Endangered

NAL to showcase Hansa at Melbourne airshow

Bangalore: The National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), the Bangalore-based constituent of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, is planning to exhibit its two-seater, Hansa 3 trainer aircraft at next month's Avalon Air Show in Melbourne, Australia.

The NAL is sending a team of six to seven technicians — who will be tasked with reassembling the Hansa in Australia — and their pilot Air Vice-Marshal Ajit Singh Lamba (retd), who will demonstrate the capabilities of the tiny all composite aircraft to the Australian public and flying training clubs.

Talking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the Aero India 2007, NAL Director A.R. Upadhaya said the decision to send the aircraft was taken since market surveys had shown that there was a good market for two-seater trainer aircraft in Australia.

"A number of Australian flying clubs are looking to buy aircraft of this class. We could be approximately 20 times cheaper that our competitors."

The main competition for the Hansa comes from the Cessna 152 and the Cessna 172. The Hansa 3 is priced around Rs. 60 lakh.

Attractive features

With several attractive features such as excellent visibility, full dual controls, pleasing control harmony, a proven and a reliable Rotax 914 F3 engine, the NAL designed, developed and manufactured Hansa is a rugged, cost-effective and easy to maintain aircraft.

It is primarily designed for ab initio training, private flying, sport and aerobatics. The Hansa could be used for surveillance missions, aerial photography, coast guard duty and for environmental monitoring.

The Hansa programme got under way in the early 1990s, with the first prototypes flying in 1993 and 1996.

In February 2000, Hansa received its type-certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and was cleared for day and night operations.

Certification

But before NAL can sell the Hansa in Australia, they will first have to get the aircraft certified in that country. According to the Head of NAL's Centre for Civil Aircraft Design and Development K Yegnanarayan, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology's Sir Lawrence Wackett Centre for Aerospace Design Technology has agreed to help the Hansa get the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority certification.

"We will leave our aircraft in Australia at the Sir Lawrence Wackett Centre for a few months, with their pilots flying it and applying for certification," Mr. Yegnanarayan said

Though NAL had initially manufactured the Hansa on its own and are again doing so, in the interregnum they had had one produced by Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Limited (TAAL), a Bangalore based private company. TAAL produced one aircraft, he said.

Technology transfer

According to Dr. Yegnanarayan, NAL is looking to transfer technology to a private company who can then produce the Hansa. Seven Hansas have so far been built by NAL, with the Ministry of Civil Aviation ordering six of them.

Training students

While five Hansas went to Government or government subsidised flying schools at Hyderabad, Thiruvanthapuram, Karnal (Haryana) and Indore, one to Bangalore and another was sent to the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, for training students doing their aeronautical engineering course.

However, the woeful state of government flying schools in India, thanks to a shortage of qualified flying instructors, has affected sales of NAL's two-seater Hansa from really taking off.

Dr. Upadhaya also announced that NAL had entered into an equal cost and work sharing collaboration with Mahindra Plexion to develop a four-five-seater general-purpose aircraft.

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Wild Wild Web

Endangered

Military aircraft to be equipped to deflect missiles

BANGALORE: Propelling India to an exclusive club of nations with Counter-Measure Dispensation System (CMDS) capability for military aircraft, the Hyderabad-based State-owned defence firm Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has completed the development phase of its indigenous CMDS. It will supply the system for the defence industry this year.

The CMDS, designed to protect an aircraft from missile attacks, will now be integrated with all fighter and military aircraft manufactured in the country, including the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

It will also be part of the upgrades of aircraft of the Indian Air Force and Navy and future generation airplanes, BDL chairman and managing director, Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Raajnish Gossain told The Hindu at the "Aero-India 2007" aerospace exposition here.

The system was tried and evaluated on the Jaguar fighter aircraft in August 2006. "With the development phase completed, we will start supply of the system by the end of this year," Maj. Gen. Gossain said. The project was launched three years ago.

Joint effort

For serial production, BDL will work with the IAF, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and DARE, besides the State-owned aviation major, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Once mass-produced, the indigenous CMDS is expected to emerge as a big cost-efficient solution to the Indian defence industry. India now has to rely on costly systems imported from the United States, United Kingdom and Russia, the only countries with industry expertise on the system.

Here's how the CMDS works: once its sensors spot an enemy missile in hot pursuit of the aircraft, the system fires chaffs and flares misguiding the missile.

The missile mistakes the cloud of chaffs and flares to be the aircraft and turns towards it.

Flight to safety

This provides ample time and space for the pilot to take the aircraft to safety.

This air-borne defence system thus provides self-protection against radar guided and Infra Red seeking air and ground missiles, and radar-guided anti-aircraft missiles.

Launched in 1970 for production of guided missiles and allied defence equipment, BDL has now emerged as a prime production agency for the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, the second-generation Anti-Tank Guided Missiles Milan and Konkurs and their upgraded versions, the Milan-2T and Konkurs-M.

The company's focus is on products developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation and products under technology transfer from foreign partners.

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Endangered

India mulls to develop supersonic lead-in fighter trainer

Bangalore, Feb 12: India is mulling to design and develop a supersonic lead-in fighter intended to give far-more advance training to pilots and equip them to command any type of jets, a Defence official said.

The fighter trainer that Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Agency is thinking of designing and developing is aimed to do roles beyond AJT (advanced jet trainer), ADA Director P S Subramanyam told reporters here.

Subramanyam said there is a scope for a trainer beyond AJT and many countries are looking to develop one.

"With supersonic lead-in figther trainer, it will be easy for the pilots to get coverted into (commanding) any type of aircraft", he said. "Configuration studies are expected to be completed in 18 months".

Subramanyam said the biggest challenge faced by ADA, an aircraft design house under the Defence Research and Development Organisation, in undertaking projects is manpower shortage.

Much of the engineering talent is being "sucked" by the booming IT industry luring them with pay packets three-four times higher than they get elsewhere, he said.

Subramanyam said ADA had also conceptualised a medium combat aircraft, envisaging a 1000 km strike range and one which can carry a payload of five tonnes. The investment requirement for this project was in the region of USD two billion, he said.

According to him, Indian aeronautical sector had gained considerable strength in recent years, and overseas firms could no longer dictate it and were ready with work as "equal partners".

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Endangered

Hawk jets to be delivered by September: IAF official

BHUJ (GUJARAT), FEB 11 (PTI)

The first batch of Hawks advanced jet trainers (AJTs) bought from BAE Systems is expected to be delivered to India by September, a top IAF official said today.

"The first batch of AJTs is expected to be delivered by September 2007," Air Marshal P K Mehra, chief of the South Western Air Command (SWAC), told reporters at the airbase here.

Under the deal for the 66 AJTs, BAE Systems will supply 22 jet to IAF off the shelf while 44 will be made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under licence.

Mehra said six of the trainers could be delivered to Jamnagar airbase.

The AJTs are expected to replace the ageing MIG-21 aircraft that are used extensively for training pilots in airbases like Bhuj, Jamnagar and Naliya.

Mehra said though the MiG-21s were ageing aircraft, they had a limited operational role and were still weapons of war.

"The MiG-21 Type 96s are doing a great job of training young pilots in Naliya, Jamnagar and Bhuj," he said. "The operational role of these aircrafts have become limited because they have become old.

"But the MiGs have been a weapon of war and will continue to remain a weapon of war till they are slowly phased out."

Mehra said the armed forces including the IAF have been assuring security for states like Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra that border Pakistan, and this in turn translated into business opportunities for the states.

"The security provided to these states has translated into investments for them," he said.

"The kind of MoUs and promises of investments made during the Vibrant Gujarat Investors Summit conducted by Gujarat is primarily because investors have faith in security provided to the region by the air force, army and navy," Mehra remarked.

The defence forces were continously uprgrading themselves and using radars and unmanned aerial vehicles for continous surveillance along the international border.

"We are always two steps ahead of our adversaries. We are keeping a watch on what happens on the other side," Mehra said.

Endangered

DRDO chief moots biz plans to hike efficiency

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 12 : Under pressure from the government to introduce more unambiguous targets for indigenous weapons projects, M Natarajan, chief of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), has for the first time ordered the directors of all 50 of the organisation’s laboratories to urgently bring out clear-cut business development plans.

The idea of creating individual business roadmaps came after the recent discussions between the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) and the DRDO. The Defence Ministry will use the business development plans as new, straightforward benchmarks to track DRDO’s overall performance, particularly its contribution to the country’s “self-reliance index”, currently at a dismal 30 per cent.

“The business plan from each lab would shape the choice of projects consistent with user’s requirements and in conformity with the aspirations and capabilities of DRDO laboratories,” Natarajan has said in a letter to all DRDO staff. The 50 individual plans are to be finalised shortly.

Following an eight-part investigative series in this newspaper in November last year on the delays and cost escalation that have afflicted almost all DRDO projects, the government constituted an eight-member independent panel last month to report on its procedural, administrative and financial flaws.

The panel has already begun work on a comprehensive report that it will deliver to the Defence Ministry later this year.

“I am confident our senior scientists together with the younger lot will continually keep changing in tune with the needs of the time,” Natarajan said in his letter, adding, “It must be appreciated that products like aircraft, battle tanks, electronic warfare systems, strategic and tactical missile systems and submarines can only be realised through the sustained efforts of highly dedicated team of scientists, engineers, technical staff and technicians.”

Natarajan went on to point out that 2007 would not only involve “efforts on technology transfer and production of MBT Arjun, Akash, Nag and possibly, Trishul”, but also new areas such as unmanned aerial vehicles, advanced radar systems and sensors.

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Endangered

Agni-III to be tested soon

New Delhi, Feb 14: The nuclear-capable Agni-III missile with a range of 3000 km will be test fired "very soon" as defence scientists have rectified a fault in its heat shield, DRDO chief M Natrajan said today.

Tracing the failure of the missile's first test last year to a defective heat shield which had been unable to withstand the heat generated due to friction during the flight, Natarajan said, "This has now been rectified.

"We have now come up with a flexible heat shield. All other parameters of the missile would remain the same," he told newsmen on the sidelines of a function to confer the Defence Minister's Awards for Excellence.

Without going into the specifics of the schedule of the new test flight, Natarajan said he had left it to the project scientists and engineers.

"It may be in May or June or even earlier," he said.

Natarajan, who is also the Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, said DRDO may carry out the second test of its interceptor missile prior to test firing of Agni III.

Endangered

F-16, P-3C, C-130J, MH-60R and PAC-3 Positioned To Meet Major Indian Defense and Security Requirements

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], one of the world’s leading technology corporations, is offering five programs to meet current and anticipated Indian defense and security requirements with superior effectiveness and affordability -- F-16 fighter aircraft, P-3C maritime surveillance aircraft, C-130J tactical airlifter, MH-60R multi-role helicopter and PAC-3 air and missile defense system.

“We believe we can help India meet its most challenging defense and security goals because we can see the big picture and understand how important those goals are to the development of India’s future,” said Royce Caplinger, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s office in India. “This enables us to mobilize our resources and those of our global supply network in the most effective and affordable combinations for India.”

Lockheed Martin officials today presented briefings on those programs during the Aero India exposition here and emphasized the company’s commitment to establishing long-term relationships with Indian industry.

“Lockheed Martin is committed to long-term industrial collaboration with Indian companies and our broadly based technology portfolio can address specific Indian defense and security requirements while playing an important role in the growing strategic relationship between India and the United States,” Caplinger said.

F-16: The World’s Premier Multinational, Multi-Role Fighter The F-16 fighter aircraft is the world’s premier multinational, multi-role fighter. More than 4,300 F-16s have been produced and Lockheed Martin has received F-16 orders from 24 nations. There have been 51 occasions when previous F-16 customers have returned for additional aircraft, substantiating a record of customer satisfaction that is unmatched in the military aircraft industry. The aircraft is highly supportable and maintainable and will continue to receive upgrades for many years to come as technology advances.

Assembly lines producing the F-16 have been established successfully in five countries and more than 20 nations participate in co-production of components for the F-16. A global supply network is in place to support the F-16.

P-3C Orion: A Proven, Low-Risk Solution for the Indian Navy The P-3C Orion is a proven, low-risk solution for the Indian Navy’s Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti-submarine Warfare (LRMRASW) program because it meets or exceeds all LRMRASW delivery requirements and is the only proven platform that addresses both near-term and long-term Indian surveillance demands. The P-3C also has the endurance to support maritime coverage in India’s Area of Interest (AOI).

C-130J: Unparalleled Performance in High-Altitude, Hot Temperature Conditions The C-130J Super Hercules is the most versatile airlifter in the world, capable of conducting precision operations day or night and in adverse weather. Tthe C-130J has been adapted to electronic warfare, search and rescue, weather and tanker variants. It is designed for rugged military operations including special operations missions and is a mainstay for humanitarian relief missions.

MH-60R: India the First Country to be Offered the U.S. Navy’s Newest and Most Capable Multi-Mission Helicopter As it considers how best to meet a requirement for anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare helicopters, India is the first country outside the United States to be offered the MH-60R, the U.S. Navy’s newest and most capable multi-mission helicopter.

The MH-60R is a proven, low-risk solution that will enable the Indian Navy to leverage the U.S. Navy’s $700 million investment in mission systems and pre-planned product improvements through 2015.

PAC-3: Defeating the Entire Threat Spectrum Lockheed Martin is producing the battle proven Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3TM) Missile under a production contract for the U.S. Army Air and Missile Defense Program Executive Office. The PAC-3 Missile is being incorporated into the Patriot air defense system. The ‘hit-to-kill’ PAC-3 Missile is the world’s most advanced, capable and powerful terminal air defense missile. It defeats the entire threat: tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs), cruise missiles and aircraft. The PAC-3 Missile is a quantum leap ahead of any other air defense missile when it comes to the ability to protect the warfighter in their defining moments.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2006 sales of $39.6 billion

Endangered

Work on producing new engines for MiG-29 gets underway

BANGALORE, FEB 14 (PTI)

After Russia's categoric assurance that it would not allow China to supply RD-33 aircraft engines to Pakistan, work on their production under a recent pact with India for upgrading its MiG-29 jets has started in Moscow.

Under the 250-million dollar contract, licensed production of these thrust vectoring engines will be done by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited with Russia's Chernyshev Machine Building Factory.

Without disclosing when the initial delivery of 20 high thrust engines to India would begin, sources at the recently concluded Aero India show here said the production technology for the third series of the RD-33 engine has been put in place.

The Chernyshev plant will supply 20 new engines with a thrust of 18,000 pounds for trials at a cost of about 25 million dollars.

On behalf of Russia, the St Petersburg-based Klimov company is ready to hand over technical documentation to the HAL and help it organise further production in India, the sources said. Klimov is the designer of the engine.

The agreement for licensed production of the jet engines was signed on January 24 as part of the Indo-Russian Inter- Governmental Commission on Military Cooperation. Under the pact, 120 RD-33 series three engines will be made.

Controversy arose after Pakistan expressed its willingness to acquire the Russian-made engines as part of its joint venture with China for 150 FC-1 jet fighters. Islamabad is reported to have invested over 100 million dollars for the supply of 16 engines for the fighter project.

Under a Moscow-Beijing contract, Russia has supplied 16 RD-93 engines to the Chengdu Aeronautical Complex against a total of 100 engines, with an option of another 500.

Russia has assured India that China has already signed an end-user agreement on these engines which ensured that they cannot be re-exported to Pakistan.

The engines, the sources said, will provide a "definitive leap" for Indian jet engine production. India already produces the base R-33 for its MiG-29 fleet.

Endangered

India facing serious threat from short-range missiles: US experts

United States missile experts on Thursday said India, like NATO and Japan, should become a development partner in the American missile defence system that was far superior to any other such system.

Peter J Mantle and Dennis Dale Cavin said Japan had become a co-producing partner in the Patriot PAC III anti-missile shield and would start receiving missile batteries by 2010.

"Our government has made a classified presentation on the system to India and we as the industry were eager to follow through on it to explore possibilities of a government-to-government agreement," Cavin told PTI.

"We look forward to India also joining as the co-partner in development of the missile shield," top missile executive of the Lockheed-Martin said.

Taking part in a Roundtable discussion on 'Making decision on missile defence' organised by the Observer Research Foundation here in which Indian defence scientists also took part, the experts said India was facing a serious threat from short-range missiles and the government would have to take a decision on anti-missile defence.

Mantle, an eminent American missile expert, said in taking a decision on a missile defence system, the government would have to choose which areas had to be covered by the anti-missile shield.

"It would have to be government and military nerve centre, nuclear power plants and centres of economic growth generations", he said.

"In US, topmost priority in missile defence is given to military command and control centres along with government seats of power," Mantle said, arguing that as the system was very expensive its installation had to be graded.

He said to counter threat from short-range missiles, which gave very little reaction time, it was essential to counter them by a very high speed anti-missile and the Patriot PAC III system has these capabilities.

Mantle said American scientists were currently working on developing a multi-purpose missile defence system that could tackle the threat not only from land-based missiles, but also ship and submarine launched missiles as well as cruise missile and salvos fired from UAVs.

The American missile experts said that to contend with threats from Pakistan and China, India would need a system combining the high speed PAC III and THAD systems.

Former Army Chief Gen V P Malik and former Director General of Artillery Lt Gen R S Nagra said notwithstanding the recent success of the DRDO interceptor missile, India would have to take a quick decision on going for the ballistic missile defence system.

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Hypersonic reusable missile next: Pillai

VISAKHAPATNAM: After successfully testing and absorbing into the defence system the world leader — 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile — India is all set to develop a more advanced hypersonic reusable missile, which will go to target, deliver the warhead (attack the target) and return to the base.

"We are studying the project and the missile system, when developed, could cruise to the enemy's target at a maximum speed of mach-4," said A. Sivathanu Pillai, BrahMos Aerospace Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. He was addressing students of the Andhra University College of Engineering on "Indian Aerospace Programme - present and future." Mach is the speed of sound and one Mach is approximately 1,238 km per hour at sea level (the speed of sound depends upon the atmosphere through which it travels).

While BrahMos is the supersonic cruise missile, which travels at 2.8-3 Mach, the new missile may travel at 4 Mach, which is why it is called hypersonic.

Dr. Pillai said there were plans to develop hyper planes for defence forces, which could travel four times faster than sound.

Prithvi missile

Referring to advances in the rocket and missile system, thanks to the efforts of Indian space scientists, Dr. Pillai said the Prithvi missile was the first in the world which had a manoeuvrable trajectory and could be made to hit the target precisely, avoiding all the defensive mechanisms deployed by the enemy.

The Nag missile was a "fire and forget" weapon which the operator need not keep guiding. He could be sure that the target would be destroyed.

On the mission to the moon, Dr. Pillai said everything was going in the right direction.

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IAF needs to prepare for technology driven warfare: Kalam

BHUJ (GUJARAT), FEB 15 (PTI)

With wars of the future set to be fought in space and deep sea with weapons like ballistic missiles, President A P J Abdul Kalam today asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) to prepare itself for technology-driven warfare.

"National security consists of two important components. One is economic growth and prosperity and the second is the capability to defend the nation from all kinds of threats," he said during his address at an IAF base here after presenting the coveted President's Standard to a Bhuj-based MIG-21 squadron and a Chandigarh-based An-32 transport squadron.

"You should remember that national development and national security has to go together," Kalam said.

The supreme commander of the armed forces said the IAF had a greater responsibility in guarding the country's frontiers and providing security to economic installations, including those in space.

"Commerical activities in space are increasing," the scientist-President noted, explaining how India had launched several satellites, including those meant for remote sensing and meterological uses.

"I am glad the aerospace command is taking shape," Kalam said, indicating how this formation was essential in protecting India's interests in outer space.

"IAF should equip itself for technology-driven warfare," he observed.

Endangered

Army evinces interest in UAV developed by private company

BANGALORE: Impressed by an Indian private firm's design and development of a tactical mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) — the first and only private initiative of its kind in the country — the Army has invited the company for field trials of the product.

Designed for use by Army battalions close to the borders, a system of three such tactical UAVs and ground support equipment could be operated by two Army personnel on the move.

Simply put, the mini UAV will help a battalion get a complete picture of the enemy's ground before mounting an attack.

The video cameras (Three-axis, gyro-stabilised cameras to be precise) fitted on the UAV will relay live feeds to a laptop carried by the battalions' UAV unit.

The manufacturer, the Hyderabad-based Speck Systems, has prepared to launch its first development prototype within a month, the firm's senior manager (UAV division) Major Rajendra K. Sonawane (Retd.) told The Hindu.

So far, the 11-month-old company has developed three models for testing. One of them will be used for the Indian Army trials. Demand for such tactical UAVs is mounting in both the armed services and the paramilitary forces. Besides, Speck Systems is also upbeat about the equipment's export potential. The UAV, christened, BAAZ, is lined up for technical demonstration in Thailand, Sri Lanka and South Africa, according to Major Sonawane.

Specifications

With an endurance of 90 minutes, BAAZ has a range of 10 km and could touch an altitude of 10 km. The aircraft is only 0.5 m long with a 1.5 m wingspan.

Its weight is barely seven kg and thus is man portable. Flying at a speed of 60 kmph, the tactical UAV is equipped with a day and night sensor and cameras totally controlled from a laptop. It is capable of hand / bungee launched automatic landing and autonomous flight with manual override and could be deployed in 20 minutes flat.

Beyond tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and other pure defence applications, the tactical UAV could also be used for over-the-hill reconnaissance, covert operations, law enforcement, traffic monitoring, disaster management and security surveillance. The UAV has huge potential in round-the-clock surveillance of nuclear plants and security establishments, according to Major Sonawane, who served in the Army's UAV unit during the Kargil war.

Speck Systems, in collaboration with a foreign partner, is also developing a medium altitude long range UAV. The aircraft will have applications in internal security management, infrastructure monitoring, atmospheric research and oceanographic observation, nuclear biological chemical contamination monitoring, border and marine patrolling, besides routine reconnaissance and surveillance operations.

Tactical UAVs were extensively used by the United States armed forces in their operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. But these differ a lot from the bigger UAVs, which weigh about 400 kg with endurance ranging from 8 to 12 hours and altitude of about 20,000 ft.

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Navy poised to issue RFP for second submarine assembly line

NEW DELHI, FEB 16 (PTI)

With a view to bolster its undersea fighting capabilities, the Navy is poised to open international bids for acquisition and construction of second range of submarines.

"The Request for proposals (RFP) to acquire and build six new range of submarines would be floated shortly", a senior Naval official told PTI.

In contention would be the Russians with their 4th generation Amur class submarines armed with vertically launched KLUB-S Missiles and new generation of German HDW submarines with their Air Independent propulsion systems (AIP).

Navy has already firmed up a deal with the French warship builders DCN International for construction of six scorpene submarines at Mazagoan docks in Mumbai. The first of these hunter-killer submarines are expected to roll out by 2011.

Naval officials have ruled out equipping any of the six Scorpene submarines with AIP, but Naval Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta has said this capability would be a criteria for the new planned acquisition of six more submarines.

However, the navy remains tightlipped about progress of a proposal to acquire two Russian Akula (Bars) class type 971 Nuclear powered submarines, as part of India's nuclear detterent based on sea, land and air platforms.

"We definitely would want to have Nuclear submarines because of their long undersea endurance, the decision has to be political", Naval officials said.

Naval and DRDO scientists have been working on an indegenious nuclear submarines for years, but are cautious to go public on the project labelled Advance Technology Vehicle. According to sources, India may go in for first sea trials of the submarines by 2009.

Indian and Russian dockyards have been in negotiation for over three years on the acquisition of the Amur class submarines, which are described as successors to the Indian Navy's Kilo class submarines.

Amur displacement is smaller than Kilo, but its capabilities are stated to be far superior." The Russians have offered to incorporate Rubin-Designed fuel cell AIP in their offer of technology transfer to India.

Amur has a displacement of 2000 ton and can attain maximum speed of 21 knots when submerged and 10 knots when surfaced, with a crew of 30 to 34 personnel and an endurance of 45 days.

The Russians had designed the new AIP system to be retrofitted to the Indian Navy Sindhughosh class submarines, some of which are currently being upgraded at St Petersburg. However, the navy opted to go in for vertically launched Klub-S missiles instead.

The Amur class submarines also sport anti-ship missiles such as SS-N-15 or the SS-N-16 missiles and a variety of mines and topedoes.

The Russians had designed the new generation Amur class submarines for joint induction into the Indian and Russian Navies and the subs are expected to cost significantly less than the Kilo class.

However, the Americans could be late entrants for Indian submarine deal and by the time the RFP's are issued in late march or early April, they could also be in the hunt for the Indian deal.

On other acquisition prospects, Naval officials said evaluation was currently underway for inducting eight Maritime Reconissance Aircraft. "Bids from Boeing and Airbus for the long range spy planes and from Lockheed-Martin offering the P3C Orions and Russian IL-38D for the short range requirment are under study".

Navy is also planning to buy 16 helicopters with the option of another eight to replace its ageing Seaking Mk 42s and Seaking Mk42s fleet, which are fast approaching the end of their service life. They said Navy was also acquiring naval versions of the Hawk jet trainers.

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IAF to acquire 120-km range air-to-air BVR missiles

New Delhi, Feb 18: To maintain its unchallenged dominance in beyond visual range (BVR) combat in the South Asian region, Indian Air Force has embarked upon a major plan to acquire longer range air-to-air missiles.

India`s dominance in offensive air superiority operations is being dented by the supply of similar BVR missiles to Pakistan by the US in government-to-government sales.

This sudden move has spurred IAF officials to make quick efforts to purchase 120-km range air-to-air missiles. The acquisition of such missiles, which sport ramjet propulsion, will make IAF the lone air force in Asia to have such an unparallelled capability, top IAF officials told a news agency.

The acquisition of these missiles is being undertaken in tandem with moves to induct combat aircraft with active phased array radars.

The new 40 Sukhoi-30 advanced version MKI, whose purchase in a deal worth 2.6 billion dollars has been cleared by the government, and 126 medium range combat aircraft, tenders for which are expected to be floated by this month-end, will be equipped with the new radars, officials said.

These new radars will give IAF, for the first time, the capability to detect targets as far as 300 km away and the means to fire such longer range air-to-air missiles.

Till now, the IAF had an unchallenged dominance in beyond visual range combat with its array of MIG fighters equipped with R-27 Rei and R-27 Rets missiles with a target lock on of 35 km for close combat and the longer range R-77 and French R-550 magic mantra missiles capable of shooting down targets 60 km away.

But the recent decision of the US administration to clear the supply of Amraam and Aim-9M sidewinder beyond visual range missiles to Pakistan has eroded the IAF`s dominance in air combat, officials admitted.

The US Government has cleared the sale of Amraam and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles worth 240 million dollars to Islamabad to equip its new batch of 50 F-16 fighters.

The new SU-30MKI, which India would be acquiring by 2009, would be equipped with IBRIS active phased radars which will transform the fighters into a dedicated information weapons platforms.

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Coast Guard stepping out of Navy's shadow

The Coast Guard may be the youngest of the armed forces but it is inching closer towards establishing a formidable identity of its own.

And its efforts to step out of the "Navy's shadow" were backed by Defence Minister AK Antony, who said on Sunday that the Coast Guard would be provided more ships, aircraft, surveillance equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles to make it a reckonable force in the Indian Ocean Region. He said the extension of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) after the delineation of the continental shelf would place additional responsibilities on the Coast Guard.

"It is mandated with the task of protecting 2.01 million square kms of India's EEZ. But in the new scenario, its responsibilities will extend beyond 3 million square kms," Antony said after reviewing a Coast Guard fleet to mark its 30th anniversary.

As part of a campaign to enhance its "deepwater capabilities", the Coast Guard has formulated its 15-year perspective plan for the acquisition of 15 new ships and 23 aircraft during 2007-2022. Antony assured that its requirements would be met.

The air assets sought by the Coast Guard, which operates Dorniers and Chetaks, include multi-mission maritime aircraft, twin-engine helicopters and UAVs for sharpening its surveillance capabilities.

Coast Guard Director General Vice Admiral Rusi Contractor said the force's responsibilities had increased manifold since its creation 30 years ago in terms of protecting India's maritime interests, marine wealth and ocean resources.

To effectively meet the challenges of its varied roles, the Coast Guard will be expanding its fleet in the near future with the induction of five fast patrol boats, two advanced offshore patrol vessels, three pollution control vessels, three inshore patrol vessels and 11 interceptor boats. It has commissioned new stations at Pondicherry, Beypore and Kakinada to bridge the surveillance gap along the Coromandel and Malabar coasts. These stations assume significance
in the light of oil and gas finds off Chennai and in the Krishna Godavari basin.

Antony emphasised that the Coast Guard needed bigger ships, more infrastructure and additional manpower keeping in view its diversified role. The force has also been appointed the focal agency in the country to combat piracy and armed robbery under the Regional Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia — a pact signed by 16 countries.

Antony said the force, under a home ministry initiative, was also assisting several states to set up maritime police stations and train police personnel under the coastal guarantee scheme. The objective of the move is to ensure that small dinghies and craft cannot be used to land contraband to the Indian shores.

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