NSG armed with 'dum dum' bullets to counter hijack situation

[Abingdonboy]

Sky marshals, deployed on civilian aircraft to counter hijack or hostage situations, have been armed with modern 'dum dum' bullets that burst inside the body of an attacker instead of passing through and hitting any passenger or puncturing the plane's body. The bullets, whose peculiar


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name originated from the first such ammunition developed by the British near the 'Dum Dum' military base in Kolkata in pre-independent India, are authorised to be fired only by special forces commandos the world over to avoid collateral damage in such an operation.
This type of ammunition is prohibited for any other use under an international convention.

The country's specialised counter-terror and counter-hijack commando force, the NSG, has decided to include this ammunition in its armoury following 2008 Mumbai terror attacks where it had to undertake close-quarter combat in populated areas like 5-star hotels.

Sources said these bullets, which are being imported, are made to disintegrate inside the body of the attacker and result in either killing or severely immobilising him.

"The bullets have been imported from a friendly country," the sources said without disclosing the name of the country citing security reasons.

The National Security Guard (NSG) deploys a specific number of sky marshals on-board aircraft flying on select routes and is the federal contingency response force for any terrorist or hostage like crisis .

The 'black cat' commandos are now equipped to use these bullets both for counter-hijack and counter-terror operations and their standard weapons like MP5 assault rifles and Glock pistols are compatible with it.

Experts said these bullets prevent collateral damage as unlike normal bullet, they do not escape out of the attacker's body or punch a hole in an airborne aircraft which can cause a disaster.

"A sky marshal or a commando is trained to be a sharp marksman. Despite his hitting the terrorist accurately, there is a fear that a civilian present next to him may get hit or the aeroplane suffers damage.

"The special bullets give the commandos an edge and confidence to operate better," special forces (SF) experts said.

Commandos to be armed with 'dum dum' bullets to counter hijack situation - Hindustan Times

 

[SamantK]

Commandos to be armed with 'dum dum' bullets to counter hijack situation - Hindustan Times

Are they restricted for other uses because they are deadlier than normal bullets?

 

[Roybot]

Are they restricted for other uses because they are deadlier than normal bullets?

They maim people permanently. There is a whole controversy about the use of this kind of bullets in Gaza by IDF. Am guessing India must have imported it from Israel too(The friendly country).

 

[Wickerman]

Are they restricted for other uses because they are deadlier than normal bullets?

They are deadlier. They have a soft tip, and they have a hollow point design. Here is an example:

When the tip hits the body, it penetrates, but because it isnt streamlined, and it has a soft tip, it gets smashed, and expands. That tears through you internal organs and it is much more deadlier. This is what happens when it hits the body.

Imagine a low velocity, those expanded razor sharp edges causing havoc inside

 

[Abingdonboy]

Are they restricted for other uses because they are deadlier than normal bullets?

I believe that like cluster bombs and phosphorous grenades there is a lot of controversy and restrictions around their use. I believe a criticism of the these bullets is the fact they can maim and not kill and that they are considered inhuman. The Hague Convention of 1899, Declaration III, prohibited the use in international warfare of bullets that easily expand or flatten in the body. As such only certain police/SF units are permitted to use such bullets.

They maim people permanently. There is a whole controversy about the use of this kind of bullets in Gaza by IDF. Am guessing India must have imported it from Israel too(The friendly country).

Yes I suspected Israel too when I read "friendly country " don't know why!

 

[Tshering22]

They maim people permanently. There is a whole controversy about the use of this kind of bullets in Gaza by IDF. Am guessing India must have imported it from Israel too(The friendly country).

Well I think Israelis put the bullets to good use and in order to avoid another IC814 situation, I think it is time we do the same.

 

[SamantK]

It is good to see that India is finally taking things seriously, slow but steady.. Wish our democracy was not the biggest but the fastest..

 

[COLDHEARTED AVIATOR]

Well,I think another hijacking looks impossible these days coz the cockpit door is sealed with strict orders to not open it and Sky marshals can take care of these hijackers without letting them inside the cockpit and it is here where these bullents come into action coz the normal bullet fired at 36,000 ft would be disastrous.

 

[SamantK]

Well,I think another hijacking looks impossible these days coz the cockpit door is sealed with strict orders to not open it and Sky marshals can take care of these hijackers without letting them inside the cockpit and it is here where these bullents come into action coz the normal bullet fired at 36,000 ft would be disastrous.

Even so, you can never secure anything one hundred percent.. not taking precautions for any aspect is what anyone would like to play first..

 

[Jango]

India deploys air-marshals or commandos in it's planes?

 

[COLDHEARTED AVIATOR]

Even so, you can never secure anything one hundred percent.. not taking precautions for any aspect is what anyone would like to play first..

You didnt get my point.I didnt say that we dont need sky marshals.

 

[tvsram1992]

India deploys air-marshals or commandos in it's planes?

Atleast we will ensure that hijacker cannot enter cockpit

 

[Jango]

Atleast we will ensure that hijacker cannot enter cockpit

I'll take that as a yes???

Are these measures done on only national flights or also international? I can see EU and US having some problems with this.

 

[Abingdonboy]

I'll take that as a yes???

Are these measures done on only national flights or also international? I can see EU and US having some problems with this.

India deploys air-marshals or commandos in it's planes?

Yes on certain international and domestic routes and flights India does deploy Air Marshals (NSG) but the exact routes or number of Air Marshals is understandably kept confidential. But I think I heard recently an intel input had called for more Air Marshals on international flights to India originating from the Gulf.

Well,I think another hijacking looks impossible these days coz the cockpit door is sealed with strict orders to not open it and Sky marshals can take care of these hijackers without letting them inside the cockpit and it is here where these bullents come into action coz the normal bullet fired at 36,000 ft would be disastrous.

Yes what you need is layers of overlapping security and no one measure is foolproof so having sealed doors alone is not enough nor is deploying Air Marshals. One thing that is appreciated the world over is he ability by terrorists to adapt their tactics and techniques to find weak spots in their enemies and then to exploit them. Hence the entire systems needs to be made as secure as possible. Having a terrorist on a plane ready to carry out their attack is a worst case scenario ideally they should have been stopped before they ever get to an airport by intel agencies and if not then on the ground by security checks. Even if you have he best trained sky marshals on a plane armed with hollow-points and the like the margin for error is so tight- one poorly placed round fired in a pressurised airliner can lead to disaster ie explosive decompression.

 

[blackops]

these bullets are banned to be used in wars i saw a documentary in discovery where they showed these bullets were used at some point in wwii it had hideous results after that it was never used as it was termed inhuman