India will become a defence ‘Export Hub’, Manohar Parrikar

The recent relaxation of foreign investment norms in the defence sector will transform the country into an “export hub” for weapons and armaments in the future, according to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

"The government has taken a big step in defence sector by permitting 100 per cent FDI in the sector. This has been done so that India becomes export hub over the years as well as self reliant," Parrikar told FICCI here on Monday.

On exporting various defence items from India, he added that several countries have already shown interest in buying weapons from India.

“It has tentatively been decided to export 10 per cent of them to countries who were interested, while keeping the remaining 90 per cent for use by India,” Parrikar said.

The minister also highlighted to the fact that big-ticket investments in the defence sector are in the pipeline.

"Allowing of 100 Per cent FDI in defence is just an enabler, major global defence companies will invest when they are sure of orders from India and other countries. Tie up of foreign companies having technology with major Indian companies including TATA’s and Mahindra are already on and huge foreign investment is in the pipeline in defence sector," he said.

Addressing a session by the FICCI Ladies Organisation, the Defence Minister said the armed forces will see larger participation of women especially in the Navy. He added that new ships are being modified with infrastructure to accommodate women in the Navy.

He said an all women battalion is also on the cards. “An idea of having all women battalion is also mooted and steps are being taken to accomodate women in National Defence Academy (NDA) and Sainik Schools. Women entrepreneurs in corporate houses can play greater role in defence production, research and support and take advantage of new government policy of greater private participation,” he said.

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'Operation Bunker Buster' conducted by the Indian Army in Arunachal Pradesh

India has stepped up its defense preparedness along the borders with China in Arunachal Pradesh, following last month's transgression by nearly 250 soldiers of the Peoples' Liberation Army in the northeastern state's East Kameng district, from the 15,000-foot-high Line of Actual Control. Barely few kilometers from the boundary, the Indian Army conducted its first ever exercise code named 'Operation Bunker Bust' over the weekend.

BOOSTING TAWANG SECTOR'S FORWARD POST

The drill, aimed at boosting surveillance and response from the Army dugouts in the forward posts of Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector, was witnessed by an India Today TV team.

Indian troops, highly-placed military sources said, have been ordered to force the PLA back in case they attempt to overrun Indian territory again.

SOLDIER'S ARSENAL

Soldiers used the indigenously built 105-mm field guns in this weekend's Operation Bunker Bust. As part of the exercise to ensure combat readiness, infantry troops fired light-machine and sub machine guns to destroy enemy bunkers in coordinated strikes. Troops were also seen using high-tech surveillance equipment from under the bunkers to keep track of the PLA's activities.

At Bumla, the furthest of army posts in Tawang district, more than 100 Indian soldiers have been trained in the Chinese languages, senior military officials said.

CHALLENGES DISCOVERED

The Chinese, said Tawang Brigade commander DS Kushwaha, must realize the presence of Indian troops in these areas. "They also must realize that we are keeping an eye on their movement," Brig Kushwaha told India Today TV. The LAC, he insisted, remained under intense Indian surveillance. But the India Today TV crew found inadequate infrastructure posed a momentous challenge to Army movements from Guwahati to Tawang.

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Russian & Indian Co's may sign agreement on joint production of Coastal Missile Systems by end of 2016

India’s Walchandnagar Industries and Russia’s Morinformsistema-Agat Concern are close to signing an agreement on joint production of coastal missile systems in India, Manas Kumar Das.

Walchandnagar Industries’ director for defense and aerospace programs, said. Walchandnagar Industries is currently in negotiations with Morinformsistema-Agat Concern on joint production of coastal missile systems, and a Russian delegation will arrive in India shortly to discuss the final details, he told Interfax. 

He said he expects that the sides will reach an agreement before the year is over. 

Das said that his company is also negotiating the joint production of naval artillery systems with Russia’s Arsenal Design Bureau. 

He said that the details of the agreements with Morinformsistema-Agat Concern and Arsenal Design Bureau will be discussed at the International Industrial Trade Fair INNOPROM 2016 in Yekaterinburg on July 11-14, of which India is a strategic partner country. 

The possibility of cooperation with other Russian weapons manufacturers is being considered and Walchandnagar Industries is ready to participate in joint production of submarines and tanks, he said. 

Walchandnagar Industries also intends to sign a memorandum of understanding with Rosoboronexport, he said. 

Walchandnagar Industries is one of the largest manufacturing holding companies in India, which produces, in particular, equipment for the defense sector, thermal power Engineering and the nuclear power industry.

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The deadly combination of Su-30 MKI's with the BrahMos Missile draws Global interest

Still in the development stage, the kind of unprecedented business interest the Sukhoi 30-BrahMos missile combo is generating among different countries has sparked off the possibility that it might turn into a huge money-spinner for both India and Russia from exports.

Business enquiries have started, particularly after June 25, when Indian scientists created history by flying the heavyweight missile BrahMos for 58 minutes (45 minutes in flight) with a state-of-the art Sukhoi-30 executing a perfect takeoff and smooth landing at HAL Nashik, that sparked imagination about the lethality of the integration and the huge force-multiplier implications.

“Irkut Corporation of Russia, that manufactures Sukhoi-30 fighters, has received immense business enquiries on the Sukhoi 30-BrahMos combo. A lot of countries have already expressed deep interest on purchase,” an official source told this newspaper on condition of anonymity.

Asked about the business agreement with Russia for the BrahMos missile, Sudhir Kumar Mishra, CEO & MD of BrahMos Aerospace, told this newspaper: “As it is a joint venture entity with a 50.5 per cent Indian share and 49.5 per cent Russian share, the proceeds will be divided accordingly between the two partners.”

On the next step, Mr Mishra said: “Now we plan to carry out a few more flights and drop tests with a dummy missile before firing an actual BrahMos air-to-ground missile from the Sukhoi. As of now, the actual test-firing of BrahMos is expected by October-November this year.”

Explaining the process, he said: “The missile, fitted in the Sukhoi-30 fuselage, will be released from the aircraft first. Once it drops clear of the aircraft, the missile’s booster engine will ignite, propelling the weapon to its target.”

Essentially a land-attack and anti-ship cruise missile system with stealth characteristics that was developed for multiple platforms, the BrahMos can fly at a speed 2.8 times faster than sound for a 290-km strike range with a 300-kg explosive payload.

It is the kinetic energy of the missile due to its very high speed along with the warhead that makes the BrahMos a deadly weapon. The missile’s high supersonic speed all through the flight, its low flight range with a variety of trajectories and its low radar signature enables it to straightaway bang on the target with pinpoint accuracy without being detected by enemy radar systems.

The demand for the BrahMos is quite high in the Indian armed forces too. “The Army has already operationalised three regiments. The Navy’s 10 frontline warships have deployed the missile. The Air Force has acquired the land-attack BrahMos. Now the Brahmos air version will power many Sukhoi fighters of the IAF,” an official said.

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IAF likely to get fully-loaded Tejas version it wants by 2020

The Flying Daggers, the first squadron of the Tejas indigenous light combat aircraft, which currently comprises two jets, will touch its full strength of 20 by 2018. 

Though it has been inducted, the Tejas is not completely combat-ready. It is equipped with close combat air-to-air missiles, helmet-mounted display and precision-guided bombs. The final version will incorporate beyond visual range (BVR) missiles, improved stand-off weapons, and mid-air refueling capability. IAF also wants an active electronically scanned array radar and advanced electronic warfare suite. The Air Force will begin to get the Tejas it really wants only by 2020. 

Group captain Madhav Rangachari, the first commanding officer of the Tejas squadron, completed the first 20-minute flight after Tejas was inducted. The squadron will have seven officers, 42 air warriors and 20 non-commissioned officers to begin with. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his congratulations with: "Induction of indigenously made Tejas fighter jet into the Air Force fills our hearts with unparalleled pride & happiness." 

The Flying Daggers will remain in Bengaluru for about two years before moving to its permanent base in Sulur in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district in 2018. HAL is expected to deliver the next two aircraft in the next few months and three more by mid-2017. The fourth generation aircraft, Tejas has the best record (with no crashes) for any new fighter platform in the world, having flown 2,029 hours in 3,187 sorties. 

Air Marshal Walia said: "It is our aircraft and we will get more of it. The final operational clearance (FOC) is expected in March 2017 and by 2018-end we should have 20 aircraft (including four trainers) as part of the squadron, when it goes to Sulur." 

While Team Tejas -Aeronautical Development Authority (ADA) and HAL -maintains the official cost of Tejas MK-I at Rs 9,000 crore, the Centre, citing delays, has put the overall cost at Rs 57,000 crore. 

The IAF has committed to acquiring 40 Tejas aircraft, 20 in the initial operational clearance configuration and 20 in the FOC configuration, and the IAF is expected to increase orders to 80 aircraft.Team Tejas has built prototypes of the naval version.A single unit of the upgraded Tejas is expected to cost Rs 275 crore to Rs 300 crore. 

Tejas, which compares with the best in its class, will prove much cheaper than imported jets over time. It will reduce the country's strategic vulnerability to foreign-weapon supplies being choked in times of conflict.

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Varunastra, India gets its first indigenous torpedo

Working as a major boost for India’s defence and a huge step towards ‘Make in India’, Varunastra, India’s first indigenous torpedo, has been launched.

Having almost 95% indigenous content, Varunastra is capable of targeting quiet and stealthy submarines, both in deep and littoral waters in intense countermeasure environment.

Developed by Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), a premier lab of DRDO, Varunastra torpedo is an indigenous state-of-the-art heavy weight ship launched anti-submarine electric torpedo. 

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will formally hand over the torpedo to the Indian Navy today, 73 such torpedoes have been ordered by the Indian Navy.

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Indian Armed Forces get Converged Communications Network

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday dedicated to the nation an indigenously-developed converged communications network for the armed forces, a major step towards ensuring their network centricity.

The state-of-the-art, fully secure Defence Communication Network (DCN), developed by IT major HCL Infosystems, is the largest single satellite network in the Indian defence forces, spread across the country, a company statement said.

This integrated communication architecture between the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force "bolsters the prowess of the defence forces during both critical operations and rescue missions. DCN is a major step towards ensuring network centricity across the three services, the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) headquarters and the Strategic Forces Command (SFC)," the statement said.

Speaking on the occasion, Premkumar Seshadri, Executive Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, HCL Infosystems Ltd. said: "This is a moment of great honor for us. HCL Infosystems is proud to design, develop and deploy the first ever converged tri-service communication and IT network for the Indian Defence Forces."

"The network has been entirely designed and developed in India. We have made significant investments in creating defence communication technology practice, involving design of critical technology systems for military communication. HCL Infosystems is privileged to have the opportunity to successfully partner in yet another mission critical program of national importance," Seshadri added.

HCL Infosystems has had a long association with the Indian defence sector. The company has closely worked with the Indian Air Force to deploy the Air Force Network (AFNet) and AFCEL (Air Force Cellular Network). AFNet is the first network of its kind for Indian defence institutions, which interlinks major installations throughout the country on a high bandwidth network. It incorporates latest traffic transportation technology in the form of internet protocol.

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