Monday, April 26, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
India says to have fifth-generation jets in 2018
NEW DELHI: India will introduce an advanced fighter jet it is building with Russia in 2018, a move that will bring sophistication to its air power but could also spark unease among neighbours China and Pakistan.
New Delhi has watched warily as China has made rapid strides in defence, worried that Beijing's long-term strategy for the region could involve encircling India. Indian military commanders have stressed greater firepower as a counter-measure, particularly for the air force.
The fifth generation fighter aircraft joint project with Russia is part of that strategy. "The fifth generation aircraft would possess technologies which would provide it (India) the edge over adversaries in future air warfare," PV Naik, the Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), said. "China is rapidly modernising its air force ... On our part, the IAF is reviewing its tactics regularly to increase its combat potential," Naik said.
India's plans to bolster its air force include upgrading more than 50 airbases along the Chinese and Pakistan border, he said. Traditionally, any move by India to acquire new weaponry has been met with similar moves by Pakistan, putting already fragile regional security under further strain.
The fifth-generation fighters, billed as a competitor to the US F-22 Raptor, can fool sophisticated radars and will be able to take off from short airstrips and remain in the air for longer than the current fighters, air force officials say.
India's air force says it has more than 800 active combat aircraft but is dwarfed by China's, which has more than 2,000 fighter aircraft. Arms procurement is a painfully slow process in India because of red tape and charges of corruption in winning tenders.
India plans to procure at least 200 of the fifth-generation fighters, each valued at $100 million, in a deal which analysts say is watched with unease by neighbours Pakistan and China. India is looking to spend more than $50 billion over the next five years to modernise its largely Soviet-era weapons systems.
The governments of Russia and India have already signed the deal for the advanced jet, although the two companies that will build them have not.
Officials say that is just a formality and will be completed this year. Production of the stealth jet fighter is a 50-50 joint venture between Russia and India's state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which will build a mission computer, cockpit displays and other navigation systems. India is also buying 126 multi-role fighters and will pare down the number of bidders for the $11 billion deal by June or July, Naik said. That contract is one of the world's biggest arms deals.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/India-says-to-have-fifth-generation-jets-in-2018/articleshow/5849687.cms
New Delhi has watched warily as China has made rapid strides in defence, worried that Beijing's long-term strategy for the region could involve encircling India. Indian military commanders have stressed greater firepower as a counter-measure, particularly for the air force.
The fifth generation fighter aircraft joint project with Russia is part of that strategy. "The fifth generation aircraft would possess technologies which would provide it (India) the edge over adversaries in future air warfare," PV Naik, the Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), said. "China is rapidly modernising its air force ... On our part, the IAF is reviewing its tactics regularly to increase its combat potential," Naik said.
India's plans to bolster its air force include upgrading more than 50 airbases along the Chinese and Pakistan border, he said. Traditionally, any move by India to acquire new weaponry has been met with similar moves by Pakistan, putting already fragile regional security under further strain.
The fifth-generation fighters, billed as a competitor to the US F-22 Raptor, can fool sophisticated radars and will be able to take off from short airstrips and remain in the air for longer than the current fighters, air force officials say.
India's air force says it has more than 800 active combat aircraft but is dwarfed by China's, which has more than 2,000 fighter aircraft. Arms procurement is a painfully slow process in India because of red tape and charges of corruption in winning tenders.
India plans to procure at least 200 of the fifth-generation fighters, each valued at $100 million, in a deal which analysts say is watched with unease by neighbours Pakistan and China. India is looking to spend more than $50 billion over the next five years to modernise its largely Soviet-era weapons systems.
The governments of Russia and India have already signed the deal for the advanced jet, although the two companies that will build them have not.
Officials say that is just a formality and will be completed this year. Production of the stealth jet fighter is a 50-50 joint venture between Russia and India's state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which will build a mission computer, cockpit displays and other navigation systems. India is also buying 126 multi-role fighters and will pare down the number of bidders for the $11 billion deal by June or July, Naik said. That contract is one of the world's biggest arms deals.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/India-says-to-have-fifth-generation-jets-in-2018/articleshow/5849687.cms
Humour for a good day!
Tring tring!!
Having just moved into his new office, a pompous Group Captain recently appointed COO (Chief Operations Officer), was sitting at his desk when an airman knocked on the door. Conscious of his new position, the officer quickly picked up the phone, told the airman to enter and gestured that he was speaking to the AOC, then said into the phone, "Yes sir, I'll be seeing him this afternoon and I'll pass along your message. Thank you for your good wishes, sir." Feeling as though he had sufficiently impressed the young enlisted man, he asked, "What do you want?"
"Nothing important, sir," the airman replied, "just here to hook up your telephone."
Doing his job!
A young sentry, on guard duty for the first time, had orders not to admit any car unless it had a special identification seal. The first unmarked car the sentry stopped contained a Air Vice Marshal. When the officer told his driver to go right on through, the sentry politely said, "I'm new at this, sir. Who do I shoot first -- you or the driver?"
Having just moved into his new office, a pompous Group Captain recently appointed COO (Chief Operations Officer), was sitting at his desk when an airman knocked on the door. Conscious of his new position, the officer quickly picked up the phone, told the airman to enter and gestured that he was speaking to the AOC, then said into the phone, "Yes sir, I'll be seeing him this afternoon and I'll pass along your message. Thank you for your good wishes, sir." Feeling as though he had sufficiently impressed the young enlisted man, he asked, "What do you want?"
"Nothing important, sir," the airman replied, "just here to hook up your telephone."
Doing his job!
A young sentry, on guard duty for the first time, had orders not to admit any car unless it had a special identification seal. The first unmarked car the sentry stopped contained a Air Vice Marshal. When the officer told his driver to go right on through, the sentry politely said, "I'm new at this, sir. Who do I shoot first -- you or the driver?"
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Images of the week - INS Vikramaditya
The conversion plans for the aircraft carrier involve stripping all the armament, including the P-500 Bazalt cruise missile launchers and the four Antey Kinzhal surface-to-air missile launchers fitted on the front of the carrier,to make way for a 14.3 degree bow ski-jump. Text/Image: Wikipedia
Google Maps screenshot of INS Vikramaditya undergoing reconfiguration at a shipyard in Severodvinsk, Russia
Images from the shipyard in Russia
A possible deck layout configuration
Images Courtesy: www.Navy.com.br
Saturday, April 17, 2010
NEWS FLASH - Short service commission officers to fly IAF fighters
Indian Air Force Su30MKI fighter pilot
Indradhanush 2007 Air Exercise, Waddington, UK
Source: www.skycontrol.net
New Delhi: Battling a shortage of 1,343 officers, the Indian Air Force has started allowing short service commission officers fly fighter aircraft.
Officers who join the service for 14 years now get to fly fighter aircraft. Until now, only permanent commission officers were allowed to train for fighter operations.
It takes almost four years and over Rs 4 crore to train a fighter pilot — short service officers will be able to do active fighter duty for a maximum of ten years. In the past, these officers had joined the helicopter and transport streams.
The acute shortage of officers in the flying branch — the IAF is over 300 pilots short against the sanctioned strength of 3,278, most in the fighter stream — seems to have necessitated the decision.
“To overcome the shortage of pilots, we have very recently started short service commission for fighter pilots also. Initially it was only for lady officers, now it has been started for fighter pilots. After 14 years, they will also be given an opportunity to leave,” a top IAF officer told a parliamentary panel after being questioned on the shortage of pilots.
The decision is also in line with the policy of creating more posts of short service officers in the armed forces and having a leaner cadre of permanent commission officers. There is also an urgent need for fighter pilots. Over the next decade, the IAF is expected to get close to 400 new fighter jets.
The first batch of short service commission fighter pilots will pass out at the end of this year.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/short-service-commission-officers-to-fly-iaf-fighters/607633/
Friday, April 16, 2010
India tests 'pilot-less planes' for anti-Naxal ops
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, used by United States' forces to track down Taliban militants, successfully flew over the dense forests of Bastar in Chhattisgarh in the first trial run for anti-Naxal operations.
The trials, which assumed urgency after the Dantewada massacre in which 76 security personnel were killed by the Maoists, were aimed at generating real-time intelligence information to help ground forces in any offensive.
The first trial involved an American UAV. The decision to have UAV flights was taken by the Union home ministry after the April six attack and their field trials were ordered immediately.
An UAV of US' Honeywell, whose pilot-less planes are reportedly used successfully by allied forces in the hunt for targets in war-hit Afghanistan and Iraq, flew during the night trial.
The compact UAV, weighing nearly 10 kilograms, was put through the rugged terrains of the hills overlooking Kanker after its take off from Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Kanker.
The trials which commenced on Wednesday and continued till the wee hours of Thursday morning was witnessed by officials not only from Chattisgarh and the Union Home Ministry, but also by police officials of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.
Cruising over the hills, the UAV was checked for providing thermal images of any movement on the ground, detection of improvised explosive devices and ammunition dumps.
The UAV known as T-MAV (Micro Air Vehicle) is a compact machine manufactured by 'Honeywell'. The company, during its briefing for officials, claimed that its deployment and stowing operations can be accomplished in less than five minutes.
This UAV was slected first for field trials as it has been claimed that it has been useful to the US forces in tracking down Taliban militants in high mountain passes and dense Waziristan area of Pakistan.
The UAVs are urgently required as the forces engaged in anti-naxal operations need real-time information to achieve greater success. It can go up to a height of 10,000 feet, fly at a speed of 70 kms per hour and can provide 240 minutes of sensor imagery to the ground station.
The night-long trials also saw its use in detecting people in pitch dark and dense forests. In certain cases of mine detection, the UAV could not pick up signals properly and only showed some disturbance on the surface.
A UAV of Defence Research and Development Organisation, which has claimed to have a similar product, may be tried soon. However, its UAV trials two years back had not got the desired results.
With intelligence gathering still a problem in Naxal areas, the UAVs are expected to help in gathering advanced reconnaissance and situational awareness functions would be critical in protection of security personnel.
Source: http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/apr/15/india-tests-pilot-less-planes-for-anti-naxal-ops.htm
The trials, which assumed urgency after the Dantewada massacre in which 76 security personnel were killed by the Maoists, were aimed at generating real-time intelligence information to help ground forces in any offensive.
The first trial involved an American UAV. The decision to have UAV flights was taken by the Union home ministry after the April six attack and their field trials were ordered immediately.
An UAV of US' Honeywell, whose pilot-less planes are reportedly used successfully by allied forces in the hunt for targets in war-hit Afghanistan and Iraq, flew during the night trial.
The compact UAV, weighing nearly 10 kilograms, was put through the rugged terrains of the hills overlooking Kanker after its take off from Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Kanker.
The trials which commenced on Wednesday and continued till the wee hours of Thursday morning was witnessed by officials not only from Chattisgarh and the Union Home Ministry, but also by police officials of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.
Cruising over the hills, the UAV was checked for providing thermal images of any movement on the ground, detection of improvised explosive devices and ammunition dumps.
The UAV known as T-MAV (Micro Air Vehicle) is a compact machine manufactured by 'Honeywell'. The company, during its briefing for officials, claimed that its deployment and stowing operations can be accomplished in less than five minutes.
Video Courtesy: Honeywell Micro Air Vehicle Team
This UAV was slected first for field trials as it has been claimed that it has been useful to the US forces in tracking down Taliban militants in high mountain passes and dense Waziristan area of Pakistan.
The UAVs are urgently required as the forces engaged in anti-naxal operations need real-time information to achieve greater success. It can go up to a height of 10,000 feet, fly at a speed of 70 kms per hour and can provide 240 minutes of sensor imagery to the ground station.
The night-long trials also saw its use in detecting people in pitch dark and dense forests. In certain cases of mine detection, the UAV could not pick up signals properly and only showed some disturbance on the surface.
A UAV of Defence Research and Development Organisation, which has claimed to have a similar product, may be tried soon. However, its UAV trials two years back had not got the desired results.
With intelligence gathering still a problem in Naxal areas, the UAVs are expected to help in gathering advanced reconnaissance and situational awareness functions would be critical in protection of security personnel.
Source: http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/apr/15/india-tests-pilot-less-planes-for-anti-naxal-ops.htm
Tejas LCA project to cost more than Rs 13,000 crore over 35 years
NEW DELHI: The overall developmental cost of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft has quietly zoomed past the Rs 13,000-crore mark, with the government sanctioning the extension of the fighter's "full-scale engineering development'' (FSED) till December 31, 2018.
This, in effect, means the Tejas developmental saga will now stretch across 35 years, sanctioned as the project was way back in 1983 at a cost of Rs 560 crore to replace the ageing MiG-21s.
Tejas, in fact, can now give the Arjun main-battle tank a run for its money in terms of years taken for full development. The tank project, after all, was first approved 36 years ago.
It is, of course, critical for India to boost indigenous defence production, importing as it still does 70% of its military hardware and software, but this probably is not the way.
"This is a very sorry state of affairs. Even after 27 years since LCA was sanctioned, it is yet to see light of the day,'' says the latest report of the parliamentary standing committee on defence, tabled in Parliament on Thursday.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Aeronautical Development Agency and DRDO argue developing a supersonic fly-by-wire fourth-generation fighter from scratch, with international sanctions in place for several years, is an incredibly complex and tough task.
The project, after all, includes single-seater IAF, twin-seater trainer and naval LCA variants. With Tejas prototypes clocking 1,350 flights till now, the "final operational clearance'' for the IAF variant is now slated for December 2012.
"So, IAF should have its first Tejas squadron of 20 fighters by 2014-15. Even Swedish Gripen fighter's developmental cost was around Rs 12,640 crore,'' said an official.
India, however, is now going in for foreign engines to power even the Tejas Mark-II version after the indigenous Kaveri engine failed to pass muster after 20 years of development at a cost of Rs 2,839 crore.
Consequently, while the first 20 Tejas will be powered by the American GE-404 engines, the hunt is on for new more powerful engines for the next six Tejas Mark-II squadrons (16-18 jets in each).
The Rs 13,000-crore mark for the LCA project is breached even if the Kaveri fiasco is kept aside. For one, the FSED Phase-I, which finished in March 2004, cost Rs 2,188 crore.
The Phase-II, which was to be completed by December 2008 at a cost of Rs 3,301 crore, will now get over in December 2012, with additional funds
of Rs 2,475 crore.
Moreover, in November last year, the government "accorded'' sanction for "continuing FSED of LCA till December 2018, with an estimated additional cost of Rs 5,302 crore''.
Amid all this, IAF is keeping its fingers crossed, grappling as it is with a free-fall in the number of its fighter squadrons, down to just 32 from a sanctioned strength of 39.5.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tejas-LCA-project-to-cost-more-than-Rs-13000-crore-over-35-years/articleshow/5813290.cms
This, in effect, means the Tejas developmental saga will now stretch across 35 years, sanctioned as the project was way back in 1983 at a cost of Rs 560 crore to replace the ageing MiG-21s.
Tejas, in fact, can now give the Arjun main-battle tank a run for its money in terms of years taken for full development. The tank project, after all, was first approved 36 years ago.
It is, of course, critical for India to boost indigenous defence production, importing as it still does 70% of its military hardware and software, but this probably is not the way.
"This is a very sorry state of affairs. Even after 27 years since LCA was sanctioned, it is yet to see light of the day,'' says the latest report of the parliamentary standing committee on defence, tabled in Parliament on Thursday.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Aeronautical Development Agency and DRDO argue developing a supersonic fly-by-wire fourth-generation fighter from scratch, with international sanctions in place for several years, is an incredibly complex and tough task.
The project, after all, includes single-seater IAF, twin-seater trainer and naval LCA variants. With Tejas prototypes clocking 1,350 flights till now, the "final operational clearance'' for the IAF variant is now slated for December 2012.
"So, IAF should have its first Tejas squadron of 20 fighters by 2014-15. Even Swedish Gripen fighter's developmental cost was around Rs 12,640 crore,'' said an official.
India, however, is now going in for foreign engines to power even the Tejas Mark-II version after the indigenous Kaveri engine failed to pass muster after 20 years of development at a cost of Rs 2,839 crore.
Consequently, while the first 20 Tejas will be powered by the American GE-404 engines, the hunt is on for new more powerful engines for the next six Tejas Mark-II squadrons (16-18 jets in each).
The Rs 13,000-crore mark for the LCA project is breached even if the Kaveri fiasco is kept aside. For one, the FSED Phase-I, which finished in March 2004, cost Rs 2,188 crore.
The Phase-II, which was to be completed by December 2008 at a cost of Rs 3,301 crore, will now get over in December 2012, with additional funds
of Rs 2,475 crore.
Moreover, in November last year, the government "accorded'' sanction for "continuing FSED of LCA till December 2018, with an estimated additional cost of Rs 5,302 crore''.
Amid all this, IAF is keeping its fingers crossed, grappling as it is with a free-fall in the number of its fighter squadrons, down to just 32 from a sanctioned strength of 39.5.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tejas-LCA-project-to-cost-more-than-Rs-13000-crore-over-35-years/articleshow/5813290.cms
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Launch of GSLV-D3, India's first cryogenic rocket, fails
Image Source: http://topnews.in/law/files/GSLV-D3.jpg
SRIHARIKOTA: India's GSLV-D3 powered by homegrown cryogenic engine for the first time failed in its mission as the rocket carrying a communication satellite deviated from its path and went out of control shortly after its lift-off from the spaceport here on Thursday.
"The mission objectives are not met fully. There are indications that the cryogenic engine ignited but the vehicle was tumbling and controllability lost," ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan said.
The 49-metre tall three-stage Geo Synchronous Launch Vehicle
blasted off at 4.27pm at the end of a 29-hour countdown but minutes later ISRO said it had stopped receiving data.
"We saw the vehicle tumbling uncontrollably and it developed deviation. Two vernier engines would not have ignited," Radhakrishnan, for whom it was the first mission after taking over as ISRO chief, told mission scientists as gloom descended on the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
He said details of the flight data would be analysed to find out what went wrong. Radhakrishnan said performence of the vehicle was normal upto the "burn out" of the second stage.
In the crucial cryogenic stage, indications were that the onboard computer had given signals to burn and the cryogenic engine had ignited. However, "we saw the vehicle tumbling."
"We neeed to go a long way and do that (launch the mission successfully) within the next year," Radhakrishnan told the scientists while complimenting them for their "18 years of hard work" to develop the complex cryogenic technology.
Underlining ISRO's commitment to carry on with cryogenic stage rocket programme, he said the next flight will be carried out within a year.
"It was an event of 18 years working with complex technology. Upto the level of carrying (the vehicle) is a major accomplishment," he said.
The GSLV flight was to have placed the 2,200 kg advanced communication satellite GSAT-4, into Geo Transfer Orbit. The GSAT-4 is a state-of-the-art satellite that carries communication and navigation payloads.
ISRO had invested Rs 330 crore for the prestigious mission whose succesful would have placed India in the elite club of space faring powers US, Russia, China, Japan, and Europe which possess the cryogenic technology.
India began developing the cryogenic engine as its answer to technology denial regime as the US not only refused the technology but also put pressure on Russia to backtrack on its commitment to New Delhi. Earlier GSLV flights were powered by the ready-to-fly cryogenic engines supplied by Russia.
Cryogenic engines, giving additional thrust, help in launching heavier satellites into geo-synchronous transfer orbits (GTO) at an altitude of 36,000 km over the equator.
The engine uses liquid hydrogen at -265°Celsius as fuel and liquid oxygen at -240°C as oxidiser and cryogenic development is considered complex as involves very low temperatures of the propellants.
The countries which had mastered the "highest level" of propulsion technology had kept it closely guarded.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Launch-of-GSLV-D3-Indias-first-cryogenic-rocket-fails/articleshow/5811717.cms
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
FROM THE ARCHIVES : C-130 Hercules UNARRESTED landing on a carrier deck! (Lockheed Martin Video)
Is the Indian Navy watching?
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
NEWS FLASH - Conduct of senior naval officer in Gorshkov project under scanner
New Delhi: A senior navy officer, who played a crucial role in the acquisition of Admiral Gorshkov, the Russian aircraft carrier, has been placed under the scanner. Investigators are looking into whether commodore Sukhjinder Singh’s proximity to some Russians was in any way linked to problems associated with the Gorshkov project, including the escalation in cost as well as delays. Singh was in charge of the aircraft carrier project in Russia, and had been stationed there for many years. The commodore was deputed there to supervise the re-fitting and technical requirements. The probe also focuses on his improper personal conduct.
The carrier has for long been in focus for the quantum jump in its cost — the project cost has gone up from Rs4,870 crore in 2004 to Rs11,650 crore currently. In the second week of March, during Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi, India had — in a controversial move — agreed to pay $2.33 billion for the refitting as against the original $974 million agreed upon in 2004. Singh was posted in Russia until about three years ago, and was probably the senior-most officer there to oversee the Gorshkov project. On his return to Delhi, he was appointed to the crucial post of principal director (aircraft carrier project) looking after the Gorshkov project from the headquarters. All of this underlines Singh’s extensive involvement in the project.
According to the navy, the formal inquiry against Singh, who till some months ago was the principal director of the project, started a few weeks ago. It was ordered after incriminating evidence emerged showing his links to some Russians.
DNA has material to establish the commodore’s involvement in activities which were unbecoming of an officer of his rank and stature.
Confirming the inquiry, a navy spokesperson told DNA, “The IN (Indian Navy) has received information about a senior naval officer who has been involved in an act of loose moral conduct. The navy has instituted an inquiry to establish whether this had any influence on the performance of his official duties. Preliminary indications are that the involvement has been at a personal level.”
A navy source said the inquiry is looking into “all aspects” of Singh’s conduct, including whether his behaviour in Russia and proximity to some Russian individuals has had any “impact on the Gorshkov deal”. The concern is whether those individuals were part of a larger conspiracy of the Russian arms industry.
The Gorshkov project took a bizarre turn when Russians demanded in mid-2008 a massive price hike for the refit, leading to many within the navy and outside to suggest scrapping the entire project. In fact, questions continue to swirl about the logic of price hike. The carrier, which was originally slated to be delivered in 2008, is now only expected in 2012. Again, through it all, Singh has had a crucial role.
A navy source told DNA that “preliminary evidence” indicates that Singh may not have played any significant role in deciding the new price.
However, Singh was a member of the cost negotiation committee (CNC) set up last year to resolve the unprecedented Russian demand for increase in refit cost. According to naval records, Singh sat through the first meeting of the CNC last year. The CNC comprised at least three admirals from the navy, some three joint secretary rank officers and others. Singh was among the junior-most.
“The inquiry is going through the records” of the CNC, sources confirmed. The one man investigation, a formal court of inquiry, would “sum up in the next few days”, they said.
Connections, implications
Project cost of Admiral Gorshkov has gone up from Rs4,870 crore in 2004 to Rs11,650 crore currently Singh was in charge of the aircraft carrier project in Russia and had been stationed there for many years Sources in the intelligence set-up said incriminating evidence detailing Singh’s improper conduct was made available to naval authorities, prompting them to start the inquiry
Investigators are also looking at his Russian contacts and if they had any links to the Russian arms industry, as well as if some of those close associations could have influenced his conduct in the Gorshkov deal
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_conduct-of-senior-naval-officer-in-gorshkov-project-under-scanner_1370307
The carrier has for long been in focus for the quantum jump in its cost — the project cost has gone up from Rs4,870 crore in 2004 to Rs11,650 crore currently. In the second week of March, during Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi, India had — in a controversial move — agreed to pay $2.33 billion for the refitting as against the original $974 million agreed upon in 2004. Singh was posted in Russia until about three years ago, and was probably the senior-most officer there to oversee the Gorshkov project. On his return to Delhi, he was appointed to the crucial post of principal director (aircraft carrier project) looking after the Gorshkov project from the headquarters. All of this underlines Singh’s extensive involvement in the project.
According to the navy, the formal inquiry against Singh, who till some months ago was the principal director of the project, started a few weeks ago. It was ordered after incriminating evidence emerged showing his links to some Russians.
DNA has material to establish the commodore’s involvement in activities which were unbecoming of an officer of his rank and stature.
Confirming the inquiry, a navy spokesperson told DNA, “The IN (Indian Navy) has received information about a senior naval officer who has been involved in an act of loose moral conduct. The navy has instituted an inquiry to establish whether this had any influence on the performance of his official duties. Preliminary indications are that the involvement has been at a personal level.”
A navy source said the inquiry is looking into “all aspects” of Singh’s conduct, including whether his behaviour in Russia and proximity to some Russian individuals has had any “impact on the Gorshkov deal”. The concern is whether those individuals were part of a larger conspiracy of the Russian arms industry.
The Gorshkov project took a bizarre turn when Russians demanded in mid-2008 a massive price hike for the refit, leading to many within the navy and outside to suggest scrapping the entire project. In fact, questions continue to swirl about the logic of price hike. The carrier, which was originally slated to be delivered in 2008, is now only expected in 2012. Again, through it all, Singh has had a crucial role.
A navy source told DNA that “preliminary evidence” indicates that Singh may not have played any significant role in deciding the new price.
However, Singh was a member of the cost negotiation committee (CNC) set up last year to resolve the unprecedented Russian demand for increase in refit cost. According to naval records, Singh sat through the first meeting of the CNC last year. The CNC comprised at least three admirals from the navy, some three joint secretary rank officers and others. Singh was among the junior-most.
“The inquiry is going through the records” of the CNC, sources confirmed. The one man investigation, a formal court of inquiry, would “sum up in the next few days”, they said.
Connections, implications
Project cost of Admiral Gorshkov has gone up from Rs4,870 crore in 2004 to Rs11,650 crore currently Singh was in charge of the aircraft carrier project in Russia and had been stationed there for many years Sources in the intelligence set-up said incriminating evidence detailing Singh’s improper conduct was made available to naval authorities, prompting them to start the inquiry
Investigators are also looking at his Russian contacts and if they had any links to the Russian arms industry, as well as if some of those close associations could have influenced his conduct in the Gorshkov deal
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_conduct-of-senior-naval-officer-in-gorshkov-project-under-scanner_1370307
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Soldier, Heal thyself : Ajai Shukla
Col Ajai Shukla is a retired officer of the Indian Army, and is one of the best known Defence Correspondents in India. His stint with NDTV resulted in numerous highly acclaimed reports. He currently writes for Business Standard.Figuring out the state of an army’s morale is easy. All it takes is a couple of drinks with two groups of people: the officers and the enlisted men. If the chatter is mainly about sports and professional competitions; ongoing training; and about how much tougher and smarter they are than their rival units, morale is high. On the other hand, if talk centres on pay and allowances; promotions and postings; and on the world outside the army, you can bet money that morale is low. Applying this yardstick to the Indian Army I believe the morale of officers is low, while that of the jawans is high.
In this gloomy assessment I have illustrious company. The new Chief of Army Staff, General VK Singh, on assuming office on the 1st of April, has wisely identified the army’s “internal health” as his key focus. Pointing out that an internally vibrant army would easily swat aside external threats, the army chief has promised to revitalize traditions, core values and the army’s ethos.
Earlier chiefs, some as well-intentioned as General VK Singh, have embarked on similar paths. General K Sundarji, on taking over as chief in 1986, wrote to army officers individually, urging them to follow their professional convictions and promising to tolerate dissent. But that led nowhere as actions failed to follow words. Today, as the new chief implicitly accepts, the army has become a personality cult where officers either conform to the inclinations of the boss or get weeded out. Originality and eccentricity, those priceless attributes of a successful military leader, have been rendered extinct by a dull, humourless routine that is set --- Congress Party fashion --- by what the boss thinks his boss wants.
Keeping the officers in line is a terrible God called the Annual Confidential Report before which even the brightest and most capable officer must kneel or be scythed down. While annual reports are an evaluation tool in many professions, the army has accorded the ACR absolute control of an officer’s career. Considering that this primacy is born of the army’s laudable quest for an impartial, empirical evaluation system, it is ironic that the ACR has turned into a monster of subjectivity. If the boss is unhappy with an officer --- for any reason whatsoever --- a single lukewarm ACR can sink a brilliant career.
Dismantling this tyranny, and unlocking the potential of his officer corps, is the task ahead for General VK Singh. This is easier said than done. Blocking any radical change is the tribal ethos of the Indian Army. An officer belongs first to his regiment or battalion; only after that is he an Indian Army officer. An army chief’s first duty is towards the regiment and battalion that nurtured him; reforming the army conflicts with the role of regimental patriarch.
When General JJ Singh, an infantry officer from the Maratha Light Infantry, took over as chief, the honour guard that welcomed him to South Block was from the Marathas. So was his aide-de-camp and most of his personal staff. During his term Army Headquarters strengthened the infantry-friendly promotion policies of his infantry predecessors. The tenure of his artillery successor, General Deepak Kapoor, saw the Corps of Artillery quickly muscling out the infantry as the flavour of the month. Promotion policy tilted in favour of the artillery. Upwardly mobile artillery officers were quickly posted into friendly environments, under “friendly” superiors, to ease their paths towards higher rank.
These are only the most recent examples of the army’s longstanding patriarchal tradition that General VK Singh can now embrace or dismantle. A key step would be the creation of a clearly enunciated promotion policy, printed as a manual and sanctioned by the government, to ensure that each successive chief cannot tinker with the policy to suit his constituency. Today, 63 years after independence, the military has no promotion manual; policy exists only in a constantly revised torrent of letters from the Military Secretary’s branch.
The other major change that General VK Singh could implement is the reversing of promotion quotas to higher rank: the “Mandalisation” of the army as it is evocatively referred to. From the institution of the Prussian General Staff in the early eighteenth century, professional militaries have employed the criterion of merit alone to select their senior command. For over half a century, so did the Indian Army; but recently, in a burst of patrimonial fervour, quotas were instituted to ensure that each combat arm got its share of the senior ranks. Initiated by artillery and infantry chiefs to safeguard the interests of their officers, the quotas are now favouring less talented officers of other arms.
Few chiefs would voluntarily divest themselves of power but, paradoxically, the institution of the COAS would be greatly strengthened by transparency and the absence of discretion in promotions and postings. It would also free army chiefs from accusations of prejudice; a lever that MoD officials --- and in one well-known case, a defence minister --- have successfully employed to demand favours for their own candidates.
IAF vice-chief prefers reverse engg to build defence systems
IAF Vice-Chief Air Marshal Pranab Kumar Barbora today suggested India should go the Chinese way by gathering technical data to produce defence equipment through reverse engineering.
Addressing a gathering at a convention of The Frontiers of Aeronautical Technologies and 61st AGM in Bangalore, Air Marshal Babora said, “Do reverse engineering. Don't be scared. Our neighbours are already doing it. If someone does not give you, and you want it, do reverse engineering.” His comments, however, might not go down well with Americans and Europeans, who are finding it hard to protect their intellectual property rights.
Reverse engineering is a process of analysing a technology to ascertain how it was designed. The knowledge is then used to build the equipment or system or make improvements to it without using any physical part of the original. Critical of the defence industry’s inability to be self-reliant in producing indegenous systems for defence and aerospace requirements, Air Marshal Barbora said, “We have got the best brains, but it has to be focussed to get the product.”
Prodding the defence establishment and manufacturers to go for joint ventures and get the technological knowhow of systems, Barbora said: “No country has produced fighter aircraft on its own. It has been a joint effort of like-minded countries.” Barbora said India was technologically less literate than Russia and China because it had no access to middle-level technologies following World War-II. “Now, a lot of private players have emerged in India, but they are playing rough because of rules and regulations.”
He also asked the private sector to focus on core competence instead of trying to manufacture the entire aircraft from scratch. “We must not dilute our core competency,” he said. Citing China’s efforts, the Air Marshal said while the country was already producing entire airbuses, Indian companies were proud and satisfied to produce a few small parts like doors and undercarriages.
“When China can manufacture an Airbus, why not India? Though we are a major economic power to reckon with in South Asia, we have not leveraged it to bargain for greater access to aerospace technologies or attracting overseas investment through joint ventures to develop our state-run or private industry,” he rued. The Indian Air Force is buying equipment worth billions of dollars every year. However, the benefits of these are not reaching the private sector in the absence of a “national policy framework or national technology plan”.
“A sound national policy will enable stakeholders to work within a timeframe and deliver the equipment required for the armed forces, especially the IAF,” Barbora said.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/iaf-vice-chief-prefers-reverse-engg-to-build-defence-systems/391506/
Addressing a gathering at a convention of The Frontiers of Aeronautical Technologies and 61st AGM in Bangalore, Air Marshal Babora said, “Do reverse engineering. Don't be scared. Our neighbours are already doing it. If someone does not give you, and you want it, do reverse engineering.” His comments, however, might not go down well with Americans and Europeans, who are finding it hard to protect their intellectual property rights.
Reverse engineering is a process of analysing a technology to ascertain how it was designed. The knowledge is then used to build the equipment or system or make improvements to it without using any physical part of the original. Critical of the defence industry’s inability to be self-reliant in producing indegenous systems for defence and aerospace requirements, Air Marshal Barbora said, “We have got the best brains, but it has to be focussed to get the product.”
Prodding the defence establishment and manufacturers to go for joint ventures and get the technological knowhow of systems, Barbora said: “No country has produced fighter aircraft on its own. It has been a joint effort of like-minded countries.” Barbora said India was technologically less literate than Russia and China because it had no access to middle-level technologies following World War-II. “Now, a lot of private players have emerged in India, but they are playing rough because of rules and regulations.”
He also asked the private sector to focus on core competence instead of trying to manufacture the entire aircraft from scratch. “We must not dilute our core competency,” he said. Citing China’s efforts, the Air Marshal said while the country was already producing entire airbuses, Indian companies were proud and satisfied to produce a few small parts like doors and undercarriages.
“When China can manufacture an Airbus, why not India? Though we are a major economic power to reckon with in South Asia, we have not leveraged it to bargain for greater access to aerospace technologies or attracting overseas investment through joint ventures to develop our state-run or private industry,” he rued. The Indian Air Force is buying equipment worth billions of dollars every year. However, the benefits of these are not reaching the private sector in the absence of a “national policy framework or national technology plan”.
“A sound national policy will enable stakeholders to work within a timeframe and deliver the equipment required for the armed forces, especially the IAF,” Barbora said.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/iaf-vice-chief-prefers-reverse-engg-to-build-defence-systems/391506/
India developing sub-sonic 1000 km cruise missile
India is developing a sub-sonic 1,000-km range cruise missile "Nirbhay" which can be used for a "variety of applications", a top military scientist said here on Sunday.
The 1000-kg "missile is getting into some shape", Dr V K Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and Chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation said.
He also said the flight-trial of air-to-air missile 'Astra', having a range of 45 to 100 km, is on the cards. Saraswat was delivering the keynote address at a national convention on 'The Frontiers of Aeronautical Technologies', organised by the Aeronautical Society of India here.
He said India's armed forces are looking for long duration loitering missiles which can enter "enemy territory", search targets such as radars, concentration of assets and "a variety of movements of enemy", "home-on" the targets and "bang" them.
"We need to develop (loitering missiles)", he said. Saraswat made a strong push for deploying space-based sensors to keep tab on "adversaries" and gather intelligence via-a-vis defence surveillance.
He said space-based sensors are a must for tracking and detection of movements of enemies. Unless it have space-based sensors, India would not be able to make its ballistic missile defence system a "potent weapon", the scientist said. India is launching a major programme for surveillance, particularly space-based, in terms of electro-optical payload and synthetic aperture radar. "So, unless we prepare ourselves for future space-based systems, security is going to be a major issue," he said.
On anti-satellite (ASAT) system, Saraswat said ballistic missile defence has some elements required for ASAT. India has the capability in this area in terms of "kill vehicle", boosters and radars. But he noted that "some more building blocks are required to be developed".
However, India has no plans to demonstrate its capability in terms of killing a satellite in orbit, unlike China which undertook such a mission in 2007, saying "we don't believe in that (ASAT programme)".
Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/63232/india-developing-sub-sonic-1000.html
The 1000-kg "missile is getting into some shape", Dr V K Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and Chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation said.
He also said the flight-trial of air-to-air missile 'Astra', having a range of 45 to 100 km, is on the cards. Saraswat was delivering the keynote address at a national convention on 'The Frontiers of Aeronautical Technologies', organised by the Aeronautical Society of India here.
He said India's armed forces are looking for long duration loitering missiles which can enter "enemy territory", search targets such as radars, concentration of assets and "a variety of movements of enemy", "home-on" the targets and "bang" them.
"We need to develop (loitering missiles)", he said. Saraswat made a strong push for deploying space-based sensors to keep tab on "adversaries" and gather intelligence via-a-vis defence surveillance.
He said space-based sensors are a must for tracking and detection of movements of enemies. Unless it have space-based sensors, India would not be able to make its ballistic missile defence system a "potent weapon", the scientist said. India is launching a major programme for surveillance, particularly space-based, in terms of electro-optical payload and synthetic aperture radar. "So, unless we prepare ourselves for future space-based systems, security is going to be a major issue," he said.
On anti-satellite (ASAT) system, Saraswat said ballistic missile defence has some elements required for ASAT. India has the capability in this area in terms of "kill vehicle", boosters and radars. But he noted that "some more building blocks are required to be developed".
However, India has no plans to demonstrate its capability in terms of killing a satellite in orbit, unlike China which undertook such a mission in 2007, saying "we don't believe in that (ASAT programme)".
Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/63232/india-developing-sub-sonic-1000.html
Wings of Sweden (Discovery Channel)
While going through some interesting aviation videos on Youtube, I found a Discovery channel episode discussing the growth of Sweden's aviation industry. With the SAAB Gripen as one of the contenders of MMRCA fighter a/c acquisition for IAF, it is good to know that we are not dealing with novices, but a very experienced fighter a/c manufacturer.
An important point made in the documentary is that SAAB a/c have traditionally been cheap to maintain and easy to fly. Also, with Sweden's extreme weather conditions and limited space, all a/c are designed to withstand harsh weather conditions. This could help the Gripen score over competition, especially after it was reported that Leh's extreme temperatures were a tough nut to crack for 4 MMRCA contenders!
To learn more about Sweden's a/c industry, see the following videos.
NOTE: Videos 4 (latter half) and 5 discuss the JAS Gripen fighter a/c.
An important point made in the documentary is that SAAB a/c have traditionally been cheap to maintain and easy to fly. Also, with Sweden's extreme weather conditions and limited space, all a/c are designed to withstand harsh weather conditions. This could help the Gripen score over competition, especially after it was reported that Leh's extreme temperatures were a tough nut to crack for 4 MMRCA contenders!
To learn more about Sweden's a/c industry, see the following videos.
NOTE: Videos 4 (latter half) and 5 discuss the JAS Gripen fighter a/c.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Lest we forget ...
For our tomorrow, they gave their today. Never make the mistake of forgetting them.
Jai Hind!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
NEWS FLASH - Jawan killed in Kashmir gunbattle
Image Source: Bharat Rakshak
SRINAGAR: A Rashtriya Rifles soldier was killed and another wounded in a gunbattle with separatist guerrillas in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, police said on Thursday.
The gunbattle started on Wednesday when joint forces, including local police, surrounded the militants hiding in Zachaldara area of Rajwar forests in the district, 78 km from here.
According to a police official, one person was killed on Wednesday while another received injuries.
"Firing is continuing. The cordon has been extended and more reinforcements have been rushed to the area," the officer said.
Source: http://toi.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Jawan-killed-in-Kashmir-gunbattle/articleshow/5773096.cms
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
1966 IAF 'bombing' of Aizwal, Mizoram - Memories of inferno still remain fresh
Image Source: The Hindu
You may read more about it here.
Now, let us go back to 1966 to an incident that shook the foundation of Indian democracy to the core. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, ordered Hunter and Toofani fighters of the IAF to destroy 'targets' the Mizo city of Aizwal (an incident which was later denied by the PMO). Various houses were destroyed, innocent civilians killed or injured and scores left homeless and seeking answers for the barbaric act. It was an ominous beginning to Mrs. Gandhi's tenure as India's first lady Prime Minister, and an approach to dealing with extremism that would eventually lead to her assassination in 1984.
Here is an article from NEWSLINK, published on March 5th, 2007, highlighting one of the versions of the story.
Memories of inferno still remain fresh
NEWSLINK Monday, March 05, 2007
Bureau report
Aizawl, March 5th, 1966: Today marks the 41st anniversary of the historic Aizawl bombardment, which had turned the once-beautiful hill town Aizawl into ashes, a few days after the declaration of the "Mizoram independence" by the Laldenga-led Mizo National Front.
While Mizoram now has emerged as one of the most peaceful states and marching ahead as one of the most developing states of India, memories of the inferno still remain with those who survived the trial by fire.
"In the afternoon of March 4 1966, a flock of jet fighters hovered over Aizawl and dropped bombs leaving a number of houses in flames. The next day, a more excessive bombing took place for several hours which left most houses in Dawrpui and Chhingaveng area in ashes," recollected 62-year-old Rothangpuia in Aizawl.
According to some records, Hunter and Toofani fighters were deployed for the Aizawl bombardment, which became the first and only aerial attack India has carried out against its own people. The fighters came from Tezpur, an IAF air base in Assam. Apart from Aizawl, Tualbung and Hnahlan villages in northeast Mizoram were bombarded. Surprisingly, there were no human casualties officially reported in any of the air raids.
"In the first wave of attack the planes used machine guns and later on used bombs. The attack came in three waves, on the second day the attack lasted for about five hours," MLA Andrew Lalherliana recounted.
According to Joe Lalhmingliana, a retired wing commander of Indian Air Force, Tezpur Air Force base - which presently hangars MIG 21 Operational Flying Training Unit (MOFTU) - was the base for the Mizoram aerial attack of March 1966.
"The Indian Air Force deployed Hunter and Toofani jet fighters to carry out the mission; it was the first time India used its air force to quell a movement of any kind among its citizens. Goa was a different story, it was a move to drive away the Portuguese," the former airman said.
Till today there has been no satisfactory answer as to why India used such excessive air force against its own citizens in order to suppress an insurgency. Surprisingly, the Mizo National Front was outlawed only later in 1968.
In the aftermath of the Aizawl air raids, two MLAs of Assam, Stanley DD Nichols Roy and Hoover H Hynniewta, came to Mizoram (then Mizo district under Assam) to see with their own eyes what happened to the people of the Mizo District and were totally shocked by what they saw. Later in April, Nichols Roy moved a motion in the Assam House on the Aizawl air attack.
"The use of excessive air force for taking Aijal (the former name of Aizawl) was excessive because you can not pinpoint from the air who is loyal and who is not loyal, who is an MNF and who is somebody pledging allegiance to the Mizo Union, the ruling party in the Mizo district," Roy was quoted as speaking to the Assam chief minister by Mizo historian JV Hluna in his book 'Debates on Mizo Problems on Insurgencies, with special reference to the contributions of Stanley DD Nichols Roy, MLA and Hoover H Hynniewta, MLA.'
JV Hluna noted that a hot debate over the Mizo issue continued in the House. Nichol Roy even referred to a statement made by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi published in the Hindusthan Standard on March 9, 1966 where the PM, answering a foreign correspondent, insisted that the air force was "deployed to drop men and supplies."
"Nichols Roy stated that whether the shells of bombs, which had been dropped in Aijal, be sent to Delhi to ask the Prime Minister, 'How do you cook this ration? If these are supplies, please tell us how you cook these things'?", JV Hluna said in his book.
Strongly condemning the use of air force, the other MLA Hynniewta produced photographs of one unexploded bomb and some fragments of exploded bombs as proof of the Aizawl air attack, which was strongly denied by the Government of India.
"We touched it, we measured it and we took photograph of it. We have fragments of the bombs. We have the testimony of hundreds of people who have heard the explosions the moment the planes flew over in Mizo Hills," Hynniewta addressed the chief minister. "If you want to suppress the MNF rebellion, ordinary bullets are sufficient. From any point of view, military, physical or economic, these weapons should never have been used," the MLA told the House.
"Given that the only sources of information regarding the insurgency in Mizoram for the outside world were the words of the Assam chief minister, the Assam chief secretary and the Prime Minister (who on the other hand denied the air attack), the contributions of the two MLAs were very notable," JV Hluna said.
Since the MNF rebels had already taken Army installations in Champhai, Lunglei and Saitual in the initial stage of the rebellion and Aizawl in danger of being overpowered, the Indian Government might have been too nervous to have second thoughts about an aerial attack on its own territory.
Toofani Fighter A/C of Sqn 29, Tezpur AFS
Image Source: Bharat Rakshak
Hunter Fighter A/C of Sqn 27, IAF
Image Source: Bharat Rakshak
The Lt Commander Rahul Nair I knew - by Sandeep Unnithan (India Today)
"Sandy! Why aren't you in Goa?" That was my friend Lt Commander Rahul Nair just a fortnight ago, wondering why I wasn't there for a red letter day in naval aviation--the raising of the first MiG-29K squadron and the navy's return to carrier-borne fast jets.
I first met Rahul Nair nearly 25 years ago. 'Chukku' was the second of four children--a short nine-year old with a mop of thick black hair. He had a tropical temperament--an infectious grin that would light his face up and a stormy temper that would cut down boys twice his size--and a heart of pure gold. Our fathers were naval officers posted on ships in Mumbai and the families visited each other often. His father, Cdr RM Nair had just returned from a posting in Nigeria with what was El Dorado in the early 1980s-a VCR, color television and a library of VHS tapes. Chukku's home was our mini movie theatre- the first Star Trek movie, The Inglorious Bastards (the Italian-English original that inspired Tarantino) and an endless supply of dubbed Chinese kung-fu flicks. Then it was the cricket matches in and around Nofra as the naval officers residential area was called. In all the gully--cricket matches we played, my bat had the singular distinction of never touching the ball. Rahul, on the other hand, was the pinch-hitter. A ferocious all-rounder who never gave up. This was because he hated losing. I once watched him verbally attack the young umpire who had declared him out. But after the match, as we said, it was all cool.
We lost touch after the Nairs moved to New Delhi. Then, nearly a decade later, while I was working as a young city reporter in the Indian Express, Mumbai, I watched as two young officers with crew cuts smartly strode into Express Towers to meet me. It was Chukku. Only that a stint in the NDA and naval academy had turned him into Sub Lieutenant Rahul Nair. He was accompanied by Sub Lieutenant Saurabh Saxena. Both were naval officers united in a passion to fly jets. They were coursemates and from all accounts, inseparable. They joked about their NDA days--you can spot them somewhere in the cadet army that made up the backdrop for the Amitabh Bachchan-Ajay Devgan film Major Saab. The film was a terrible rip-off of An Officer and a Gentleman and Rahul fumed about having to sit in winter ceremonials for the mess scene in the middle of the Pune summer because the director felt it would look good. Rahul then moved on to train with the IAF to fly MiG-21s out of Chabua. In 2002, a crash of a twin-seat MiG-21 trainer kept us on tenterhooks. They never recovered the pilots of that unfortunate aircraft. "Sandy, I'm safe. But we lost two good pilots," that was Rahul calling back to say he was ok. Those lines would be repeated by his colleagues with tragic familiarity years later.
He relocated to Goa nearly five years back to fly with the newly raised Sagar Pawan aerobatics team and my visits to Goa were never complete without lunch or dinner with Lakshmi and Rahul. And three years back I saw his young son Rohaan, a spitting image of his father. Rahul took me around Indian Naval Air Squadron INAS 551, explained the workings of the Kiran Mark 2 trainer and his love for flying. We met and spoke frequently over the past five years, joked about the odds of two people having similarly named wives, mothers and fathers--Lakshmi, Saraswathy, Vijaykrishnan / Radhakrishnan.
But these were not exactly the best years for naval aviation. Some good pilots died in a spate of Sea Harrier crashes. Each time we spoke, the topic of the conversation inevitably veered around to that of crashes and the gloom over the squadron. Lt Cdr Pannu didn't make it but Cdr Vikram Menon miraculously survived a second crash. And then, in August last year, it was Lt Cdr Saurabh Saxena. Rahul was in tears. They called Saurabh's Harrier crash, Controlled Flying into Terrain or CFIT. A terse, sterile acronymn for a tragic horrible end. I had my doubts about continuing to fly ageing aircraft like the Harriers and Kirans, but for Rahul there was never any doubt. Flying was his passion, his hobby. He would continue to fly for as long as he could.
On Wednesday afternoon, I switched on to watch the TV channels breathlessly telecasting a Kiran Mk 2 spiraling out of control into a building. I froze. I dialed Rahul. His cellphone was switched off. Nobody could tell me the names of the pilots. My mother called in sobbing. Chukku was no more. He had died bailing out of the aircraft. He never gave up to the very end.
Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/87064/India/The+Lt+Commander+Rahul+Nair+I+knew.html
I first met Rahul Nair nearly 25 years ago. 'Chukku' was the second of four children--a short nine-year old with a mop of thick black hair. He had a tropical temperament--an infectious grin that would light his face up and a stormy temper that would cut down boys twice his size--and a heart of pure gold. Our fathers were naval officers posted on ships in Mumbai and the families visited each other often. His father, Cdr RM Nair had just returned from a posting in Nigeria with what was El Dorado in the early 1980s-a VCR, color television and a library of VHS tapes. Chukku's home was our mini movie theatre- the first Star Trek movie, The Inglorious Bastards (the Italian-English original that inspired Tarantino) and an endless supply of dubbed Chinese kung-fu flicks. Then it was the cricket matches in and around Nofra as the naval officers residential area was called. In all the gully--cricket matches we played, my bat had the singular distinction of never touching the ball. Rahul, on the other hand, was the pinch-hitter. A ferocious all-rounder who never gave up. This was because he hated losing. I once watched him verbally attack the young umpire who had declared him out. But after the match, as we said, it was all cool.
We lost touch after the Nairs moved to New Delhi. Then, nearly a decade later, while I was working as a young city reporter in the Indian Express, Mumbai, I watched as two young officers with crew cuts smartly strode into Express Towers to meet me. It was Chukku. Only that a stint in the NDA and naval academy had turned him into Sub Lieutenant Rahul Nair. He was accompanied by Sub Lieutenant Saurabh Saxena. Both were naval officers united in a passion to fly jets. They were coursemates and from all accounts, inseparable. They joked about their NDA days--you can spot them somewhere in the cadet army that made up the backdrop for the Amitabh Bachchan-Ajay Devgan film Major Saab. The film was a terrible rip-off of An Officer and a Gentleman and Rahul fumed about having to sit in winter ceremonials for the mess scene in the middle of the Pune summer because the director felt it would look good. Rahul then moved on to train with the IAF to fly MiG-21s out of Chabua. In 2002, a crash of a twin-seat MiG-21 trainer kept us on tenterhooks. They never recovered the pilots of that unfortunate aircraft. "Sandy, I'm safe. But we lost two good pilots," that was Rahul calling back to say he was ok. Those lines would be repeated by his colleagues with tragic familiarity years later.
He relocated to Goa nearly five years back to fly with the newly raised Sagar Pawan aerobatics team and my visits to Goa were never complete without lunch or dinner with Lakshmi and Rahul. And three years back I saw his young son Rohaan, a spitting image of his father. Rahul took me around Indian Naval Air Squadron INAS 551, explained the workings of the Kiran Mark 2 trainer and his love for flying. We met and spoke frequently over the past five years, joked about the odds of two people having similarly named wives, mothers and fathers--Lakshmi, Saraswathy, Vijaykrishnan / Radhakrishnan.
But these were not exactly the best years for naval aviation. Some good pilots died in a spate of Sea Harrier crashes. Each time we spoke, the topic of the conversation inevitably veered around to that of crashes and the gloom over the squadron. Lt Cdr Pannu didn't make it but Cdr Vikram Menon miraculously survived a second crash. And then, in August last year, it was Lt Cdr Saurabh Saxena. Rahul was in tears. They called Saurabh's Harrier crash, Controlled Flying into Terrain or CFIT. A terse, sterile acronymn for a tragic horrible end. I had my doubts about continuing to fly ageing aircraft like the Harriers and Kirans, but for Rahul there was never any doubt. Flying was his passion, his hobby. He would continue to fly for as long as he could.
On Wednesday afternoon, I switched on to watch the TV channels breathlessly telecasting a Kiran Mk 2 spiraling out of control into a building. I froze. I dialed Rahul. His cellphone was switched off. Nobody could tell me the names of the pilots. My mother called in sobbing. Chukku was no more. He had died bailing out of the aircraft. He never gave up to the very end.
Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/87064/India/The+Lt+Commander+Rahul+Nair+I+knew.html
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Air Force gives Gripen fighter a second chance
Image Courtesy: http://www.canit.se
Business Standard had reported, on March 9, that Gripen International had sent older Gripen-D fighters for trials because the Gripen NG was held back in Sweden for improvements for the Swedish Air Force. Technically, that was a violation of the terms of the competition.
But senior IAF officers have told Business Standard that they would not allow a legalistic interpretation of rules to narrow their options. Explains a senior air marshal who is involved in the decision-making, “We have a time window until the middle of this year, during which each of the six fighters in the tender are undergoing three stages of trials and inspections. As long as the Gripen NG is ready for trials within that period, we will evaluate the aircraft. All six vendors will have a level-playing field”.
Besides the Gripen NG, the other fighters being evaluated by the IAF are — the F/A-18 Super Hornet; the F-16IN Super Viper; the Dassault Rafale; the Eurofighter Typhoon; and the MiG-35. While all but the MiG-35 are already in service, the Gripen NG is still under development. Just a single ‘demonstrator’ aircraft has been built to prove its capabilities. Next year, Gripen will build the first Gripen NG prototype.
Gripen International has welcomed the MoD’s decision. Gripen’s India campaign head, Eddy de la Motte, told Business Standard, “Our plan was always to bring the (Gripen NG) demonstrator to India. The Swedish government’s sudden tasking is being completed right now. We will soon be ready to go to India and we will provide the IAF with maximum opportunity to evaluate the fighter”.
The first of these opportunities will come next week, when an IAF team travels to Sweden to evaluate the Gripen’s firing of a ‘Beyond Visual Range’ air-to-air missile. It is learnt that Gripen International will make the Gripen NG demonstrator available to IAF pilots, if they wish to fly it in Sweden next week. If the IAF accepts the offer, it will be the first time an Indian pilot flies the Gripen NG, albeit with a Swedish ‘safety pilot’ in the rear cockpit.
While Gripen International expresses confidence in their fighter, it now faces trials in conditions hotter (and, therefore, more unfavourable) than all the other contenders. IAF sources reveal that the Gripen-D performed well in last month’s trials; despite that, the Gripen NG will be put through a full battery of tests, including high altitude testing in Ladakh.
The Gripen NG is significantly more capable than the Gripen-D. It has a more powerful GE-414 engine; it carries more fuel and, therefore, has greater range; and, with 10 hard points for weaponry, the Gripen NG has extra teeth. It will also come with a new AESA radar, electronic warfare equipment, and upgraded avionics.
Senior IAF officers, while happy with these features, also highlight the Gripen NG’s downside: A high level of US electronics, weaponry, and the GE-414 engine. And, the F-16IN and the Gripen NG are the only two single-engine aircraft in the contest, which places them at a disadvantage in terms of reliability.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/air-force-gives-gripen-fightersecond-chance/390634/
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