AN SP GUIDE P UBLICATION · 2018. 6. 6. · 155mm/52 calibre Advanced Towed Artil - lery Gun were...

WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.COM R O U N D U P

1 3/2018 SP’s LAND FORCES

ROHIT SRIVASTAVA

The recently concluded def-

expo 2018, India’s premier land

and naval force exposition, was

aimed at projecting India as the

weapon exporting nations. In the

previous editions of the show the focus was

on what world can offer to India. But, this

year the theme was ‘India: the emerging

defence Manufacturing hub’. the shift in

focus towards manufacturing and export is

a paradigm shift in Indian outlook. Is there

enough ground for it? It seems yes.

Inauguration of the defexpo 2018 by

the prime Minister narendra Modi rein-

forced the Indian Government’s commit-

ment to make India self-reliant in defence

manufacturing. prime Minister Modi,

on the second day, formally inaugurated

the show. While delivering his inaugural

speech, Modi convincingly articulated his

government’s plan to ease out woes of

Indian and global defence industry. “our

commitment to peace is just as strong as

our commitment to protecting our people

and our territory. for this we are ready to

take all necessary measures to equip our

armed forces, including through the estab-

lishment of a strategically independent

defence industrial complex.”

noting the uniqueness and distortion

of the defence industry where govern-

ment is the sole buyer, Modi said, “We are

conscious that defence manufacturing is

unique in terms of government involve-

ment.” during the inauguration Modi

also launched the Innovations for defence

excellence (Idex) which will support

young men and women to come up with

innovative solutions for Indian defence

requirements.

Speaking on the first day of expo,

defence Minister nirmala Sitharaman,

with an eye on the export, said that a

larger objective will be served by focusing

on defence industry. calling India a strong,

growing and futuristic economy which is

sustaining itself, Sitharaman said that it is

not only government’s compulsion to sup-

port defence production but also to achieve

larger objectives. “Making India a hub for

defence industries and making sure that

the defence production is not just for our

consumption but also to aim on export.

So, India today is able to talk bilaterally to

many countries,” she said.

PAGE 4China Well Ahead of India in Asia-Pacific

Lowy Institute’s inaugural ‘Asia Power Index’ ranks India as the fourth most powerful country in the region and called it ‘A Giant of the Future’.

Rohit Srivastava

PAGE 5Establishment of the Defence Planning Committee in India Under the NSASetting up DPC appears to be a hurried step perhaps because of the recent presentation made to the PM by Dr Subhash Bhamre, MoS for Defence that ‘Make in India’ is struggling due to lack of accountability amongst the bureaucracy.

Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

PAGE 6US Pulls out of Nuclear Deal with Iran — Impact on IndiaInterestingly, Iran’s nuclear programme actually began with help from the US; under its “Atoms for Peace” programme, America supplied a test reactor that came online in Tehran in 1967 during rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. But post the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, US assistance ceased.


PAGE 8Eurosatory 2018: A PreviewFocusing on the current security requirements, Eurosatory is following the evolution in this domain and is putting forward creativity and innovative technology of its exhibitors.

Rohit Srivastava

PAGE 9Coming – Chinese Robot TanksIndia should prepare for conflict that would likely combine robotics and AI; UGVs, drone swarms, quantum communications, cyber attacks and more.


PAGE 10Exercise Harimau Shakti: Honing Tactical & Technical SkillsThe exercise, was held in the dense forests of Sengai Perdik, Hulu Langat, Malaysia, and was aimed at “bolstering cooperation and coordination” between the armed forces of the two countries.Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

PLUS

News in Brief 11

SP’s A N S P G U I D E P U B L I C A T I O N

THE ONLY MAGAZINE IN ASIA-PACIFIC DEDICATED TO LAND FORCES

>> LEAD STORYIN THIS ISSUE

Volume 15 No. 3June-July 2018

www.spsmilitaryyearbook.com

Latest

EDIT

ION

Reserve Your Own Copies,

[email protected]

PHOTOGRAPH: PIB

See 2

The highlight of the show was the confident Indian industry which is sure of its capability to deliver products as per the forces’ requirement.

Defexpo-2018 Show of Strength

`100.00 (India-Based Buyer Only)

Big Day @ Defexpo 2018: Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivering his address at the inauguration ceremony of the Defexpo 2018 in Chennai

>>

ww

w.s

psl

andfo

rces

.com

2 SP’s LAND FORCES 3/2018

She added that India understands that

shifting defence production to India and

transfer of technology is not one sided

dream but it is an actual reality which is

taking shape.

In what could be considered as the most

talked about features of the show is the live

demonstration by the Indian designed and

developed products which are part of the

inventory of the Indian forces. the dem-

onstration was a sales pitch to the visiting

foreign delegations that India has products

that they can induct in their arsenals.

during the demonstration, the complete

fleet of helicopters of government owned

the hindustan Aeronautics limited’s (hAl)

light utility helicopter, light combat heli-

copter, Advanced light helicopter and

weaponised Alh displayed their prowess.

Similarly, the Indian designed and devel-

oped howitzers, ordnance factory Board’s

155mm/45 calibre and defence research

and development organisation’s (drdo)

155mm/52 calibre Advanced towed Artil-

lery Gun were showcased along with its

Arjun Mk-II main battle tank.

the show was attended by 701 exhibi-

tors which includes 154 international

exhibitors. nearly 15 per cent of the total

exhibition space was booked by medium

small and micro enterprises (MSMe). In

terms of area, this edition was spread over

2,90,000 square feet which is 65,000

square feet more than the Goa edition.

Although, the industry is eagerly look-

ing forward to the Ministry of defence

(Mod) for clarity on the participation of the

public sector in the strategic partnership

model of the defence procurement proce-

dure (dpp), yet number of Memorandum of

understandings (Mou) were signed between

leading private firms and defence public sec-

tor firms. It is a good omen for the develop-

ment of local defence industry. the coming

together of the ever conflicting private and

public sector to develop products for Indian

and global market is a win-win situation.

this is a model which has tasted success.

two of the best made in India systems,

pinaka multi-barrel rocket launching sys-

tem and AtAG are the perfect example

of public-private partnership model. this

model allows virtuous utilization of the

capabilities of both sectors. Moreover, this

will also expedite the product development.

the show witnessed many announce-

ments and displays of new products from

both private and public players. the deci-

sion of the prime Minister to inaugurate the

show gave a much required flip to its status.

Although, the venue was new yet one can’t

recall such a fine management of space ever

in its previous editions. Before the show, the

industry was afraid that in short span of

time, the organizers will not be able to put up

a good show, but to everyone’s surprise the

show was not only well managed but with

every kind of facility for the participants.

the show was high on business and

also on glitz. there wasn’t any big ticket

announcement. But, below the radar, the

business was intense. one can anticipate

some serious development coming out of

the expo.

BEML Unveils Bullet Proof VehicleBeMl limited, a public Sector company

under the Ministry of defence, launched

Medium Bullet proof 4x4 Vehicle (MBpV

4x4) for use in counter insurgency opera-

tions at the expo. the MBpV, is a 4x4 wheel

heavy duty all weather off road mobility vehi-

cle, specially designed for easy maneuver-

ability, operability and maintainability. this

advanced blast protected and bullet proof

vehicle shields the security personnel from

small arms fire, hand grenades and fragment

simulated projectiles, etc. With survivability

as the major objective, the MBpV 4x4 has a

carrying capacity of 10+2 persons.

BEML & OFB Launches Force Multiplier 155 mm 52 CAL Mounted Gun SystemofB and BeMl have unveiled its latest prod-

uct: the 155 mm 52 cal Mounted Gun

system at a function held at the ongoing

defexpo 2018 at chennai jointly by deepak

Kumar hota, cMd, BeMl limited & S.K.

chourasia, dGof & chairman ofB.

the uniqueness of this project is that

it has been completely and independently

designed and manufactured by ofB in asso-

ciation with BeMl and Bel and is therefore

a shining example of ‘Make in India’ - the

theme of defexpo’18. the Gun is equipped

with the state-of-the-art laying system and

sighting system such as GpS aided InS,

muzzle velocity feeder data management,

day and night firing, ballasting computer

system capability.

the armament used in the 155 mm

52 cal with target equipment capability of

approximate 42Kms. the Gun System com-

bines with the advantage of high mobility

performance of a truck with accurate long

range fire power of a 155 mm 52 cal Gun

and with its onboard ammunition storage

capability of 18 rounds of he shells as well

as 18 BMcS and 2-6 chargers. It can be

automatically deployed in any terrain and

can perform a mission independently.

Kalyani Group and BAE Systems to Provide Air Defence GunsIndian engineering major Kalyani Group

and British defence major BAe Systems, on

April 13, announced that they are working

together to develop and provide Air defence

Guns for Indian Security forces.

rajinder Singh Bhatia, president and ceo

(defence and Aerospace) of Bharat forge ltd

said, “the Kalyani Group has indigenously

developed its skills and capability within

defence. We are now expanding our profile

in the defence segment to include Air defence

Guns and ammunition in order to provide

solutions to Indian security forces for termi-

nal air defence. the Group and BAe Systems

have agreed to partner for transfer of tech-

nology for air defence guns and ammuni-

tion. BAe Systems’ advanced technology will

be complemented with Bharat forge ltd’s

world-class design, development and manu-

facturing capabilities. this will be the perfect

example of ‘Make in India’ solutions.”

Ashok Leyland Exhibits Six Advanced Products and TechnologyIn a gesture appreciating the contribution

of the humble soldiers, Ashok leyland, flag-

LEAD STORY

On hearing the news on April 18,

2018, that the government had

announced the establishment of

a Defence Planning Committee

(DPC) under the chairmanship

of the National Security Adviser

(NSA), as a permanent body,

which was intended to “facilitate

a comprehensive and integrated

planning for defence matters”—

the old English proverb came to

my mind “The triumph of hope

over experience”. At long last our

political leadership was waking

up to the complexities and reali-

ties of defence planning. Was it

recognition of reality or an elec-

tion expedient?

The committee’s members

are drawn from the highest ech-

elons of military and civil bureau-

cracies including the three ser-

vice chiefs (one of whom is the

Chairman Chiefs of Staff Com-

mittee) the Defence Secretary,

Foreign Secretary, and Secretary

(Expenditure) from the Ministry of

Finance, with the Chief of Head-

quarters Integrated Defence Staff

(HQ IDS) performing the task of

member secretary.

Integrated and comprehen-

sive planning are vital aspects

that have eluded the Indian

defence planning system which

is used to planning even for

wars/conflicts in a compartmen-

talised manner with little or no

inputs from the government or

any of its agencies. Within the

three Services also, despite

claims to the contrary, this vital

aspect is absent even in strate-

gic planning otherwise how can

you explain the non use of the

Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1962

War which could have turned the

tide, and hesitancy on part of the

IAF in using air power in support

of the ground troops in the initial

stages of the Kargil War in 1999,

wherein the matter had to be

resolved by the then Prime Min-

ister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The chiefs of the armed forces

are responsible for preparedness

of their respective Services for

war in all respects but lack the

flexibility/independence and the financial powers to prepare and equip themselves for the minimum

period of time laid down for future

wars/conflicts in the Defence Min-

ister’s Operational Directive to the

Service Chiefs. This mismatch

between what we should have

and what we actually have along

with the general neglect of mat-

ters military by the political lead-

ership especially over the past

two decades or so along with an

uncaring bureaucracy who bear

no accountability has created

such a situation today that the

deficiencies in all three Services in terms of munitions and equipment

runs in thousands and thousands

of crores which is not possible to

make up in a short period of time

even if the resources were to be

provided today.

The existing gaps in the

defence planning mechanism,

which, for long had been argued

that these would be overcome by

creation of a Chief of the Defence

Staff who would be the final arbiter of all requirements of the armed

forces did not find favour with suc-

cessive political dispensations.

Moreover the existing system

of HQ IDS-led planning has not

helped in preventing the parochial

interests of various stakeholders

from influencing decisions which has had an adverse impact of not

only on how security threats were

viewed but also on how scarce

resources are distributed among

the Services. Simultaneously, the

‘Make in India’ programme has

also not progressed satisfactorily.

In light of the above the establish-

ment of a Defence Planning Com-

mittee is a positive step in inte-

gration of defence planning and

associated matters at the national

level. However, there are various

short comings in its composition

and the wide charter given to it

which will emerge with the pas-

sage of time as the DPC seems

to have been pushed through in

a hurry without adequate thought

and deliberation.

Main criticism of the DPC has

been that it is yet another layer

of bureaucracy, which will do

very little except produce written

papers and briefs. The compo-

sition is such that the members

who are very busy personalities

in their own departments, will

have very little time for meaning-

ful contribution and thus it will

be left to the sub committees to

examine and put up proposals/

briefs. Moreover, the DPC will

put up their recommendations/

proposals to the Defence Minis-

ter, thus proving the view that it

is another layer of bureaucracy in

the MoD.

This issue carries articles on

Defence Planning Committee,

US Pulls out of the Nuclear Deal,

An analysis of Lowy Institute’s

inaugural ‘Asia Power Index’;

among other.

ED

IT

OR

IA

L

Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

“Making India a hub for defence industries and making sure that the defence production is not just for our consumption but also to aim on exports. So, India today is able to talk bilaterally to many countries.” —Nirmala Sitharaman, Defence Minister

PHOTOGRAPH: PIB

>>


LEAD STORY

ship of the hinduja Group and the largest

suppliers of logistics vehicles to the Indian

Army, got its products unveiled by Mahadevi

Bilebal, widow of late lance nayak hanu-

manthappa Koppad, who was posthu-

mously awarded the Sena medal, and hony

capt raghunath Singh, Veer chakra.

Speaking on the occasion, Vinod K.

dasari, Md, Ashok leyland, said, “We

have been an integral part of our nation’s

defence operations and we continue to

evolve as a trusted partner in providing end-

to-end solutions in the area of mobility.”

“We have developed capabilities which

will help us to bid for 20-25 per cent of the

tenders of the Indian Army as against less

than one per cent earlier,” he added.

the company unveiled lSV 4x4-light

Specialist Vehicle 4x4, Guru 715- General

Service logistics vehicle, Medium Bullet

proof Vehicle 4x4, Super Stallion 8x8-

A high Mobility Vehicle, power pack for

artillery guns (technology solution for the

Indian Army), tracked vehicles: repower,

upgrade Solutions for tracked vehicles and

future Infantry combat Vehicle Mobility.

BEL Signs MoU with L&Tpublic sector defence electronics major

Bharat electronics limited (Bel) and private

sector engineering leader larsen & toubro,

on April 11, signed an Mou during the def-

expo to share their expertise in design, devel-

opment, engineering and manufacturing to

develop and produce products and systems

to meet the requirement of the defence ser-

vices as well as for export markets.

M.V. Gowtama, cMd, Bel, and senior

officials from both the organisations were

present on the occasion. Anandi ramal-

ingam, director (Marketing), Bel, and J.d.

patil, Whole time director and Senior exec-

utive Vice president (l&t defence), signed

the Mou.

Both the companies will co-operate and

work in partnership mode for select pro-

grammes of the Indian government and

also for the global market.

BEL and Mahindra Comes Togetheron April 12, Bel and Mahindra defence Sys-

tems signed a Mou for a long-term partner-

ship to exploit opportunities in the defence

sector in both domestic and export markets.

Speaking on the occasion, S.p. Shukla,

Group president, Aerospace & defence,

Mahindra Group said, “Both Bel and Mahin-

dra defence are world-class engineering

companies. to give one example, together

we have capabilities in mobility, survivability,

lethality, electronics and communications,

making us ideal partners for new develop-

ment as well as for upgrade of in service

combat vehicles. this partnership can be

grown not only to meet the requirements of

the Indian Armed forces but also to target

exports to other friendly countries.”

“We are pleased to come together. We are

keen to bring to the table our in-house exper-

tise as well as technical know-how to the

current and future design of new generation

defence systems and products We are con-

fident that the two of us will work together

to contribute to indigenous defence produc-

tion,” M.V. Gowtama, cMd, Bel, said.

Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS) Announces ExpansionKalyani rafael Advanced Systems (KrAS),

a joint venture between Kalyani Strategic

Systems and rafael Advanced defence Sys-

tems of Israel, is all set to expand its prod-

uct profile. the KrAS will now venture into

the space of Missile systems with the new

Generation precision Guided Munitions

(nGpGM), Air defense systems and capa-

bilities for Medium-range Surface to Air

Missile (MrSAM), low-level Quick reac-

tion Missiles (llQr) and Quick reaction

(Qr) SAM programs. the expansion will

also include the drone dome system (radar

and laser beam system for detecting, jam-

ming and destroying drones) and the naval

remote control Weapon Station Systems

programme.

KrAS, established in 2015, for manu-

facturing and life cycle support of Spike

Missiles systems, BMp II upgrade and Add-

on Armour Solutions. the joint venture has

a state-of-the-art facility at hyderabad for

manufacturing of defence sub systems.

In its first phase of expansion in March

2017, KrAS included provision of indig-

enous solutions to new Generation preci-

sion Guided Munitions (nGpGM) and long

range Guided Bomb (lrGB).

As part of its second phase of expansion,

KrAS will now also provide indigenous

solutions for Missiles Systems like MrSAM,

llQrM, QrSAM as well as the naval Gun

program and drone dome System. this

expansion will bring-in niche technology in

the country for such advanced defence sys-

tems and will further boost the JV’s commit-

ment to ‘Make in India’.

Boeing, HAL and Mahindra Comes Together for F/A-18 Super HornetGlobal military aviation major Boeing

announced joining hand with hindustan

Aeronautics limited (hAl) and Mahindra

defence Systems (MdS) for manufacturing

of the super-sonic jet fighter f/A-18 Super

hornet in India. the partnership will also

pursue the joint development of future

technologies.

India currently has two fighter pro-

grammes – 110 aircraft for Indian Air

force and 57 aircraft for Indian navy, and

Boeing is one of main contenders in both

the programmes.

“this partnership brings the best of

Indian public and private enterprises

together in partnership with the world’s

largest aerospace company, Boeing, to

accelerate a contemporary 21st century

ecosystem for aerospace and defence man-

ufacturing in India,” said pratyush Kumar,

president, Boeing India. “our partnership

with hAl and Mahindra will enable us to

optimize the full potential of India’s public

and private sector to deliver next-genera-

tion f/A-18 fighter capabilities. together

we can deliver an affordable, combat-

proven fighter platform for India, while

adding growth momentum to the Indian

aerospace ecosystem with manufacturing,

skill development, innovation and engi-

neering and job creation.”

“hindustan Aeronautics limited has

always been at the forefront of aerospace

development in India’s aerospace sector,”

said t. Suvarna raju, chairman and Man-

aging director, hAl. “this partnership with

Boeing and Mahindra defence Systems will

create an opportunity to develop capabilities

of the aerospace industry and strengthen

indigenous platforms in India thereby con-

tributing to the ‘Make in India’ activities.”

the Super hornet ‘Make in India’

proposal is to build an entirely new and

state-of-the-art production facility that

can be utilized for other programmes like

India’s Advanced Medium combat Aircraft

(AMcA) programme.

this partnership is intended to bring

together Boeing, hAl and MdS’ global sup-

ply chain and will expand India’s aerospace

ecosystem in accordance with the vision

of ‘Make in India’. According to Boeing,

the Super hornet does not only have a low

acquisition cost, but it costs less per flight

hour to operate than any other tactical air-

craft in uS forces inventory.

Ka-226T Configuration Finalized India has moved one step closer towards

the execution of 200 Ka-226t light utility

helicopter deal. during the show, the rus-

sian helicopters announced that India has

approved the technical configuration of the

Ka-226t to be manufactured by the joint

venture firm Indo-russian helicopters lim-

ited in India.

“Approval of helicopter configura-

tion to be delivered and assembled in

India means that the technical aspects of

the project have been finalised. We and

our Indian partners shall commence the

preparation of contractual documents in

the near future”, said Andrey Boginskiy,

director General of russian helicopters

holding company.

the Ka-226t will replace ageing chee-

tah and chetak helicopters. A government-

to-government deal with russia signed

at the end of 2015 for 200 Ka-226t heli-

copters to be manufactured in India. the

Shareholders Agreement for the establish-

ment of a Joint Venture to manufacture Ka-

226t helicopters in India was also signed in

2016. the project will be executed through

a joint venture between hAl (50.5 per cent)

and russian helicopters.

In May 2017, prime Minister narendra

Modi laid the foundation stone for a new

helicopter manufacturing facility for hAl

in tumakuru, located 70 km north-west of

Bengaluru in Karnataka as a step in hAl’s

expansion of its helicopter production capa-

bility. out of 200, 60 helicopters will come

from russia and rest will be manufactured

in India.

Indian Team to visit Russia to Familiarize with Naval Ka-226Tto witness a demonstration flight of the

naval version of the light utility Ka-226t

helicopters, a delegation from Mod will

visit Kamov design Bureau of russian

helicopters.

India is buying 200 of these helicopters

to replace the army and air force fleet of

cheetah and chetak helicopters. recently,

Indian navy has come up with a tender for

111 naval utility helicopters. Kamov wants

to offer the naval version of Ka-226t for

this tender.

“We have offered the Indian side to visit

Kamov design Bureau that developed Ka-

226t for the project of delivering 200 units

of such helicopters and localizing their pro-

duction in India. our colleagues shall be

able to take part in a demonstration flight

and to learn more about Ka-226t capable

of being deployed aboard a ship. placing an

order for helicopters for the Indian navy

with our joint venture in India is benefit-

ing both sides, therefore, we have decided to

invite our partners to gain a more detailed

familiarization with this rotorcraft,” noted

Andrey Boginskiy, director General of rus-

sian helicopters holding company.

A government-to-government deal

with russia signed at the end of 2015 for

200 Ka-226t helicopters to be manufac-

tured in India. the Shareholders Agree-

ment for the establishment of a Joint Ven-

ture to manufacture Ka-226t helicopters

in India was also signed in 2016. the proj-

ect will be executed through a joint venture

between hAl (50.5 per cent) and russian

helicopters.

Since 2017, Ka-226t helicopters with a

ship basing capability are being serially pro-

duced and delivered to the russian special-

purpose aviation.

As distinct from the ‘land-based’ ver-

sion, light utility ship-based Ka-226t heli-

copter features a blade folding system of

the main rotor. owing to its small dimen-

sions, the helicopter can be deployed on

ships and low-displacement vessels. Ship-

based Ka-226t helicopter is intended for

performing search and rescue and trans-

port missions round-the-clock in standard

or adverse weather. SP

(Top) Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat at the BEL pavillion; (above) Arjun MBT Mk II in action on the opening day of Defexpo 2018 in Chennai.

PHOTOGRAPHS: BEL, Karthik Kumar / SP Guide Pubns

>>

ww

w.s

psl

andfo

rces

.com


ASIA-PACIFIC

ROHIT SRIVASTAVA

World IS WItneSSInG

ShIft of global power to

Asia. the rise of china, in

last two decades, has recon-

figured the power equa-

tion in the Asia-pacific region which was

dominated by united States and its allies

including Japan and South Korea. this has

compelled nations of the region and outside

to rehash their foreign policy to make it

congruous to chinese geo-strategy.

With four out of top five economies of

the world being in Asia, except the uS, the

continent is expected to host two third of

the world population by 2025. this will

completely change the global power equa-

tion which is still dominated by the uS and

europe. “Asia’s economic transformation is

reshaping the global distribution of power,

changing the way the region—and indeed

the world—works politically and strategi-

cally. Just as significantly, tensions between

Asian powers will define war and peace in

the twenty-first century,” it said.

the index is an effort towards providing

“an analytical tool that aims to sharpen the

debate on power dynamics in Asia.” It mea-

sures power across 25 countries and terri-

tories in the Asia-pacific region, from paki-

stan in the west to russia in the north to uS

in the pacific. Australia and new Zealand

marks the southern boundary of the region.

MethodologyIndex studies country’s power across eight

measures of power—economic resources,

Military capability, resilience, future

trends, diplomatic influence, economic rela-

tionships, defence networks and cultural

influence. these eight measures were fur-

ther divided in two dimensions of resources

measures and influence measures. “the

first four measures of the Index—economic

resources, military capability, resilience and

future trends—provide assessments of a

country’s material capabilities and robust-

ness, which are underlying factors in the

exercise of power.”

“the other four measures of the

Index—diplomatic influence, economic

relationships, defence networks and cul-

tural influence—assess a country’s active

levels of influence, principally in other

Index countries, lending the Index its Asian

focus,” it said.

Outcomeon the scale of hundred, considering the

overall score based on all the eight mea-

sures, uS, sole global super power, scored

85 followed by ‘the emerging superpower’

china (75.5), Japan (42.1), India (41.5)

and russia (33.3). the index marks India

and Japan as major powers. the index calls

nations scoring below 40 points as middle

powers. russia tops the middle power list

with 33.3 points and the latest nuclear

power north Korea, last on the list, scores

mere 11.4.

one of the very interesting featuring of

the report is the assessment of countries on

basis of “the difference between a country’s

overall power and what its power might be

expected to be given its available resources.”

Japan tops the list of the overachievers

with 11 points whereas north Korea is at

the bottom with -6.9 points; russia with

-6.4 points is slightly better than worst per-

former. Surprising two of the fastest emerg-

ing power, India is underperforming with

-2.3 and china with -3.0. uS with -0.2 is at

par with its resources.

on the uS, which claims top place in

five of the eight index measures, the report

emphasized that it “retains the most power-

ful military force in Asia and is at the centre

of a network of regional alliances that Bei-

jing cannot match, reflected by a 65-point

lead over china in defence networks.” talk-

ing about waning uS influence in the region,

the report said, “uS diplomatic influence in

the region has also been damaged by ner-

vousness about the trump administration

and its foreign policy decisions, including its

withdrawal in 2017 from the trans-pacific

partnership. uS political leadership in Asia

is in doubt.”

raising serious question on the uS’ abil-

ity to retain its position, it said, “even if the

united States continues to outspend china in

military expenditure, future trends point to

a relative decline in uS power, with a second

place finish only marginally ahead of India.”

no wonder, china is showing little regard for

uS power in the western pacific region.

Giving china benefit of keeping its

resources focused on its strategic overreach

in Asia, it said that “the Belt and road Initia-

tive play to Beijing’s strengths as the primary

trade partner and source of foreign assis-

tance in the region.” china is expected to

achieve economic parity with uS in next one

decade. In spite of its strength, report finds

china “vulnerable to a military and strategic

counterweight led by other regional powers.”

the report has been successful in quan-

tifying the relative superiority of china viz-

a-viz its two neighbours – India and Japan.

there is 33 points difference between china

and Japan. “this gap is as large as that

between Japan and Bangladesh, ranked

18th in the Index as a minor power.” It is

worth pondering that this gap is despite

of Japan being an over achiever. talking

qualitatively about the two strategic partner

of Asia-India and Japan, the report says:

“Japan is a smart power, while India is a

giant of the future.”

talking further on Japan, it said that

although Japan is using its limited resources

smartly to “wield broad-based influence

in the region” but in foreseeable future it’s

declining population and slow rate of eco-

nomic growth will decline its influence as

major power of the region.

on the other hand India is expected to

improve economically and demographically

in the time period of 2030. “however, the

economic giant suffers from a poor track

record of converting its sizeable resources

base into strategic gain in Asia—despite

new delhi’s ‘Act east policy’.” If India is seri-

ous about containing china this gives an

important cue to Indian policy makers for

evaluation of India’s resource utilisation.

In economic relations (7th), defence

networks (10th) and resilience (5th) India

is ranked below its overall ranking whereas

in cultural influence (3rd) and future

trends (3rd) India fairs better. unexpect-

edly, china fairs better than India in cul-

tural influence too!

India has been making efforts to increase

its influence in the Indo-china region

through ‘Act east policy’. Although, Indian

leaders have made numerous visits to the

friendly nations in the region and India has

also hosted the ten heads of state of ASeAn

nations at this year’s republic day function

but India is still to achieve something that

will alter the power dynamics of the region.

India’s reluctance in forming quad against

china is an evidence of the country’s strate-

gic indecisiveness. this is not going to help

India in long term.

As china is reaching throughout eur-

asia through its belt and road initiative and

which will allow it to check Indian influence

over its traditional friends like russia and

europe, it is becoming imperative that India

must take some tough decision in coming

future to make itself resistant to chinese

grand strategy. SP

Lowy Institute’s inaugural ‘Asia Power Index’ ranks India as the fourth most powerful country in the region and called it ‘A Giant of the Future’

China Well Ahead of India in Asia-Pacific

On the US, which claims top place in five of the eight index measures, the report emphasized that it “retains the most powerful military force in Asia and is at the centre of a network of regional alliances that Beijing cannot match

(Top) A military parade by PLA; (above) PLA soldiers during a military parade.

PHOTOGRAPHS: eng.chinamil.com.cn, US Navy

>>


NATIONAL SECURITY

LT GENERAL P.C. KATOCH (RETD)

Four yeArS After coMInG to

office, the Modi government sprung

a surprise on the nation by announc-

ing the defence planning committee

(dpc), described as new ‘Strategic

think tank’, to formulate national military

and security strategy, and oversee foreign

acquisitions and sales. It is well known that

upA had neglected the defence in their pre-

ceding decade long rule. Ironically, the four

year rule of ndA II did not see much change

other than emphasis on ‘Make in India’.

Setting up dpc appears to be a hurried

step perhaps because of the recent presenta-

tion made to the pM by dr Subhash Bhamre,

MoS for defence that ‘Make in India’ is strug-

gling due to lack of accountability amongst

the bureaucracy. Approaching general elec-

tions could also have contributed in setting

up dpc, indicating government interest in

defence that hitherto was limited to ‘Make

in India’. however, in the present form, dpc

leaves a whole lot of questions unanswered

and may end up as yet another committee.

The DPCheaded by nSA, the dpc is to be a per-

manent body consisting of three Service

chiefs (one of whom is rotating chairman

of coSc) Secretaries of defence, foreign

Affairs and expenditure. the cISc heading

hQ IdS is Member Secretary who will ser-

vice the dpc. hQ IdS has five departments:

doctrine, organisation and training; per-

spective plans and force Structures; Intel-

ligence; operations, and; Medical. one post

each for MeA and drdo is authorised in hQ

IdS but remain generally vacant. Main task

of the dpS are to formulate: one, national

military and security strategy, and; two,

oversee foreign acquisitions and sales. A

further breakdown has been enumerated

as: refine recommendations for defence

procurement, taking longer view of acqui-

sitions and how they fit into current and

future scenarios; smoothen defence acqui-

sitions by reconciling conflicting claims of

defence pSu manufacturers and the three

services who are pressing for armament

upgrades; make defence planning and strat-

egy a more integrated and forward look-

ing process, providing key inputs to define

security priorities; examine “ways and

means” across ministries to develop capa-

bilities and meet national goals; address

persistent criticism of India’s defence plan-

ning that it lacks centralised and organised

planning integrating civilian and defence

agencies and is often confined to silos; align

long-term goals with procurement and doc-

trines through mandate to take up “capa-

bility development planning” and place it

before the cabinet committee for Security

for approval, and; evaluate foreign policy

imperatives” and chalk out a strategy for

international engagement that includes

boosting ‘Make in India’ exports and foreign

assistance programs.

dpc is to function through four sub-

committees that provide inputs for senior

functionaries and assess unconventional

and emerging threats apart from develop-

ing more regular defence concepts. Specific

inputs provided by the dpc are to be put up

to the defence Minister. the committee’s

charge will also include inter-connected sub-

jects like: defence diplomacy; manufactur-

ing and policy and strategy that can bring

together expertise in the government to one

table, and; to some extent, fill void of national

counter terrorism centre (nctc). In effect,

the four sub-committees of dpc are similar

to that of IdS. dpc has four sub-committees:

policy and Strategy; planning and capabil-

ity development; defence diplomacy and

defence Manufacturing. the last two would

have been in IdS had the MeA and drdo

posted officers to hQ IdS instead of deliber-

ately keeping these slots vacant. the dpc will

produce position papers (which Mod and IdS

are already doing) and forward these to the

defence Minister. how all this will sharpen

defence planning and capability building is

hard to visualize. even the operational direc-

tive of defence Minister is written by the IdS,

not by ccS or nSc. dpc also appears heav-

ily biased towards ‘Make in India’, acquisi-

tions, manufacturing and exports; which is

the very job of Mod with the department

of defence production (dodp) integral to it.

how creating another layer of dpc above

the defence Acquisition council (dAc) will

improve the system is matter of conjecture.

Significantly, dpc doesn’t include home

Secretary, indicating little understanding of

hybrid warfare. Besides, dpc filling void of

nctc can only be considered a joke.

Cart before the HorseInstead of first establishing Integrated the-

atre commands (Itcs), appointing a chief

of defence Staff (cdS) and merging Mod

with hQ IdS, the dpc is akin to putting the

cart before the horse, bypassing the horse,

burying the issue of appointing cdS, with

ambiguity in defence planning and higher

political management. With the dpc insti-

tuted, what will be the role now of the

national Security council (nSc) and its Sec-

retariat (nScS), the Strategic policy Group

(SpG) and the national Security Advisory

Board (nSAB)? the Kargil review commit-

tee (Krc) recommendations for restructur-

ing defence,, endorsed by Group of Ministers

(GoM) headed by deputy prime Minister,

included establishment of cdS and hQ IdS

that was to be part of Mod to provide req-

uisite military expertise. cApf deployment

on borders was recommended to augment

army, and placed under command the latter.

But the deep state didn’t permit hQ

IdS-Mod merger and establishment of cdS

despite defence Minister pranab Mukherjee

saying in 2005 government had decided

who the cdS will be, and defense Minister

Manohar parrikar stating in 2015 that cdS

is “coming soon”. cApf deployment even in

‘sensitive’ border areas wasn’t placed under

army. hQ IdS established for being part of

Mod, was kept separate. dpc follows same

track by making hQ IdS as the Secretariat

(why not the nSc?). the GoM recommen-

dation for early establishment of cdS was

diluted by upA II by bringing up the issue

of permanent chairman coSc. now Modi

government has apparently buried the issue

of cdS through dpc, with nSA already

being referred to as de-facto cdS, ultimate

aim being as and when theatre commands

come up, theatre commanders report

directly to nSA in absence of cdS, which

will be most ridiculous.

India’s defence set up has suffered pecu-

liarities like: no national Security Strategy

(nSS) and Strategic defence review (Sdr);

defense procurement planning without

nSS-Sdr; military representation lacking

in higher defense structures; Mod ‘without’

military professionals; Services hQ termed

“attached offices” like in British times; defence

Secretary (not defence Minister) charged

with country’s defence; 70 per cent defence

equipment imported in past decades despite

50+ drdo labs, 9 dpSus, 42 ordnance fac-

Setting up DPC appears to be a hurried step perhaps because of the recent presentation made to the PM by Dr Subhash Bhamre, MoS for Defence that ‘Make in India’ is struggling due to lack of accountability amongst the bureaucracy

Establishment of the Defence Planning Committee in India Under the NSA

Continued on page 9...

>>

ww

w.s

psl

andfo

rces

.com



ThouGh IndIcAtIonS of WhAt

president donald trump had in

mind with respect to the nuclear

deal with Iran were growing in

the past weeks, including state-

ments of leaders in europe, his actual

announcement of did produce shock waves,

signaling apprehensions at multiple lev-

els; possible economic fallout, instability,

nuclearisation and conflict in the region,

given uS response to nuclear north Korea

that bullied through to build its nuclear

capability and threatened striking uS with

nuclear capable IcBMs just recently. trump

announced uS withdrawal from the Iran

nuclear deal, promising to impose “the

highest level of economic sanctions” on

the country for pursuing nuclear weapons.

he said the “defective” 2015 deal has failed

to stop that Iran from moving ahead with

development of nuclear weapons. the deal

was signed between Iran and what’s called

the p5+1- the uS, Britain, france, russia,

china, and Germany. however, contrary

to what trump said, uK, france and Ger-

many have issued a statement expressing

their “regret and concern” and emphasiz-

ing their “continuing commitment” to the

deal with Iran – all amounting to these

countries signaling Iran was actually com-

plying with the deal. opinion within the uS

on trump’s action is also divided. there is

need to examine the uS pullout and what

impact it has on India.

Iran’s Nuclear Programme and the Nuclear DealInterestingly, Iran’s nuclear programme

actually began with help from the uS; under

its “Atoms for peace” programme, America

supplied a test reactor that came online

in tehran in 1967 during rule of Shah

Mohammad reza pahlavi. But post the

1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, uS assis-

tance ceased. But in 1990’s Iran expanded

its nuclear programme, bought equipment

from pakistan’s A.Q. Khan and IAeA sus-

pected Iran to have received design informa-

tion for a bomb and researched explosive

detonators. By August 2002, Western intel-

ligence and an Iranian opposition group

reportedly revealed a covert nuclear site at

the central city of natanz. Iran has been in

denial of all this, reiterating its nuclear pro-

gramme has no military dimensions.

uS, under president obama commenced

secret talks with Iran after Iranian presi-

dent hassan rouhani took office. Iran and

world powers ultimately reached the Joint

comprehensive plan of Action (JcpoA), or

the nuclear deal, in 2015, making it impos-

sible for Iran to produce a bomb, in return

for the lifting of most of the uS and interna-

tional sanctions against it. under its terms,

Iran can only: maintain a stockpile of 300

kg low-enriched uranium compared to the

1,00,000 kg of this category it earlier had,

and; only enrich uranium to 3.67 per cent,

which can fuel a reactor but is far below

90 per cent needed to produce a weapon.

the deal also limited the number of cen-

trifuges Iran can run and restricted it to an

older, slower model. Iran also reconfigured

a heavy-water reactor so it couldn’t pro-

duce plutonium and agreed to convert its

underground fordo enrichment site to a

research center. It granted more access to

IAeA inspectors, allowing them to inspect

other sites also. the nuclear deal, however,

does ‘not’ directly stop Iran from testing or

firing ballistic missiles. It also has a series

of expiration dates: one, in eight and a half

years Iran can start testing up to 30 more

advanced centrifuges; two, it can greatly

expand number of advanced centrifuges

two years after the first stipulation of eight

and a half years, and three, 15 years after

the deal, restrictions on Iran’s uranium

enrichment and stockpile size end.

US Pulloutthe Iran nuclear deal which was being

hailed as obama’s biggest foreign accom-

plishment, has been trashed by trump;

calling the deal “a disaster” and the “worst

deal ever”. Justifying his decision to pull

out, trump said, “We cannot prevent an

Iranian bomb under the decaying and rot-

ten structure of the current agreement.

therefore, I am announcing today that the

united States will withdraw from the Iran

nuclear deal.” Apparently, his main criti-

cism revolves around the deal not including

Iran’s ballistic missile programme, Iran’s

support of groups like hezbollah in leba-

non, and its support and aid to Syrian presi-

dent Bashar Assad. he also has criticized

the deal’s expiration terms that “threw

Iran’s dictatorship a political and economic

lifeline”. Israeli prime Minister Benjamin

netanyahu also criticized the deal and held

a news conference alleging “Iran lied” about

its nuclear weapon ambitions in the 2000s.

he showed the results of the daring Mossad

operation in Iran; 55,000 pages of physical

documents and 183 cds holding another

55,000 digital files, which netanyahu said

contained years’ worth of “incriminat-

ing” information on Iran’s alleged nuclear

weapons programme. he also displayed

schematics for the nuclear warhead that

Iran allegedly planned to attach to a Sha-

hab-3 missile. however, the 2011 IAeA

report also identified the Shahab-3 as Iran’s

chosen delivery system for a nuclear bomb.

Much that Israel is directly affected by Iran’s

support and arming of hezbollah, the fact

remains that the Mossad raid in Iran was

before the 2015 nuclear deal, and there is

no credible evidence the Iran’s nuclear pro-

gramme is militarising.

the Iran nuclear deal had simple recip-

rocal equation – Iran agreed to nuclear

restrictions in exchange to easing of finan-

cial sanctions. But by pulling out from the

nuclear deal, trump has re-imposed major

portion of the pre-deal sanctions regime;

“secondary sanctions” with the aim of tar-

geting Iran’s oil sector, which could be the

main aim of the uS pullout. however, the

exercise shows the uS in bad light on reneg-

ing on the accord signed by it just three

years after it was signed, without credible

evidence that Iran is militarising its nuclear

programme, and five and half years before

expiration of the first eight and a half year

regime. But then uS created the bogey of

nuclear weapons to attack Iraq and pictures

of recent 100 missile attack on Syria by uS

and allies claiming to target chemical facili-

ties did not match up with what a post-strike

picture of chemical facility should look like.

Fallout of US Pulloutthere is little doubt that trump’s declara-

tion of uS pullout amounts to clear violation

of America’s obligations under the deal it

signed in 2015. though ‘Secondary Sanc-

tions’ don’t punish Iran directly, these target

international banks that do business with

Iran’s oil sector; they cut off access to uS mar-

kets for third parties that want to work with

Iran, forcing foreign countries into a choice

between importing large amounts of Iranian

oil or doing business with the uS. therefore,

it ends up punishing close uS allies that want

to do business with Iran, as also strategic part-

ners like India. Some cross-sections also feel

that trump timed the pullout just before his

meeting with north Korean president Kim

Jong-un; that reneging on de-nuclearization

would invite similar severe sanctions. But,

despite wide ranging sanctions by the uS and

un, north Korea remained up and about with

continued chinese support.

the converse view is that the uS

destroying countries like Iraq and libya

who did not have pr gave up their nuclear

programmes, and inability to act against

STRATEGIC AFFAIRS

Interestingly, Iran’s nuclear programme actually began with help from the US; under its “Atoms for Peace” programme, America supplied a test reactor that came online in Tehran in 1967 during rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. But post the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, US assistance ceased.

US Pulls Out of Nuclear Deal with Iran — Impact on India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Hassan Rouhani in Hyderabad House, New Delhi

PHOTOGRAPH: PIB

The Iran nuclear deal had simple reciprocal equation – Iran agreed to nuclear restrictions in exchange to easing of financial sanctions. But by pulling out from the nuclear deal, Trump has re-imposed major portion of the pre-deal sanctions regime; “secondary sanctions” with the aim of targeting Iran’s oil sector, which could be the main aim of the US pullout.

>>


north Korea’s blatant nuclearisation, actu-

ally is incentive for Iran to go nuclear. of

course looking back, uS turned blind eye

to china’s nuclear proliferation to pakistan

and pakistan’s AQ Khan proliferating such

technology further to other countries. As

fer de-nuclearisation of north Korea, when

china conducted pakistan’s first nuclear

test on its own soil, there is no reason why

china will not help north Korea pursue

clandestine nuclear programme or keep

north Korean nukes in china for safe cus-

tody. the two meetings in quick succession

between president xi Jinpig and Kim Jong-

un and two-day stay by chinese defence

Minister chang Wanquan (also dubbed

‘missile man’ of china) in north Korea may

be significant in this context.

uS pullout from the nuclear deal as a

participant does significantly reduce Iran’s

incentive to stay in, but the deal certainly is

not dead at this point of time. technically,

the nuclear deal is an agreement between

Iran and the p5+1 (uS, Britain, france,

russia, china, and Germany), which means

the uS leaving the agreement doesn’t end it.

If the rest of the p5+1 keep their sanctions

off, Iran may decide to continue to adhere to

the deal’s restrictions even after the uS pull-

out. that’s what Iranian president hassan

rouhani has already said. the sanctions

also could precipitate a major crisis with

America’s european allies, as some of the

sanctions could affect european companies

that do business in Iran.

While the Middle east prepares for

another flashpoint, china would be the hap-

piest, trump having pushed Iran more close

to china. china has already made Iran cen-

terpiece of its ‘Belt and road Initiative’ in

the region. In february 2016, the first cargo

train from china to Iran arrived in tehran,

having passed through Kazakhstan-turk-

menistan (10,399 km). china is also third

largest importer of Iranian oil, apart from

providing large credit lines through chinese

banks like cItIc. Bilateral annual trade is

estimated to reach $10 billion, up from as

little as $1.68 billion during the sanctions

period. the largest companies in Iran today

are chinese, not uS. this could be another

reason for trump’s pull out.

If Britain, france, and Germany don’t

re-impose their own pre-deal sanctions (rus-

sia and china would definitely not), Iran may

very well end up still having more access to

international markets than it had before the

deal was inked. It could thus still decide to

stay in the deal, rather than kicking out IAeA

inspectors or restarting large-scale uranium

enrichment, in order to avoid angering these

other parties, all of which opposed trump’s

decision. But the situation may aggravate due

to many more reasons, like Israel-Iran conflict

that is already beginning. Given the geopoliti-

cal situation, one view is that with trump’s

action, it would be suicidal for Iran ‘not’ to

purse nuclear bomb if it is being economically

squeezed without valid evidence.

french president emmanuel Macron

tried in vain to persuade trump to try and

open negotiations on issues of latter’s con-

cern while staying in the deal, keeping Iran’s

nuclear programme in check for now. But

trump is adamant he is only open to nego-

tiating a newer, tougher deal. Whether the

other rest of the p5+1 will support trump

in this is questionable. But as far as Iran is

concerned, there is no reason it would agree

to a new deal, when the uS has reneged on

nuclear deal signed just three years back.

India hopes better sense prevails, the MeA

stating, “All parties should engage construc-

tively to address and resolve issues that have

arisen with respect to the JcpoA (Joint com-

prehensive plan of Action).” the main dan-

ger in case the deal fails is that Iran may go

ahead pursuing the bomb, with trump left

with the option of either sitting out, like with

north Korea, or go for war that would have

horrendous consequences for the region.

trump’s plan appears placing crippling

sanctions on Iran, and secondary sanctions

on anyone who deals with them. When

Germany, france and the uK issued a joint

statement they would remain committed

to the deal, uS responded by assuring their

companies would be allowed a grace period

before sanctions come, and that uS policy

would evolve in consultation with europe.

the aim possibly is to coax these countries

into dialogue with Iran for latter to agree to

include its missile programme in the deal

and even support to terror groups. But the

issue is that these countries are perfectly

happy with the 2015 JcopA. So it is catch

22 situation. the crunch will come when

the secondary sanctions are imposed. But

then the first direct Israel-Iran exchange of

fire over Syria has already happened on May

10, which could escalate.

Impact on India of US Pulloutduring Iranian president hassan rouhani’s

visit to India, India had reaffirmed its sup-

port for full and effective implementation

of the JcpoA, which has been endorsed by

the un Security council and is a crucial

contribution to the non-proliferation frame-

work and international peace, stability and

security. for safeguarding Indian projects in

Iran, India also took has taken some actions

to shield itself from potential costs such as

allowing Indian companies to invest in Iran

in rupees, but with sanctions, the costs can

potentially be much higher than antici-

pated. India will need all the deft diplomacy

with the uS, Iran and other p5+1 nation to

possibly keep the JcpoA intact and minimize

the impact should secondary sanctions be

imposed. In case of latter, obtaining waivers

would be vital, optimising on the Indo-uS

Strategic partnership. India would need to

open bilateral dialogues on the issue with uS,

Iran and others, which must already be hap-

pening. the impact on India of uS impos-

ing more sanctions on Iran and secondary

sanctions on nations dealing with Iran are

discussed in succeeding paragraphs.

Chabahar Port Project. With pakistan

perpetually denying India land access

to Afghanistan, chahbahar is crucial

to us for trade with Afghanistan, cen-

tral Asia and eurasia. Arrival of the first

shipment of wheat from India to chah-

bahar in november 2017, signaled the

importance of this route. Inauguration

of phase 1 of India’s chahbahar proj-

ect has already been done, albeit it took

14 years because of uS sanctions. fresh

uS sanctions could risk phase 2 of port

development, with contract for it already

signed between Iran’s port and Maritime

organisation and India IpGl (India ports

Global limited), and latter already put-

ting out tenders for the task. India has

already committed $85 million for cha-

bahar (total $500 million investment

planned), besides railway line to Zahe-

dan on Afghanistan border could cost

$1.6 billion. hopefully, the uS will not

impose sanctions that would hurt India’s

chahbahar development, otherwise the

costs could go up by many times.

INSTC. India is a founder member of the

International north South transporta-

tion corridor (InStc) since it was rati-

fied in 2002 for a multi-mode network

linking Iran, cutting across central Asia

to russia over 7,200 km, cutting down

travel-time by 30 per cent. InSt will

cut the transit time between India and

russia from 40 days to less than 25.

russia, India and Iran are separately

partners in the InStc which has more

than 11 member nations. russia is a

major player, both as a defence partner

and with investments in the oil and gas

industry. plans for InStc received a

boost after JcpoA was signed in 2015.

uS sanctions would adversely affect the

InStc, especially if countries along the

InStc route, as also banking and insur-

ance companies dealing with InStc

decide to comply with uS sanctions,

including for trade with Iran. the new

factor here is the aggravating economic

war between uS-china and uS imposing

more and more sanctions against rus-

sia. After the Modi-xi informal meet at

Wuhan and upcoming Sco meet, India

could leverage china-russia also for

keeping InStc going.

Oil Imports. Iran is India’s third largest

supplier of oil (after Iraq and Saudi Ara-

bia) and India pays for the oil in euros. As

long as europe stays in the deal, India can

continue with energy imports. In febru-

ary this year, dhramendra pradhan, Min-

ister for petroleum and natural Gas had

indicated India plans to double its imports

from Iran, which indicates imports from

Iran will continue. however, with the

hike in crude oil prices already visible

with trump’s announcement, increase in

prices will hit both inflation levels as well

as the Indian rupee.

SCO. India and pakistan are to be formally

admitted to Sco in June 2018. chinese

officials have also hinted the china-russia

led Sco is likely to admit Iran also to Sco.

Some scholars feel the uS may consider

Sco as anti-American but this is where

Indian diplomacy will need to balance

India’s Sco membership with groupings

like the ‘Quad’, Macron proposed paris-

delhi-canberra axis, and the like.

Indo-US Strategic Partnership. under

donald trump, the uS first pulled out

from the un climate change treaty

(paris Accord), and now has pulled out

from the JcpoA that was signed by the

uS just three years back and ratified by

the unSc. this puts a question mark

also on the Indo-uS Strategic partner-

ship and the various agreements signed

like leMoA, etc, whether these can be

abrogated on the whims and fancies of

the trump Administration. this needs

serious discussion with the uS, and req-

uisite levels of assurances.

Conclusionthe uS pullout from JcpoA is erratic con-

sidering that no concrete evidence has been

found of Iran militarising its nuclear pro-

gramme in contravention of the nuclear

deal. the mere fact that other members of

the p5+1 have no reason to disbelieve Iran

proves it. Iran has every right to pursue its

peaceful nuclear programme. the uS was

close friend of the Shah of Iran, but then

Iran was suddenly dumped. the uS is acting

similarly now. though geopolitics is much

about economics, control of oil and energy,

this time miscalculation can lead to conflict.

hopefully, better sense would prevail. SP

STRATEGIC AFFAIRS

Tel: +91 11 4120 0400

Fax: +91 11 4120 0405

Email: [email protected]

Given the geopolitical situation, one view is that with Trump’s action, it would be suicidal for Iran ‘not’ to purse nuclear bomb if it is being economically squeezed without valid evidence.

>>

ww

w.s

psl

andfo

rces

.com


SHOW PREVIEW

ROHIT SRIVASTAVA

Europe’S leAdInG defence expo

eurosatory is being held from June

11-15 in paris. In this edition, the

expo is expected to host around

1,750 exhibitors from 63 coun-

tries. And around 57,000 professionals are

expected to visit the five day event. In 2016,

it gathered 1,571 exhibitors, 212 official

delegations, 57,024 international visitors

and 700 journalists from all over the world.

focusing on the current security

requirements, eurosatory is following the

evolution in this domain and is putting for-

ward creativity and innovative technology

of its exhibitors. Show will have a dedicated

hall mainly to showcase technological clus-

ters such as intelligence, civil security, crisis

management, security of critical infrastruc-

tures and chemical biological radiation

nuclear. Moreover, it will also have business

meetings and strategic consultancy.

Live Demonstrationsthis year the live demonstrations zone will

be moved close to the exhibiting halls, mak-

ing it easily accessible to visitors. for the first

time, institutional live demonstrations will

complete eurosatory live demonstrations

week programme. Among them are french

Army, french police, Special operations

command, national Gendarmerie Inter-

vention Group, research and Intervention

Brigade and paris fire Brigade.

Eurosatory LABfor 2018 edition, eurosatory has created

an all-new Start-up area, called eurosatory

lAB, dedicated to international start-ups

in the defence and Security domain. euro-

satory will select up to 80 most ground-

breaking start-up companies to exhibit

alongside 1,600 other firms. Internation-

ally renowned keynote speakers will ani-

mate the lAB.

Eurosatory Conferencesconferences are integral part of any expo

and in its 2018 edition, the expo will witness

business leaders participating and deliberat-

ing on the issues pertaining to defence sector

in various conferences. they are expected

to attract high-level panel of speakers from

manufacturers, media, experts, think tanks

and government officials. More than 70 con-

ferences will be organised.

Business at Eurosatoryeurosatory 2018 offers an all-new Business

to Business meetings programme. to orga-

nise business meetings before the exhibi-

tion, exhibitors and visitors can use Vimeet,

a platform created by eurosatory’s partner

proxIMuM Group. to increase network-

ing during five days of the exhibition, all the

attendees are invited to use Swapcard appli-

cation, a connection tool for participants

with common interests.

CBRN Thematic Eventthis edition will present a new interna-

tional thematic event dedicated to cBrn

issues organised with the participation of

french and other nations, exhibitors from

the domains, state representatives, and

experts. this will be in addition to the tech-

nology cluster and live demonstration dedi-

cated to the cBrn.

Dronesthe drones sector is an integral part of

eurosatory 2018. It has been a technology

cluster since 2006. More than 130 exhibi-

tors with activities in uAVs and uGVs sec-

tor are expected to participate. one third of

the official delegations are interested in this

domain. drones will also participate in live

demonstrations at the show.

Some of the leading exhibitors compa-

nies in drone are Airbus, drone Volt, eca

Group, elbit, leonardo, lockheed Martin,

Safran, thales, Aeraccess, BlueBird Aero

Systems, Aeronautics Group and others.

In 2018, there is a remarkable presence

of companies in the field of anti-drones. At

every eurosatory several conferences on

drones are organised. In 2018, conferences

will address issues like “Anti-uAV fight”,

“drones for the Ground forces” and “Airmo-

bile combat and contact drones”.

Vehiclesthis year eurosatory is expected to witness

more than 250 vehicles (civil and military).

It will be proper to say that the complete

defence vehicles industry will be present at

the show. Both military and civil vehicles

will also participate in live demonstrations.

Some of the major participating vehi-

cle companies are daimler, farmington’s

Automotive, Isuzu, Iveco defence Vehicles,

otokar otomotiv, renault trucks defense,

SIdeS and Volkswagen france.

the exhibition will see all kinds of

defence vehicles including armoured vehi-

cles, light armoured and unarmoured vehi-

cles, logistic vehicles, trucks, firefighting

vehicles, ambulances and sanitary vehicles,

crowd control and anti-riot vehicles, cash in

transit vehicles, unmanned ground vehicles

(uGV) and systems, motorcycles, quads, etc.

Cybersecuritythe cybersecurity domain is an integral part

of eurosatory 2018. A technology cluster

has been dedicated to cybersecurity which

will have 75 exhibitors and 15 per cent of

the official delegations are from this domain.

Some of the major exhibiting companies

are Airbus, Atos, BAe Systems, Bertin tech-

nologies, IAI, l3 technologies, lockheed

Martin corporation, netline communica-

tions technologies, raytheon, Secure Ic,

Sopra Steria, thales and others.

In 2018, eurosatory conferences will

focus on issues like “the future of security

cooperation in europe”, “tactical means

of electronic warfare (eW)”, “developing

international cooperation in cyberdefence

and cybersecurity”.

Civil Security & Crisis ManagementSince 2014, it has been an integral part of

eurosatory. In this technology cluster around

299 exhibitors and 10 per cent of official del-

egations are participating. Some of the major

participants are paris fire Brigade, ceGelec

défense, cyalume technologies, desautel,

high french committee of civil defence

(hcfdc), losberger, Matisec and others.

In 2018, a special focus will be placed

on the cBrne with a special event organ-

ised in partnership with the high commit-

tee of civil defence (hcfdc); a table top

exercise bringing together 60 international

experts to conduct large-scale cBrne event

scenarios followed by a conference. then

the experts will visit stand of civil Security

exhibitors. the research and Intervention

Brigade and paris fire Brigade will jointly

participate in the live demonstrations.

The Eurosatory LABthroughout the duration of the exhibit, this

unprecedented space will showcase up to

70 start-ups building the defence and secu-

rity of tomorrow. A new space dedicated to

emerging and innovative companies with

applications in land and air-land defence

and security. up to 70 french and foreign

start-ups will be present to showcase their

innovations and technologies.

The space will consist of three main

areas: An exhibition space gathering start-

ups from 13 countries: Belgium, czech

republic, france, Germany, Ireland, Israel,

netherlands, poland, portugal, Singapore,

Spain, united Kingdom, united States.

An agora hosting daily conferences

around major issues of innovation:

counter-terrorism, startup funding in the

defence, GAfA, etc. twice a day, industry

leaders will open the “pitch” sessions where

each start-up will have the opportunity to

present its projects and technologies.

Within a vast 900 m² space located in

the hall 5A, start-ups will be organised

around the following key themes like sur-

veillance and intelligence, cybersecurity

and It, intervention and force engage-

ment, communications, production,

equipment, maintenance and logistics,

enabling technologies. SP

Focusing on the current security requirements, Eurosatory is following the evolution in this domain and is putting forward creativity and innovative technology of its exhibitors

Eurosatory 2018: A Preview

Eurosatory 2018 offers an all-new business-to-business meetings programme. To organise business meetings before the exhibition, exhibitors and visitors can use Vimeet, a platform created by Eurosatory’s partner PROXIMUM Group.

(Top) Steadicopter will unveil the final configuration of it’s Black Eagle 50 compact RUAV; (above) Carmor’s innovation-packed, high-survivability Mantis family of protective vehicle.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Steadicopter, Carmor

>>


tories (of) - overall manpower I,80,044; little

military representation in drdo-dpSus-ofB

despite being users; multiple forces along

international borders with different chains

of command; police and central armed police

forces (cApf) placed above military.

the comptroller and Auditor General

(cAG) has repeatedly pointed to corruption

and nepotism in drdo, which is directly

under Mod, and a government-appointed

experts committee recommended shutting

down drdo laboratories and major drdo

overhaul, and privatisation. But drdo is the

golden goose for Mod, therefore, 15 years to

produce a rifle, 30 years to produce ‘nag’

missile, and forcing military to buy combat

uniform at three times the price compared to

civil sources hardly matter. A former ambas-

sador, who first joined IAS and got posted to

Mod says his first brief was to forget all else,

just concentrate on what equipment is in

pipeline and how much money can be made.

Arguably, no defence deal is without kick-

backs albeit in country like china, money

goes to the party, not individual. But this is

one reason military is kept away from Mod

and drdo in India. the second reason is

politicians bank on bureaucrats, with latter

lacking professional knowledge of matters

military. Besides, there has been periodic

change of defence Ministers since 2014.

While the dpc has become fait accom-

pli, India needs following urgently: define

nSS and order Sdr; revise Allocation of

Business & transaction of Business rules

Act 1961, making defence Minister respon-

sible for defence and Services hQ integral to

Mod; merge Mod and hQ IdS completely;

appoint cdS to synergize military and usher

true revolution in Military Affairs (rMA)

under directions political authority; Ser-

vice chiefs as members of cabinet commit-

tee on Security (ccS); deputy nSA (s) from

military if nSA with military background is

too scary; military representation in Strate-

gic policy Group, nScS, nSAB and military

advisors in MeA and MhA; military rep-

resentation at policy, design and decision-

making levels in governmental defense-

industrial complex; country’s land borders

placed under military or at least Mod, as the

entire seacoast is.

the bogey of no ‘military consensus’

on cdS was negated in the above men-

tioned conference chaired by then defence

Minister pranab Mukherjee in 2005. the

spurious scare of military coup is raised

sometime knowing full well military is too

disciplined. But stories are cooked by the

deep state of troop movement from Agra-

hisar, albeit enough troops are stationed

in delhi. Another excuse for not appoint-

ing cdS is that there is no political consen-

sus. But the Modi Government shut down

the planning commission without discus-

sion, replacing it with niti Aayog. So why

can’t Mod be replaced by a department of

defence, manned in majority by military

professionals? these are the bare minimum

essentials - imperative to meet threat sce-

narios. Aside from defining the nSS, the

nSA needs to focus on optimizing our con-

siderable Special forces potential in all our

areas of strategic interests, rather than only

direct type of action like ‘surgical strikes’.

Command and Control of DPCIt is also unclear who the dpc will be

accountable to. the indications are that

at best it is planned to be accountable to

the cabinet committee on Security (ccS),

which boils down to the political leader-

ship of the time. this would be incorrect

and amount to ‘not’ being accountable—

dictated by whims and fancies of a politi-

cal party. the dpc must be officially made

accountable to the parliament. Besides,

what will be the relationship between the

dpc and parliament’s Standing committee

for defence – both operating in isolation?

Conclusionthe dpc is hardly the panacea to address

the woes of India’s defence. the dpc may

also become a recipe for clash between the

nSA and the defence Minister at a future

date—perhaps some years from now. unless

the missing defence reforms, as mentioned

above, are undertaken in conjunction dpc

and latter made accountable to parliament,

it will not achieve its true potential. SP


In octoBer 2017, MedIA reports

confirmed the government seven-point

strategy as prelude to India’s strategic

plan for using AI (artificial intelligence),

covering issues like developing methods

for human machine interactions, ensur-

ing security of AI systems, creating com-

petent workforce matching AI and r&d

needs, addressing ethical, legal and societal

implications of AI, measuring and evaluat-

ing AI technologies through standards and

benchmarks, and the like. An experts com-

mittee has also been set up in the Ministry

of electronics and It to advise the govern-

ment on a policy for AI, government’s main

focus is to reduce cyber attacks with AI. the

main central policy is to be drawn once the

experts committee submits its report.

Machine intelligence-powered platforms

sure can become a strategic instrument of

governance in India across a wide range of

public services, from nAtGrId to Aadhaar

but the defence sector needs much more

focus. drdo’s centre for Artificial Intel-

ligence & robotics (cAIr) has developed a

range of robots with varied applications, and

is also developing: man portable unmanned

ground vehicle (uGV) for low intensity con-

flicts and surveillance in urban scenario;

wall climbing and flapping wing robot; walk-

ing robot with four and six legs for logistics

support; network traffic Analysis (netrA)

which can monitor internet traffic.

But considering the pace at which devel-

opments are taking place, particularly in

china in combining robotics and AI, our

slow progress in this field is liable to leave

us at huge asymmetric disadvantage. news

about cooperation with Japan on AI is good

but looking at the abysmal fdI in the defence

sector, the prospects don’t look good.

cctV (china’s tV channel) recently

showed video footage of a type 59 based

tank being controlled by a soldier sitting in

front of a computer terminal with a steer-

ing wheel. According to russian sources,

quoting chinese media Sohu, the footage

was made in the ‘unmanned Battle Systems

lab of plA’. china’s type 59 is based on the

Soviet t-54A tank, bought from russia in

1950s, and the unmanned version may be

armed with a 100mm or 105mm cannon.

for present, this may just be a demonstrative

model but with integration of remote target

acquisition and remote fire control technolo-

gies, this would become cutting edge military

weapon platform. Given the pace of chinese

r&d, such development would not be too

distant. Sohu also reported that unmanned

warships, drones and battle vehicles pro-

grams are also under development.

In 2017, china’s State council issued

an ambitious policy blueprint calling for

the nation to become “the world’s primary

AI innovation center” by 2030, by which

time, it forecast, the country’s AI indus-

try could be worth $150 billion. china is

investing heavily in all aspects of informa-

tion technology, from quantum computing

to chip design. Multiple initiatives have been

launched including china building $2.1 bil-

lion AI technology park in Beijing’s western

suburbs. compare this with America’s total

spending on unclassified AI programs in

2016 of $1.2 billion.

nations are seeking to harness AI

advances for surveillance and censorship,

and for military purposes. According to

elsa Kania, fellow at the center for a new

American Security in Washington, dc notes

in her recent study on china’s military AI

investments, that in fields of AI in china the

boundaries between civilian and military

research and development tend to become

blurred, adding, “the plA may leverage AI

in unique and perhaps unexpected ways,

likely less constrained by the legal and ethi-

cal concerns prominent in uS thinking. chi-

na’s military is funding the development of

new AI-driven capabilities in battlefield deci-

sion-making and autonomous weaponry.”

In 2014, plA Major General xi hang,

heading plA’s Academy of Armoured

forces engineering had said, “unmanned

ground vehicles will play a very impor-

tant role in future ground combat. realiz-

ing that, we have begun to explore how to

refit our armoured vehicles into unmanned

ones.” robotic systems coupled with AI will

be live threats on the battlefield sooner than

we can think. not only will china deploy

such systems along the line of Actual con-

trol with India, there is every possibility of

these moving into poK and pakistan as plA

deployment grows in the region. In addi-

tion, select technologies will be passed on to

pakistan and other strategic partners.

Gorden G chang, author of ‘the coming

collapse of china’, in his article ‘the World

Should take china’s War threats Sseriously’

published in national Interest on March 23,

2018 writes that armed with second term, xi

Jinping is now full of fire and fury, and that

when he promised “full unification of the

motherland” to the national people’s con-

gress on March 20, that is code for annexa-

tion of taiwan, large portions of India, doz-

ens of Japanese islands, a speck of South

Korea, philippine rocks and reefs, and almost

all the waters of the South china Sea. obvi-

ously, Gordon doesn’t imply this happening

overnight but in sharp contrast the mood

in India appears to be that conflict is not on

the cards at all because of the downturn of

chinese economy and Sino-Indian trade

relations. china has excellent trade rela-

tions with taiwan and china also but gives

no credence to economic relations when it

comes to territorial claims – however illegal.

It is for good reason that china has enhanced

deployments and communications in tibet

opposite India, consolidation the ‘string of

pearls’ and invested in sub-conventional war

on India. Any conflict, however small, would

impact Indian economy adversely. We need

to seriously prepare for conflict that would

likely see use of robotics and AI.

prudence demands that India should

prepares for conflict that would likely com-

bine robotics and AI; unmanned ground

vehicles, drone swarms, quantum commu-

nications, cyber attacks and more. SP

India should prepare for conflict that would likely combine robotics and AI; UGVs, drone swarms, quantum communications, cyber attacks and more

Coming – Chinese Robot Tanks

Establishment of the Defence Planning ... continued from page 5

UNMANNED

>>

ww

w.s

psl

andfo

rces

.com


LT GENERAL V.K. KAPOOR (RETD)

IndIA’S “Act eASt” polIcy also involves

a steady build up of military ties with

ASeAn countries, with an eye perhaps

on china. With this back drop Indian

armed forces are holding various types

of exercises with their counterparts in the

ASeAn countries. India held a major combat

exercise recently called exercise ‘harimau

Shakti’ with Malaysia from April 30 to May

13. the exercise, was held in the dense for-

ests of Sengai perdik, hulu langat, Malaysia,

and was aimed at “bolstering cooperation

and coordination” between the armed forces

of the two countries. the two contingents

shared their expertise in conduct of counter-

insurgency operations in jungle terrain. this

was the first instance when a joint training

exercise of this magnitude between the two

countries was held on Malaysian soil.

the Indian contingent was represented

by the 4 Grenadiers battalion, one of the

oldest infantry units with extensive experi-

ence in conventional and counter-insur-

gency operations, while the Malaysian side

was represented by the 1 royal ranger regi-

ment and the royal Malay regiment, both

known for their expertise in jungle warfare.

the exercise involved a cross-training

phase followed by a field-training phase of

seven days in the jungles of hulu langat,

which saw the two contingents jointly plan

and execute a series of training activities.

India has been working towards deepen-

ing military ties with ASeAn countries in

accordance with its “Act east” policy over

the last several years. India, for instance,

provides military supplies and submarine

training to sailors from Vietnam and has

also offered the BrahMos supersonic cruise

missiles and Akash area defence missile

systems to the country. In keeping with this

philosophy the focus of the exercise was on

tactical operations in jungle warfare. over-

all, the exercise not only provided an excel-

lent opportunity to both the armies to hone

their operational skills, but also contributed

to enhancing the strategic partnership

between India and Malaysia with whome

the bilateral relations are characterized by

strong bonds of friendship based on cultural,

religious and economic ties between South

India and the Malay peninsula over two mil-

lennia. India-Malaysia defence ties date back

to the colonial days when troops of Madras

native Infantry served in Malacca, Singa-

pore and penang,” said an army officer.

Handing Over Ceremony and First Phaseexercise harimau Shakti 2018, between

the Indian Army and the Malaysian Army

commenced on April 30 at Wardieburn

camp, Kuala lumpur with a brief and

impressive handing over of troops cere-

mony. lt col Irwan Ibrahim, commanding

officer of the 1st royal ranger regiment of

Malaysian Army welcomed the Indian con-

tingent and wished the Indian and Malay-

sian troops a successful and mutually ben-

eficial joint exercise.

first phase of the two week long joint

military exercise begin with the formal

handing over of the regimental flag to the

Malaysian Army signifying merging of the

two contingents under one commander.

first day also saw briefings to the joint con-

tingent on Malaysian country brief, exercise

setting and security aspects. the day ended

with a keenly contested friendly Volley Ball

match, which the visitors could finally

snatch after a stiff competition. Both armies

stand to hone their tactical and technical

skills in counter insurgency and counter

terrorist operations under the un man-

date. due emphasis will be laid on increas-

ing interoperability between forces which

is crucial for success of any joint operation.

Basic drills and procedures and the survival

techniques in jungles were discussed and

practiced. Malaysian army is well versed in

operations in the jungles and explained very

useful techniques of survival in the jungles.

In this phase the Indian Army’s combat

engineers also exchanged mutually benefi-

cial information with the Malaysian Army

on improvised explosive devices (Ieds), and

construction of traps in the jungle in which

the Indian Army is one of the most experi-

enced in the world having fought the ltte

in Sri lanka and experience gained in fight-

ing the home grown insurgencies in J&K,

punjab, and the north east over the past 60

years or so.

Second Phasethis phase started on May 7, 2018, with

the troops with the exercise venue shifting

to the tropical rain forests of hulu langat

in Malaysia. here the troops focused on

the conduct of counterinsurgency opera-

tions in jungle terrain. Starting with the

basics of camouflage and concealment in

the jungle, the conduct involved patrolling

in the jungle to seek and destroy the oppo-

nents and to acquire information. the drills

were executed flawlessly by both sides with

a simulated enemy in place.

practical operations involving recon-

naissance of ambush sites and conduct of

ambush as also methods of countering an

ambush were all practiced against a simu-

lated enemy under realistic operational

conditions. Jungle terrain requires not only

physical fitness but also mental robustness

to remain mentally balanced facing the chal-

lenges confronted in jungle terrain where

the enemy could appear from any direction

and where survival itself is a challenge. It

also requires a very high standard of train-

ing and coordination among all members

of tactical units and subunits because ulti-

mately actual operations in the jungles

involve tactical operations at lower levels

of command such as sections, platoons and

companies and hence lower level command-

ers (section and platoon commanders) have

to take the initiative and progress the opera-

tions. thus success depends on the actions

of every member of the team.

Closing Ceremonyexercise harimau Shakti 2018 between

Indian and Malaysian Armies concluded

with a closing ceremony at the tropical

rainforests of hulu langat on May 11,

2018. the grand finale of the exercise was

a tactical operation on conduct of attack on

enemy camp.

the closing ceremony marked the suc-

cessful conclusion of exercise harimau

Shakti 2018. the event began with custom-

ary salute to Brigadier General Abdul Malik

Bin Jiran, commander 12 Infantry Brigade,

followed by national anthem of both the

nations. exercise arm bands were taken

off from the exercise appointments and

the regimental flag of GrenAdIerS was

handed back to col S.n. Karthikeyan, co 4

GrenAdIerS by lt col Irwan Bin Ibrahim,

co 1 royal ranger regiment symbolising

the handing over of the troops back to the

Indian contingent commander at the end

of the exercise.

In his closing address, the commander

complimented the troops from both the

contingents for their exemplary conduct,

high morale and tactical acumen through-

out the exercise. he also complimented

the Indian contingent for assimilating and

understanding the nuances of jungle opera-

tions as per Malaysian doctrine and fighting

shoulder to shoulder with their Malaysian

counterparts. the ceremony came to a close

with the war cries of both the contingents

and customary recital of prayers by the

Malaysian Army.

Mridul Kumar, Indian high commis-

sioner to Malaysia, also visited the exercise

contingents at the exercise area and com-

plimented the troops on successful comple-

tion of the joint training exercise. he was

highly appreciative of the high spirits and

exemplary drills shown by the contingents

under challenging conditions and inclem-

ent weather.

the professional acumen, operational

abilities, battle drills and physical endurance

displayed by the contingents over the last

fortnight, were of extremely high standard

and an apt reflection of the level of interop-

erability achieved during the exercise. the

contingents from Indian and Malaysian

armies have been able to share their expe-

riences in counter insurgency operations

and learn from each other. the future edi-

tions of exercise harimau Shakti will surely

take this legacy forward and will ensure that

the two nations continue to maintain close

defence ties in ensuring peace and security

in the region. SP

The exercise, was held in the dense forests of Sengai Perdik, Hulu Langat, Malaysia, and was aimed at “bolstering cooperation and coordination” between the armed forces of the two countries

Exercise Harimau Shakti: Honing Tactical & Technical Skills

Exercise Harimau Shakti 2018 in progress

PHOTOGRAPHS: Indian Army

EXERCISE

>>


Publisher and Editor-in-ChiefJayant Baranwal

Editor Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

Senior Editorial ContributorLt General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

Senior Technical Group Editor Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd)Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)

Assistant Features EditorArpita Kala

Principal CorrespondentRohit Srivastava

ContributorsIndia

General V.P. Malik (Retd), Lt General Vijay Oberoi (Retd), Lt General R.S. Nagra (Retd),

Lt General S.R.R. Aiyengar (Retd), Major General Ashok Mehta (Retd), Major General G.K. Nischol (Retd), Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (Retd),

Brigadier S. Mishra (Retd), Rohit Sharma

Chairman & Managing DirectorJayant Baranwal

Executive Vice President(Planning & Business Development)

Rohit Goel

AdministrationBharti Sharma

Asst-Admin, HR & InfraPooja Tehlani

Creative DirectorAnoop Kamath

DesignVimlesh Kumar Yadav, Sonu Singh Bisht

Research Assistant: GraphicsSurvi Massey

Sales & MarketingDirector Sales & Marketing: Neetu Dhulia

General Manager Sales: Rajeev Chugh

SP’s WebsiteSr. Web Developer: Shailendra P. AshishWeb Developer: Ugrashen Vishwakarma

Published bimonthly by Jayant Baranwal on behalf of SP Guide Publications Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this

publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, photocopying, recording, electronic, or otherwise without the prior

written permission of the publishers.

Printed in India by Kala Jyothi Process Pvt Ltd

© SP Guide Publications, 2018

Subscription/ CirculationAnnual Inland: `600 • Overseas: US$180Email: [email protected]

[email protected]

Letters to [email protected]

For Advertising Details, Contact: [email protected]

[email protected]

SP GUIDE PUBLICATIONS PVT LTDCorporate Office

A 133 Arjun Nagar, Opp Defence Colony, New Delhi 110003, India

Tel: +91(11) 24644693, 24644763, 24620130

Fax: +91 (11) 24647093

Regd OfficeFax: +91 (11) 23622942

Email: [email protected]

Representative OfficesBengaluru, INDIA

Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)204, Jal Vayu Vihar, Kalyan Nagar,

Bengaluru 560043, India.Tel: +91 (80) 23682204

MOSCOW, RUSSIALAGUK Co., Ltd, Yuri LaskinKrasnokholmskaya, Nab.,

11/15, app. 132, Moscow 115172, Russia.Tel: +7 (495) 911 2762, Fax: +7 (495) 912 1260

www.spguidepublications.com www.spslandforces.com

RNI Number: DELENG/2008/25818

MMP (MISSILE MOYENNE PORTÉE- MEDIUM RANGE MISSILE)

Missile Moyenne portée – Medium-range

Missile (MMp) is a new-generation, sur-

face-attack missile system designed for the

french Army. the MMp development pro-

gramme was initiated by MBdA Systems in

2009, to replace france’s Milan and hot

wire-guided, anti-tank missiles. the entire

MMp development programme is funded

by MBdA. the weapon system was quali-

fied by the french direction Générale de

l’Armement (dGA) in July 2017.

the MMp is a lightweight man-portable

missile that can be installed on tracked and

wheeled vehicles. It offers enhanced precise-

ness and considerable automation in strik-

ing targets, and is capable of destroying

both stationary and moving targets with

minimum collateral damage.

the capability of the MMp’s warhead to

strike against a new generation of explosive

reactive armour was also tested by MBdA.

the company has also validated MMp’s

firing post ergonomics and architecture.

the missile underwent techno-operational

trials at the dGA’s test centre in Bourges

between August 2017 and october 2017.

the french Armed forces took delivery of

the initial batch of 50 MMps and 20 firing

ports in november 2017. commissioning

of the missiles is scheduled for 2018. the

MMp programme is anticipated to deliver

up to 1,750 missiles and 400 firing posts to

the french Armed forces, by 2025.

SAAB TO DELIVER CARL-GUSTAF M4 WEAPON SYSTEM TO SWEDISH FORCES

the Swedish defence Materiel Admin-

istration (fMV) has placed an order for

the delivery of Saab’s new and advanced

carl-Gustaf M4 weapon system. under the

order, Saab will be responsible for carrying

out the delivery of the latest version of the

carl-Gustaf weapon system to the Swedish

Armed forces this year.

carl-Gustaf M4 is the latest version of

the portable, shoulder-launched, multi-role

weapon system that provides the customers

with a wide range of engagement options.

launched in 2014, carl-Gustaf M4 features

all the effectiveness and versatility of the

traditional carl-Gustaf system. featuring

an improved and lightweight design, and

weighing less than 7kg, the new version of

the multi-purpose weapon system provides

the armed forces with significant mobility

enhancements.

With the current order from Sweden,

the company has signed five contracts with

five different countries since the launch of

the new system.

INDIAN ARMED FORCES WANT OVER 400 DRONES, NEXT-GENERATION WEAPONSthe Indian armed forces over the next

decade want over 400 drones, including

combat and submarine-launched remotely

piloted aircraft, as well as directed energy

weapons (deWs) like high-energy lasers

and high-powered microwaves capable of

destroying enemy targets and even satel-

lites. Several such military capabilities have

been identified in the defence ministry’s

new “technology perspective and capabil-

ity roadmap-2018” to provide the industry

with an overview of the country’s offensive

and defensive military requirements up to

the late 2020s. this roadmap may guide

the industry in planning or initiating tech-

nology development, partnerships and pro-

duction arrangements. While pursuing any

development or collaboration, the Indian

industry should accord due importance to

the government’s thrust towards ‘Make in

India’, says the 82-page document.

Apart from obvious necessities ranging

from next-generation submarines, destroy-

ers and frigates to missiles, infantry weap-

ons, specialised ammunition and cBrn

(chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear)

defence systems, the document focuses on

a wide variety of unmanned aerial vehi-

cles (uAVs) or drones needed by the armed

forces. drones are major force-multipliers in

modern-day warfare for real-time surveil-

lance as well as hitting high-value enemy

targets. the armed forces currently have

over 200 drones, the bulk of them imported

from Israel for long-range surveillance and

precision-targeting. they also have some

Israeli harop “killer” or Kamikaze drones,

which act as cruise missiles by explod-

ing into enemy targets and radars. even

as drdo works on developing the Ghatak

stealth ucAVs (combat drones) under a rs

2,650 crore project, the roadmap says the

Army and navy will need “more than 30”

combat remotely-piloted aircraft (rpA).

“the medium-altitude, long-endurance

(MAle) combat rpA should have the capa-

bility to fly up to 30,000-feet altitude, with

extended satellite communication ranges

and endurance of more than 24 hours,”

says the document. the drones should be

capable of firing missiles at land and mari-

time targets from over 20-km away.

TATA MOTORS DELIVERS SAFARI STORME SUVS TO INDIAN ARMYtata Motors has reportedly begun delivering

Safari Storme vehicles to the Indian Army.

on April 27, 2017, tata Motors announced

a contract for the supply of 3,192 units of

the tata Safari Storme 4x4 vehicle to the

Indian Armed forces. the delivery of the

vehicles will be carried out in a phased man-

ner for both for the Indian Army and the

Indian navy.

prior to its selection under a new cat-

egory of vehicles – GS800 (General Service

800), the tata Safari Storme 4x4 was put

through 15 months of testing in differ-

ent terrains across the country. the three

requirements were a minimum payload

capacity of 800kg; hard roofs, and air con-

ditioning. the vehicle, which will serve as a

replacement to the Maruti Gypsy in the 4x4

light vehicle category, met three basic crite-

ria stated in the request for proposal floated

by the Indian Ministry of defence (Mod).

the three requirements were a minimum

payload capacity of 800kg; hard roofs, and

air conditioning.

featuring electronic shift-on-fly tech-

nology and a horsepower of 156bhp and

400nm torque, Safari Storme provides easy

drivability, swifter response and lower noise,

vibration, and harshness. It also offers supe-

rior fuel efficiency and ground clearance of

200mm, according to tata Motors.

the tata Safari Storme 4x4 vehicle is

a modified version of a variant designed

for civilians. It has been upgraded with an

updated drive train and modified suspension.

INDIA CONDUCTS LIFE EXTENSION TEST-FIRING OF BRAHMOS MISSILEIndia has successfully test-fired the BrahMos

supersonic cruise missile in Balasore, odi-

sha, as part of the weapon system’s service

life extension programme. the missile was

test-fired from a Static Inclined launcher sta-

tioned at launch pad three of the Integrated

test range (Itr) at chandipur. carried out

by the defence research and development

organisation (drdo) and BrahMos Aero-

space, the trial was conducted to demonstrate

the efficacy and the missile system’s longevity.

An Itr official said that the life exten-

sion test was carried out to validate the

missile’s life-extension technologies that

are indigenously developed for the first time

by drdo and BrahMos team, according

to press trust of India reports. during the

trial, the BrahMos precision strike missile

flew in its designated trajectory, demon-

strating that all the major components of

the weapon functioned properly.

In november last year, the supersonic

cruise missile was launched from a Suk-

hoi-30 MKI fighter jet for the first time. With

a flight range of up to 290km, BrahMos is a

two-stage missile that can be launched from

land, sea and sub-sea platforms. BrahMos

is a joint venture (JV) company formed by

the drdo and russian aerospace enterprise

npo Mashinostroyeniya (npoM).

VICIS WINS CONTRACT TO UPGRADE US ARMY COMBAT HELMETSSports protective technologies provider

VIcIS has secured a contract to improve

combat helmets for the uS Army and the

uS Marine corps (uSMc). the contract has

been awarded by the uS Army’s natick Sol-

dier research, development and engineer-

ing center (nSrdec). under the agreement,

VIcIS will conduct research to identify ways

to replace the existing foam liner pads of the

combat helmets with the company’s latest

liner technology derived from structures

designed for its football helmets. nSrdec

mechanical engineer Benjamin fasel said:

“the nSrdec is excited to work with VIcIS

in the development of their suspension pad

system for use in military combat helmets.”

the combat helmets currently used by

the uS Army and the uSMc are designed

specifically to ensure ballistic protection

for service members against gunfire and

shrapnel. the new liner technology to be

provided by VIcIS will help improve the

blunt impact performance of the combat

helmets to provide increased head protec-

tion to uS warfighters. SP

>> SHOW CALENDAR

11–15 JuneEurosatoryparc des expositions de paris nord Villepinte, paris, francewww.eurosatory.com

19–21 JuneIFSEC Internationalexcel london, london, uKwww.ifsec.events/international

26–27 JuneArmored vehicles Indiahyatt regency, new delhi, Indiawww.armouredvehiclesindia.com

29–30 AugustISDEF Japantodoroki Arena, tokyo, Japanwww.japan.isdefexpo.com

APPOINTMENTS

lt General d. Anbu, pVSM, uySM,

AVSM, ySM, SM, Goc-in-c north-

ern command, took over as the Vice

chief of Army Staff, in delhi, on June

1, 2018.

lt General ranbir Singh, pVSM,

AVSM, ySM, SM, dcoAS (IS&t), on

promotion, took over as the Goc-in-c

northern command, in uddhampur,

on June 1, 2018.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Reserve Your Copies Now!Email: [email protected]

Website: www.spsmilitaryyearbook.com

Phones: +91 11 24644763, 24644693, 24620130

A FEW COPIES OF SP’S MILITARY YEARBOOK 16-2017 ARE STILL AVAILABLE!

COMING SOON: SP’S MILITARY YEARBOOK 17-2018 TO AVAIL EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT, ORDER NOW!

SP’s

Military Yearbook

4 5 T H I S S U Es i n c e 1 9 6 5

2017 –

2018

SP’S MILITARY YEARBOOK, a journey since 1965 (an indispensable reference by leaders for leaders) offers:

The new edition with enormous amount of additions and updates.

SP’s Military Yearbook 17-2018 includes:

Additionally – an extensive collection of Asian countries (approximately 44 countries);

Military leadership profiling, exhaustive collection of contact references;

Carefully updated inputs on budgets, analysis, etc. as a regular collection beyond;

Some of the most thought-provoking articles for global and domestic audience.

India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman receiving SP’s Military Yearbook 2016-2017 from Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal

AN SP GUIDE P UBLICATION · 2018. 6. 6. · 155mm/52 calibre Advanced Towed Artil - lery Gun were...

Documents

Transcript of AN SP GUIDE P UBLICATION · 2018. 6. 6. · 155mm/52 calibre Advanced Towed Artil - lery Gun were...