Indicia Knowledge Brief A Daily Assessment on Indian Defence and Internal/Homeland Security May 22, 2015. Primary aims of Indicia Daily Brief are two-fold. First, it distills infinite information into a capsule form, thus saving precious time of its clients. Second, it tries to link micro-events to larger strategic canvas through its analyses, thus providing support knowledge for better understanding and decision-making. Indicia Analysis of the Day Defence Minister's comment that ‘You have to neutralise terrorist through terrorist only,’ has sparked off a controversy as it was an open ended statement liable to be interpreted in different forms. Many analysts and practitioners alike feel that the Sukhoi-30 is the most versatile aircraft at the disposal of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and squadrons of the craft are deployed in the North-east to improve India’s air defence preparedness in this part of the country. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure, which recently acquired an 18 per cent stake in Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering, is scouting for an international joint venture-cum-technology partner in Russia to locally manufacture nuclear-powered submarines and stealth warships at Pipavav in Gujarat. I. National Defence and Security: Manohar Parrikar: Saying he would take “proactive steps” to meet any threat to the country, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on May 21 said “you have to neutralise terrorist through terrorist only”. To make his point, he quoted a Hindi saying “kaante se kaanta nikaalte hain” (you have to extract a thorn with a thorn) and said: “Why can’t we do it? We should do it. Why my soldier has to do it all the time?” Responding to a question at Manthan Aaj Tak in New Delhi, Parrikar said: “If any country, why Pakistan, is planning something against my country, I will take proactive steps. Of course, not in the public domain. But what I have to do, I will do it. Whether it is diplomatic, whether it is pressure tactics or whether it is using the… woh usko bolte hain na Marathi mein kaante se kaanta nikaalte hain… Hindi mein bhi rahega… you have to neutralise terrorist through terrorist only.” He said this government is different from the previous one because it has given the Army a free hand to tackle terrorists through intelligence. “Many attempts have been foiled and many neutralisations have taken place… if you see, recent incidents… Army knew about the hideout of the terrorists, they took them on at the place of their hiding… Security forces go by the guarantee of the government standing by them… and I can tell as a Defence Minister, I stand by the Army at any cost.” He said the Army has been given standing instructions to shoot armed infiltrators, ensure minimum collateral damage and no loss of life of its own. “Do not allow loss of life from our side. But take precautions that you do not make collateral damage… woh precaution lena hi hai (we have to take that precaution). You don’t touch civilians, unarmed. But if some one (is) with arms, shoot him… The instruction has a further line: do not allow loss of life from our side as far as possible. Use whatever equipment, people from our side,” he said, referring to incidents in which Army men have been killed while fighting terrorists..... Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/kill-terrorist-with-terrorist-defence-ministermanohar-parrikars-idea-2/ * IAF jet lands successfully on Yamuna expressway: The Indian Air Force has carried out a successful trial of landing a combat jet on a road runway. The IAF's Mirage 2000 successfully landed on Yamuna expressway near Mathura on May 21. It's a kind of first for military aviation in India. The aircraft landed at about 6:40am, senior IAF officers said, adding that the force has plans to activate more such stretches on highways in the future. The IAF has been considering the use of national highways for emergency landing by fighter aircraft. For May 21 trial, all facilities like make shift air traffic control, safety services, rescue vehicles, bird clearance parties and other requirements were set in place by the IAF. "The operation was conducted in coordination with district magistrates and superintendents of police of Agra and Mathura," an IAF statement said. The aircraft first made a practice approach on the highway coming down to 100 metres before landing on the next approach. IAF officials said such landings can be carried out in emergencies if an active airport is not available under certain circumstances. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/IAF-jet-lands-successfully-on-Yamunaexpressway/articleshow/47366158.cms * Sukhoi-30 most versatile aircraft with IAF : Ex IAF Chief: The Sukhoi-30 is the most versatile aircraft at the disposal of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and squadrons of the craft are deployed in the North-east to improve India’s air defence preparedness in this part of the country, said former vice chief of the IAF Air Marshal (retd) PK Barbora. He also said that though a Sukhoi-30 crashed in Nagaon, the accident rate of the craft was very low. Talking to The Assam Tribune, Air Marshal Barbora said the real reasons for crash would be known only after a proper investigation. But at the same time, he said that the accident rate of the craft was very rare. The IAF had been using the aircraft for the last 27 years, but only six to seven crashes had taken place, he said. Air Marshal Barbora, who was the first Indian to fly the Indian version of the Sukhoi30 MKI at the Moscow air show in 2000, said that it was the best of the craft available with the IAF because of its versatility. The craft can carry a tremendous amount of load including weapons, while it can fly long distances as it has air-toair refuelling facilities. The craft is also vital for the IAF as it can be moved from one part of the country to another within a short time depending on requirement. Its manoeuvrability is among the best in the world. Moreover, the aircraft has two engines and even if one fails, it can fly with the second. The former IAF officer revealed that the IAF deploys the aircraft at its disposal depending on the threat perception. Preparations to bring in the Sukhoi to this part of the country started in the later part of 2000 and now two squadrons of the craft are deployed in the region to improve the country’s air defence preparedness. He said each squadron has 18 to 20 craft and one squadron has been deployed at the Tezpur air base. The other is in Dibrugarh. He admitted that deployment of the Sukhoi greatly improved India’s defence preparedness in this part of the country. Apart from the Sukhoi, the IAF is also using MiG 27 craft in this region. Giving details of the IAF’s use of the Sukhoi, Air Marshal Barbora said the first squadron of the Sukhoi-30 was introduced in the IAF in 1997-98. But those were the Russian version of the aircraft and the IAF is no longer using the same. Later, the Indian version of the Sukhoi-30 MKI, with modifications sought by the IAF to cater to requirements in Indian conditions, was manufactured and the IAF has been using those since the early 2000s. Now the Indian version of the Sukhoi is manufactured in India only. Source: http://idrw.org/sukhoi-30-most-versatile-aircraft-with-iaf-ex-iaf-chief/ * This Missile Is How India Plans to Attain Aerial Supremacy: Earlier this week, India successfully tested its indigenously developed Astra supersonic air-to-air missile. The Astra, developed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), is a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile capable of being launched from India’s Sukhoi-30 MKI twin-jet air superiority fighter. The Indian Air Force currently operates roughly 200 total Su-30 MKIs, but plans to eventually operate around 270. The Astra is 149 inches in length, making it the most compact missile developed indigenously in India capable of supersonic speeds. MVKV Prasad, director of the Integrated Test Range in the Indian state of Odisha, noted that the “missile was successfully tested to hit a simulated target” in an interview with the Press Trust of India. The Economic Times notes that the Astra “was tested to prove the maneuvering capability against a simulated target and also to validate various subsystems.” When fired from an altitude of at least 15,000 meters, the Astra can travel as far as 110 km. At lower altitudes, this range is reduced: it is capable of reaching a range of 44 km when fired from 8,000 meters, and 21 km when fired from sea level, according to the Economic Times. The active homing ability of the Astra is limited to 25 km. Under normal use, the highly maneuverable Astra missile experiences up to 30 g of acceleration force..... Source: http://thediplomat.com/2015/03/this-missile-is-how-india-plans-to-attain-aerial-supremacy/ * Watch Out, Pakistan: Israel to Sell India Mobile Missiles: Israel and India on the verge of signing a new “mega” defense deal, that would include Israel helping India develop a new mobile missile system. On May 21 the Times of India reported, citing unnamed officials within India’s Ministry of Defense, that India and Israel have “now virtually sealed the joint development of a medium-range surface-to-air missile system (MRSAM) for the Indian Army.” The first tranche of the deal will be worth over 9,000 crore (roughly $1.67 billion), however, Indian officials that the Times of India spoke with said that more missiles could be bought at a later date. "More orders might later follow since the Army's air defence capabilities are relatively weak," the official was quoted as saying. Earlier, an Indian army official said that Delhi could purchase over $6 billion worth of the medium-range surface-to-air missiles and related systems from Israel by the end of the deal. The MRSAMs, which will be on mobile launchers, will serve as India’s replacement for the Russian-built Kvadrat and OSA-AKM systems that India purchased in the 1970s and 1980s. India has been searching the open market for replacements for some years now, and previously rejected other offers because they didn’t contain sufficient technology transfer clauses, Defense News reported in February of this year..... Source: 12951 http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/watch-out-pakistan-israel-sell-india-mobile-missiles- * Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to review security situation in J&K: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will arrive on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on May 22 to review the security situation in the state. "The Defence Minister will arrive on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Friday," Udhampur-based Defence spokesman Colonel S D Goswami told PTI. He said the Defence Minister will be accompanied by Army chief general Dalbir Singh Suhag and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command Lt Gen D S Hooda during the visit which will cover all three regions of the state. The Defence Minister will arrive in Leh on May 23 morning where Lt Gen V S Negi, General officer Commanding of 14 Corps, will brief him about the situation along the Line of Control on Pakistani side and Line of Actual Control along the Chinese side, the spokesman said. Col Goswami said Parrikar will then fly to Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, where he will hold meetings with Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. "Besides these meetings, the Defence Minister will be briefed by GoC 15 Corps Lt Gen Subrata Saha on the security situation in the valley and along the Line of Control," he said. The spokesman said Parrikar, after overnight stay in Srinagar, will fly to Jammu where GoC 16 Corps Lt Gen K H Singh will brief him on the situation..... Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/defence-minister-manohar-parrikar-to-reviewsecurity-situation-in-j-amp-k-on-friday/article1-1349613.aspx * Su-30MKI: One more IAF crash probe ends sans findings: The Indian Air Force has added to its growing list of unresolved air crashes, terming "inconclusive" the probe into the Su-30MKI crash in October last year in which two pilots ejected from a seemingly functional fighter jet. An air force official said that the inquiry into the unique accident, in which both pilots were ejected while the fighter manufactured by Russia's Sukhoi was on its final approach to land in Pune, has been completed but the flight safety team has not been able to come to a conclusion on the cause. However, Russia, which assisted the Indian team in investigating the crash, has publicly said after the joint probe that no defect was found in the plane and that the incident occurred due to a pilot error. Russia's Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin has said that "human error" was the cause of the crash . Top defence ministry officials share this view, people familiar with the matter said. A trainee pilot may have accidentally ejected the pilot seats, they said. It is believed that the two officers who were piloting the aircraft, Wing Commander Sidharth Vishwas Munje and Flying Officer Anup Singh, are still not back on active flying duty..... Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/su-30mki-one-more-iaf-crash-probe-endssans-findings/articleshow/47378925.cms * Attrition rate in defence ministry is about one a month since February: As many as 20 senior officers posted in central ministries have asked for early repatriation to their cadres in the past few months, cutting short their coveted central tenures by several years in many cases, resulting in talk among some civil servants about lack of empowerment under NDA government. In the high-profile defence ministry for instance, the attrition rate is at almost one a month since February this year with at least three key joint secretaries going back to their parent cadres. The reasons cited are 'personal'. Examples of officers seeking early repatriation cut across ministries. In March, 1993 batch MP cadre official Aniruddhe Mukherjee sought repatriation from UID, the agency in charge of issuing Aadhaar cards. Some of those who have sought home postings have been in Delhi for barely a few months, against the standard five-year central postings that babus get. In the women and child development ministry, Joint Secretary Manisha Prasad Pawar sought premature repatriation last month, barely six months into the central tenure. In all, ET has learnt of 20 officials who want to return to their home states..... Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/attrition-rate-in-defence-ministry-is-aboutone-a-month-since-february/articleshow/47378077.cms * Indian defence minister draws line at 36 Rafales Key Points India's defence minister has said Delhi will not buy more than the 36 Dassault Rafales to which it committed in April. The announcement confirms the end of the MMRCA tender and the government's commitment to the Tejas LCA programme. India will neither licence-build additional Dassault Rafale fighters nor acquire more than the 36 it recently agreed to buy in flyaway condition, the country's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on 21 May. In multiple interviews to TV channels to mark the completion of the government's first year in office, Parrikar said the money India had saved by acquiring 90 fewer Rafales would be diverted to buying 200-odd indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). "By buying 36 Rafales instead of 126, I have saved the cost of 90 Rafales," Parrikar said, adding that this amount was around INR900 billion (USD15.51 billion). "We will use this money to buy Tejas LCA priced at around INR1.5 billion each," he added. The LCA will replace 10 to 12 MiG-21 and MiG-27 squadrons to be retired from 2022 onwards, he said. Parrikar declined to reveal the cost of the 36 Rafales, whose purchase Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Paris on 10 April and which are presently the subject of negotiations. He did, however, confirm that the contract includes a 50% offset obligation. India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) had been in negotiations with Dassault since 2012 to acquire 126 Rafales in support of the Indian Air Force (IAF) requirement for medium multirole combat aircraft. Of these, 18 were to have been bought off the shelf and 108 licence-built by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd in Bangalore. Meanwhile, preliminary investigations indicate engine problems could have resulted in an IAF Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighter crashing in Assam state on 19 May, official sources said. The crash was the sixth such incident involving an IAF Su-30 since the aircraft entered Indian service in 1997. A court of inquiry into the accident is under way. Both pilots ejected safely from the fighter, which was on a routine sortie from Tezpur's Salonibari base but developed "technical problems" shortly after taking off, sources said.... Source: http://www.janes.com/article/51616/indian-defence-minister-draws-line-at-36-rafales * India's New Aircraft Carrier May Face Further Delays: India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, will be re-launched next week according to local media reports. The vessel was officially launched in August 2013 with the completion of phase I of construction. The re-launch on May 28 at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi will mark the successful completion of the most critical stage of phase II. “All major equipment has gone into the vessel, which has now acquired the shape of an aircraft carrier, with a finished hull. Barring a bit of ongoing work on the super structure, structural work is all over and the internal compartments have all been welded in,” a shipyard official was quoted as saying. Additionally, The Hindu notes that “outfitting is steadily progressing at the moment, but a major part of it — including piping, electrical cabling, control system wiring — will be carried out after the vessel is launched.” India’s Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) program encountered multiple delays over the last few years with reported budget overruns as high as $4 billion. In July 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to accelerate construction and allocated approximately $3.1 billion towards the completion of the carrier. Five years behind schedule, the 400-ton INS Vikrant is supposed to begin sea-trials in 2017 and should be inducted into the Indian Navy by late 2018. However, The Hindu reports that that despite contractual agreements over the construction of carrier’s aviation complex have been signed with Russian state-owned Rosoboronexport corporation “delivery of major aviation equipment has not begun yet.” This could point to a further delay. With a length of 260 meters and breadth of 60 meters, the INS Vikrant is expected to carry 36 fixed-wing aircraft including the Russian-made MiG-29 K and the yet-to-be-inducted indigenouslyproduced Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas. Additionally, it will carry up to ten Kamov Ka-31 or Westland Sea King Helicopters. The carrier will feature a bulky ski-jump assisted short-take off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) system, which, as my colleague Ankit Panda has noted, is only in use on Russian and Chinese carriers and reduces the range and the armament of aircraft launched, in comparison to jets launched with the more complex Catapult-Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) launch system used by other navies..... Source: http://thediplomat.com/2015/05/indias-new-aircraft-carrier-may-face-further-delays/ * Defence Accounts office gets ISO certification: Getting ISO certification is not enough, sustaining it is more important. It increases the responsibility on the officials to ensure that best standards are maintained, Project Director Ship Building Centre Rear Admiral KO Thakare said. Speaking at the ceremony organised to award ISO 9001: 2008 to Accounts Office (R&D) at Naval Science and Technology Laboratory and Accounts Office (R&D) at Ship Building Centre at the NSTL on May 21, Mr Thakare said that the most important part of the ISO certification is the repeatability of the procedures. There is a need to constantly upgrade systems and procedures to enhance our delivery systems, Mr Thakar said and complimented the AO (R&D) office for their work in supporting both in project work as well as in financial matters relating to personnel. Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/defence-accounts-office-gets-isocertification/article7233208.ece * Reliance Infrastructure seeks Russian partner to make submarines, ships at Pipavav Defence: Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure, which recently acquired an 18 per cent stake in Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering, is scouting for an international joint venture-cum-technology partner in Russia to locally manufacture nuclearpowered submarines and stealth warships at Pipavav in Gujarat. Pipavav Defence is India'a largest defence shipyard with a permit to manufacture warships. Top Reliance Group executives are in Moscow where they met senior officials in Russia's defence ministry and are also likely to call on Russian defence minister Sergey Shoigu this week to identify a potential Russian JV partner with the requisite technology expertise for manufacturing warships in India, a person aware of the discussions told ET. The JV may involve one of the defence subsidiaries of Reliance Infrastructure, the person cited above said..... Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/reliance-infrastructure-seeks-russianpartner-to-make-submarines-ships-at-pipavav-defence/articleshow/47378236.cms II Homeland Security Indicia solicits comments and advice from readers on any aspect of the report. It believes that cross-fertilisation of knowledge invariably leads to better knowledge Indicia Research & Advisory Fusion Knowledge in Indian Defence and Strategic Affairs C – 79, Basement, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi – 110 017 T&F: + 91 11 4579 2922, email: [email protected]
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