Aug 29, 2013 ASDNews Source : European Space Agency (ESA)

This evening, an Ariane 5 launcher lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on its mission to place two communications satellites, Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7, into their planned geostationary transfer orbits.

Liftoff of flight VA215 occurred at 20:30 GMT (22:30 CET; 17:30 French Guiana) at the opening of the launch window. The target injection orbit had a perigee altitude of 249 km, an apogee altitude of 35 929 km with an inclination of 3.5° relative to the equator.

Eutelsat-25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7 were accurately injected into their transfer orbits approximately 27 and 34 minutes after launch, respectively.

Eutelsat-25B/Es’hail 1 was the upper payload with an estimated liftoff mass of 6300 kg. Operating at an orbital position of 25.5°E, it will assist European telecommunications operator Eutelsat and Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, in providing direct-broadcast services covering the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. This will include video broadcasting, telecommunications and government services.

Equipped with four steerable spot beam antennas and four deployable reflectors, along with advanced command and telemetry capabilities, Eutelsat-25B/Es’hail 1 follows on from the current Eutelsat-25C satellite to provide Ku-band range communications, while its Ka-band capability widens business opportunities for both operators.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s GSAT-7 was the lower payload with an estimated liftoff mass of 2650 kg. It will provide multiband telecommunications over India from an orbital position of 74°E.

Flight VA215 was Ariane 5’s 57th successful launch in a row since December 2002.

August 30, 2013 by Shiv Aroor - Livefist

Sat up to watch this. Real history, given how long the Indian Navy has wanted this. India's first dedicated military satellite was placed into orbit early this morning by the Ariane-5 rocket, launched from Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite will be exclusive for use by the Indian Navy that's so far had to share bandwidth on India's existing space platforms, including the INMARSAT family of satellites.

The GSAT-7 will be activated for operations on September 14 in a geostationary orbit 36,0000-km above the equator.

According to ISRO, "GSAT-7 is an advanced communication satellite built by ISRO to provide wide range of service spectrum from low bit rate voice to high bit rate data communication. GSAT-7 Communication payload is designed to provide communication capabilities to users over a wide oceanic region including the Indian land-mass. The payload configuration is compatible with I-2.5K bus of ISRO. The GSAT-7 payload design includes Multiband communication."

Congratulations to the navy, ISRO and the GSAT-7 team!

Aug. 29, 2013 - By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI  - Defense News

NEW DELHI — India’s Defence Ministry has been severely criticized for buying 10,000 Konkurs-M anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) from Russia despite having a licensed production facility for the missiles at state-owned Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

The latest report of the comptroller and auditor general of India (CAG), placed in the Indian Parliament recently, said, “Failure of BDL to supply the missiles intended by the Indian Army resulted in conclusion of a contract for import of 10,000 missiles at a cost of $188 million defeating the very objective of avoiding dependence on foreign supplier for the ammunition.”

A source in BDL said the Russians failed to transfer the technology to India, which kept BDL from absorbing the information on time and led to production delays. However, a Russian diplomat here said all promised technologies for the advanced Konkus-M missile have been transferred to BDL.

However, the CAG report said BDL was slow in enhancing the production base for the Konkurs-M missiles.

“The Hyderabad-based defense public sector unit BDL planned to increase its production capacity from 3,000 to 4,500 missiles per year by 2012, and up to 6,000 missiles by 2013. In reality, the capacity was augmented by only 500 missiles per annum until February 2013.

“The delay in supply created a capability gap in the Army to fight tanks fitted with [explosive reactive armor] panels, thereby impacting its operational preparedness,” the CAG report said.

“Production of missiles is a complex challenge for India, which includes transfer of technology, absorption, acceptance of the missiles by the services and finally serial manufacturing the same based on the demand by the armed forces,” said Rahul Bhonsle, retired Indian Army brigadier general and defense analyst. “The failure of the BDL, which has been touting Konkurs as one of its products for long, could be due to glitches in this entire cycle, thus its inability to deliver missiles to the Army has led to large deficiencies forcing the government to import the same.”

Another retired Indian Army officer said the delay by BDL led to a shortage of ATGMs, which finally led to purchases from Russia. “An inquiry should be held to find if the delays by BDL were intentional and meant to benefit the Russians,” he said.

On the delays in production, a BDL official who did not want to be identified said there were delays in transfer of technology, but added there was also a delay in giving orders to BDL from the service headquarters.

An Indian Army officer said the best option is to buy fully formed missiles from original equipment manufacturers, rather than from BDL, to meet operational requirements.

When asked about BDL’s performance, the Army official said BDL’s monopoly should be broken and the MoD should identify another agency, preferably in the private industry.

Former Indian Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh had warned of the shortages of ammunition, including Konkurs-M missiles. The November purchase of the 10,000 Konkurs-M missiles was a desperate reaction to Singh’s warning, an Indian Army source said.

With the serious concerns raised by the CAG regarding BDL’s production capabilities, alternatives will have to be explored to meet the Army’s requirements. “India has to address the entire missile-production cycle in BDL on priority or look for alternate foreign sources until BDL provides assured delivery,” Bhonsle said. “The large requirement means that only the US or Russia will have production facilities to provide thousands of missiles that are required by the over 400 battalion foot and mechanized infantry and approximately 70 tank regiments.”

An MoD official said the Army’s initial requirement is about 24,000 ATGMs to arm its 356 infantry units, adding that this procurement will be completed by the end of the twelfth plan period in 2017.

India has also been negotiating with the United States for the purchase of Javelin ATGMs and with Israel for Spike ATGMs. MoD sources said the negotiations with the US have been stalled over technology transfer, while negotiations with Israel on the Spike are also on hold, but gave no reason.

The purchase of new generation of ATGMs worth $3 billion could be re-floated as a separate program by the end of the year, the source said.

28 August 2013 by nayeem sheikh - Indian Defence Goal

Russia is set to deliver six more jet fighters of 4++ generation this year to Indian Air Force as per a deal with New Delhi, the MIG aircraft corporation said Wednesday.

“India currently exploits 21 aircrafts. In line with a contract, we must deliver 29 planes by 2015. Last year, we’ve delivered four planes. This year, we’ve delivered one plane and six aircrafts remain to be delivered,” MIG’s director general Sergei Korotkov told reporters at the MAKS air show, Xinhua reported.

The six-day MAKS show kicked off in Zhukovsky city outside Moscow Tuesday. MIG signed a $1.5 billion deal with India in 2010 to deliver 29 MIG-29K-KUB warplanes.

This is the second such contract between the Russian aircraft construction corporation and New Delhi. The first deal to supply India with 16 MIGs-29 was signed in 2004 and completed in 2011.

During MAKS, the Russian corporation also signed two deals worth $55 million to build a centre in India to service MIG’s avionics and hardware, the corporation’s spokesperson Elena Fedorova said.

MIG’s partner in those deals is Basant Aerospace Private Ltd, she added.

MIG commenced production of new unified family of multi-role fighters of the 4++ generation in 2005.

The double-seat MIG-29K-KUB is a multi-role fighter intended for air-defence missions of naval forces, air superiority gaining, sea and ground target destruction with high precision guided weapons day and night and in any weather condition.

Aug 28, 2013 Rajat Pandit, TNN

The 2,625kg military satellite will help the Navy keep a hawk-eye over both Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.

NEW DELHI: India's first dedicated military satellite GSAT-7 or "Rukmini", which will be launched by Arianespace from French Guiana on Friday, will provide the Navy with an almost 2,000-nautical-mile-footprint over the critical Indian Ocean region (IOR).

Essentially a geo-stationary communication satellite to enable real-time networking of all Indian warships, submarines and aircraft with operational centres ashore, the 2,625kg Rukmini will also help the Navy keep a hawk-eye over both Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. "From Persian Gulf to Malacca Strait, it will help cover almost 70% of the IOR," said a source.

The "over-the-sea use" Rukmini, with UHF, S, Ku and C-band transponders, is to be followed by GSAT-7A with the IAF and Army sharing its "over-the-land use" bandwidth. The Navy has been clamouring for such a satellite for close to a decade now to shorten its "sensor-to-shooter loop" - the ability to swiftly detect and tackle a threat — but the delay in the indigenous GSLV rocket to carry satellites and other factors have been the stumbling blocks.

India, of course, has been a late — and somewhat reluctant — entrant into the military space arena despite having a robust civilian programme for decades. Without dedicated satellites of their own, the armed forces were relegated to using "dual use" Cartosat satellites or the Technology Experimental Satellite launched in 2001, apart from leasing foreign satellite transponders for surveillance, navigation and communication purposes.

China, in sharp contrast, has taken huge strides in the military space arena, testing even ASAT (anti-satellite) weapons against "low-earth orbit" satellites since January 2007. "With counter-space being a top priority, China has been testing its 'direct-ascent kinetic kill' capabilities. It also has active programmes for kinetic and directed-energy laser weapons as well as nano-satellites. By 2020, it hopes to have a space station with military applications," said a source.

Incidentally, around 300 dedicated or dual-use military satellites are orbiting around the earth, with the US owning 50% of them, followed by Russia and China. But India has lagged far behind in utilization of the final frontier of space for military purposes, refusing to even approve the long-standing demand of the armed forces for a full-fledged Aerospace Command, as earlier reported by TOI.

Though officially against " any offensive space capabilities or weaponization of space", the defence ministry in 2010 had come out with a 15-year "Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap" that dwelt on the need to develop ASAT weapons "for electronic or physical destruction of satellites in both LEO (2,000km altitude above earth's surface) and GEO-synchronous orbits". These portions were quietly deleted in the roadmap released earlier this year.

DRDO contends it can develop ASAT weapons if required by marrying the propulsion system of the over 5,000-km Agni-V missile with the "kill vehicle" of its two-tier BMD (ballistic missile system) system.

Apart from working on "directed energy weapons" at its Laser Science &Technology Centre, DRDO also has futuristic programmes for launching "mini-satellites on demand" for use in the battlefield as well as "EMP (electromagnetic pulse) hardening" of satellites and sensors to protect them against ASAT weapons.

But all that is in the future. Dedicated military satellites like Rukmini will help India keep real-time tabs over the rapidly-militarizing IOR, where China is increasingly expanding its strategic footprint, as well as on troop movements, missile silos, military installations and airbases across land borders.

29/08/2013 vietnamplus.vn

La conférence élargie des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (ADMM+) s'est ouverte jeudi matin au Brunei pour discuter de la sécurité régionale et internationale.

Cet événement a réuni les ministres de la Défense et les hauts officiels militaires des 10 pays membres de l'Association des Nations d'Asie du Sud-Est (ASEAN), ainsi que des huit pays partenaires (Australie, Chine, Inde, Japon, Nouvelle-Zélande, Russie, République de Corée et Etats-Unis).

La délégation vietnamienne était conduite par le ministre de la Défense Phung Quang Thanh.

Lors de la conférence, les participants ont évalué les avancées réalisées depuis la première ADMM+ en 2010 à Hanoi, avant de définir des orientations pour les deux prochaines années.

Selon les experts, l'ADMM+ joue un rôle important pour le renforcement de la coopération et des dialogues en terme de défense et de sécurité entre l'ASEAN et ses pays partenaires, en faveur de la stabilité, de la sécurité, de la paix et du développement de la région. Ces 34 derniers mois, de nombreuses rencontres annuelles à divers échelons ont été organisées dans le cadre de l'ADMM+. Cette dernière est devenue une partie de la structure régionale de sécurité. Il s'agit d'un forum qui permet aux hauts officiels militaires de discuter de questions importantes et de créer un cadre pour la coopération multilatérale entre les armées des pays de la région.

La Déclaration commune de l'ADMM+ de 2013 sera rendue publique cet après-midi.

La prochaine conférence des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (ADMM) aura lieu en 2014 au Myanmar. -VNA

JOUKOVSKI (région de Moscou), 28 août - RIA Novosti

L'Inde entend équiper ses futurs chasseurs Rafale de missiles russes, a annoncé mercredi Boris Obnossov, directeur général du groupe russe "Armements balistiques tactiques", lors du Salon aérospatial international MAKS-2013 à Joukovski, dans la région de Moscou.

"L'Inde manifeste de l'intérêt pour l'adaptation de nos missiles pour les Rafale" qui seront fournis par la France, a indiqué M.Obnossov devant les journalistes.

Selon lui, le groupe, qui a perdu l'appel d'offres indien pour la production de 126 chasseurs polyvalents en 2011, est prêt à adapter ses missiles pour les chasseurs français Rafale (Dassault Aviation) retenus par l'Inde.

Le Salon aérospatial international MAKS-2013 se déroule du 27 août au 1er septembre sur l'aérodrome de l'Institut de recherche sur les vols Gromov à Joukovski, dans la région de Moscou.

28 August 2013 naval-technology.com

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its first 2.5t military satellite called GSat-7 on 30 August 2013, to improve communication network among Indian navy vessels.

On the condition of anonymity, officials said it is the space agency's first dedicated military satellite, even though officially ISRO has called GSat-7 a communication satellite.

The Times of India quotes an official as saying that "this is the first time we are launching a satellite with a specifically military role."

The satellite, which will be positioned at 74oE, will be launched on the Ariane Flight VA215 from the European spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana.

According to ISRO, GSAT-7 is a multi-band satellite carrying payloads in UHF, S-band, C-band and Ku-band and employs 2,000kg class bus (I-2K) platform with a power handling capability of around 3,000W and lift-off mass of 2,550kg.

After the launch of GSat-7, India is also planning to launch one satellite each for the air force and the army.

Earlier, the Indian space agency allotted a space on its satellite's transponder for classified communication for the armed forces, however, GSat-7 is designed specifically to cater the communication needs of navy.

In October 2001, ISRO had launched its Technology Experiment Satellite aimed for spying purposes.

French space transportation firm Arianespace has launched 16 Indian satellites so far.

27 August 2013 airforce-technology.com

Boeing has handed over the third C-17 Globemaster III heavy-lift transport aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF), expanding the IAF's tactical airlifter fleet.

The shipment of the aircraft from Boeing's manufacturing facility in Long Beach, California, on 20 August, comes in less than one month of delivery of the second aircraft.

Around ten C-17 aircraft were ordered by IAF from Boeing through a $4.1bn deal for replacement of its ageing Russian IL-76 airlifter fleet, in June 2011.

Delivered in June, the first aircraft was immediately deployed in support of IAF operations.

The C-17 aircraft are expected to be operated in support of military and humanitarian airlift operations during emergencies from Hindon Air Force Base in New Delhi, India.

Powered by four Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines, the C-17 Globemaster is a military tactical transport aircraft designed to conduct rapid strategic airlift of troops and supply palleted cargo to main operating bases or forward-operating bases in extreme climates worldwide.

Capable of transporting large payloads across vast ranges and landing on short, sharp runways, the aircraft is also capable of performing tactical airlift, medical evacuation and airdrop missions.

Besides IAF, the aircraft is also operated by air forces in the US, Australia, UAE, Canada and Qatar, UAE, the UK and the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of Nato and Partnership for Peace nations.

Boeing is scheduled to deliver an additional two aircraft to IAF this year, followed by the remaining five in 2014.

The company is also supporting the IAF C-17 fleet through the Globemaster III integrated sustainment program (GISP) performance-based logistics contract, which ensures mission readiness by enabling access to an extensive support network for global parts availability and economies of scale.

India’s defense minister says that changes to the VIP helicopter RFP were approved and recommended, thereby undermining allegations that bribes were paid to secure them. (AW photo)

August 27, 2013 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Press Information Bureau India; issued August 26, 2013)

VIP Helicopter Deal

After issuance of Request For Proposal (RFP) for the procurement of 12 VVIP/VIP helicopters, certain changes, with the approval of the competent authority in terms of Defence Procurement Procedure-2006, have been made in technical requirements on the basis of the recommendation of the stakeholders to meet the requisite standards of operational safety and security.

The contract for procurement of 12 VVIP / VIP helicopters was signed with M/s Agusta Westland, U.K. on 8th February 2010. Three helicopters have so far been supplied by the vendor.

In view of allegations of irregularities in this procurement, Ministry of Defence has entrusted enquiry into the matter to CBI. The CBI, on conclusion of preliminary enquiry, registered a regular case on 12th March 2013 against 13 persons and 6 firms.

The CBI investigation is in progress. Further operation of the Contract has been put on hold.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Dr. M. Thambidurai and others in Lok Sabha today.

(defense-aerospace.com EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a very surprising statement.

By saying that changes made to the helicopter RFP after it was issued were recommended by “stakeholders,” and that they also were approved by the “competent authority,” Antony clearly undermines the credibility of ongoing investigations by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation and by Italian magistrates.

These investigations have focused on persistent but as yet unproven allegations that changes to the RFP requirements were made surreptitiously and illegally to favour Agusta Westland’s AW101, in exchange for bribes paid to Indian officials.

No evidence has yet been discovered to bolster these allegations. Two former Indian air force commanders have been investigated and one charged in India. The CEOs of AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica, its corporate parent, were jailed in Italy and are now under trial.

If the Indian customer, in the person of Defense Minister A.K. Antony, now says the changes to the RFP were both approved and required for safety reasons, there is no longer any plausible reason for bribes to have been paid.

Yet, as Antony notes, the CBI’s preliminary enquiry did lead to its registering “a regular case on 12th March 2013 against 13 persons and 6 firms.”

Again, this is difficult to reconcile with the fact that the changes to the RFP were both approved and required on safety grounds.

Clearly, more explanations are needed. Until they are forthcoming, it probably is worth noting that the one person who comes across as a prudent steward of public funds and a guardian of public propriety in the above statement is, perhaps not coincidentally, Antony himself.)

27 August 2013 by nayeem sheikh

India is all set to acquire a second nuclear submarine on lease from Russia. The two sides have had preliminary discussions and a serious push is expected when Indian Defence Secretary RK Mathur meets his Russian counterparts during his visit to Moscow next week.

The idea had germinated in the Indian strategic establishment long before the Russian-built electric-powered submarine INS Sindhurakshak got sunk at its moorings in Mumbai naval dockyard on August 14.

Now with the Sindhurakshak practically gone forever and the Indian submarine fleet having been constricted to just 13 – of which only 7 or 8 can be operational at a given time – the Indian idea has acquired a greater steam.  The loss of INS Sindhurakshak seems to have catalysed the Indian defence establishment to come up with ideas that would ensure that India’s undersea warfare capabilities are actually bolstered, and not dented.

Indian Defence Secretary RK Mathur is all set to lead an Indian tri-service delegation to Moscow for the next round of High Level Monitoring Group on Defence. Mathur will be reaching Russia on September 1 for these crucial talks and the issue of taking on lease a second Russian nuclear submarine for the Indian defence forces will be very high on his agenda.

Sources say the Indian defence secretary will be negotiating with his Russian counterparts on many other agendas but his foremost talking point would inevitably veer around the subject of India acquiring the nuclear submarine on lease as it would provide New Delhi an immediate solution to deal with maritime threats in the neighbourhood.

The Russians are positively inclined to the idea of leasing a second nuclear submarine to India, according to sources. Actually, if this idea were to translate into reality, it would be the third nuclear submarine that the Russia would be leasing to India.

The first time it was then Soviet Union which had leased a nuclear submarine (named INS Chakra by the Indian Navy) way back in 1988. The lease at that time was only for three years and the Indians duly returned the vessel after the lease expired.

The second time India got on lease a nuclear submarine from Russia was a couple of years ago when India and Russia finalised the contract for it in 2011 and the Russian Nerpa class submarine was inducted into the Indian Navy last year as INS Chakra. The lease cost a billion dollars to India for a period of ten years.

The third lease, if it transpires (which it should given the political will from both the sides), should also be for a minimum of ten years. However, the lease values may be a bone of contention for the two sides. While the Indians are willing to shell out a billion dollars for taking on lease another nuclear submarine for a period of ten years, the Russians have jacked up the monetary value.

Moreover, the Russians have already conveyed to their Indian interlocutors that India cannot hope to get a nuclear submarine on lease from any other country. From India’s point of view, though the Russian logic seems to be well in place but then other countries like France and the UK may be persuaded to lease a nuclear submarine given India’s standing in the comity of nations currently.

The Indian strategic establishment seems quite upbeat on the idea of acquiring another nuclear submarine. The Indians have even named their probably acquisition as INS Chakra III.

23 août 2013 Par Rédacteur en chef. PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

Sans écarter la thèse qu’un “sabotage” puisse être à l’origine des explosions qui ont secoué le sous-marin indien INS Sindhurakshak, le ministre de la défense A K Antony, a souligné jeudi que l’incident jetait une ombre sur les capacités de la marine à protéger les intérêts maritimes du pays.

Le ministre a indiqué que la marine avait ordonné une étude pour évaluer l’état des armes à bord du sous-marin touché, par crainte d’une nouvelle explosion pendant les opérations de sauvetage.

« La marine a chargé une commission d’enquête de trouver les causes de l’accident et elle a commencé ses travaux avec tout le sérieux nécessaire. Sa mission est de d’étudier tous les aspects pouvant être à l’origine de l’incident. Rien n’est écarté, Toutes les causes possibles seront examinées par la commission, » a précisé M. Antony.

Plusieurs parlementaires ont cherché à savoir si un sabotage était une des raisons de l’accident. Le ministre a répondu que « à ce stade, nous ne pouvons pas déterminer les causes de l’incident. Nos forces armées travaillent sur cet incident et ils sont attentifs à cette éventualité. »

Le ministre a aussi annoncé que le corps d’une 8è victime avait été retrouvé.

Les plongeurs ont découvert des morceaux de métal et des éléments de couleur jaune, partiellement brulés, près du quai où était amarré le sous-marin. Ils ont été envoyés à un laboratoire pour analyse de leur composition.

Des échantillons d’eau de la salle des torpilles ont été analysés en laboratoire et ne montrent pas la présence de TNT ou dans les éléments de couleur jaune. Des analyses complémentaires sont en cours.

Référence : The Hindu (Inde)

August 22, 2013 idrw.org (SP’s Special Correspondent)

The indigenous Astra beyond visual-range air-to-air missile has been captive flight tested again on the Su-30MKI, following successful tests in April this year as earlier reported bySP’s. The IAF is watching keenly as the ambitious weapon system proves itself on the air dominance platform, and is hoping for a test firing from the Su-30MKI this year.

According to HAL, captive flight test for the Astra missile on the Su-30MKI aircraft was planned in three phases: Phase-1, to carry out aero-structural and mechanical integrity for carriage of Astra under steady and manoeuvering conditions, Phase-2 to carry out validation of weapon control system and its electrical and avionic interfaces with Astra missile and in Phase-3, to check the performance of missile system in transmitting and receiving mode of missile seeker with designated target under different flight conditions and the live firing of the Astra missile from the aircraft. As first reported by SP’s, while the base version Astra Mk.1 will have an intercept range of 44-km, it will be the Astra Mk.2 that will be a true force multiplier weapon, with an intercept range in excess of 100-km.