India Soars: DRDO's Bold Showcase at Paris Air Show 2025 Underscores "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" in Global Defence

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India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has made a significant impact at the 55th International Paris Air Show (PAS-25), asserting the nation's burgeoning capabilities in the aerospace and defence sectors. The organization's robust presence at Le Bourget highlights India's accelerating journey towards self-reliance, encapsulated by the "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" initiative.

DRDO's diverse exhibits at the show have drawn considerable attention, demonstrating India's rapid evolution from a major defence importer to an innovative player on the global stage. The displays feature a wide array of advanced technologies, from sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed for complex surveillance operations to cutting-edge avionics that promise to reshape aerial combat. These offerings collectively underscore India's deep commitment to indigenous development.

Key Exhibits and Technological Highlights

Among the most prominent displays is the Astra Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) Air-to-Air Missile. This advanced weapon, already integrated with the Indian Air Force's Sukhoi-30MKI fleet, showcases India's expertise in missile technology, capable of engaging highly maneuverable supersonic aircraft in all weather conditions. Alongside, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-2, developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), represents a significant leap in India's indigenous fighter jet program, drawing keen interest from international observers.

Beyond aerial platforms, DRDO's showcase includes the Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) 'Swathi', a joint development with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), designed for effective detection of hostile artillery and rocket fire. The sophisticated Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&C), which provides critical real-time air intelligence, further exemplifies India's strategic capabilities. Specialized systems like the HELINA (Helicopter-based NAG) anti-tank guided missile system and enhancements to Dornier aircraft (SHYEN) with updated avionics also underscore the breadth of India's defence innovation.

Future Forward: Hypersonic Ambitions and Indigenous Drive

The Indian narrative at PAS-25 extends beyond current offerings to a glimpse of future advancements. Discussions surrounding India's ambitious hypersonic missile program, including the Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) nearing completion of its developmental trials, indicate a clear trajectory towards next-generation weapon systems. Dr. Samir V. Kamat, DRDO chief, recently confirmed that trials for the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRAShM), a hypersonic glide vehicle, are expected to conclude within the next two to three years, setting the stage for its induction. The development of the next-generation BrahMos-NG (Next Generation) missile, a lighter and more versatile variant, also signals India's ongoing pursuit of advanced capabilities.

This assertive display aligns perfectly with India's broader defence strategy. The nation's defence production reached a record ₹1.27 lakh crore in FY 2023-24, with an ambitious target to achieve ₹3 lakh crore in domestic production and ₹50,000 crore in exports by 2029. Defence exports have seen an extraordinary 34-fold increase over the past decade, reaching ₹23,622 crore in FY 2024-25, a clear testament to the success of the "Make in India" and "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" initiatives.

DRDO's participation at the Paris Air Show is more than a commercial venture; it is a strategic move to foster international collaboration, engage with leading global industry figures, and solidify India's position as a reliable partner in the global defence ecosystem. As the world witnesses the rapid strides of India's defence sector, the message from Le Bourget is clear: India is not just building its own defence capabilities; it is increasingly ready to contribute to global security, one indigenous innovation at a time.

India's Hard Bargain: The Demand for Indigenous Components in the Su-57 Deal

As discussions surrounding India's potential acquisition of the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet continue, a central and increasingly vocal point of contention has emerged: India's firm insistence on the integration of its own indigenous components. This demand, particularly concerning critical avionics like radar systems, is shaping the contours of any prospective deal and reportedly causing significant deliberation within Moscow's defence establishment.

For years, India has championed its "Make in India" initiative, a cornerstone of its defence procurement policy aimed at fostering domestic manufacturing, technology transfer, and greater self-reliance. This philosophy is now front and center in the Su-57 negotiations. While Russia has presented a compelling offer, including local production at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facilities, comprehensive technology transfer, and even unprecedented access to the Su-57's source code, India's counter-demand goes a step further.

At the heart of India's insistence lies the Su-57E's N036 "Byelka" Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. Built on Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) technology, the Indian Air Force (IAF) reportedly believes it falls short of the desired benchmarks for detection range, power efficiency, and electronic warfare resilience expected of a true next-generation platform. Indian defence experts argue that their own indigenously developed Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based AESA radars offer superior performance in these crucial areas, boasting enhanced thermal handling, range, and signal fidelity.

This isn't merely a technical preference; it's a strategic imperative. India seeks not just to acquire a fifth-generation fighter, but to deepen its technological expertise and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers for critical systems. Integrating Indian-made radars, mission computers, and potentially even weapons like the Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) into the Su-57 would provide the IAF with greater operational autonomy, facilitate seamless integration with its existing command and control networks, and lay the groundwork for future indigenous aerospace projects like the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

For Russia, this demand presents a complex challenge. While eager to secure a high-profile customer for its flagship fighter, the prospect of replacing core Russian-made components with Indian ones, especially in a system as vital as the radar, introduces complexities in design, integration, and intellectual property. Moscow had likely envisioned a more "off-the-shelf" or minor-customization approach, especially given its generous offer of full source code access. However, India's steadfast position underscores its evolving defence landscape and its determination to be a co-developer, not merely a consumer, of advanced military technology.

The ongoing dialogue reflects a fascinating interplay of geopolitical considerations, technological aspirations, and economic pragmatism. India is weighing the proven legacy partnership with Russia against the cutting-edge capabilities and Western integration offered by competitors like the F-35. By pushing for significant indigenous component integration in the Su-57, India aims to maximize the benefits of any deal, ensuring it serves not just as a stop-gap measure for its fighter fleet, but as a catalyst for its burgeoning domestic aerospace industry. The outcome of these negotiations will undoubtedly set a precedent for future high-value defence acquisitions and further define India's path towards strategic autonomy.

Government Provides Update on LUH and Kaveri Programmes

LUH and Kaveri Engine

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is all set to manufacture four light utility helicopters (LUHs) under limited series production by 2022-23, according to the government. Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt while replying to a question in Rajya Sabha on Monday, also added that another eight LUHs will be built by 2023-24.

Out of the initial quota of four choppers, two each will go to the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force while the two forces will get four LUHs each from the second batch of the limited series production, he said.

"This would be followed by the manufacture of series production (SP) of the helicopters by the HAL," Bhatt said.

The LUH is designed and developed as a replacement for ageing fleets of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters being operated by the armed forces.

Indigenously-developed LUH is a new generation helicopter in the 3-tonne category that has state-of-the-art technology features like a glass cockpit with multi-function displays (MFD) and is powered by a single turboshaft engine.

To a separate question on the Kaveri fighter jet engine programme, Bhatt said it has achieved a "higher technology readiness level (TRL) in many critical technology domains".

He said nine full prototype engines and four core engines were built, adding 3,217 hours of engine testing was conducted, adding "completed altitude tests and flying test bed (FTB) trials" were carried out.

"This is the first time that an indigenously developed military gas turbine engine was flight tested," he added.

The minister said a total of Rs 2105 crore was allocated for the programme out of the amount spent is Rs 2035 crore.

The Kaveri engine project was given approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security in 1989.

The project was primarily rolled out for India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme.

"At present, the LCA Tejas is integrated with an imported engine. However, in future, it is proposed to develop indigenous engines for powering our own aircraft such as LCA variants and AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) in association with an international engine house," Bhatt said.

He said the technological capabilities built through the Kaveri engine project will be utilised.

The minister said the Kaveri engine in the present architecture cannot be integrated into the LCA Tejas.

"LCA Tejas, Flight Operational Clearance (FOC) configuration demands higher thrust than the intended engine requirement. Hence the Kaveri in the present architecture cannot be integrated. In order to induct with LCA Tejas, a modified engine version is required," he said.

LCA Tejas deployed in the western front in an opertional role

LCA Tejas

In a significant achievement for the indigenous fighter aircraft programme, the Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed the home-grown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas on the western front along the Pakistan border given the tensions with China on the Ladakh front.

"The LCA Tejas was deployed by the Indian Air Force on the western front close to the Pakistan border to take care of any possible action by the adversary there," government sources told.

The first LCA Tejas squadron, 45 Squadron (Flying Daggers) based out of Sulur under the Southern Air Command, was deployed in an operational role there, the sources said.

The indigenous Tejas aircraft had been praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech where he had stated that the deal to buy the LCA Mark1A version was expected to be completed soon.

While the first squadron of the planes is of the Initial Operational Clearance version, the second 18 Squadron `Flying Bullets` is of the Final Operational Clearance version and was operationalized by the IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria at the Sulur airbase on May 27.

The Indian Air Force and the Defence Ministry are expected to finalise the deal for the 83 Mark1A aircraft by the end of this year.

Given the Chinese aggression on the borders, the IAF had deployed its assets all along the borders with both China and Pakistan. The forward airbases of the force have been equipped to take care of situations along the western and northern fronts and have seen extensive flying operations in the recent past, including both daytime and night operations. 

Indian Army Day: Date and significance

Indian Army Day is celebrated on 15th of January every year

Army men are the real heroes, as Capt. Vikram Batra, PVC once said, "Either I will come back after hoisting the tricolour, or I will come back wrapped in it, but I will be back for sure." Nothing can ever match with the sacrifice the hero of our country make to keep us happy.

When we enjoy our days and holidays with our friends and family, the Indian Army stand tall in the harshest of conditions. Whether it be the disregard freezing cold temperatures or scorching heat, they always remain brave, awake just to keep us secure and safe.

Hence, to honour our country's soldiers Army Day is celebrated. Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year, to commemorate the day when (then) Lieutenant General KM Cariappa took over General Sir Francis Butcher as Commander-in-Chief of India on January 1949. This year, the Indian Army will celebrate 72nd Army Day.

Significance

The Army Day is celebrated every year at all Army Command headquarters to honour our country's soldiers who set the greatest example of selfless service and brotherhood, and above all, love for the country. The Indian Army is one of the most powerful militaries of the world, competing with superpowers like the US, Russia and China.

Motto

The motto of the Indian Army is "Service Before Self" and its mission is to ensure national security and national unity, defend the nation from external aggression and internal threats, and maintain peace and security within its borders.

Salute to the brave soldiers, who risk and sacrifice their lives to protect us. Even the then Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1965 had given the slogan i.e. "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan".

India signs $777m deal with Israel to buy missile defence systems

India-Israel Partnership

State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has won an additional, $777 million contract to supply LRSAM air and missile defence systems to seven ships in the Indian navy, the company said on Wednesday. The contract is with India's state-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), which is the main contractor in the project, IAI said.

The LRSAM, part of the Barak 8 family, is an air and missile defence system used by Israel's navy as well as India's navy, air and land forces. With this deal, sales of the Barak 8 over the past few years total over $6 billion, IAI said.

"IAI's partnership with India dates many years back and has culminated in joint system development and production," IAI chief executive officer Nimrod Sheffer said. "India is a major market for IAI and we plan to reinforce our positioning in India, also in view of increasing competition."

Israel's and India's leaders have pledged to deepen ties and the countries have been increasing cooperation in fields like agriculture and advanced technologies. Israel is also emerging as one of India’s biggest suppliers of weapons, alongside the United States and long-term partner Russia.

Last year, IAI struck a deal worth almost $2 billion to supply India’s army and navy with missile defence systems. This was followed by a $630 million contract with BEL to supply Barak 8 surface-to-air missile systems for four ships in the Indian navy.

The Barak 8 was developed by IAI in collaboration with Israel's Defence Ministry, India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, the navies of both countries, Israel's Rafael and local industries in India and Israel.

The Razor's Edge: Fictional confrontation between Indian and Pakistani Air & Naval Forces over the Arabian Sea

India-Pakistan Map

December 28, 2020. ARABIAN SEA:

"Radar contact, bearing one-three-five, range two hundred kilometres," a talker announced. "Inbound course, speed five hundred knots."

The Admiral turned to his fleet-operations officer and nodded. Captain Mehta lifted a phone and spoke. His fleet was off the normal commercial sea and air routes, and the timing told him what the inbound track would be. Four Pakistani JF-17s from PNS Minhas on Naval Detachment streak across the skies skirting the Pakistani exclusive economic zone of the Arabian Sea.

The INS Vikramaditya shook as the first MiG-29K rolled of the deck and leaped into the sky off the ski jump. The Alert Five aircraft quickly form up and as the primarily fleet defense aircraft climb into Combat Air patrol profile.

He'd put four up today, two from Vikramaditya and two from Vikrant, to intercept the four, probably four, JF-17 Thunder, and the pilots would wave and nod in a show of good humour, even at the times of high tension.

''We could light off our SAM systems, show them that we tire of this game," Captain Mehta suggested quietly. The Admiral shook his head. "No. They know little about our SAM systems, and we will volunteer them nothing." The Indians' precise radar frequencies, pulse width, and repetition rates were not open information, and the Pakistani intelligence services had probably tried to find out but the heavily encrypted and secretive radar information had been kept under wraps. That meant that they might not be able to jam or spoof his systems-probably they could, but they wouldn't be certain of it, and it was the lack of certainty that would worry them. It wasn't much of a card, but it was the best in Chandraskatta's current hand. The Admiral sipped at his tea, making a show of his imperturbable nature.' 'No, we will take notice of their approach, meet them in a friendly manner, and let them go on their way."

Mehta nodded and went off without a word to express his building rage. It was to be expected. He was the fleet-operations officer, and his was the task of divining a plan to defeat the Pakistani flotilla, should that necessity present itself. That such a task was virtually impossible did not relieve Mehta of the duty to carry it out, and it was hardly surprising that the man was showing the strain of his position. Chandraskatta set his cup down, watching the MiG-29K leap off the ski-jump deck and into the air.
"How are the pilots bearing up?" the Admiral asked his air officer.

"They grow frustrated, but performance thus far is excellent." The answer was delivered with pride, as well it might be. His pilots were superb. The Admiral ate with them often, drawing courage from the proud faces in the ready rooms. They were fine young men, the equal, man for man, of any fighter pilots in all the world. More to the point, they were eager to show it.

But the entire Indian Navy had only forty-five MiG-29K/KUBs. He had but thirty at sea on both Vikramaditya and Vikrant. All because they had entered the race first, won it, and then declared the games closed, Chandraskatta told himself, listening to the chatter of his airmen over an open-voice channel. His fears being an possible move of aggression might be the breakout of total war, with the best odds of getting away with a limited engagement.

Admiral Chandraskatta watched the MiGs disappear over the horizon guided by the GCI on board the Ship to intercept the JF-17s. He did not wish for the intercept to go hot, this time it would be personal..his son had launched off the Vikrant along with his wingman and had formed up with the two Fulcrums from Vikramaditya as they pointed their nose due North and sped off.

BACKGROUND
December 25, 2020

Following a series of terrorist attacks in India on Christmas eve, India accused the Pakistani Government and Military behind the attacks and decided to mobilize its forces for a possible short strike against selected targets in Pakistan. Countering India's Cold Strike Doctrine, as a preventive measure, Pakistan Armed Forces swung in action by deploying all its available strength on their wartime locations.

The first one to respond was PAF. PAF red alert fighters immediately started flying BARCAP (Barrier Combat Air Patrol) missions. PAF formations started flying close to the borders and regular ADA (Air Defense Alert) missions were called whenever there were signs of any Indian Aircraft formation flying close to the border. This move foiled IAF plans of a surprise pre-emptive strike. But the threat of surgical strikes loomed overhead Pakistan as heightened IAF activity near the border ensured that action is somewhat near.

Pakistan Army also responded by moving large numbers of its troops to the Indian border. Following the Chief of Army Staff meeting with his senior corps commanders, the Pakistan Army started massing troops and heavy armour along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Boundary (IB).

To counter the Indian threat, Pakistan turned up towards friendly countries for support, and Turkey was the first one to respond with frontline weapons along with two squadrons of F-16C Block 52 fighters. While the F-16s arrived along their support equipment within 48 hours of the request, remaining material was sent by sea with components of Pakistan Navy escorting the Turkish vessels. Indian intelligence agencies picked up the news and Indian Navy decided to enforce a blockade in the Arabian Sea.

December 28, 2020
PAKISTAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 2200 HOURS

It was a dark moonless night. In this darkness, there was a flurry of activities in the Arabian Sea. Two Zulfiqar Class Frigates, PNS Zulfiqar and PNS Aslat along with three Tariq Class Frigates, PNS Babur, PNS Shah Jahan and PNS Khaibar were on an escort mission. They were ordered to escort two Turkish Vessels. The fleet was provided aerial cover by the ZDK-03 AWACS (which provided a coverage of almost 500 km of any possible enemy aerial and surface threat). Two P-3C Orions were also patrolling the path using their onboard sensors for the detection and identification of enemy surface and subsurface combatants.

The four JF-17 Thunder Block-II aircraft of No. 2 Squadron had just topped up their fuel tanks by an orbiting IL-78 Tanker and were thundering south at Mach 1.2. Their job was to defend the fleet from any unwanted aerial and surface threat as they were adequately equipped to handle both threats with the following load out:
Four SD-10A BVRAAMs
Two A-Darter WVRAAMs

Four more Thunders were on cockpit standby alert at Masroor AFB, in case the enemy decides to throw the challenge. Six additional Thunders were on high alert at Faisal AFB. They were additionally equipped with CM-400 AKG missiles, it was known that the saturation limit for a supersonic cruise missile attack for an Indian Frigate is 12 missiles and six aircraft were enough to saturate the defence of one Indian warship. Six more were on 10 minutes alert in case something goes wrong.

INDIAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 2215 HOURS

The formidable Indian Navy Carrier Group was sitting 400 km away SE from the PN flotilla.

It contained the Indian Navy's carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, the new lead ship of the Vishakapatnam class destroyer (INS Vishakapatnam), two Kolkata Class Guided Missile Destroyers (INS Kochi and INS Kolkata) being led by a Delhi Class Guided Missile Destroyer (INS Delhi) , two Shivalik Class Frigates (INS Satpura and INS Shivalik), two Kamorta Class Corvettes (INS Kamorta and INS Kadmati) and INS Aditya (Replenishment and Repair Ship). The flotilla was powerful enough to rip through the Pakistan Navy but since both countries were not at war it was only a matter of who developed the itchy trigger finger first.

INS Chakra had already assumed its patrol inside Pakistan controlled waters. The Indian upgraded Kilo class submarines had been skirting the EEC for a while creating acoustic black holes in the sea to form underwater listening stations of sorts.

The Indian Admiral decided to launch four MiG-29Ks as he expected that if the aircraft are inercepted inside Indian Airspace they would have the advantage over enforcing their authority.

The MiG-29Ks were armed with the R-77 Adder, R-27ER/ET BVRAAMs along with the R-73 CCMs.

R-27s in limited numbers were borrowed from the IAF for a recent exercise for weight simulations, but with the sudden launch of the CBG, the cache of the R-27s stayed onboard and were quickly fielded on the Naval Fulcrums

INTERNATIONAL WATERS NEAR PAK MARITIME BOUNDARY, 2230 HOURS

PNS Saif, another Zulfiqar Class Frigate was already leading the Turkish ships right from Tukey. Shadowing PNS Saif and the Turkish ships was PNS Hamza, an Agosta-90B Submarine at a depth of 500 ft. Equipped in a Hunter-Killer configuration, the submarine was prepared to attack both surface and subsurface combatants if need arises. Alongside the fleet were two Harbin Z-9EC anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters airborne with both their surface radars as well as other sensors to detect the enemy submarine INS Chakra, which was reported in this area.

The flotilla was only 250 km away from Karachi at N22˚30' and just 80 km away from the RV point with the other PN ships, when PNS Saif received a message on the international maritime alert frequency. "This is the captain of INS Vikramaditya of the Indian Navy. We have enforced a Naval Blockade. You are not allowed to transit further north to Karachi. Change your course immediately otherwise you will be challenged."

The Commander aboard PNS Saif knew that he is facing a mighty armada but with close proximity with the other ships in the area he decided to press on, "We are operating in Pakistani Territorial Waters and does not honor your naval blockade. It is our intention to remain on course."

INS VIKRAMADITYA, ARABIAN SEA, 2230 HOURS

"No compliance Admiral, they're pressing on" Capt Mehta called out. Chandraskatta sipped on his coffee, looked at the aircraft flight charts and line up on the Bridge and called for a major scramble. "Maybe if we put a large enough envelope they may get intimidated". Turning to Capt. Mehta he calmly said, "Launch four of the fulcrums with Buddy tanks for aerial refueling, I want to set up a gas station in the air, we'll rotate accordingly".

The flurry of movement and scramble alert had the Indian formation excited as the MiGs went up into the air one by one.

"Zulu one-one to Zulu Main, large force scramble exercise in progress. We have 16 Fulcrums, awaiting further instructions".

"Zulu force, this is Zulu Main. This is not an exercise Gentlemen" Chandraskatta keyed the radio and looked at the now emptying deck. He looked at Capt. Mehta and said, "Get me the joint forces command, I need to speak with the Air Force strategic air command".

PAKISTAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 2231 HOURS
2231 HOURS: EAGLE ONE

A ZDK-03 AWACS, call-sign Eagle-One was patrolling over the Arabian Sea when it detected a single coming in from the East at a distance of 300 km away from PNS Saif. The Wing Commander, who was commanding the AWACS instantly, looked over to his air operations officer. "Let's get things started." His air controller nodded and picked up the microphone. "Falcon-1, this is Eagle control. One unidentified contact heading towards point 2230. It is closing in at angels 30, turn left 030 and move in for a VID."

2232 HOURS: FALCON FORMATION

Falcon-1 acknowledged and immediately banked in a climbing turn. As the formation moved in the RWR inside both the Thunders started to beep indicating that they are tracked by enemy fighter aircraft.

2232 HOURS: ROMEO ONE

"Thunders inbound" Lt Commander Chandraskatta called to his formation of four MiG-29Ks. "Romeo flight set up 5 mile trail and and hold FL400, we'll bait them".
"Roger wilco" came the reply as two MiGs pitched up and broke off
"Zulu Main, this is Romeo One-one, I have two inbound bogeys. Closure at over a thousand knots"
"Romeo one-one you are clear for intercept"

The MiG-29K's automatic warning for missile lock from the RWR started pinging off the active track.

"Unidentified aircraft, please clarify your motives, we are in international airspace" called out Lt Commander Chandraskatta on the open channel.

2233 HOURS: FALCON FORMATION

Both the JF-17 Thunders were now crossing 30,000 ft as they switched on their AI Radars from standby mode. But they were still painted by Eagle-One. "Falcon Lead, this is Eagle-One, we have two contacts heading towards point 2230, at bearing one-six-zero, range hundred nautical miles, count two contacts, course one-seven-zero, speed one thousand knots, at 27,000 ft AGL." "Leader this is Falcon-2! Contacts firming! Range 90 km, 27000 ft AGL!"

2233 HOURS: EAGLE ONE

The position of the point of origin was marked immediately as it provided the general direction of the Indian Navy Carrier Group. Meanwhile the Radar Controller warned the Indian fighters on international frequency to stay at least 300 km away from PNS ships otherwise they should be engaged at will. But since war had not been declared the Rules of Engagement clearly stated that enemy can only be engaged if it has crossed the border or fired at your assets.

Keeping this in mind the AWACS ordered both the Thunders to take an aggressive position to challenge the MiGs.

MASROOR AFB, 2233 HOURS

Two JF-17s (Shahbaz Formation) kept on point defence over Masroor had just been topped off from an orbiting tanker and were charging south at Mach 1.2, while the remaining two fighters (Shaheen Formation) were leaving the ground. As they headed towards Arabian Sea they were ordered to keep their airborne radar at standby mode and received the complete picture via the ZDK-03.

PAKISTAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 2235 HOURS

Meanwhile Zulfiqar and Aslat also picked up the two aerial contacts which were almost 100 km away from them. Keeping in mind the threat from the BrahMos Missile, they decided to take Electronic Counter Measures and readied their newly acquired HHQ-9A SAM. The Zulfiqar Class Frigates had recently been modified to carry four 6-cell VLS, having 24 missiles in total.

INDIAN WATERS NEAR PAK MARITIME BOUNDARY, 2233 HOURS

Searcher II UAV from a secret Naval drone base in Gujarat heads out towards the Pakistani flotilla and begins a progressive ISR loops over the water at its cruising altitude of 20,000ft.

The aim was to distract the Pakistani air assets rather than have them focus on a single formation.

PAKISTAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 
2234 HOURS: FALCON FORMATION

Meanwhile the JF-17s initiated a steep climb and zoomed up to 40,000 ft before pitching down. They were at an advantage now, as utilizing kinetic energy (flying downhill) and thinner cold atmosphere enabled them to utilize the maximum range of their SD-10A missiles.

INDIAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA , 2235 HOURS

The lead Indian MiG-29Ks lit up their afterburners and pitched up nearing 35,000 ft and climbing in an attempt to throw off the JF-17s bearing down on them. The RWR inside the MiGs also indicated that they have been locked by the AI Radar of the Thunders. The mutual distance between them was now less than 70 km with the Thunders coming in at high speed.

"Zulu Main, this is Romeo One-One we are totally defensive and locked on, permission to engage, shit! launch launch"

"Fox One active" Romeo Two-One called out as he and his wingman lauched the R-27s.

PAKISTAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA , 2236 HOURS
ROUND ONE (4 JF-17s vs. 4 MiG-29Ks)

Both the MiGs had crossed the line. While the leader remained on course, his wingman pulled up, pointing the large nose of his MiG-29K at the Thunders in order to lock them up using its high powered radar. The RWR in both the Thunders lit up indicating that both were locked, with suddenly the MAW wailing loudly. The MiGs has taken the first shot, but the warning came in late as the thunders were will within the lethal no escape Zone of the R-27s.

R-27 ER/ET can be launched with a EOS lock. EOS or TWS tracking can be used to provide target info via datalink to R-27ER/ET in mid-course. TWS (Track While Search) mode would not ping the RWR as it is passive track and the LOAL terminal phase of the missile allows it to be guided by the data link. TWS (Track while search) will allow the Missile to only be active in its terminal phase, well within the lethal kill zone.

Falcon-Lead fired two SD-10A missiles at the inbound threat. Due to the acceleration during diving, the missiles got the kinetic start at the start of the flight enhancing their range. Immediately after firing the missiles, both Thunders dispensed chaff as they conducted a very high G turn in opposite directions to put the radar target at the edge of their scopes.

The trailing JF-17s too launched their SD-10As on active off the rails.

The multi seeker advantage of the R-27s had a nasty surprise for the JF-17s as the Chaffs launched were to spook the semi active R-27ER while the Infrared guided R-27ET bored in and the proximity fuses went with the Frag shredding the lead JF-17 formation.

The Indian pilots on the other hand had now two missiles heading his way and he had to take evasive action to avoid taking it in the face. He tried to conduct a similar maneuver known as "F-pole" maneuver while deploying countermeasures. Knowing the distinct disadvantage against the missiles having more energy, the pilots cancelled FLCS-G limiter and yanked hard on the stick pushing the aircraft to its structural limits as they broke lock on the home on jam SD-10A.

The EL/M-8222 jammer pods having more peak power burned through the active radar seekers of the SD-10A. Since the SD-10 active warhead is the same, the odds of defeating a ripple of SD-10As is easier than countering multiple seeker head R-27s.

Despite the SD-10A having home-on-jam the FOV of the missile in that mode is very little and a small change flight would break the counter ECM track.

The MiGs disengage and head back as their RWR lights up as he was now tracked by the fire control radar of HHQ-9, multiple surface search radars as well as the fire control radars of two remaining Thunders.

"The early odds are never in our favor" reflected Lt Commander Chandraskatta as his flight headed back after an intense fight.

The Thunders low on fuel were relieved by four more Thunders which by now had reached their CAP station.

INDIAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 2239 HOURS

Aboard INS Vikramaditya, everyone was shocked to hear of active combat over Pakistani Territorial Waters. The Indian Fleet Commander ordered the guided missile destroyer INS Kochi and the guided missile frigate INS Shivalik, to increase their speed and take on against Pakistani escorts. Both the ships separated from the fleet in order to conduct an effective BrahMos saturated attack on the Pakistani and Turkish ships.

The rest of the Indian battlegroup followed suit.

A few MiG-29Ks were armed with Kh-35s AShMs as a deterrent to Paksitani ships from getting ambitious.

Two Ka-31 Helix helicopters acted as forward command posts for both the helicopters and aircraft, while a Boeing P-8I Poseidon was placed to pinpoint the location of Pakistan Navy flotilla. With both sides enjoying Network Centric Warfare capability it was now a game of tactics.

PAKISTAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 2240 HOURS

While JF-17 Thunders of 'Shaheen' formation orbited over the PN flotilla, JF-17 Thunders of 'Shahbaz' formation of them headed towards the inbound threat at high speed and high altitude.

Eagle-One: "Shahbaz Lead, this is Eagle Control. Two bandits have just crossed the border. They are closing in at angels 30, and heading towards point 2230. Start climbing to angels 40 and set course two-six-zero. Check your status before the engagement."

Shahbaz Lead: "Roger that Eagle Control, fuel status checked, arming switches checked, ready for engagement." Both JF-17s engaged jammers and climbed to 40,000 ft.

INDIAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 2315 HOURS
INS VIKRAMADITYA AND INS VIKRANT:

With Romeo flight recovering onboard the carriers, the Carriers were steadily sailing towards the Pakistani Flotilla with upto 16 MIG-29K/KUBs forming an air superiority bubble over the Carrier Battle Group.

The massive Zulu aerial formation was to keep the JF-17s at bay incase the JF-17s attempted to press on with a Naval attack against Indian Ships.

The CAP profile extended to over a 1000Km around the CBG with continuous radio chatter calling out bandits and enemy formations.

The MiG-29K's Zhuk ME's Radar module is bigger with more TRMs and more peak power compared to the KLJ-7 which would allow the MiG-29K to have "first look" on the JF-17.

INS KOCHI: 2330 HOURS

INS Kochi and INS Shivalik had moved in close enough to acquire PNS Saif on their radar. Moving in for missile firing range, The Indian Ships launch designate three BrahMos missiles per target for system saturation, even a single BrahMos missile would blast through the hull of Pakistani escort ships, causing an explosion which would sink it in minutes.

PAF BASE FAISAL, 2330 HOURS

Perceiving a ship borne threat six CGM-400AKG equipped JF-17 Thunders were scrambled, as two Indian ships had been detected in the 310 km radius of PNS Saif (their speed and heading indicated their hostile intension).

PAKISTAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 2345 HOURS

Situation was getting tense as the ZDK-03 AWACS witnessed two Indian ships moving in fast towards PNS Saif. The Thunders scrambled from Faisal, by now were moving in fast inbound for their station. Two JF-17 Thunders of 'Shaheen' formation were relieved of their CAP duties and were heading home, while the remaining two aircraft of 'Shahbaz' formation were vectored to the nearest tanker.

PNS SAIF: 2345 HOURS

The Indian ships were moving in fast and menacingly close to PNS Saif, which was compelled to travel at a slower speed as it was escorting the Turkish vessels. It was still 50 km away from the RV point. Amidst tensions PNS Saif, a loud alarm sounded, indicating incoming missiles. Quick as a flash, the Commander of PNS Saif authorized the use of HHQ-9 SAM as his flotilla was under missile attack. This was now a naval war as a frontline Pakistan Navy asset had been attacked in Pakistani waters. Six missiles were fired off at a range of 300 km (their extreme range) at a Hi-Lo altitude profile.

Within 15 seconds from the detection of the Indian BrahMos Missiles, six HHQ-9 missiles blasted off its vertical launcher. Travelling at a speed of 1 km/sec, the BrahMos were now at a range of 50 km as the sixth HHQ-9 blasted off from its VLS. Tracking the Indian missiles, PNS Saif launched a salvo of eight of its FM-90 short range SAM while its Type 347 CIWS was ready for the final defence.

The Hi-Lo-Lo BrahMos barrage of missile engaged at 50Km, would have the total time to travel being 48 seconds. The missile at this point would be in Lo-Lo profile SAMs account for the trajectory launch variance from the VLS and dive down at the Mach 3 bogeys, assuming a total of 3-4 targeting each missile. This is particularly interesting because the CIC launch feed needs to process the target acquisition and make changes which engaging a flight profile not natural to the SAM especially the HHQ-9.

Also none of these ships have an AEGIS combat system for that sort of processing either way; so to engage a total of lets say 12 BrahMos (which again not quite as that's less than a Ship's complement by itself) would require atleast 48 SAMs to engage.

The point defense systems being the FM-90 with a range of a mere 15 kilometers have 14 seconds to engage the BrahMos before the entire missile rips through the ship.

Again unlikely as at this point the BrahMos will begin executing the S-maneuver which has high probability of strikes even against soft kill CIWS.

Assuming the point defense units manage to strike the BrahMos, the sheer kinetic energy of debris at Mach 3 would pulverise the ship. Imagine a Shot gun, only around a ton's worth of buckshot at Mach 3, The Pakistani ships would look like perforated cheese.

INDIAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 2355 HOURS
INS Vishakapatnam:

The Indians prepared to fire another salvo as the end game, this time of eight BrahMos missiles when their loud buzzer sounded. "Incoming missile!" shouted 'SAMs' - the Officer manning the Surface to Air Missile console. Far above him, electronic beams from the Israeli built MF-STAR (Multi-Function Surveillance, Track and Guidance Radar) had homed into a clear and present threat.

The CIC automatically designates targets with two missiles per target on the LR-SAM.

During a lull in battle the two of the PAF JF-17 Thunders had broken through fired two CM-400 AKG missiles at them. "Third missile incoming!" shouted the officering manning the combat control room as the radar began tracking a third, and then a fourth and fifth hyper sonic missile headed towards INS Kochi's direction.

The CM-400AKG is only is said to be Mach-4.5 in terminal phase allowing for the Barak-8 for mid course interception of the missile, the Missile's being guided by the KLJ-7 are limited to the Radar's FOV.

But the Indian ships had an answer - the Barak-8 LR-SAM, a long range SAM developed jointly by Israel and India. "Another missile inbound. That makes it six missiles inbound!" - this was a worst case scenario - a saturation attack. The fate of the Indian ships was now in the hands of a highly-automated weapon system.

Now in fully automatic mode, the first Indian Barak-8 blasted off its vertical launcher ahead of the bridge of the destroyer. Accelerating quickly to four times the speed of sound, the missile shot straight up before arching in a parabola in the direction of the enemy missile it was assigned to intercept.

But the CM-400 AKGs were launched from a height of 30,000 ft and were intercepted mid course by the LR-SAM engagement envelope from layered SAM coverage of the Indian ships. 100 km away from INS Kochi, the first Barak-8 was about to make contact with the first CM-400 AKG.

Unlike the BrahMos the CM-400AKG follows a predictable flight path even during the terminal phase and from a Hi-Hi engagement envelope is open to all defensive systems at maximum target engagement range.

Now both INS Kochi and INS Shivalik kept firing as the incoming missiles closed in, the automatic system assigning two missiles each to the Pakistani missiles. This meant that each of the Pakistani missile had to defeat four Barak-8s to destroy their targets. This claimed two of the hypersonic antiship missiles at a range of 70 and 50 km respectively.

Inside the Ops. Centre, the Commander of the Kochi focused straight ahead at a large LCD screen that dominated the Ops Centre. On it, critical data from 'SAMs' console was now being shown. And as they tried their best to focus on their individual systems, different officers manning other systems would glance up at the big screen to get an idea of what was happening. They all knew that this was life or death. And they all knew that there was nothing really left for them to do. Unless they chose to deliberately intervene, the system was completely automated - Barak-8 surface to air missiles would keep on shooting off the fore and aft deck of the Kochi until every last incoming missile was destroyed. Or every last Barak missile had been fired.

Two of the four Russian-designed AK-630 anti-missile guns had now started to spew a collective 10,000 rounds per minute, creating a wall of lead between the inbound missiles and Kochi. Ellora, the Electronic Counter Measures system would try and jam the radars of the incoming missiles while 'Kavach', an indigenous system would fire aluminum chaff in the area to confuse the sensors and make the missile veer away harmlessly from the ship.

Two more Pakistani missiles were defeated (One fell to Barak-8 at 20 km away while the other one was obliterated by the AK-630 anti-missile guns) but the last two seemed unstoppable. One of them was intercepted just at a few kms away from INS Kochi by the last Barak-8. The Shivalik and Kolkata's combined CIWS shredded the remaining CM-400AKG at an optimal engagement range of 3000m.

While the Indians held their nerves after surviving a deadly missile attack, they were shocked to see 8-10 C-802 Anti Ship missiles being fired by PNS Zulfiqar and PNS Aslat which had their fire controls still operational while trying to recover from the damage sustained. Though sub-sonic and sea-skimming these missiles sped off towards the Indian ships. All remaining layered Barak-8s engaged the threat effectively with more to spare as the extra deck space onboard Indian frigates and destroyers were given additional VLS to make effectively make them an air defense missile truck.

It was this instant that INS Vikrant picked up a three aerial contacts heading towards them inside Indian Air Space. These were two JF-17 Thunders of Shahbaz formation, escorting a lone P-3C Orion armed with Harpoons. The P-3C was vulnerable to the MiGs on CAP and with just two escorting Thunders was engaged by two flights of MiG-29Ks.

The PAF airbases were preparing for bigger formation sorties to aid their stricken flotilla. Seeking revenge the Mirage IIIs were also being activated to aid the JF-17 thunders in a large strike formation.

PNS MINHAS 0000 HOURS

The commander was going over the battle plans trying to organize a defense to bring the Naval flotilla home. The strike formation being formed was taxiing for launch when he received a call from Intelligence operations with news from the ZDK-03 AWACS.
He called up the Operations Room, "Stand Down"

INDIAN MiG-29K ZULU ONE-ONE

The Air commander was holding the formation together with the continuous operational rotations.
"Zulu Main this is Zulu One-One, restricted operations from Zulu Zero-Two (INS Vikrant) has me running a really tight ship up here, advise information on relief"

"Zulu One-One, this is Victor One Actual, Heard you could use some help around here"

And as the engagement with live shots had been fired......guess who decided to show up to the party, Su-30MKIs and MiG-29UPGs along with DARIN III Jaguars equipped with Harpoons out of Jamnagar and Lohegaon AFS to cover IN fleet and compliment the Indian Carriers air wing.

You thought IOR is just an all IN area of op? IN got big fleet and aircraft. But it's constantly complimented by IAF. And at this situation it's numbers game. India got enough numbers to deploy to the south and seawards area of operations too.

The Jaguar-Ms from No.6 squadron kiss the deck flying at Mach 1.1 barely 15 feet off the sea, as they pitch up to launch the Harpoons which join the barrage of BrahMos the MF-STAR has been designating targets too.

The enemy now faced Su-30MKIs and MiG-29UPG/K air superiority bubbles with the Su-30MKI tracking targets at upto 300Km with the massive BARS radar with high peak power than anything the PAF can can put up, Since the SD-10As only have one seeker head, the Su-30MKI's ECM pods can overpower all of them, but they have to worry about multiple seeker heads coming at them with LOAL. 12 Racks of R-27ER/ET with R-77s. And that's per airframe.

INDIAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 0040 HOURS

On board the INS Vikrant, a MiG-29K had an accident during recovery which led to the carrier suspending operations for a while till the deck was cleared.

Meanwhile Admiral Chandraskatta onboard INS Vikramaditya decided to call it off for the day, as he knew that despite being capable of destroying the complete PN flotilla, he might lose some of his own assets, and as war had not been declared it was futile to lead his flotilla in combat.
The Indian Air Force had ensured an established access denial zone which could not be countered by the Pakistani ships and aircraft.

The Air force had come in force, expecting a counter attack from PAF F-16 Block 50/52+ which never came. The US had denied operations outside PAF airspace as per the end user claim; PAF F-16s have to get their sorties authorized by US observers and were primarily handed over for WoT which after crumbling ties had become even more hard to deploy offensively against another country.

PAKISTAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 0050 HOURS

Nearby the PN flotilla was the notorious Indian nuclear submarine, INS Chakra.
It had stayed away from the path of the ASW helicopters and aircraft, but was still close enough to shadow the vessels.

Rather than engaging the submarine commander looked at his XO and said, "So they do all the job and we get the prize? I love this job"

PAKISTAN CONTROLLED ARABIAN SEA, 0100 HOURS

PNS Saif was also heavily damaged but was still able to sail slowly. It might not be able to survive another BrahMos attack but at the moment was able to protect the Turkish vessels. As soon as PNS Saif rendezvoused with the PN flotilla and they headed back, the commander of PNS Saif was tempted to reply back to his Indian counterpart on the international maritime alert frequency but restrained to do in order to not instigate another battle.

The rest of the Pakistani ships began slowly limping back as the Turkish vessels had turned tail and were retreating.

INTERNATIONAL WATERS 0130 HOURS

The Turkish Vessel was listing at 11 degrees and had lost power after being hit by heavy fragmentation. The Ship's captain wasn't declaring an SOS fearing repercussions for transporting crates with F-16s without authorization from the United States.

He looked at the surface radar and noticed two returns
Two rigid bottom inflatable boats were approaching fast.

"Pirates Skiffs? But this far out to sea would be unlikely" He thought as he called his radio to his crew for anti-piracy procedures.

INS CHAKRA 0200 HOURS

"The commander was looking at his watch when the phone rang, He picked it up and spoke, "Got Them? Good."

He called his XO, "Call the American, I believe they have a few unaccounted F-16s out in the sea our Marcos have caught for them"

(A Fan made continuation of the work of Tom Clancy's character in Debt of Honor)

The pilot who 'shot' Pakistan

IAF's Canberra and Wing Commander JM Nath

On the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war, Wing Commander JM Nath recalls the missions he flew to photograph weaponry and enemy positions.

Fifty years ago, when he leapt into his Canberra, a twin-engine jet bomber fitted with cameras, and flew into Pakistan on a top secret mission, then Squadron Leader Jag Mohan Nath already had a Maha Vir Chakra awarded to him for the earlier 1962 operations. He had flown into Aksai Chin and Tibet and returned with valuable inputs on the ground situation and enemy troop activities there, both before and during the Indo-China conflict.

Three years later, in September 1965, he was awarded another Maha Vir Chakra, this time for his role in the Indo-Pak conflict. The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of gallantry.

Today, as India observes the 50th anniversary of the 1965 India-Pakistan War, Wing Commander Nath is the only living Indian Air Force officer to be decorated twice with this honour. On a recent visit to Coimbatore, where he first came as a cadet to Air Force Administrative College in 1948 for his initial training, he recalls the 30 reconnaissance missions he flew into Pakistan.

Mr. Nath - Jaggi to colleagues - is frail and stooped at age 85. Speaking softly, he recalls that his missions were so secret that only one other person knew about them: the then air force chief, Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh. 

As Mr. Nath describes his flights, his hands deftly demonstrate the loops and barrel rolls he did in his Canberra aircraft, as he dodged and ducked, to avoid being shot down by Pakistani Sabres. The terrain was mountainous, blips on his instrument panel told him there were four enemy aircraft on his tail, the fuel gauge was running empty and when he re-entered Indian territory he was almost shot down by his own comrades who mistook him for the enemy!

Vital visuals

In those reconnaissance sorties, he flew in broad daylight almost skimming trees so that the Pakistani radar could not detect his aircraft. Then, when he felt there was something to be captured on camera, he climbed to 12,000 feet to get the best pictures. “I would be exposed for full five minutes,” he says. Mr. Nath’s black-and-white pictures yielded a treasure trove of information. Indian jets scrambled to destroy a powerful radar in Badin near Karachi, and the army almost reached Lahore.

About a month into the conflict, Jaggi was once again deployed deep into Pakistan territory to find out about fighter aircraft based in Samungli near Quetta in western Pakistan. "I flew over Leia (now Laya) in Pakistan. I was born there. That is my village.  I went to school there," he says. 

Growing up in his village, Mr. Nath watched the planes high in the sky. "I couldn’t take my eyes off them. My uncle told me, ‘you should become a pilot!"

His family members were all doctors, but Mr. Nath wanted to be involved with planes. As it happened, he found himself at Red Fort, Delhi, where recruitments were on and he joined the Indian Air Force.

Top secret assignments

Mr. Nath’s hush-hush assignments and bravery took him to rooms of the chiefs of the three services, political leaders and bureaucrats during the conflict. He was witness to what he describes as “astoundingly bad decisions, miscalculations and errors in judgment.” But those are nothing when he thinks of the incredible courage and grace under fire that his comrades displayed, many of whom lost their lives. Mr. Nath left the Indian Air Force in 1969, and joined Air India.

As he leaves for home in Mumbai, Mr. Nath shows a book on heroism that he is reading: Elephant Company by Vicki Croke, a story of man-elephant bonding that saved lives in World War II. “I was gifted this book by Ian,” he says, unable to recall the last name of the Pakistani pilot whom he befriended in Dubai. “He joined the Pakistani Air Force the same year as I did.”

Of valour and quest in Indian army

Para Regiment of Indian Army

The Indian Army is the largest voluntary army and, next to China, the second largest army in the world. It is also a large conglomeration of values, experience, regimentation, customs, traditions, ethos and culture. When combined, it takes the shape of a multi-spectrum kaleidoscope, covering many centuries. Inspite of its large size and diverse regional cultures, it is a shining example of unity in diversity as also the strength of our nation.

As the nation celebrated its 65th Independence Dayon August 15, its men in olive green looked back at their achievements, with a deep sense of pride and satisfaction. These can be attributed to a glorious military history and "core values" of high significance. During the span of its rich history, thousands of soldiers have fought hundreds of battles, worldwide, many of epic dimensions. Recourse to arms was only taken when peace was threatened. In fact, the word 'peace' forms the very core of Indian philosophy, a benchmark. Coming to traditions, Indian soldiers hail from all regions, where tradition and chivalry play a vital role in society.

These are based on, both, historical cum religious events and legends, where heroic figures became role models. Iconic warriors like Arjuna, Ashoka, Tipu Sultan, Chhattrapati Shivaji, Maharana Pratap, Tantia Tope, Rani of Jhansi, Ranjit Singh, Gulab Singh and Zorawar Singh, to name a few, have proved to be a great source of inspiration.

This forms the bedrock of our regimental traditions, and many regimental customs, battle cries, crests, badges and so on are based on such traditions even today. That apart, it is also a fact that the Indian Army has fought the maximum variety of opponents, worldwide, be they the Turks of the mighty Ottoman Empire, Germans, Italians, Japanese, foreign mercenaries operating alongside Belgian based Gendarmerie in Congo, armed tribals of the North West Frontier Province, the Chinese, Portuguese, Pakistanis, Somalis, Hutu rebels in Rwanda, various factions in Sri Lanka, foreign trained and armed terrorists in the States of Jammu and Kashmir and the North East.

As a corollary, bravery and valour are other related factors, which distinguish Indian soldiers worldwide. To cite a single example, during the two World Wars, next to the Royal British Army, Indian officers and soldiers earned the largest tally of Victoria Crosses, the highest award meted out for valour and bravery in battle-totalling 42.

All this could instill a sense of pride and awe even amongst the staunchest sceptics. Post independence, too, the Indian Army has risen to numerous operational challenges. These include four major wars fought along India's borders and many other localised conflicts: counter insurgency operations in the North Eastern States, the Kargil war of 1999 and the ongoing 'proxy war' in J&K. 

It has also operated in different terrain, altitudes and weather conditions, such as the sub zero mountainous and glaciated region of Siachen, icy plateaus of North Sikkim, deserts of Rajasthan, salt marshes of Gujarat, riverine and dense jungle terrain of the North East, island territories of Andaman & Nicobar and the Lakshadweeps.

Such an exposure is rare for any army, that too, which is located in the unique Indian peninsula. True to traditions, Indian Army's various regiments and 'Scholar Warriors' have risen to the clarion call on each operational occasion, with alacrity and firmness.

The adroit handling of such challenges, give an insight into the raw guts, steel sinews and moral fibre of Indian Army personnel, irrespective of their regional ethnicity or regimental affiliation. It is a proven fact that when operating collectively, as part of formations, they imbibe a common credence, based on national values and fervor.

India has also been a champion of global peace, under the aegis of UN Peacekeeping. The Indian Army has participated, in an exemplary manner in UN Peacekeeping operations, in more than a dozen countries, spread across four continents. 

Presently, with nearly 7,200 troops deployed in various mission areas abroad, India is ranked amongst the largest and most reliable troop contributing nation, towards this laudable UN cause. That apart, it has also conducted joint military training, in varied scenarios, on a number of occasions, including with armies of the USA, Russia and China, amongst many others.

The Indian Army is not just about soldiering. It has made inroads into a plethora of diverse fields as well, such as creating a secure environment for its nationals; ecological development and nation building; border guarding; internal security; providing quality aid and succor to victims of floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, avalanches, landslides and other natural or man made disasters and endurance based feats. Its varied experiences have helped it to attain all round excellence and gain tremendous confidence in itself, its leaders and the system per se.

In the field of sports and adventure activities, too, it has made great inroads. If its mountaineers have conquered some of the highest mountains time and again, often from difficult directions, its personnel have traversed the world in yachts, skied to the South Pole, conducted lengthy desert safaris, established new records in para sailing, hang gliding, free fall, motorcycle expeditions and white water rafting.

In international sports, too, it has created history by winning medals in the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and Asiad. All these achievements have been the result of sound planning based on a clear vision, sustained training, sheer guts, determination, camaraderie and esprit de corps. 

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once said, "Success often comes to those who dare and act. It seldom goes to the timid". Based on this adage, the Indian Army dedicates itself with renewed zest and vigour to attain greater heights, and to face new challenges, in diverse fields, in the years to come. Army is not just a noble profession; it is a way of life.

(Article by, Lt. Gen. Sanjeev Madhok)

INS Kochi Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer Commissioned: Defence Preparedness Gets a Shot in the Arm

INS Kochi during her trials

India's defence preparedness just got a shot in the arm with the commissioning of Indian Navy's latest stealth guided missile destroyer, the INS Kochi. INS Kochi is the second ship of the Kolkata-class (Project 15A) Guided Missile Destroyers.

Destroyers are second only to aircraft carriers in projecting raw combat power on the high seas. Induction of the 7,500-tonne INS Kochi, the second of the three Kolkata-class destroyers being built at Mazagaon Docks (MDL) at Mumbai for over Rs 4,000 crore apiece, makes it the 10th destroyer in India's combat fleet.

Although conceived as follow-on of the earlier Delhi class, this ship is vastly superior and has major advancements in weapons and sensors. The ship incorporates new design concepts for improved survivability, stealth, sea-keeping and manoeuvrability.

With a displacement of 7,500 tons, the majestic ship spanning 164 metres in length and 17 metres at the beam, is propelled by four gas turbines and designed to achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots.

INS Kochi is packed with an array of state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, with a significant indigenous component. The ship has many lethal weapons to her credit which include the successful fitment of vertically launched missile system for long distance engagement of shore and sea-based targets.

The ship is one of the few warships of the world and the second in the Indian Navy to have Multi-Function Surveillance and Threat Alert Radar to provide target data to Long Range Surface to Air Missile system.

The MF STAR and LR SAM systems are jointly developed by DRDO ( Defence Research and Development Organisation) and Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. To protect against incoming air borne and surface threats, at medium and close in range, the ship has 76 mm and 30 mm gun mounts.

The ship has a complement of about 40 officers and 350 sailors. The accommodation and living spaces have been designed with special emphasis on ergonomics and habitability.

The warship was commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

The first of this class, INS Kolkata, was commissioned in August last year, while the third INS Chennai will be inducted towards end-2016. There is also the even bigger ongoing Rs 29,644-crore project to build another four stealth destroyers at MDL, with the first INS Visakhapatnam slated for delivery in 2018-2019.

The Navy, on its part, has plans to become a 200-warship force with around 600 aircraft and helicopters by 2027 to ensure it can effectively guard the country's expanding geo-strategic interests in the backdrop of the IOR emerging as "the world's centre of gravity."

The IOR has over 120 warships at any given time, with China fast becoming a force to reckon with in the region.

JedEyes Helmet-Mounted Display for HAL LCH

JedEyes HMD

"JedEyes" helmet-mounted targetting system co-developed by HAL and Israel’s Elbit Systems is designed for day, night and brownout flight environments. JedEyes TM has a 70 x 40 degree FOV and 2250x1200 pixels resolution. JedEyes addresses the special needs of helicopter pilots and offers dramatic improvements over existing HMDs, not only through its ultra-wide Field of View (FOV), but also by providing razor-sharp, high resolution imagery and allowing pilots to take in wider than ever areas of ground and sky, with everything in sharp focus. Exciting features and unique technologies combine to provide dual vision 3D imagery on the See-Through Visor as well as processing and manipulation of a variety of visual cues and video sources such as UAVs, digital maps and on and off-board sensors.

IAF gets Panagarh airbase Hercules ready

C-130J Super Hercules of the Indian Air Force

AFS Arjan Singh became fully operational, with its full complement of six C-130J Super Hercules strategic aircraft, in the last week of July.

Panagarh is the second location in the country, after Hindan in Ghaziabad, to have a base for the C-130J aircraft. Technicians and engineers from Lockheed Martin have been building hangars and other facilities for these aircraft at Panagarh for over two years. A senior IAF official in New Delhi said an Ilyushin Il-78 mid-air refueller has also been based at Panagarh to extend the endurance of Eastern Air Command (EAC)'s fighter fleet, particularly the Sukhoi Su-30 MKIs.

The hangars and other facilities at the bases at Hindan and Panagarh are hush-hush affairs not without reason. Entire Special Forces units with equipment bunk in air-conditioned quarters below the hangars. This enables them to mobilise within minutes and board the aircraft that are kept ready for take-off at any point of time. When not in actual operation, Special Forces personnel train both with and without the aircraft.

"Panagarh is crucial also because the Indian Army's newly raised 17 Strike Corps is to be headquartered there. Panagarh will also have one of the two high-altitude infantry divisions (59 Division) of the Corps based there. The 17 Strike Corps is being raised keeping in mind threats from across India's northern border. All these make AFS Arjan Singh a key strategic location. It is being kept at a state of full preparedness for 'short and swift' operations," the officer added.

Military has remained steadfast in its commitment to democracy

LCA Tejas during Republic Day parade

In our history, there has been just one recorded instance where a commander-in-chief of the army overthrew the government of the day and seized power. This issue finds some resonance today in the context of the attempted coup in Turkey. Many ask, could this happen here, although the answer is pretty unambiguous that it cannot and will not. The recorded instance referred to happened around 187 BC, when Pushyamitra Shunga, the senapati of the Maurayan empire, killed the king during a guard of honour, and founded a dynasty that lasted till around 70 BC.

No king, sultan, emperor, viceroy or prime minister — Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian or Sikh — has since then has been overthrown by a military coup. Yes, empires have declined, rulers have been defeated, lost their kingdoms to rebels and relatives, but it is difficult to find another instance of the event that defines a coup — the takeover of a government by its military. In addition, of course, the modern Indian military identifies its DNA with that of Britain, another country which has never had the history of a coup.

Yet, even today, in the 21st century, dread of the man on a horseback runs like a thread through India’s governmental attitudes towards the armed forces. It is not open, but exists in the shadow world of intelligence agencies and civilian bureaucrats, who stoke the insecurities of politicians on the need to keep the military in check, and have succeeded in keeping uniformed personnel out of policy-making.

It was this perception that led Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to eliminate the powerful post of commander-in-chief and make all three service chiefs equals in 1955. There were several instances in the 1950s and 1960s when politicians revealed their insecurities in relation to the armed forces. The first set of rumours came when General KS Thimayya retired as army chief in 1961. The train of events beginning with Thimayya’s resignation in August 1959, its withdrawal under Nehru’s pressure, the appointment of General PN Thapar as his successor, led to rumours of a coup with a specific date - January 30, 1961 being designated as D-Day.

This is detailed in a book India’s Defence Problem by SS Khera, who was India’s defence secretary between 1963 and 1967. In chapter titled “Coups”, Khera noted that in January 1961, Nehru and home minister G B Pant had come to know of some military movements and had countermanded them. Apurba Kundu, who has examined the events, noted in his book Militarism in India that “the stories [of the alleged coups] may be dismissed as unfounded”. Khera did conclude that the chances of an outright coup were difficult, if not impossible, in India.

Again, after the debacle of the 1962 border war with China, according to Neville Maxwell, Nehru expressed his concerns about the military in a letter to philosopher Bertrand Russell.

There is another incident widely known in the army. This is when the IB reported to the authorities about the movement of military personnel in the wake of Nehru’s death in May 1964. Actually, the then Army chief, General JN Chaudhuri, ordered the movement because he thought that it would be needed to help handle the crowds that would gather, just as he had experienced as a young officer in Mahatma Gandhi’s funeral. As a result, even today the IB maintains a discrete watch on the movements of military units in the vicinity of New Delhi.

All this could have been understood in the context of the 1950s and 1960s, when many newly independent countries — especially Burma and Pakistan — came under the heel of military dictators. But it sounds ridiculous in the 21st century, when the probity of the Indian armed forces has been thoroughly tested by time and circumstances.

Yet, more than half a century after the Thimayya “coup”, New Delhi was rocked by a newspaper story hinting at a coup attempt and coincidentally, again in January, in 2012. A front-paged report splashed across a New Delhi newspaper claimed that “central intelligence agencies” had detected “an unexpected (and non-notified) movement by a key military unit in the direction of the capital,” subsequently, another similar movement was detected involving a parachute unit. This was in relation to a suit filed in the Supreme Court by the then army chief General V.K. Singh. The same newspaper later reported that “the MOD’s considered view now seems to be that it was a false alarm”. The ministry’s official spokesman too denied the report as being “baseless”.

Actually, these sensitivities continue in the highest levels of the Indian political system today. Many observers believe that the refusal of the political system to appoint a chief of defence staff stems from their worries over “the man on the horseback”. Indeed, this writer was told by a former national security adviser that the principal opposition to the CDS in the UPA regime came from Sonia Gandhi, who raised worries about the possibility of a coup if a CDS took charge.

All this has had a deleterious effect on our national security planning. The dysfunctional system we have arises from the decision to keep the uniformed personnel out of planning and administering the military. This has prevented effective reforms to make our military a modern, war-winning force which requires the organisation and functioning of the military under the joint command of a chief of defence staff and the restructuring of the military under theatre commands.

But the answer to the question as to why a coup in India has not taken place, and will not do so, provided the country is not brought to the verge of collapse by its civilian leadership, lies in the quality of the military. Despite the fact that the politicians and the bureaucrats have gone out of their way to belittle and even insult them, the Indian military has remained steadfast in its commitment to democracy. This has as much to do with its history and DNA, as the outlook of the personnel who constitute it.

Arup Raha to Fly in LCA Tejas

LCA Tejas

Arup Raha, the Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, will soon fly his maiden sortie in the LCA Tejas.

The flight is to review the development in the program as well as show the Air force's interest in the aircraft as a platform for the much needed point defense fighter to replace the MiG-21.

Raha will also inaugurate the LCA paint hangar in Bengaluru and visit the production line of the aircraft.

The IAF has given an order of 120 Tejas, with 100 of them being an upgraded version. He will fly a sortie in a Tejas trainer aircraft which is a two seater, defence sources said.

He will also visit the hangar where the Mirage 2000 is being upgraded.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), manufacturer of Tejas, is likely to hand over the fourth aircraft to IAF by June end. The four aircraft will make up for the first squadron of IAF which will be used for training and familiarization.

As per the production plan, six aircraft will be made this year (2015-16) and HAL will subsequently scale it up to eight and 16 aircraft per year.

US drops planned Pakistan F-16 fighter jet subsidy

Pakistani F-16 formation

The US will no longer subsidise the sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, a senior state department official has reported.

The decision means that Pakistan will have to pay more than $700m - two-and-a-half times the original cost - if it wishes to buy the aircraft.

It comes after Congress refused to approve funding for the deal.

Some US lawmakers had accused Pakistan of not doing enough to fight militants. India also objected to the sale.

However, Pakistan has argued that the jets are needed for anti-terror operations, and so the US should help with funding the purchase.

People close to the deal say it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will be willing to pay the full cost of the fighter jets, so it seems to be off for all practical purposes.

A spokesman for the Pakistan embassy in Washington, Nadeem Hotiana, told that the arms sales were a long process and that he would not comment on the deal's current status.

"F-16s provide precision strike capability to Pakistan's ongoing campaign against militancy," he said.
"Pakistan believes that the threat from terrorist networks requires continued capacity building and both governments continue to work together towards this objective through a range of measures including the sale of these aircraft."

The senior US state department official, who asked to remain anonymous as he was not authorised to speak on the matter, says the Obama administration is still very much in favour of selling the fighter jets to Pakistan as it believes it is in the national interest of the United States.

However, Pakistan would have to bear the full cost of the F-16 fighter jets if it wished to proceed, he said.

The original arrangement had been that Pakistan would pay close to $270m, with the US foreign military financing budget paying for the rest.

However, top US lawmakers have expressed concerns over the US government's decision to sell the jets to Pakistan, saying they could be used against India rather than for combating terrorism.

Speaking on Wednesday, Congressman Matt Salmon said: "India-Pakistan tensions remain elevated, and some question whether the F-16s could ultimately be used against India or other regional powers, rather than the terrorists as Pakistan has asserted."

All you have to know about India"s own Global Positioning System - NAVIC

NaVIC

Pakistani troops took positions in Kargil in 1999, one of the first things Indian military sought was GPS data for the region. The space-based navigation system maintained by the US government would have provided vital information, but the US denied it to India. A need for an indigenous satellite navigation system was felt earlier, but the Kargil experience made the nation realise its inevitability.

On Friday, the Indian Space Research Organisation took the nation closer to the goal, which it would achieve in less than two years. The result, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) will be as good as any such space-based system, as India can keep a close watch of not just its boundaries, but up to 1,500km beyond that. It works on a combination of seven satellites which would 'look' at the region from different angles, and, in the process, helps calculate from relative data, real-time movement of objects by as less as 10m.

Isro launched the first of the satellites in the group, IRNSS-1A, in July last. "By mid-2015," said Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan, "we will have all the seven in place." The system will be functional by the beginning of 2016. Basic navigational services wouldn't have to wait that long—they can take off with just four satellites in orbit, which will be this year. "When we have four satellites by the end of this year, we will have an operational system and then we can go and test its accuracy to validate it," said K Radhakrishnan.

Three of the seven satellites will be in geostationary orbits and the other four in inclined geosynchronous orbits. From ground, the three geostationary satellites will appear at a fixed point in the sky. However, the four geosynchronous satellites moving in inclined orbits in pairs will appear to move in the figure of '8' when 'seen' from ground. Apart from navigation, the system will help in precise time keeping, disaster management, fleet management and mapping.

"Geopolitical needs teach you that some countries can deny you the service in times of conflict. It's also a way of arm twisting and a country should protect itself against that," said S Ramakrishnan, director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. This is the reasoning behind two types of services that IRNSS will be offering. The first is called Standard Positioning Service (SPS) which is for civilian use. This will have an accuracy of 20m, while the second is called Restricted Services (RS), which can detect movement of objects by less than 10m.

"Many weapon systems like guided missiles and bombs also use such navigation systems. An indigenous system allows the development of such capabilities in a reliable manner," said Ramakrishnan. "There is also the need to have your own navigation system in the civilian and commercial domain since so many critical services and businesses depend on it. A system run by another country (like GPS) may be switched off in times of crisis leading to complete collapse of certain services."

It will put India in the company of select nations which have their own positioning systems. While the US operates the Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia has its own GLONASS and European Union, Galileo. China is also in the process of building Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS).