Connect with us

Indian Defense

Army, Navy And Air Force Chiefs Yet To Arrive At Consensus On Proposed Theatre Commands

Published

on

Army, Navy And Air Force Chiefs Yet To Arrive At Consensus On Proposed Theatre Commands

The Narendra Modi govt has formed an expert committee to carry out consultations with the three services to decide the way forward on the Theaterisation of the military

The chiefs of the army, navy and the air force are yet to arrive at a consensus on the proposed theatre commands of the armed forces as the Indian Air Force is said to have apprehensions about the plan, sources in the defence ministry said on Thursday.

A defence ministry official said the Narendra Modi government had last week asked the tri-services chiefs to hold threadbare discussions to iron out the differences and arrive at a consensus. “Last week, the Centre asked the three services chiefs to hold discussions with chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat on the planned integrated theatre commands of the three armed forces and iron out the differences. The tri-services chiefs are not on the same page on the issue,” a defence ministry official said.

Earlier this month, Gen. Rawat’s statement that the IAF was a “supporting arm” in the planned integrated theatre commands had triggered a controversy and acrimony at the higher echelons of the military leadership. Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria had disagreed with Gen. Rawat and said “airpower has a huge role”.

Sources said as soon as the three chiefs agreed to the Centre’s proposal, a draft note would be sent to the cabinet committee on security for approving the creation of the theatre commands.

The Narendra Modi government has formed an expert committee to carry out consultations with the three services to decide the way forward on the Theaterisation of the military. Gen. Rawat has been given the task to facilitate restructuring of the military commands for optimal utilisation of resources through the establishment of unified theatre commands.

Theaterisation means putting specific numbers of personnel from each of the three services under a common commander for a unified military approach through a rationalisation of manpower and resources.

“The air force has reservations about unified commands because of its limited resources compared with the army’s. The IAF does not want to split its assets, which are fewer than the army’s,” said another defence ministry official.

The IAF is also believed to have contended that the nature of its operations is so fluid that all of India is one theatre for it. It is also said to have issues over who would lead the theatres.

Sources said the plan was to have five theatre commands. Each will have units of the army, navy and the air force, and all of them will work as a single entity, looking after specified geographical territories under an operational commander.

Currently, the three armed forces have 19 commands, each assigned exclusively to one among the three forces. Sources in the government said the theatre commands were being set up under the larger mandate of ensuring synergy among the tri-services chiefs to deal with security challenges.

There have been differences over the planned Theaterisation amid fears that the senior positions would be taken over by the army, the largest among the three services. The army brass, who are in favour of Theaterisation, contend that multiple commands lead to confusion. They cite the example of China, which has a single Western Theatre Command for the entire Indian frontier.

On the other hand, India’s army alone has four commands on the China frontier — northern, western (which mainly looks after the Pakistan front), central and eastern. The IAF has three commands for the China frontier.

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Indian Defense

INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’

Published

on

By

INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’


NEW DELHI: India tested its nuclear capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), designed to have a strike range of 3,500 km, for the second time in six days on Friday. The missile test, as the one conducted on January 19, was undertaken from an undersea platform in the shape of a submersible pontoon off the coast of Andhra Pradesh according to a report by Rajat Pandit of TOI.

The solid-fuelled K-4 missile is being developed by DRDO to arm the country’s nuclear-powered submarines in the shape of INS Arihant and its under-development sister vessels. INS Arihant, which became fully operational in November 2018 to complete India’s nuclear triad, is currently armed with the much shorter K-15 missiles with a 750 km range.

“The K-4 is now virtually ready for its serial production to kick-off. The two tests have demonstrated its capability to emerge straight from underwater and undertake its parabolic trajectory,” said a source.

India has the land-based Agni missiles, with the over 5,000-km Agni-V inter-continental ballistic missile now in the process of being inducted, and fighter jets jury-rigged to deliver nuclear weapons. But INS Arihant gives the country’s deterrence posture much more credibility because nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles are considered the most secure, survivable and potent platforms for retaliatory strikes.

Once the K-4 missiles are inducted, they will help India narrow the gap with countries like the US, Russia and China, which have over 5,000-km range SLBMs. The K-4 missiles are to be followed by the K-5 and K-6 missiles in the 5,000-6,000 km range class.

The 6,000-ton INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, in turn, is to be followed by INS Arighat, which was launched in 2017. The next generation of nuclear submarines, currently called S-4 and S-4*, will be much larger in size.





Source link

Continue Reading

Indian Defense

After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%

Published

on

By

After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%


India has received clearance to upgrade 84 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets, which will result in 78% indigenization after the upgrade

In a significant step towards bolstering its military might with indigenously developed technology, India is poised to witness its Russian-origin Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets evolve into a domestic platform. Speaking at a recent lecture.

The upgrade program is being led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in partnership with the Indian Air Force and other partners. The upgrade is expected to cost US$7.5 billion.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the upgrade. The upgrade is part of India’s efforts to improve the capabilities of its primary fighter aircraft, it refers to as the “Super Sukhoi”.

This initiative is a part of a larger effort by the Indian Air Force to modernize its ageing fleet. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari asserted the critical role of an offensive air force as demonstrated in current global conflicts and emphasized India’s move towards an indigenized arsenal. To this end, the IAF has been proactive, from upgrading its Mirage 2000 to enhancing its MiG-29 fleet.

In summary, the IAF’s commitment to updating their combat forces with the latest technology, including shifting to fifth-generation fighter jets, ensures operational preparedness and a strong deterrence capability. The gradual indigenization of its air fleet marks a pivotal shift in India’s defence landscape, reducing dependency on foreign imports and fostering technological sovereignty.





Source link

Continue Reading

Indian Defense

Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace

Published

on

By

Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace


According to unconfirmed reports, Armenia is a top contender for an export order for Akash SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

While there is no official confirmation because of the sensitivities involved, documents suggest that the order for the same has already been placed the report further added.
There are nine countries, in turn, which have shown interest in the indigenously-developed Akash missile systems, which can intercept hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a range of 25-km. They are Kenya, Philippines, Indonesia, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Vietnam and Algeria reported TOI.

The Akash export version will also be slightly different from the one inducted by the armed forces. The 100-km range air-to-air Astra missiles, now entering production after successful trials from Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, also have “good export potential”, said sources.

Akash is a “tried, tested and successfully inducted systems”. Indian armed forces have ordered Akash systems worth Rs 24,000 crore over the years, and MoD inked a contract in Mar 2023 of over Rs 9,100 crores for improved Akash Weapon System

BDL is a government enterprise under the Ministry of Defence that was established in 1970. BDL manufactures surface-to-air missiles and delivers them to the Indian Army. BDL also offers its products for export.

Akash Weapon System

The AWS is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Air Defence System, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In order to meet aerial threats, two additional Regiments of AWS with Upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the Northern borders. Improved AWS has Seeker Technology, Reduced Foot Print, 360° Engagement Capability and improved environmental parameters.

The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. The project has overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.

The induction of the improved AWS into the Indian Army will increase India’s self-reliance in Short Range Missile capability. This project will play a role in boosting the overall economy by avoiding outgo of precious foreign exchange to other countries, increasing employment avenues in India and encouraging Indian MSMEs through components manufacturing. Around 60% of the project cost will be awarded to the private industry, including MSMEs, in maintaining the supply chain of the weapon system, thereby creating large scale of direct and indirect employment.





Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2017 Zox News Theme. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by WordPress.