Indian Defense
India Deploys US Weapons To Fortify Disputed Border With China
Chinook helicopters, towed howitzers and rifles as well as domestically-made supersonic cruise missiles and a new-age surveillance system will back Indian troops in areas bordering eastern Tibet
India has deployed recently acquired US-made weaponry along its border with China, part of a new offensive force to bolster its capabilities as the countries remain deadlocked over disputed territory in the Himalayas.
The build-up in India’s northeast is centred on the Tawang Plateau adjoining Bhutan and Tibet, a piece of land claimed by China but controlled by India. It holds historical political and military significance: In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India across nearby mountain passes to escape a Chinese military operation. Three years later, both sides fought a war in the area.
Now US-manufactured Chinook helicopters, ultra-light towed howitzers and rifles as well as domestically-made supersonic cruise missiles and a new-age surveillance system will back Indian troops in areas bordering eastern Tibet. The weapons have all been acquired in the past few years as defence ties between the US and India have strengthened due to rising concerns about Chinese assertiveness.
Indian military personnel escorted a group of reporters through the region last week to highlight the country’s new offensive capabilities. Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Manoj Pande said that boots, armour, artillery and air support were being combined to make the force “agile, lean and mean so that we can employ faster.”
“The Mountain Strike Corps is fully operationalised,” he said. “All units including combat and combat support units are fully raised and equipped.”
India has moved to bolster its defences along the border with China after the worst fighting in decades last year led to the deaths of at least 20 Indian army personnel and four Chinese soldiers. While the two sides have engaged in talks to disengage, they have yet to agree on pulling back from a key flashpoint in another border area near the disputed area of Kashmir.
India’s deployments show a frustration with the lack of progress on talks with China, said Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. “That we are looking at a second winter engaged at the border explains why India needs to work on building its capabilities and infrastructure at the border and source more equipment from partners like the US,” she said.
Adding to the friction is a new Chinese boundary law that Beijing said was a “unified standard for strengthening border management.” India warned that the new law, passed last week, could affect ongoing border tensions, which China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said was “undue speculation.”
The bulk of India’s fresh forces have gone to the east, where a formation of least 30,000 troops have been deployed over the past year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been concerned about a repeat of a bitter 1962 battle in the Himalayas, when the People’s Liberation Army took Tawang as the under-prepared and poorly led Indian Army withdrew. Unused bunkers and war memorials still dot the lone road that connects Tawang to the plains below.
India now wants to use the area to “punch” China if necessary, according to a senior military commander familiar with the situation. The area is crucial to India’s defences, as the borders stretching east to Myanmar are “poorly held” and the narrow corridor passing by Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh — which holds gas pipelines and railroads connecting central India to the northeast — is of “critical concern,” the commander said.
The Indian army’s offensive option along the Tawang Plateau, which is in the middle of those areas, would allow India to counter China as it steps up military activity in the area. General Pande said there was a “marginal increase in Chinese patrols in the eastern sector along the Line of Actual Control,” a disputed but de facto boundary between the two countries that runs along the Himalayas.
The LAC is patrolled by India and China, although General Pande said the scale and duration of PLA troop exercises on their side have increased since the stand-off in the eastern area of Ladakh last year. India has “adequate number of troops available,” the general said, without giving numbers.
`Game Changer’
A newly raised Indian Army aviation brigade, based about 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Tawang, forms a critical component of the new offensive plan. This was the same base that US aviators took off from to fight the Japanese Imperial Army in China and assist the nationalist forces there in World War II.
The Indian aviation brigade is now equipped with Chinook helicopters, which can ferry US-made light howitzers and troops quickly across mountains. It also has Israeli-made unmanned aerial vehicles that relay real-time pictures of the adversary round the clock.
“The Chinook are a game changer,” said Major Kartik, a pilot in the newly-formed brigade. “They offer mobility and manoeuvrability like never before — troops and artillery guns can be carried from one mountain ridge to other quickly.”
The preparations go beyond just boots and new equipment. Engineers in India are digging the world’s longest two-lane tunnel, which is 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) above sea level and runs underneath a critical mountain pass currently accessible by a 317-kilometer meandering road to the disputed border.
Strategic Tunnel
Construction is ahead of schedule and the structure will be operational by next June, said Colonel Prakshit Mehra, a project director of the tunnel. “Currently snow clearance of the pass requires massive effort, and even then only certain kind of vehicles can cross,” he said. “The tunnel will reduce travel time by hours, allowing faster and unhindered movement of troops round the year.”
The tunnel, once operationalised, ensures that India can move its troops without detection from China, according to a senior military commander who asked not to be identified.
A new road has been constructed close to the disputed border to move troops and supplies. A second one running along the eastern borders of Bhutan connecting the disputed border to the plains below is nearly complete, throwing up more possibilities for military commanders.
“We are more comfortable than what we were a few years ago,” said Major General Zubin A. Minwalla, commander of the 5-Mountain Division of the Indian Army.
Indian Defense
INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’
![INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’ INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZma1qWeuxixzWQNFcr4E4SAi5H75pCMZo9JakaQJiVRexORL1lXrVoTdk5qG1ZDkW-5fVJWE_6fplkC26hngBLsrFykHim9DHPap9wRCkdY_N749Uwptd47uWs05vhF6gG2R0rXxDyTUddYLuUH9busYEaBLNDmJXJB8Izz9Z5EOpYw7OAPC62TlOJLY/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/K-4_Submarine_Launched_Missile.jpg)
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.
![](https://i0.wp.com/blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19SGuw5MDtceMDoa0iWWc6lzi_A9iQxNxQL85xBe_cjW19y1MJH_m0JQ6re1ywjpNTyBFKdBQ1cjAHGjteRJrEPDtiAPFF-PKnijwEJh4DyiJ0hcmhl2qzNMeyknnFjFoZlJF4ldSscTnJ67yEy9G1O_gsd9vkL3I9rg19smXdVkwIddBSPQJV9Y3QaQ/s16000/K-4_Submarine_Launched_Ballistic_Missile_SLBM.jpg?w=740&ssl=1)
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.
Indian Defense
After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%
![After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78% After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gqEMaVLWzwfWoT_TYd9Nq6l_8hzGBwBcYv73-7NyZhMMOVESTbGDkgJ3-och4WjuFOk_g77IqZ4X6X0w9rasItBPQV8nZJXEL4XLy-DjFQbSXdhAkkJnJ3LDFF89t6DWWfsoaB0lH44jZtimqJ1gcelysqmbPAMJE5dRUMhjbOYBH2TG5D8BUPiwQHU/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/Sukhoi_Su30MKI_Fighter_1.jpg)
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.
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.
Indian Defense
Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace
![Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DIV1319opVfF8xXfP0sNkvUWwmHz1_Z_uMnNlj6rmFdhUAIsZ3TlJ-SweWhTSzvDmv3bGOZBeWERJE6U8S2Va_JDYmX2_SVcIpjshN1r7OE_efYIvjPOmD0npIS3qa1DhofPsHi41veOUyKwhAGftQmO3iSnldJoWS-JOaTYn8iUKxo4JC7XcN-AZpI/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/Akash_Air_Defence_Missile_1.jpg)
According to unconfirmed reports, Armenia is a top contender for an export order for Akash SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
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.
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