Marching ahead

''It’s a quantum leap in missile technology.''

The successful launch of the Agni-IV missile from the Odisha coast has taken India to the doors of the exclusive inter-continental ballistic missile  (ICBM) club. Scientists and engineers of the Defence Research and Development Organisation  (DRDO) and other agencies associated with the programme and the country at large can be proud of the achievement. Though the working of the DRDO has generally left much to be desired, it has done good work in some areas. Development of missile technology is one of them. The development and improvement of missile technology has paralleled the progress made in the refinement of space technology which has helped the country to become a member of the space club also. This is no surprise because the technologies are related. The success of Agni-IV has set the stage for the launch of Agni-V, which is expected to be tested in February. Agni-V will mark a quantum leap because it will be an ICBM with a range of over 5000 km. There has been a steady progress from a small technology demonstrator missile based on SLV-3 through various versions like Agni-II and Agni-III  to the present stage.  Agni-III, tested in 2007, has a range of over 3500 km and Agni-IV is bigger and has a longer range. The proposed next version will not only have a longer range but will also have systems that provide better navigation and greater accuracy. Agni-V missiles can carry multiple nuclear warheads and can be transported by road and launched from mobile platforms. All this makes it an effective deterrent. After Agni-V is tested, it will take about three years for it to be made operational and inducted into the armed forces. With Agni-V about to be a reality, it is sometimes noted that India will have the capability to strike even the farthest part of China in the event of hostilities. While this may be true this only has a theoretical value because no one expects a clash with China or any other country. India has a nuclear doctrine which has willingly abjured first use. There is also a cap on the range of missiles in the present strategic environment.  But the missile programme, as it is envisaged now, is necessary to protect the growing economic and other interests of the country.

DRDO lab looks for private players to develop tank equipment

Almost two years after the DRDO acknowledged a successful development of the Counter Mine Flail (CMF) on the ageing T-72 Ajeya battle tank platform, city-based DRDO laboratory Research and Development Engineers (R&DE), developer of CMF, has been looking for private players to develop the same.

CMF - an equipment that detonates anti-tank/anti-personnel mines - has been under development for about five years and was tested in 2009 on T- 72 platform, though with a few lacunae. DRDO sources said it was decided to start the development procedure all over again to make it compatible with other platforms such as MBT Arjun which is under development and is supposed to replace the ageing T-72 fleet.

Speaking to The Indian Express, R&DE director S Guruprasad said, “R&DE has been working closely with the Army on the development of CMF. We had successfully tested the equipment in 2009. The project is of extreme importance to the Army and they had replied with a few suggestions such as the width of the track to be cleared. We decided to make the equipment platform independent. Which means that rather than being limited to T- 72, it would be possible to integrate it with MBT Arjun, though with few modifications.” The development is expected to take about a year after the private developer is identified. He said the private player is more of a backup plan and the development would be done by R&DE.

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The new equipment will be designed to clear safe 4.5-metre wide lane for the passage of Armoured vehicles/ personnel by detonating anti-tank/ anti-personnel mines buried up to a depth of at least 30 cm with the help of hydraulically operated hammers. Equipped with GPS and periscope, the equipment will also have a marking system which with the help of LED poles can mark safe lanes in the battle zone after having disabled the mines laid by the enemy. Ideally, the equipment would also include 7.62 mm PKT machine gun, 12.7 mm anti-aircraft gun and smoke grenade dispenser, besides being Nuclear- Biological-Chemical protected.A retired brigadier of the Armoured Corps, on the condition of anonymity, said, “The disconnect between the DRDO and the Armed Forces lies in the developmental delays from the DRDO side. Invariably, if the DRDO continues to give us the end-product five years later than when we want it, the specifications are bound to undergo change. This cycle of suggestions then triggers a new development cycle and the vicious circle continues.”

India goes shopping for a new assault rifle

Rahul Bedi 

Rahul Bedi reports on the defence ministry's decision to seek a long-pending replacement for the INSAS assault rifle for its troops

The Ministry of Defence has issued a tender for the import of 66,000 5.56 mm assault rifle for an estimated $250 million (Rs 13,000 crore) to replace the locally-designed Indian Small Arms System 5.56 mm AR, which the army has reluctantly employed since the mid-1990s.

The Request for Proposal dispatched to over 40 overseas vendors last month -- with bids to be submitted by mid-Feb 2012 -- requires the 3.66 kg AR's to convert to 7.62x39 mm and be fitted with Picatiny Rail-mounted reflex sights.

The ARs would also need to be equipped with under-barrel grenade launchers and be able to fire locally-produced ammunition.

The RfP also mandates a transfer of technology to the State-owned Ordnance Factory Board to locally make the ARs of which the eventual requirement is expected to be around 2 million for the army, the central paramilitary forces and state police in a massive programme estimated at $2-3 billion.Armament industry officials, however, said that the exclusion of the private sector from this potential contract was at variance with the MoD's much publicised aim of privatising the monopolistic State-run military-industrial sector.  

The imported ARs would supplant the INSAS 5.56 mm AR, which the army had inducted into service some 15 years and employed in counter-insurgency operations but consistently found it operationally inadequate.   

The army's association with the INSAS AR programme has been turbulent and problematic.

For long it had objected to the Defence Research and Development Organisation-designed and OFB-built INSAS 5.56 mm AR introduced into service in the mid-1990s to replace the heavier and outmoded range of 7.62mm FNFAL self-loading rifles.

But despite protestations centred round the INSAS ARs sights that malfunctioned in cold regions and its firing mechanism that jammed at critical times, the army was 'persuaded' by the MoD to induct the rifle that took the DRDO nearly a decade to design and the OFB another four to build.  

But frontline infantry and Rashtriya Rifles units deployed on counter-insurgency duties preferred the tested Kalishnikov-designed 7.62 mm AK 47 of which 100,000 were imported from Bulgaria in 1995 for $ 8.3 million as a 'stop gap' measure till the INSAS AR became operational. 

And more recently in 2002 the army imported 3,070 Israeli Weapon Industries' 5.56 mm Tavor 21 AR (TAR 21s) for its Special Forces for around $ 20 million that were inducted into service 2008 onwards.

A contract for an additional 10,000 TAR-21's with reflex sights for newly raised paramilitary SF units is nearing fruition.

ISRO to inter-connect 5,000 Assam middle schools

It will set up an education centre in Guwahati and involve British Council to improve teaching methodology of teachers in English Middle schools

Submitted on 11/28/2011 - 09:33:22 AM

Guwahati: Assam government is taking help of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and British Council to link its Middle English schools across the state and improving their education teaching skills.

The State Education Department has tied up with the ISRO for setting up an education centre in Guwahati linking about 5,000 Middle English schools to impart effective teaching skills. The steps are aimed at improving Science and English education skills in the school.

Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Once the system is in place teachings at the Guwahati centre can be viewed in all schools by installing a terminal and television set.”

This will enable the teachers to improve their teaching methodology. It will also help us in overcoming the growing shortage of teachers in important subjects like mathematics and science at the primary school level by using the technology, the Minister said.

Sarma said an access control system would be put in place to ensure proper attendance of teachers under the Axom Sarba Siksha Abhijan.

“Fingerprints will be recorded when a teacher enters and exits a school. Those found short of a minimum of five hours of duty would be penalised by way of cuts in salary and other disciplinary action,” he said.

The state government has also an memorandum of understanding with the British Council to enhance the English spelling, reading and writing skills for primary teachers from Classes I to V.
Sarma said about 1,000 primary schoolteachers would be initially imparted training in English and they would later provide training to other school teachers.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that the steps were taken as part of government’s commitment to provide quality education to children of the state studying in government-run schools and prepare them for challenges in life.
—iGovernment Bureau

Army to Commence Ex Sudarshan Shakti in Rajasthan

Thousands of Indian soldiers in tanks and fighter jets are getting ready for manoeuvres in the Desert sector near the border for the long-scheduled exercise SUDARSHAN SHAKTI, which will showcase the might of Indian Army. Approximately 50,000 troops along with T-90, T-72, Arjun Tanks and BMPs will carry out simulated assaults on their objectives with the Artillery and IAF providing the support.

Exercise Sudarshan Shakti, will be witnessed by the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces, HE, the President of India, Mrs Pratibha Devisingh Patil on the 05 December. The President will be accompanied by the Raksha Mantri, Mr AK Antony, Chief of Army Staff, General VK Singh, and other senior dignitaries. 

"This exercise will be a trendsetter for the Integrated Theatre Concept". The transformation of the force is at making the Army a more agile, versatile, lethal and networked force. In this exercise, we will be trying out new structures, strategies, and test beds of an integrated, seamless air-land battle." 

Veerendra/Dhup/Ganesh 

Major security exercise along State's coast today

A multi-agency police force apart from the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard will undertake a major exercise along the 320-km Karnataka coastline from 6 a.m. on Monday to study the preparedness of the security forces in combating terrorism.

This is the first systematic exercise being undertaken by the various wings of the Union Home and Defence ministries along with the State police to prevent a repeat of what happened in Mumbai in November 2008. The State police have undertaken exercises on a limited scale over the past two years and the present exercise is based on directions from the Centre. There are nine States and two Union Territories in the country, with a coastline, and all of them have been asked to carry out tests on preparedness in warding off terror attacks.

Top officials of the State Government who participated in a meeting prior to the commencement of the exercise toldThe Hinduthat it was a joint exercise of the State and the Union governments to evaluate their preparedness in dealing with potential infiltration bids along the State's coast. The 36-hour drill will conclude at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and has been called ‘Sagar Kavach'.

The sources said a group of 12 men, comprising police personnel and some fishermen (“terrorists” in the present exercise) were, early on Sunday, been dropped around 25 nautical miles from the Mangalore coast. They have been provided with a trawler, navigation and communication equipment etc. They have also been provided with food to last two days. Prior to being dropped they were told to land anywhere along the State's coastline from Karwar to Mangalore.

The group of men involved in the attack are called “Red Force” while the multi-agency police and defence force is called “Blue Force”.

The mock drill is being carried out under the overall supervision of Bhaskar Rao, Inspector-General of Police, Internal Security. Nearly a 1,000 police personnel, including men from the Intelligence Bureau and State Intelligence will be at work. This apart, two Dornier aircraft of the Navy from Goa and helicopters from the naval base at Karwar will be in operation.

It is said that the group of police and fishermen has been provided with a list of strategic places along the Karnataka coast which they can “attack” and this includes the Mangalore and Karwar ports, Mangalore Refineries, several important hotels, places of tourism, places of worship etc.

Similarly, the police have been directed to garner intelligence at the grassroots.

A senior official of the Home Ministry said: “the idea behind the drill is ensure that we are prepared for different situations and also check on the coordination among the various security agencies. It should be noted that an attack also calls for an immediate assessment of the situation and quick mobilisation of resources.”

A feedback session will be organised to assess the overall preparedness and the ways and means of overcoming the lapses.

Indian Forces Set For Big, Mean Wargame

One of India's largest military wargames, Exercise Sudarshan Shakti, begins. Tanks and fighter aircraft will manoeuvres over India's desert sector near the Pakistan border. Approximately 50,000 troops along with T-90, T-72, Arjun tanks and BMPs will carry out simulated assaults on their objectives with artillery and IAF providing the support. According to an Army statement today, "This exercise will be a trendsetter for the Integrated Theatre Concept. The transformation of the force is at making the Army a more agile, versatile, lethal and networked force. In this exercise, we will be trying out new structures, strategies, and test beds of an integrated, seamless air-land battle."

Assaults on India

The India Pakistan relationship in recent years has been to a pattern. They hit, we appease. The massive train bombing in Mumbai in 2006 was followed by the NAM Summit in 2007 where we lowered ourselves to Pakistan's level by agreeing that both countries faced the common threat of terrorism.

We ignored that India had suffered from Pakistani terrorism and innumerable killings for decades and Pakistan had just begun to suffer from Pakistani terrorism. Thereafter, the commonality ended. The carnage of Mumbai on November 26, 2008 -- something all of us watched in horror and anguish -- was really Gen Kayani's Kargil against us. It was a declaration of war.

In response we did not even formally suspend the Composite Dialogue. Instead, we had the sell out at Sharm el-Sheikh in July 2009 where we scored a number of own goals.

That has been the pattern since then, beginning with the Delhi fiasco of the Foreign Secretaries' meeting followed by the Islamabad fiasco of the Foreign Ministers' meeting interspersed with dreamy eyed hopes of building trust at Thimpu and ending with the latest foray in the Maldives. Our problem has been that we have made hope a principle of foreign policy and Pakistan has made terrorism a weapon of foreign policy and we are not able to see the futility of the first and the reality of the second.

The reality is harsh and frightening. The reality is that of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, its linkages with the Deep State of Pakistan embodied in the Pak Army and the ISI and the jihadi paraphernalia. They draw sustenance from each other. While the world is now waking up to the threat, we in India should by now have a clear idea of the kind of threat we face from this terrorist outfit masquerading as a social service NGO. We should be under no delusions about what the future entails as this organisation has the full support of the state.

Three years after Mumbai, despite all our entreaties and dossiers, there has been no joy from Pakistan. Instead we have the Pak Interior Minister suggesting that we hang Qasab, and thereby close the case implying quite clearly we are not going to get what we want from Pakistan. Three years after Mumbai the LeT has grown in strength and range of activities with a presence in at least 22 countries and making it a far more potent threat than any other terrorist organisation.

The LeT's vast terror network extends beyond Pakistan; its terror training establishment of military-jihadi expertise teaches an international alumni. Jihadi training schools are now a lucrative post retirement avenue for retiring Army officers and men who provide international consultancies and specialised training, like creating deep cover operatives. It is estimated that the LeT has over 2,500 offices, employing over 25,000 persons. While its main centre remains at Muridke, near Lahore where it has a sprawling campus, students' hostels, technical institutes, medical centres, its second major infrastructure facility is in Shahdodpur in Sindh.

Its financial resources are enormous -- both domestic from charity contributions, compensation/subsidy from the Army, global donations from Pakistanis abroad and from Saudi Arabia and UAE charities. There is enough money in the LeT coffers to enable purchase of new property worth US $ 6 million in Punjab and Sindh in 2003. Since 2001 a new centre, the Markaz Qadsiya was built in Lahore at a cost of US $9.5 million. All this and more can be found in Wilson John's book "The Caliphate's Soldiers," which is guaranteed to leave many of us very frightened.

Today the LeT is the world's most powerful trans-national, but essentially Punjabi, terrorist group enjoying unending state support. There are no signs that the Pakistani state has any intentions of either even disengaging from LeT's activities to say nothing of dismantling this group.

The fear that there could be a major terrorist attack in India by the LeT or its proxies, is very real. This threat will begin to recede only when the Deep State realises it has to pay a price for such activities. Mere threats to break dialogue, display of misplaced magnanimity or appeals to the international community are unlikely to impress the LeT or its mentors.