India's Special Forces To Have More Power To Counter Terror Strikes
Saturday, January 2, 2010
MUMBAI, India - January 02, 2010: The Mumbai attack changed the way India looked at one of its most valuable assetsthe elite special forces. Now they are set to get more ammo to counter 26/11 type attacks in future.
The plan is to equip them for a new, long-term strategy to deal with the changing face of threats. Be it on the LoC or during clandestine and irregular warfare behind enemy lines, the special forces will get cutting-edge weaponry. The defence ministry has identified a list of items.
It includes, besides traditional machine guns, the Tavor TAR-21s with a modified single-piece butt and new sights; Galil sniper rifles with telescopic and night vision; 5.56mm assault rifles of bull-pup design with integrated laser range finder and grenade launcher; and 8,000 UBGLs (under-barrel grenade launchers). There will be lightweight bullet-proof vests on the pattern the US Dragon skin body armour that offers greater range of motion for the soldier wearing it.
Infantry platoons and sections will get integrated GPS-based navigation system, lightweight walkie-talkie radio sets and better protective gear like lightweight anti-fragment helmet to replace the heavy metal combat helmet. Most of the weapons will be used by the Ghatak commandos, an elite infantry platoon attached to each infantry battalion of the Army. The Army will include three more battalions and dedicated Army Aviation Special Operations Squadrons, with helicopters and aircraft. Defence ministry sources said most of these equipment were from the US and Israel.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation said the Army had shown interest in its Laser Dazzlers and modern submachine carbine assault rifles for the special forces. Developed by the DRDO Laser Science and Technology Centre, the Laser Dazzler is a non-lethal gun that can stun and blind terrorists for 40 seconds, giving time to capture them. There are further request orders from the Army for INSAS rifles, said a senior DRDO official. Our focus is now to develop lightweight weapons and equipment.
General Deepak Kapoor, the Army chief, said that while the defence ministry had decided to get the equipment to counter 26/11 type attacks,
We are looking at it from the perspective of improving the capability of our special forces. Security experts said the purchase list had items that NSG commandos lacked during 26/11the bullet-proof armoured golf cart that can protect commandos as they move around a hotel, school or airport under siege. A moving platform that can reach windows 200m above the ground, the golf cart could have helped quick evacuation of people from the Taj and Trident during 26/11.
Top of the list of the special forces requirements are intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systemsunmanned aerial vehicles, remote detonating devices, laser range-finders and high-frequency communication systems. But as mobility is important, all-terrain vehicles and specially equipped transport aircraft and helicopters are needed. So, the government has fast-tracked purchase of two Aerostat air-defence radars and 80 fast-interception vessels for the Navy from Israel to plug gaps in coastal security. Aerostat radars can be moved to any location. And with a detection range of over 500km, they can track low-flying aircraft. The Navy has also proposed to buy offshore patrol vessels worth Rs 5,000 crore. Former Army vice-chief Lt Gen. Vijay Oberoi said enhancing the capability of the special forces was imperative as terrorists had access to latest weapons. The courage and top physical fitness of our special forces is just not enough. They need latest and state-of-the-art equipment, he said. The Air Force is also in shopping mode. It is planning to buy six C-130J aircraft from the US for its Garud Commandos who protect Air Force bases and conduct search and rescue operations. The C-130J can land on makeshift landing grounds without lights. The Navy is also looking to acquire integrated surveillance systems. It is buying eight Boeing P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, worth $2.1 billion, from the US. The P-8A Poseidona long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft will replace the ageing and fuel-guzzling Russian Tupolev-142Ms. The deal has been long in the making, but 26/11 has brought it closer to closure.
The equipment requirements have altered considerably in recent years, in keeping with the dramatic changes in the special forces employment trends around the world, said an Army officer. The modernisation of the special forces should focus on precision and mobility. In a hilly terrain like Kupwara, the light but effective weapons and other gadgets allow troops to act faster.
Upgrade of the security forces is part of the governments strategy to prevent spillover of trouble from Pakistan. The surge of elite special forces units would represent a multi-layered effort aimed at strengthening the Army that the defence ministry sees as key to fighting terrorists, said Lt Gen. (retd) Rajinder Singh, who had commanded troops in J&K.
Special forces commandos would be the tip of the spear in any Indian attack on terrorist camps in ***************** Kashmir. The special forces are not designed to cover the full range of challenges we face today on the low end of the conflict scale, Singh said. We should prepare them for a large intervention that goes well beyond the use of small packets of troops on lonely hillsides.
Special forces of the world
US
US Army Special Forces, the Green Berets, are equipped with sophisticated weapons like long-range sniper systems and M203a 40mm grenade-launcher fitted to SAS rifles
UK
Its recently formed new special forces unitsSRR & SFSG have a wide range of weaponry like C8 carbine, M16 and its variants, HK G36 and Claymore, a portable anti-personnel mine for defence and ambush
Germany
Fernspher, members of Germanys elite special force, use weapons with special additions not available to regular troops; the main weapon system is the Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle, and variants of the HK MP5 SMG
Israel
Exact weapons of its special force, Sayeret, are not known, but it is one of the best equipped in the world; uses remote-controlled robot to scan tunnels that are used for smuggling
China
Special Operations Forces is a sub-branch of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Ground Force; PLAs main infantry rifle is the recently issued QBZ-95; also uses locally-made versions of the Russian AK-47 rifles and SKS series carbines with the Chinese Type 56 assault rifle
Pakistan
Its Special Service Group is similar to the Green Berets and the British Armys SAS; the SSG weaponry includes Steyr AUG, HK G3, and Type 56 (Chinese AK-47 variant) and HK-MP5 Submachine guns; in sniper, SSG has Steyr MP 69, Finnish Tikka bolt-action and HK PSG1; most of the weapons are of US origin
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