Indian Defense
India Trying To Claw Back Ground Lost To China In Sri Lanka
Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla prays at the temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla is on a visit to Colombo, while the Indian and Lankan armies will be undertaking a military drill
Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla is on a visit to Colombo and an Indian Army contingent will start a military drill with the Sri Lankan Army on Monday as New Delhi is trying to claw back the ground it lost to China in the neighbouring Indian Ocean island nation.
Shringla is likely to call on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Foreign Minister G L Peiris during his stay in Colombo, apart from having a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Jayanath Colombage.
He arrived in Colombo late on Saturday and formally commenced his visit on Sunday, with a tour to the oil storage facility built in Trincomalee during World War II and a temple containing Lord Buddha’s relics in Kandy. He also visited Jaffna, the capital of Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority Northern Province, where the Government of India is funding development of an airport in Palaly. He announced that New Delhi would provide funds for maintenance of the Jaffna Cultural Centre for five years.
An all-arms contingent of 120 personnel of the Indian Army also arrived in the island nation to take part in the exercise, Mitra Shakti, along with a battalion of the Sri Lankan Army from Monday. The aim of the exercise is to promote close relations between the armed forces of the two countries and enhance interoperability and to share best practices in counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations, the Ministry of Defence stated in New Delhi.
The exercise will involve tactical level operations at sub unit level in an international Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism environment and will go a long way in further strengthening the relationship between both the South Asian Nations and will act as a catalyst in bringing synergy and cooperation at grass root level between both Armies.
The Foreign Secretary’s visit comes just days after India’s Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Limited clinched a $700 million deal with Sri Lanka Ports Authority to develop and operate the West Container Terminal of the Colombo Port. The deal was significant as the Sri Lankan government had a few months back scrapped a trilateral agreement it had signed with the governments of India and Japan for development of the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port.
New Delhi suspects that Sri Lanka scrapped the East Container Terminal deal due to pressure from China, although the government led by Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa maintained that it was cancelled in view of the protests by the port workers.
The government led by the Rajapaksas earlier this year got Sri Lankan Parliament pass the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill, which drew flak for allegedly allowing China to set up a colony in Sri Lanka undermining the sovereignty of the country.
Shringla’s visit to World-War-II-era oil storage tanks in Trincomalee on Sunday was also significant. The Sri Lankan government had leased out the tanks to the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) – a subsidiary of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) – in 2003.
The LIOC worked on 14 tanks in the “Lower Tank Farm”, but 84 tanks in the “Upper Tank Farm” remained undeveloped and unused.
The LIOC officials briefed the Foreign Secretary about “the development undertaken at the Lower Tank Farm and the possibilities for further strengthening India-Sri Lanka energy partnership to enhance SL’s energy security”, according to a tweet by the High Commission of India in Colombo.
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.
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.
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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