Indian Defense
With Taliban In Power, Pakistan, China Change Military Commanders Overseeing Borders With India
Indian military establishment go into a huddle to fine-tune its strategy
With the Taliban coming back to power in Afghanistan, Pakistan and China have changed their military commanders, overseeing borders with India. The abrupt change of guard on its northern and western borders has forced the Indian military establishment to go into a huddle to fine-tune its strategy regarding its critical borders.
On Tuesday, Pakistan Army announced the appointment of a new commander for its Rawalpindi-based 10 Corps, which is responsible for the security of Line of Control along India border. While Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza has been posted as the commander, Rawalpindi Corps, Lieutenant General Muhammad Chiragh Haider, has been given the responsibility of the Multan Corps, which is one of the main strike Corps of the Pakistan Army.
Reshuffle in the Pakistan military happened days after Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed met with Taliban co-founder and deputy prime minister in the new Taliban government in Afghanistan, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
India and Pakistan military are following the ceasefire agreement since February along the border.
Meanwhile, China appointed Gen Wang Haijiang as the new commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s Western Theatre Command, overseeing borders with India. He is the fourth commander to head the Western Theatre Command in the last ten months. Gen Haijiang replaces Xu Qiling who was only promoted to the post in July. It is notable that Chinese President Xi Jinping, who heads the Central Military Commission (CMC)—the overall high command of the Chinese military—visited Tibet in July this year. Observers of the Chinese military claim that repeated change of guard in the Western Theatre Command, which is the PLA’s biggest theatre command, reflects Chinese leadership’s displeasure over tackling of Sino-Indian border situation.
Xi Jinping, on Tuesday, promoted five officers, including Commander of the PLA WTC Wang Haijiang, Commander of the PLA Central Theatre Command Lin Xiangyang, Commander of the PLA Navy Dong Jun and Commander of the PLA Air Force Chang Dingqiu and President of PLA National Defence University Xu Xueqiang.
Armies of India and China have been engaged in a standoff on certain friction points in the disputed territory in eastern Ladakh. Despite multiple rounds of military and diplomatic negotiations, both sides have not yielded complete disengagement. In the last military commander’s talk, which happened on July 31, both sides agreed to disengage from the area of Gogra, which is Patrolling Point 17 A. The troops in this area have been in a face-off situation since May last year. But Depsang and Demchok flashpoints are yet to be resolved.
The Indian military is also apprehensive that with the Taliban back in control, there is a possibility of spill over of terror.
A key defence ministry official observed that “Islamic State Khorasan and Al-Qaeda in South Asia consider India as the main target. We had an experience. When Taliban was in power, all terror groups were flourished under their patronage.”
Major General Shashi Asthana (Retd), chief instructor at United Service Institution of India and strategic and security analyst, believes that India’s preparedness on LAC should continue as hither-to-fore. “Taliban’s rise doesn’t pose any territorial threat to India, but an ideological threat from fundamentalist elements, who may get encouraged by voices of extremism and launch wolf warrior attacks,” he said.
Indian Defense
INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’
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.
Indian Defense
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.
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
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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