircraft guns. The ship a part of Russia's Baltic fleet has been sent to intercept MV Faina hijacked by Somali pirates off the Somalian coast.

The ship entered the Meditteranean on October 4 and is likely to swoop upon the pirates very soon.