Jun 09, 2013 brahmand.com

NEW DELHI (PTI): With futuristic warfare in mind, India is working to develop robotic soldiers as part of efforts to boost unmanned fighting capabilities, joining a select group of countries in this endeavour.

Under the project being undertaken by DRDO, robots would be developed with very high level of intelligence to enable them to differentiate between a threat and a friend.

These can then be deployed in difficult warfare zones, like the Line of Control (LoC), a step that would help avert the loss of human lives.

"We are going to work for robotic soldiers. We are going to look for very high level of intelligence in it than what we are talking today... It is a new programme and a number of labs are already working in a big way on robotics," DRDO chief Avinash Chander told PTI in an interview.

The newly-appointed DRDO chief listed the project for development of robotic soldiers as one of his "priority thrust areas" saying that "unmanned warfare in land and air is the future of warfare. Initially the robotic soldier may be assisting the man."

He said in the initial phase of the project, the robotic soldier would be required to be told by the human soldier to identify an enemy or a combatant but "slowly in due course of time, the robotic soldier would be at the front end and the human soldier would be assisting him."

Chander said the need for a robotic soldier is felt to save precious human lives and already robots are used in areas where humans do no want to venture such as defusing bombs or getting inside a high-radiation territory.

"Robotic soldier is one step further. It will have multiple technologies in terms of communication with team members, ability to recognise an enemy," Chander said.

"Today, you have neural networks, whenever the soldier tells him (robotic soldier) that this is a human solider, he will derive his own logic as to what is the difference between him and others (civilians). That learning process will keep building up," he said.

Asked if it would be capable of being deployed in areas such as the Line of Control, Chander said, "In due course of time but not before a decade in any way."

He said many new technologies have to be developed such as "miniature communication, materials, cognitive technologies, self-learning processes and interaction with human."

Chander said "already five to six countries are actively working. They have not yet developed it fully but they are in fairly advanced stages. This is one of my priority areas."

07/06/2013 Marine nationale

Le bâtiment de projection et de commandement (BPC) Tonnerre, en relâche opérationnelle à Goa (Inde) le 31 mai 2013, a mis à disposition ses installations pour permettre à des industriels français d’exposer leurs matériels et savoir-faire aux décideurs indiens.

Le groupe Jeanne d’Arc 2013 entame la troisième phase de son déploiement dans un objectif de soutien à la diplomatie navale et aux exportations de défense. Le BPC Tonnerre et la FASM Georges Leygues effectueront plusieurs escales, de l’océan Indien jusqu’à la mer de Chine dans cet objectif.

À Goa, le salon a rassemblé quatre industriels de défense: Cassidian, SAGEM, CNIM et DCNS. Les représentants de ces entreprises ont pu notamment rencontrer le vice-amiral Parhar, commandant la région maritime de Goa et l’aéronautique navale. Les autorités de la Marine Indienne ont ainsi pu observer en situation le matériel des industriels français équipant le BPC et présenté par les marins du bord qui l’utilisent en opérations. Ces prises de contact entre marines sont essentielles pour les industries françaises qui souhaitent collaborer avec les marines étrangères.

Le soutien à l’exportation des industries de défense françaises est une mission à part entière du ministère de la Défense, et donc de la Marine. L’objectif de ces manifestations est de garantir aux décideurs étrangers, susceptibles de les acquérir la qualité, la fiabilité et la pérennité des équipements français qui équipent les bâtiments de la Marine nationale. A ce titre la Marine nationale, en collaboration avec le Groupement des industries de constructions et activités navales (GICAN), organise des « salons » pendant lesquels exposent des industriels qui ont participé à l’équipement du Tonnerre.

Le prochain «salon» se déroulera le 13 juin, le groupe Jeanne d’Arc sera alors en relâche opérationnelle à Singapour.

CANBERRA, Australia, June 6 (UPI)

Australia and India will hold their first joint naval exercise in 2015, Australian Minster for Defense Stephen Smith said.

The announcement was made in Canberra after discussions with Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony during an official visit -- the first for an Indian defense minister.

Smith also invited Indian naval ship participation in the navy's International Fleet Review in Sydney Oct. 3-11, a statement by the Ministry of Defense said.

Some 40 visiting warships and 12 tall ships will participate in the review to commemorate the centenary of the first entry of the Royal Australian Navy's Fleet into Sydney harbor in 1913.

Smith and Antony, who arrived in Australia June 4, agreed to cooperate through regional forums, including the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium and the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation.

Australia will chair IONS next year and host its Conclave of Chiefs in Perth in March. India currently is the chair of the IOR-ARC and Australia the next chair.

Smith said the two countries will continue regular bilateral defense ministers' meetings and military personnel exchanges.

"The 2013 Australian Defense White Paper outlines the profound strategic changes occurring as economic, strategic and military weight shift to the Indo-Pacific region," Smith said.

"India and Australia have a shared interest in helping to address these strategic changes, including through defense collaboration. Today's Defense Ministers' Dialogue in Canberra was a timely opportunity to review progress in the bilateral defense relationship and to examine areas for further collaboration."

"Both sides acknowledged that maritime security and freedom of navigation in accordance with principles of international law is critical for the growth and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions," a joint statement said.

Antony later met Prime Minister Julia Gillard and political opposition leaders, including Shadow Minister for Defense Sen. David Johnston.

Antony arrived in Australia in Perth on the Indian Ocean coast where he laid a wreath at the Western Australia State War Memorial and met business leaders.

Before his Australia visit, Anthony was in Singapore where he agreed to allow Singapore's army to continue using Indian military training facilities for five more years, The Times of India reported.

The original agreement was signed for five years in 2008.

Singapore's air force has been using Indian facilities since October 2007. The deal was extended for five years during a visit to India by Singapore permanent secretary of defense Chiang Chie Foo in July.

Singapore, a city-state with limited space for military training, is the only country India allows to use its military facilities, The Times of India reported.

05/06 Par Patrick de Jacquelot* -  Les Echos

New Delhi vient d'édicter de nouvelles règles d'appel d'offres censées favoriser l'émergence d'industriels privés.

Favoriser le développement d'une industrie d'armement sophistiquée, c'est l'obsession de l'Inde, qui ne se satisfait pas de la situation actuelle : celle d'un pays aux énormes besoins, mais qui, faute de joueurs nationaux, est devenu le plus gros importateur d'armes de la planète.

Actuellement, la production militaire en Inde est confinée au sein de quelques entreprises publiques, dont les capacités techniques vont du médiocre au très correct, mais qui sont démunies dans les technologies de pointe et la recherche et le développement. Des grands groupes privés comme le conglomérat Tata ou le groupe d'ingénierie Larsen & Toubro ne demandent qu'à se lancer dans la défense, mais les militaires indiens, toujours désireux d'avoir ce qui se fait de mieux, ont tendance à favoriser les fournisseurs internationaux.

C'est dans ce contexte que New Delhi publie chaque année de nouvelles règles encadrant les achats d'armes. Celles qui sont entrées en vigueur ce 1 er juin se caractérisent par la volonté de privilégier systématiquement les producteurs privés indiens. Pour résumer, l'armée devra justifier pour chaque acquisition prévue à l'étranger pourquoi il n'est pas possible de trouver un fabricant indien ou de favoriser la mise en place d'une production locale. Une démarche saluée par les professionnels, avec quelques réserves : « L'intention est bonne, il reste à voir les modalités d'application », estime Neelu Khatri, responsable du secteur défense chez KPMG.

Car, dans la pratique, les règles sans cesse changeantes semblent susciter des difficultés croissantes, comme l'illustrent trois très gros contrats. Celui portant sur la modernisation des Mirage par Thales et Dassault, signé en 2011 et en cours d'exécution, prévoit une répartition claire des rôles entre les Français et Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), le spécialiste public de l'aéronautique. Thales est responsable de la modernisation des quatre premiers avions. Le groupe livrera ensuite à HAL des kits et le groupe indien sera responsable de leur installation sur les suivants.

Dans le cas des Rafale, le processus prévoit à l'inverse que, après la livraison en Inde des premiers appareils fabriqués en France, Dassault restera responsable du montage des appareils suivants réalisé par HAL. Cette disposition semble à l'origine du retard pris par la négociation. Enfin, le nouvel appel d'offres pour l'achat de 56 avions de transport est encore différent : les 16 premiers seront fournis par le vainqueur tandis que les 40 suivants devront être fabriqués par un groupe privé indien partenaire. « C'est absurde, avance un professionnel, aucun groupe privé ne va créer une chaîne de montage pour 40appareils seulement. »

Elaborée par tâtonnements successifs, la politique d'acquisitions militaires se cherche. Le gouvernement dit depuis longtemps vouloir publier la liste de ses besoins à long terme, pour que l'industrie puisse s'y préparer. Les intéressés attendent toujours. Neelu Khatri pointe une contradiction dans la politique affichée : « D'un côté, nous n'avons pas les compétences dans certains domaines, de l'autre, nous limitons les investissements étrangers dans les entreprises indiennes de défense à 26 %. »

* Patrick de Jacquelot, Correspondant en Inde - Son blog : www.frenchjournalist.com

2013-05-30 By Zachary Keck – china-defense-mashup.com

On Saturday India’s Defense Minister AK Antony commissioned the country’s first squadron of Russia-built MiG-29K at the INS Hansa Naval near Goa near the Southern tip of India. The squadron, which will be named INAS 303 Black Panthers, consists of 16 MiG-29K fighters some of which were inducted into the India military three years ago allowing Indian pilots to become comfortable flying the aircraft.

India’s Economic Times reported that, “The MiG-29Ks, with a range of 1,300km and a service ceiling of 58,000-feet, are capable of STOBAR (short takeoff but arrested recovery) operations. They are armed with R-73 and RVV-AE guided air-to-air missiles, Kh-35E anti-ship missiles, KAB 500KR/OD TV guided bombs and S-8KOM rockets.”

The 303 Blank Panthers squadron fighters are the first of what will be a total of 45 fighters India has agreed to purchase from Russia for over US$2 billion, including 29 more MiG-29Ks.

The newly commissioned fighters will continue carrying out training exercises until November or December when the Russian built INS Vikramaditya (formerly Gorshkov) aircraft carrier that is currently being refitted is scheduled to be inducted by India’s Navy. Delhi’s other aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat, is currently undergoing maintenance but will continue operating for at least the next few years and possible through 2018.

India also currently has plans to build two indigenous aircraft carriers (IACs). The first is a 40,000 ton vessel currently being constructed at Cochin Shipyard and is scheduled to be inducted into India’s Navy in the next four or five years. It will be placed in the water on August 12 of this year and will undergo its first sea trials 24 months after that, according to Antony.

While commissioning the new maritime aviation squadron on Saturday, Antony also marked the 60th anniversary of India’s naval aviation.

The day before the ceremony that Antony attended, on Friday, China announced it had formed its first carrier-borne aviation force. Citing PLA sources, China’s state media reported that the forming of the force— which will consist of “carrier-borne fighter jets, jet trainers and ship-borne helicopters that operate anti-submarine, rescue and vigilance tasks”— demonstrates that “the development of China’s aircraft carriers has entered a new phase.”

The reports also said that Admiral Wu Shengli, a Princeling member of the Central Military Commission—China’s highest military decision-making body— and the commander of the PLA Navy, attended the ceremony.

The media stories also focused heavily on the quality of the pilots that were included in the group. One report stated:

“The personnel of the force are more elite than the aviation forces within the PLA. To be able to fly fighter jets, the pilots should have flown at least five types of aircraft and their flight time must exceed 1,000 hours.

Rich experience in joint drills and major drills is also a prerequisite. The pilots also received training in courses like warship theory, nautical basics, and maritime meteorology.”

It also revealed that the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, is capable of holding around 30 fixed-wing aircraft, expected to initially be the J-15s.

China has plans to build a second, larger aircraft carrier that is capable of carrying more fighters. In its annual report on China’s military modernization last week, the Pentagon suggested that it believed China would complete this indigenous aircraft carrier within a decade.

June 1, 2013 nvonews.com

NEW DELHI, Kuwaiti ambassador to India Sami Al-Sulaiman has participated in the reception ceremony of FNS Tonnerre and FNS George Leygues-two French naval ships carrying navy cadets from Kuwaiti and other countries — that arrived in Goa yesterday as a part of the ‘Mission Jeanne D’Arc’, a Kuwait embassy statement issued to KUNA said here Saturday.

The reception was held on one of the ships, on which French cadets were embarked, including cadets from other navies.

The French Navy Jeanne d’Arc Task Group is composed of LHD Dixmude and anti-submarine destroyer Georges Leygues, five helicopters, three amphibious landing craft and about 133 cadets from the 2010 class of the French naval academy. ‘Mission Jeanne D’Arc’ began in March and is scheduled to conclude in July.

The mission has taken the naval group to Lebanon, Jordan, Djibouti, Abu Dhabi and Muscat.

This training squadron will return to France in late July 2013 after visiting many countries and participating in operational missions along its journey through the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean in the framework of cadets training, including a port call in Goa from June 1 to 5.

May 29, 2013 by Shiv Aroor - Livefist

Still in Tokyo, missed posting on this. The Defence Minister inaugurated the spruced up, expanded air force station at Thanjavur in southern India on May 27, a base that could house Su-30MKIs in the future. Sweet. Here's the MoD statement from the event:

Defence Minister AK Antony today dedicated to the nation the new air force station at Thanjavur at a brief function held to mark the occasion. Speaking to reporters Antony said the operationalisation of the Air Force Station Thanjavur would strengthen the air defence capabilities of the Indian Air Force in general and the Southern Command, in particular. He said various sensitive, strategic, industrial, aerospace and economic assets are coming up in the Southern Peninsula and the Station will play a vital role in providing protection to those assets.

The event was attended among others by the COSC and the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne and the AOC-in-C Southern Air Command Air Marshal RK Jolly. Antony said the Station will also help protect our island territories and Sea Lines of Communication in the Indian Ocean Region(IOR). He said even though we are a peace-loving nation, we have to protect our national interests from threats such as piracy and terrorism. He said the IOR is increasingly becoming more and more active. In the emerging security scenario, the presence of Fighter Planes in Thanjavur will not only guard our interests but also give a feeling of safety to our neighbours, he said.

Thanjavur airbase is poised to become a premier airbase in Southern Air Command. The status of the airbase as the pride of Southern Air Command befits the city of Thanjavur, which was a jewel in the crown of the Chola and Pandya Kingdoms. The airbase was first constructed in 1940 by the Royal Air Force. During the period 1942-45, 36 Sqn, 353 Sqn and 60 Sqn of RAF operated from this airfield with Hudson, Wellington 1C, Hurricane and Thunderbolt aircraft. These aircraft were used in various roles which included fighter operations, air transport, anti-shipping and anti-submarine patrol. After independence, the airfield was handed over to the Airports Authority of India and Vayudoot operations were undertaken from this base.

By the mid-eighties, a need was felt to build up the country's  air power capabilities in the Southern peninsula to provide Air Defence protection to the high value national assets as well as the island territories.   In addition, there was a growing need felt to protect our maritime trade and the large EEZ in the coming years.  The government, therefore, decided to create Southern Air Command at Trivandrum in 1984 and also gave approval for the formation of 47 Wing at Thanjavur.  The IAF took over the airfield in March 1990.

With the modernization and induction of new technology into the IAF, it was but natural to upgrade the infrastructure at Thanjavur to utilise the sophisticated weapon systems in times of need and the works towards it started in real earnest.  This included construction of runway, parallel taxi track and other operational, maintenance and administrative infrastructure to support air operations.

The air base is now ready to undertake fighter, transport & helicopter operations and detachments of these aircraft will be planned every year. The  Air Force Station is also slated to house an array of IAF platforms in the future including Su-30 'Air Dominance' Fighter Aircraft, Medium Transport Aircraft, Remotely Piloted Aircraft and a Medium Power Radar on build up of further infrastructure.

In the intervening years, this air base has been used extensively for relief operations whenever the southern peninsula was affected by natural calamities.  During the heavy floods in Tamilnadu in November 2008, the IAF helicopters operating from Thanjavur dropped 15,000 kg of relief material in Papanasam, Mulanguri and Pandalenur areas. Earlier, on his arrival at the Thanjavur Station, Shri Antony was presented a guard of honour. He unveiled a Plaque marking the dedication of the Station to the Nation. Two SU-30 MkI aircraft took off from the Station.

Speaking on the occasion,  Air Chief Marshal Browne said, in the years ahead, the strategic importance of the Thanjavur Air Base will grow in stature. He thanked the Defence Minister for settling issues relating to the relocation of some villagers for the expansion of the Station.

ay 29, 2013 by Shiv Aroor - Livefist

TOKYO, MAY 29: Japan prohibits itself constitutionally from exporting military equipment, but the country has now offered to sell 2 Shinmaywa US-2 aircraft to India. The Prime Ministers of India and Japan today decided to set up a joint working group to study how India (there were no specifics in their statement, but both the IAF and Indian Navy have stated requirements) can acquire and operate the Shinmaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft. The joint statement issued today by the two leaders said, "They decided to establish a Joint Working Group (JWG) to explore modality for the cooperation on the US-2 amphibian aircraft."

Jun 1, 2013 timesofindia.indiatimes.com

HYDERABAD: Scientist Avinash Chander, programme director, Agni and chief controller (missiles & strategic systems) has been elevated as scientific advisor to raksha mantri, secretary of department of defence R&D and director general of DRDO from June 1, 2013 for a period of three years. He succeeds Dr V K Saraswat following his superannuation.

"I feel honoured on being entrusted with such a responsible position. Dr Saraswat has set a good course for DRDO and I will continue to steer the organization to higher levels," he said after taking charge on Friday.

Avinash Chander, an eminent missile scientist, is the chief architect of the long range ballistic missile system Agni. He envisioned and evolved strategies for long range missiles and led the team in the design and development of the Agni missile systems (Agni A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5), thus providing cutting edge and strategic weapon systems to the armed forces. He played a key role in the development of the 5,000 km range Agni-V, propelling India into an elite club of five advanced nations.

Avinash Chander joined DRDO in 1972 after completing graduation in electrical engineering from IIT Delhi. He did MS in spatial information technology from JNTU, Hyderabad. The development of Agni range of missiles under highly restrictive international control regimes was possible due to his technology forecast, perspective planning and relentless efforts.

1er juin 2013 Par Rédacteur en chef. PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

Deux bâtiments de la marine nationale, le BPC Tonnerre et la frégate Georges Leygues, sont arrivés vendredi à Goa.

Les 2 bâtiments ont été accueillis par l’ambassadeur de France en Inde au port de Mormugao.

L’ambassadeur de France, François Richier, a déclaré que « C’était un devoir et un plaisir pour moi d’accueillir les 2 bâtiments en Inde. » Richier a rappelé que les liens entre la France et l’Inde s’accroissaient, avec plus de 350 sociétés françaises ayant déjà investi 18 milliards $ en Inde au cours des dernières années. « Les sociétés s’adaptent au marché indien, elles ont installé des centres de recherche en Inde, » a-t-il indiqué.

Le capitaine de vaisseau Jean-Francois Querat, commandant du Tonnerre, a précisé qu’« il était important que les officiers-élèves apprennent à rester longtemps en mer. »

De son côté, le capitaine de vaisseau Romuald Bomont, commandant du Georges Leygues, a indiqué que la frégate « donnait aux officiers-élèves une autre vision de la formation. »

Le vice-amiral Marin Gillier, commandant des forces françaises en océan Indien et au Moyen Orient, qui supervise actuellement le retrait des équipements militaires français d’Afghanistan à bord du Tonnerre, a indiqué que le bâtiment français disposait d’une capacité de lutte contre la piraterie, et qu’il avait récemment opéré au large de la Somalie.

Il a rappelé que le Tonnerre disposait aussi d’un hôpital de 75 lits, et qu’il pouvait être utilisé comme hôpital militaire en temps de guerre. Le bâtiment a participé aux opérations d’assistance après le tremblement de terre en Haïti et aussi aux réfugiés de Libye pendant le conflit.

L’amiral a indiqué qu’un officier-élève indien allait embarquer à bord de Goa à Singapour.

Référence : Times of India

30/05/2013 by Paul Fiddian - Armed Forces International's Lead Reporter

The Indian Air Force's newly-inducted HAL Tejas combat aircraft should reach final operational status by late 2014, according to defence minister A.K. Antony's statement.

In early 2011, the HAL Tejas achieved IOC (initial operating clearance) status but, since then, ongoing issues have delayed its full introduction into service. "To achieve this [final operational status] objective, all stakeholders including the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and IAF must put their energy together in a focused manner", Antony urged.

Referring to the Tejas' indigenous background and the need for India to start working on other home-grown military technologies, he added: "We continue to be the largest importer of defence equipment. The share of indigenous content in defence procurement is low. Our experience has been that foreign vendors are reluctant to part with critical technologies.

"There are delays in the supply of essential spares [and] there are exorbitant price increases. The services [need] to realise that we cannot be eternally-dependant on foreign equipment and platforms."

Indian HAL Tejas

The Indian HAL Tejas story dates back to the 1980s. At that point, India launched its LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) programme, which aimed to develop a new fighter type to take over from the Indian Air Force's elderly MiG-21s.

The resultant prototype Tejas design made its first flight in January 2001, followed some seven years later by the first production model. Since 2011's IOC award, the IAF Tejas fleet has carried out many sorties but, in August 2012, a three-month grounding was imposed, on account of issues involving the aircraft's ejection seat configuration. Ultimately, the Indian Air Force is set to be equipped with a maximum of 180 Tejas fighters, while the Indian Navy will get up to 50 examples.

Powered by a single F404-GE-IN20 turbofan, the Tejas has a top speed of Mach 1.8, an unrefuelled range of 850 kilometres and a service ceiling of 50,000 feet. Eight weapons hardpoints can carry up to 4,000 kilograms of ordnance, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, anti-ship missiles and bombs. These are supplemented by a 23mm twin-barrel GSh-23 cannon, complete with 220 ammunition rounds.