IAF : Central Air Command: A dominant power in the sk

ALLAHABAD: The Central Air Command (CAC) is celebrating its golden jubilee this year. It was formed on June 10, 1963 at Rani Kutir, Kolkata, to keep vigil along the Indo-Nepal border.

With its motto of 'Damniyah Atmashatravah' (Vanquish the enemy), the Central Air Command has an enviable and exemplary record during war and peace time services to the nation. The command has seen squadrons of earlier generation like Spitfire, Liberator, Canberras and the Gnats to the famous Mirage 2000, the lethal Su-30MKI, the uncompromising Jaguar and high performance AWACS. The squadrons have brought glory to the nation and to the Indian Air Force.

Throwing light on the 50th year of the formation of CAC, Defence PRO Group Captain Amit Mahajan said post Chinese aggression of 1962, the operational group was bifurcated in two separate commands i.e. the Central Air Command (CAC) but the location of Kolkata was found too skewed towards East and therefore, in February 1996, HQ CAC was shifted to Bamrauli, Allahabad.

Initially the CAC controlled air operations in Central India, from Delhi to Bengal, but with the establishment of the Southern Air Command and further reorganization, its size was reduced. Presently, the area covered by CAC ranges from the snow peaked mountains in the north to the Gangetic planes and central highlands. The stations of the CAC are located at Agra, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Gwalior and Bamraulli and the units are also located at Bihta, Darbhanga, Bakshi-ka-Talab, Nagpur, Nainital, Memaura and Varanasi.

During the 1965 war, 163 bombing and 33 close air support sorties were carried out by Canberras against PAF in the western sector, raiding the airbases at Sargodha, Peshawar, Multan, Chaklala and Mauripur. Squadron Leader Charanjit Singh and Flt Lt Mangat Singh made the furthest penetration on the night of 13-14 September 1965, when they carried out a 'brilliant raid' on a major air base at Peshawar. Three Mahavir Chakras were awarded to the members of Canberra squadrons.

The victory of the Indian armed forces against Pakistan in 1971 and the liberation of Bangladesh is a proud chapter in the history of CAC too.

At the time of this war, 5 Canberra bomber Squadrons were grouped under the CAC at Agra, Puna and Gorakhpur.Transport Squadrons were largely based at airfields in the CAC. At 1747 hrs (5.47 pm) on December 3, 1971, PAF (Pakistan Air Force) launched simultaneous attacks on a number of forward bases of the IAF. The first Canberras spearheaded IAFs swift retaliation before midnight on December 3.

In a major attack, seven Canberras of number 35 Squadron struck the storage area at Drigh road and scored direct hits on the oil storage tanks at Karachi, destroying about 60 % of Pakistan's oil reserves at Karachi. On the eastern front, the fleet of transport aircrafts, consisting of AN-12, Dakotas, Packets with CAC, were used for Para dropping of troups.

Likewise, the operation for Maldives on November 3, 1988, wherein the battalions of Indian Army's 50th Parachute regiment were airlifted to Maldives in two II-76s of the 44 Squadron based at Agra and the aircraft flew for over 2000 km non-stop and landed at the Hulule airport on a dark unlit runway without any airfield aids. By 2.30am on November 4, the Indian forces had completed their mission and President of Maldives was safely escorted back.

Operation "Safed Sagar" or the Kargil war in 1999, emphatically established the superiority of the IAF, in terms of capability, mental and professional edge over the Pakistan Air Force. The Mirage 2000 aircraft, with their base at Gwalior, were at the forefront of the air defence and ground attack. And several personnel of CAC were decorated following this war.

CAC has been involved in friendly exercises with other countries over the years in fact the first ever exercise of the Indian Air Force codenamed "Garud", with a foreign air force took place when the Mirage 2000s of the French Air Force arrived in Gwalior in 2003 and participated in an 8 day exercise with Mirage, Jaguars, MiGs-23, MiG-27s and Mig-21 Bisons. Subsequently, a number of such joint exercises have been conducted at Gwalior and Agra with the US Air Force, UK RAF, the Singapore Air Force and Air Force of South Africa. In 2003, Gp Capt SRK Nair of the 44 Sqn, while taking part in a multilateral exercise in Alaska titled Cooperative Cope Thunder 03, successfully navigated the North Pole in his IL-76.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ant-power-in-the-sky/articleshow/16635971.cms

Indian aircraft carrier handover slips to fall 2013

The refurbishment of an Indian Navy aircraft carrier has hit further snags, with handover delayed to fall 2013, Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation said on Tuesday.
The previous official handover date for the carrier Vikramaditya had been December 4, 2012, but sea trials in September revealed the ship’s boilers were not fully functional. This delay is the latest in a saga of hold-ups, cost overruns and mismanagement in a procurement program disaster for Russia’s shipbuilders, with the original completion date of 2008 now a distant memory.
A state commission held last week at the Sevmash shipyard, which carried out the refit, assessed the period necessary to fix the ship’s propulsion system.
“The commission came to the conclusion it was necessary to extend the handover date to fall 2013 due to the need to fix all the faults found, including the insulation of the ship’s boilers,” a source told RIA Novosti.
The handover date issue has been discussed with the customer, the source added.
The source of the problem, which reduced the ship’s maximum speed from a design 29 knots to just 27.9 knots, was due to use of low-grade Chinese-made firebricks in the boiler insulation instead of asbestos, he said.
Last week, the Chinese Defense Minister Yan Yujun flatly denied any such locally-made firebricks had been exported to Russia.
“We checked this, and found that Chinese enterprises which make such firebricks for naval propulsion systems have never exported such products to Russia,” Yan said in remarks quoted by local daily Beitsin Chenbao.
India and Russia signed the original $947 million dollar deal in 2005 for the purchase of the carrier, formerly the Russian Navy’s Admiral Gorshkov, but delivery has already been delayed twice, pushing up the cost of refurbishing the carrier to $2.3 billion.
Sevmash shipyard director Vladimir Pastukhov was fired in 2007 over his poor management of the project.
The Vikramaditya was originally built as the Soviet Project 1143.4 class aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. The Project 1143.4 carriers and a class of destroyers with the same engines suffered a history of boiler failures during their lives.
The ship was laid down in 1978 at the Nikolayev South shipyard in Ukraine, launched in 1982, and commissioned with the Soviet Navy in 1987.
It was renamed after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. In 1994, the Gorshkov sat in dock for a year for repairs after a boiler room explosion. In 1995, it briefly returned to service but was finally withdrawn and put up for sale in 1996.
The ship has a displacement of 45,000 tons, and an endurance of 13,500 nautical miles (25,000 km) at a cruising speed of 18 knots. It will have an air wing consisting of Russian-made MiG-29K jet fighter planes and Kamov Ka-31 early warning radar helicopters.

India set to buy 40 Super Sukhoi jets for $3.5 bn

Super Sukhoi’s Artist impressions

India and Russia are expected to sign a new $3.5-billion deal for 40 SU-30MKI fighter aircraft upgraded to the Super Sukhoi configuration later this month when Russian president Vladimir Putin visits the country.
Sources told FE on condition of anonymity that this was one of the agenda items to be discussed and finalised when the India Russia inter-governmental commission on military-technical cooperation meets in New Delhi. Co-chaired by the defence ministers of India and Russia, the two-day meet starting October 3 will finalise the draft to be announced in the presence of Russian president Vladmir Putin.
“The proposed deal for 126 fighter aircraft is getting delayed and we are still far from signing the contract with France’s Dassault. India’s requirements are immediate; hence the need to procure Super Sukhois. This latest version will have a new cockpit, state-of-the-art radar with stealth features and can carry heavier weapons including the air-launched version of the Brahmos cruise missile,” sources added.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is already flying the Sukhoi. If and when the Super Sukhois arrive, they will be 40 in number, taking the total Sukhoi strength to 270 aircraft. With the first delivery expected in 2014-15, the SU-30MKI will become IAF’s leading fighter aircraft.
In recent times, IAF has increased the deployment of Sukhois in forward bases, perceiving growing threat from its neighbourhood. A squadron of SU-30MKIs was located at a forward base near the India-Pakistan border to replace an earlier squadron of MiG-23 fighters.
India first procured its first off-the-shelf SU-30s from Russia in 1997 and gradually developed Sukhoi Su-30MKIs at home after Hindustan Aeronautics Limited began production under licence from the Sukhoi Design Bureau. The SU-30MKI has a considerable share of Indian components in it.
The Indo-Russian cooperation in the military technical sphere has evolved from a simple buyer-seller framework to one involving joint research and development, joint production and marketing of advanced defence technologies and systems.
To win the MMRCA order, Dassault CEO Charles Edelstenne had touted Ra- fale’s 100% made-in-France tag as an advantage, which would keep all its high-end technologies, jobs and value-addition within country. The company is under pressure to deliver as per India’s needs and demands.

Indian Airforce to get 6 more C-130J

The US has accepted India’s request for supplying six more C-130J special operations transport aircraft to the IAF and a communication in this regard was given to the Defence Ministry recently. India had sent a Letter of Request (LoR) to the US government in September last year for procuring six additional C-130J aircraft. The US government submitted a Letter of Acceptance on April 10 to the Indian Defence Ministry for clearance. Like the first six aircraft, the additional six were also being acquired through foreign military sales (FMS) route, Lockheed Martin officials said. India had signed a deal worth USD one billion with the US in 2007 for six aircraft which are deployed at the Hindon air base near here. The deal for the additional six aircraft is also expected to be around USD one billion. Commenting on the development, Lockheed Martin’s India head Roger Rose said, “The C-130Js, which were delivered ahead of schedule and within budget, have performed well for the Indian Air Force (IAF).” “Lockheed Martin looks forward to continuing our disciplined programme performance by supporting the first six and any additional aircraft the Government of India may order,” he added. The IAF has decided to deploy the additional six aircraft at its base in Panagarh in West Bengal to take care of the requirements of formations deployed in the northeast and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The aircraft will also be used by the Special Forces to carry out operations or rapid deployment in case of incidents such as the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Stealth Frigate INS Sahyadri commissioned

Stressing the need for a strong and vigilant Navy to defend the mainland, island territories and offshore assets, Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Saturday announced that the Navy would get seven more frigates under the next P-17A project.

“Cost negotiations are on into the P-17A project and once that is done, the proposal will go to the Cabinet Committee on Security [CCS] for approval,” Mr. Antony told journalists at Mazagon Dock Limited [MDL] complex here. He said the Navy would continue to get five warships of different capabilities every year. He said the prevailing downturn in the economic situation would not affect defence plans.

“First, let us spend the money which we have and then we will ask the government for more,” he said.

The Defence Minister was talking to media persons after commissioning INS Sahyadri, a Shivalik class stealth frigate, equipped with an array of modern weapons and sensors to operate both in peacetime and a multithreat environment. The warship has been built by MDL over the past seven years.

Mr. Antony said a strong Navy would successfully defend India’s exclusive economic zone along the country’s vast coastline and maintain sea lanes of communication.

“The maintenance of a strong and credible Navy and strengthening cooperation and friendship with other countries to promote regional and global stability is the need of the hour. Today’s commissioning of the third stealth frigate of Shivalik class, therefore, marks yet another significant step in securing our maritime goals,” he said.

Pointing out that the Navy’s role as a key facilitator in promoting peace and stability in the Indian Ocean Region has been highly appreciated, Mr. Antony cautioned that the present operating environment of “our Navy dictates that we balance our resources with a strategy that is responsive across the full range of blue and brown water operations.”

The Minister said the Navy must maintain operational readiness at all times to thwart any possible misadventure directed against India’s national interests. “The country’s warship building programme must meet the Navy’s force-level requirements. Over the years, there has been a gradual shift from being a Buyer’s Navy to a Builder’s Navy,” he said.

Mr. Antony said the focus must be on benchmarking our shipbuilding practices with the best international ones. He urged Indian industry to participate wholeheartedly in shipbuilding programmes and consolidate the Navy’s strengths.

Later, responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Antony said that in the past six months four rounds of discussions with the chiefs of three services have been held and defence procurement and the armed forces’ modernisation programme was going on smoothly.

On queries about allegations of corruption and leakages in the armed forces and the alleged involvement of controversial arms middleman Abhishek Verma in some deals, the Minister said some cases had already been referred to and were being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.

With the commissioning of this indigenous stealth frigate, the third and last in the Shivalik class series, the Navy has added teeth to its surface combatants’ fleet. The first two stealth frigates in the class are INS Shivalik and INS Satpura, which are now on active naval duty, including anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. The three stealth frigates in the P-17 project have cost about Rs. 10,000 crore.

INS Shivalik had only recently sailed up to China’s western Pacific coast on a long haul deployment and had docked in Shanghai. The Project 17 warships — the 143-metre-long, 6,000-tonne vessels named after Indian hill ranges — have advanced design and stealth features.

INS Sahyadri is equipped with some of the most advanced surface and air-to-air missiles of Russian, European and Israeli origin and can carry two helicopters — a mix of Dhrun, Sea King or Kamov — on board. A crew of 300 officers and men from the Navy will man the frigate.

Captain Sanjay Vatsayan, the Commanding Officer, read out the commissioning warrant amid cheers from a distinguished gathering. Among those present were Union Ministers Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora, Defence Secretary S.K. Sharma, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma and senior Navy officers.

Raise FDI limit to boost defence trade: US think tank

Washington : A US think tank has suggested that India should raise the limit of foreign direct investment from 26 percent to over 50 percent in order to incentivise US companies to invest in its defence industry.
Raising the FDI limit is one of the recommendations in five key areas for both the United States and India made by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies to help "unlock the full potential" of their defence partnership.
To meet strategic challenges, the report suggests that the US and India engage in an in-depth discussion about India s defence needs that stems from a joint vision for the strategic defence relationship and should designate one official on each side to promote bilateral defence trade.
In the area of political challenges, the report suggests that the United States needs to be consistent and reliable in its technology transfer decisions and in its provision of purchased defence equipment. In turn, the Indian government should craft a public narrative about the benefits of mutual partnership to counter negative perceptions within the Indian political system, it said.
To meet procedural and technical challenges, the report suggested that the US and India should actively work to develop ways to accommodate the Foreign Military Sales system within the Indian Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP). India should develop an offset strategy that clearly lays out the technologies and capabilities India hopes to derive from the offset programme and also consider indirect offsets to be applied toward India s many infrastructure and related needs, it said.
To overcome bureaucratic challenges, the report suggests that the two countries should seek to facilitate greater transparency and predictability between their respective bureaucracies. Finally both sides should engage in a bilateral dialogue about the key elements of an effective defence industrial base.
The United States should intensify its efforts to engage the various constituencies in India that shape public opinion, including the media, parliament, and state governments. It should also continue to engage the Indian bureaucracy and offer assistance in developing India s defence acquisition expertise, the report said.
India, in turn, should publicly communicate its defence acquisition priorities to facilitate better planning for acquisition and sales, it said. Noting that US-India defence trade has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade with American companies assuming a larger share of the Indian defence market, the report suggested that implementing its recommendations will take the India-US partnership to a deeper level.

Russia To Take Deliveries Of Brahmos Missiles From India

Russia will soon start taking deliveries of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, from India. The advance cruise missiles are currently being built in India and will soon be delivered to Moscow. The missile is currently being manufactured in India.

The decision to supply the missiles to Russia comes after a meeting between Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony in New Delhi. India had recently urged Russia to induct the cruise missile in the Russian inventory to truly complete the joint venture.

India, has already inducted the BrahMos missile into the Indian Army and Navy, and has urged Russia to induct the 290 kilometer range missile. India has placed a huge order for the missiles and almost all of the latest and a few existing Indian warships will be equipped with the Brahmos missile.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Russia who was visiting the BrahMos complex in New Delhi, was briefed about the capabilities of the different variants of the Indo-Russian missile.

BrahMos was conceived as a joint venture between India and Russia in 1998. The air version of the BrahMos is still in the development stage and soon be tested.

Mr. Antony has asked the Russians to stick to the delivery schedule of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya which is now on sea trials after a refit at Russian shipyards and is now expected to be inducted into the Indian navy by December 2013.