February-March 2019 Volume 16 No. 1 O se SP’s INDIAspslandforces.com/ebook/65012019.pdf · 2019....

www.spslandforces.com R O U N D U P

1 1/2019 sp’s land forces

Page 4calibrated modernisation strategy model for Indian army

lt General a.B. shivane (retd)

Page 8control the night with Thermal Imaging scopesThermal Imaging (TI) detects objects based on heat emitted by them. A variety of advanced thermal imaging riflescopes are being used in military roles like patrolling, engaging targets and for use with snipers.

lt General naresh chand (retd)

Page 9Big contracts for small armsStage is set for the modernisation of Infantry small arms. Army to get new assault and sniper rifles, carbines this year.

Vishal Thapar &

lt General p.c. Katoch (retd)

Page 10India, Israel Trust Jointly developed air defence solutionsOne of the largest air defence acquisition programmes in India is MRSAM, jointly developed by DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) which provides a networked, integrated naval and land-based air defence capability against maneuvering aircraft, UAVs and cruise missiles.

sp’s correspondent

Page 11prime minister modi Inaugurates India’s first private sector armoured complexCurrently manufacturing K9 Vajra-T howitzers, L&T seeks to make tanks & combat vehicles at this facility.

Vishal Thapar

Page 12personal protection TechnologyTrijicon offers a vast range of proven sighting systems which can be used for varying degree of security threats.


Page 14Trijicon combat opticsThe ACOG is designed to be extremely durable and reliable. It combines traditional, precise distance marksmanship with Close Quarter Battle (CQB) speed. Many variants include a bullet drop compensated (BDC) reticle.


PlUs

news in Brief 15

SP’s A N S P G U I D E P U B L I C A T I O N

The ONlY magaziNe iN asia-Pacific DeDicaTeD TO laND fORces

>> EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWIn ThIs Issue

Volume 16 No. 1February-March 2019

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Interaction of Jayant Baranwal, Editor-in-Chief of SP’s Land Forces with the Director General of Army Aviation Lt General Kanwal Kumar

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Lt General Kanwal Kumar, DG, Army Aviation with Light Combat Helicopter; (inset) DG in the cockpit of LCH.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

sp’s land forces (sp’s): what is the vision for the development of the army aviation corps in line with the long Term perspec-tive planning?director General of army aviation (dGaa): In the future battle space, major asymmetry against enemy combat forces can be achieved by integrated employment of third dimen-sional capability. Accordingly, the ongoing capability development of Army Aviation is aimed at providing integral reconnaissance and surveillance, intimate tactical lift and direct application of fire power across the full spectrum of operations. However, while doing so, operational dynamics of the field forma-tions have also been considered to ensure the-atre specific profiling of aviation assets.

sp’s: doctrinally, is more space being cre-ated for integral air elements for futuristic war fighting by the army? If yes, how?dGaa: Army Aviation is not merely the air component of the Army but an integral part of the Combined Arms Team. Its primary mission is to fight the land battle and sup-port ground operations as a manoeuvre arm of ground forces in the Tactical Battle Area (TBA). The only way to realise this intent is to have dedicated integral Aviation assets under the Field Force Commander. Towards this aim, there is a definite doctrinal shift in profil-ing of dedicated utility and combat Aviation assets with the induction of ALH, ALH-WSI and the impending induction of LCH and Apache AH-64E, which will be integral to the Army as against the erstwhile capabil-ity of Army Aviation which was restricted to Reconnaissance and Observation tasks alone.

sp’s: what is the status of the procurement process for the Ka-226 light Utility Helicop-ters? what are the acquisition time lines?dGaa: The technical evaluation of the Ka-226T proposal is under process. Thereafter, the cost negotiations would be carried out culminating in signing of the contract.

sp’s: By when is the chetak/cheetah fleet expected to be phased out? what are the measures being taken to ensure the flight worthiness and life extension of this fleet?dGaa: The Cheetah/Chetak helicopter will be phased out based on induction of Ka-226T and LUH manufactured by the Hindu-stan Aeronatics Limited (HAL). Timely ser-vicing and overhauls are being carried out to ensure the availability of the helicopters for all operations. Maintenance and overhaul procedures of the fleet are well established. Every aircraft that is flying is fully airwor-thy. Management of spares remains work at hand and induction of replacement helicop-ters will ease out this challenge.

sp’s: How is the dhruv advanced light Helicopter (alH) performing and what is its status of induction?

dGaa: The ‘Dhruv’ (ALH) is steadily emerging as the Aviation workhorse and force multiplier of the Indian Army. The helicopter has proved its mettle in all types of terrain obtained in the country ranging from the super high altitude areas to the extremely hot and dusty environs of the Western sector. The helicopter has also pitched in during natural calamities in India and Nepal providing relief to the affected pop-ulace. Dhruv has been successfully inducted into the field formations and is performing all its envisaged operational roles.

sp’s: How is the armed version of alH (rudra) performing and what is the status of its induction?dGaa: Rudra helicopters are presently being exploited in various terrains and are getting integrated into the operational role of the Indian Army. The helicopter would provide the much needed integral aerial combat fire power.

sp’s: what are the aggregate final num-bers for the dhruv in aac plans?dGaa: Army Aviation Corps is planned to have a dedicated utility helicopter fleet of more than 100 Dhruv helicopters to sup-port the operations of Indian Army and provide tactical lift capability to all the field formations.

sp’s: You had recently flown the Hal’s light combat Helicopter. what are your views on its capability?dGaa: The Light Combat Helicopter is a com-bat helicopter designed for dedicated combat roles at par with contemporary attack heli-copters in its weight class. It has been tested in the varied terrains obtained in the country. Army Aviation test pilots are closely involved in the development of the helicopter. LCH is likely to be inducted into the Army Aviation Corps in the immediate future.

sp’s: what would be the roles of light combat Helicopter, rudra and apache in army aviation corps?dGaa: Combat aviation assets with modern avionics, electro-optics and weapon systems can perform multiple tasks in the entire spectrum of conflict in varied and inhospi-table terrain including high altitude areas. The Rudra is a potent combat helicopter with an array of armaments including multiple types of rockets, turret gun and capability to mount anti-tank guided mis-siles besides state of the art avionics. It can perform a multitude of roles ranging from armed escort for heliborne operations to intimate fire power for various offensive and defensive operations. The LCH has a similar armament profile with enhanced manoeu-vrability and armour protection, and is primarily meant for the mountains. The Apache is one of the best attack helicopters in the world, and will be fully integrated

with the mechanised forces, providing unmatched fire power and manoeuvrability.

sp’s: what is the range of weaponry being sought for combat/armed army aviation corps helicopters?dGaa: The Apache AH-64E, Rudra and LCH would be equipped with a Turret Gun, Rocket system, Air to Air Missile and Anti Tank Guided Missile.

sp’s: Is the army planning to induct medium lift and heavy lift helicopters (like the mi-17 and chinook)?dGaa: As of now, medium and heavy lift heli-copters are being operated by the IAF. How-ever, in the long term as and when the require-ment is felt, the same will be looked into.

sp’s: are there any plans to induct fixed wing aircraft in the future? If yes, what will be their primary role?dGaa: As of now the requirement of fixed wing aircrafts for the Army Aviation is not envisaged. However, as and when due to operational requirements, the need arises, the same will be examined.

sp’s: what is the progress on the decision to transfer the attack helicopter role from the

Iaf to the army? what are the timelines?dGaa: It has been decided that all future attack helicopter inductions will be for the Army. Towards this, induction of AH-64E Apache helicopters into the Army is in the final stages of approval. Meanwhile, the existing attack helicopters and the already contracted 22 x Attack Helicopters will be held with the Airforce.

sp’s: In terms of air operations, fleet main-tenance and air maintenance what mea-sures have been put in place for greater jointmanship with the Iaf?dGaa: The aspect of greater jointmanship is being addressed by joint courses at training institutes, exchange of aviators, sharing of best practices including flight safety courses etc. Feasibility of having common operat-ing procedures for maintenance of aviation assets is being studied. Air maintenance is primarily the responsibility of the IAF. How-ever, the shortfall in availability of IAF fly-ing effort is being made up by Army Chee-tah, Cheetal and ALH (Dhruv) helicopters.

sp’s: what about induction of women pilots?dGaa: Army Aviation already has women officers, who are being directly commis-sioned as Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) officers. Besides this, women engineering officers are also being posted in Army Avia-tion units for maintenance of the helicopter fleet. The proposal for inducting women offi-cers as aviators is under examination and is being viewed positively.

sp’s: what is your vision to support the ‘make in India’ initiative, and what steps have been taken to support the Industry to fulfill procurement objectives indigenously?dGaa: Army Aviation Corps is leading the way in support of the ‘Make in India’ ini-tiative with majority of fleet being indig-enously developed viz Advanced Light Heli-copter, Rudra and Light Combat Helicopter. Army Aviation Corps is closely associated with Design and Development of Light Util-ity Helicopter by HAL as a replacement for Chetak/Cheetah. Bulk of Kamov Ka-226T helicopters will also be manufactured in India. Incidentally, amongst the three ser-vices Army Aviation has the largest indig-enous helicopter fleet ex HAL.

sp’s: what is the vision for army aviation procurement and maintenance budgets over the next 20 years?dGaa: Adequate budget is being allocated for the envisaged induction of reconnais-sance and surveillance helicopters, attack helicopters and the ammunition for the combat helicopters in a phased manner. Yearly budget is being allocated for the scheduled maintenance/sustenance of the inducted helicopters. SP

The first issue of SP’s Land Forces coincides with the Aero India Show 2019 thus the lead ar-ticle is an exclusive interview with Director General Army Aviation Lt General Kanwal Kumar in which he mentions the role and the in-

tegration of the third dimensional capability in future wars. Accord-ingly, the ongoing capability devel-opment of Army Aviation is aimed at providing integral reconnais-sance and surveillance, intimate tactical lift and direct application of fire power across the full spectrum of operations. This is followed by a conceptual article on force modernisation in which the author suggests that it should include the principles of retaining the capac-ity and readiness to accomplish combat superiority, expand new capabilities to cope up with the emerging threats, harnessing joint force capabilities and optimising force mix through a combined arms force application.

One of the largest air de-fence acquisition programmes in India is Medium Range SAM (MRSAM), being developed jointly by DRDO and Israel Aero-space Industries (IAI) which will meet the air defence require-ments of the army, navy and the air force thus a write up is included in this issue.

There has been a major trac-tion towards filling up critical voids in infantry weapons thus there is an article on small arms in which the author reviews the causes of current voids and twist and turns taken to start the pro-cess of filling them up. Infantry should be given the best assault rifle and CQB carbine specially

when the terrorists have access to best weapons and technology.

Modern technology has en-abled the military to fight dur-ing the night, almost as it was day thus all modern armies are equipped with night fighting ca-pability. Thus there are articles on night vision devices and the latest sighting systems, starting with Thermal image (TI) scopes where the author briefly explains the technology involved and re-views the systems available.

The indigenous effort in this is led by Bharat Electronics Lim-ited (BEL) who have established BEL Optronic Devices Ltd. (BE-LOP) to manufacture and supply these systems to Indian Armed

Forces. Private players in col-laboration with foreign compa-nies have also joined the fray to cater to the Indian market.

The issue wraps up with the usual news digest. Happy read-ing you discerning readers and meet you all at the Aero India Show - Hall E, Stall Number 1.5.

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Jayant BaranwalPublisher & Editor-in-Chief

“It has been decided that all future attack helicopter inductions will be for the army. Towards this, induction of aH-64e apache helicopters into the army is in the final stages of approval.”

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4 sp’s land forces 1/2019

MODERNISATION

“Unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us; In this world, fear has no place; Only strength respects strength”.

—Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

calibrated modernisation strategy model for Indian army

LT GENERAL A.B. SHIVANE (RETD)

IN THE OvER SEvEN decades since Independence, there have been trans-formational changes in the evolving geo-economic, geo-political and geo-strategic canvas creating strategic

uncertainty impacting the regional cum global security. India’s recent trajectory in world arena has given rise to strategic aspi-rations and belief of being a regional eco-nomic and net security anchor. This belief stems from its geo-political, geo-economic and geo-strategic potential as a nation, based on the foundation of its hard power, soft power and demonstrated capabilities. Thus, our national interests, strategic secu-rity framework and unresolved border dis-putes remain the overarching driver of our military modernisation plans. Finally, the economic resilience and financial support envelope charters the realisation of our modernisation plans. Ironically the rising Indian economic landscape has lacked the will of translating economic prowess into military power. While the present govern-ment has taken several policy initiatives to foster indigenous military capabilities, the execution has been poor and outcomes disappointing. Thus, while the threats and challenges to our national security have magnified and manifested manifold, our response remains archival. This trend if not addressed can translate to ability of defence forces to defend the country but not guar-antee security to the nation.

The Modernisation CauldronModernisation preserves the Army’s core capability to deter and defeat adversaries through combat overmatch, for the present and future conflicts. Future force modernisa-tion thus build on the principles of retaining the capacity and readiness to accomplish combat superiority, expand new capabilities to cope up with the emerging threats, har-nessing joint force capabilities and optimis-ing force mix through a combined arms force application. To build and maintain these fundamental capabilities, we must make affordable, sustainable, and cost-effective decisions which provide versatile and tailor-able capabilities. Thus, the Army Modernisa-tion Cauldron must address the operational, technological and fiscal realities to achieve the stated objectives as elucidated below:Operational Environment. The great-

est danger to our Nation continues to be external aggression with collusive threat from adversaries as well as internal instability due to state/non-state spon-sored proxy war, thus imposing multi front challenges in various dimensions, ranging from warfare in the non-contact domain, to an all-out full spectrum war. The security challenges of tomorrow can be met, to a great extent, with the capa-bilities that we sustain, upgrade, develop, replace and modernise today. This is the window for hard decisions and prioriti-sation if we have to realise the military objectives of punitive deterrence on the Western Front, credible deterrence on

the Northern Front and stability on the internal security front.

Fiscal Environment. The increasing mismatch between budgetary require-ment versus availability and uncertainty of assured financial support has led to an adverse situation. The reality is that the defence budget is limited, and will remain so, due to resources being devi-ated towards dealing with the national priorities of development and poverty alleviation. Thus, it becomes essential to utilise the limited resources optimally. The challenge lies in either an ‘Army sized to Budget’ or a ‘Budget sized to the Army’. Given the Indian environment a pragmatic approach would be a mean of both and the need to fine balance the trio of 3 M’s – ‘Money-Manpower-Moderni-sation’. Within the budgetary allocation we need to a improve the skewed revenue to capital ratio to 60:40, along with a pragmatic approach to balancing the sustenance and modernisation needs.

Technological Environment. Techno-logical superiority always offers militaries a warfighting advantage as also a deter-rent value. The weak Indian defence R&D and inadequate indigenous military tech-nology base have led to import of tech-nologies further aggravated with poor absorption capabilities in terms of skill and time. The acquisition of high-tech

platforms, equipment, and even ammu-nition illustrates the point that India has still a long way to go before it becomes self-reliant in some critical defence tech-nologies. The Technology Perspective and Capability Road Map (TPCR) 2018 is a step in the right direction but needs greater elaboration and interaction to translate into focusses execution. Further investments in R&D must be encouraged in the Private Sector on a “Risk Sharing Gain Sharing” formulation.

Inadequacies in the Present Approach to ModernisationAlthough modernisation is an ongoing process however, there are inadequacies

and infirmities in the present, which are listed under:The present approach is personality-ori-

ented approach and not an institution-alised approach, resulting in frequent cancellations/review even of cases, sometimes at advance stage resulting in waste of time and man hours retarding capabilities. Further, frequent turnovers and lack of an institutionalised mecha-nism results in often reinventing the wheel or missing the wood for the trees.

In the present dispensation, budget seems to be driving modernisation and not vice versa or a balance between these conflicting requirements. Resul-tantly schemes which may have mani-fested to a contract stage after years of effort are not progressed/diluted due to insufficient budget.

Modernisation endeavours and QRs (Qualitative Requirements) are predom-inantly driven by acquisition of state-of-the-art capabilities which are either unrealistic or cost prohibitive. Lack of pragmatism and quest for ‘top of the line’ capability often result in denial of even available mature technologies. More often than not the procurement and kitting cycle is longer than the tech-nological cycle due to sluggish processes and time insensitivity.

While there is a scaling committee in place, but the quest for uniform scaling a large military is cost exorbitant and often at the cost of another capability. Further, we build capabilities for individ-ual entities and not organisational capa-bilities, thus when a combined armed force is applied in battle often disjointed and noncomplementary capabilities retard their optimal effect in battle.

The hard disk memory of defence equip-ment scams of the past has given way for a risk averse culture in the process-ing and decision-making chain, espe-cially of high value procurements which merit either a MoF or CCS approval. Thus, while there is accountability for decisions there is no accountability for indecisiveness and time e.g. FICv case.

Modernisation, expansion and suste-nance are not balanced within the mea-gre budgetary allocation. Expansion and modernisation cannot go hand in hand. Further, modernisation and sus-tenance are two sides of the same coin. This balance needs to be addressed to obviate voids and foster prioritised mod-ernisation needs.

Aligning Ends, Ways and MeansResource availability cannot dictate the ends required for the Army, but its calibra-tion defines both the ways and means to achieve those ends. The ends are defined as the capacity to accomplish combat over-match across the entire spectrum of con-flict, in an essentially tri-service synergised combined arms battle space. The ways are to balance needs with limited resources so as to align to the operational environment and emerging technologies, innovate for opera-

PhOTOGRAPhS: Indian Army

(Top) Modernisation preserves the Army’s core capability to deter and defeat adversaries through combat overmatch, for the present and future conflicts.; (above) Akash medium-range mobile

surface-to-air missile defence system.

Indian army of the future must be equipped and ready to fight and win India’s wars through indigenous solutions, jointly over the entire spectrum of conflict

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tional payoffs and priorities resources based on value, risk and vulnerability. The means are through a tiered spiral modernisation to improve existing systems, develop new capa-bilities, bridge technology gaps and balance modernisation with sustenance needs.

In addition, our procedures and pro-cesses for procurement also need to be inno-vative, outcome oriented and with greater accountability to ensure timely modernisa-tion and capability enhancement.

A Calibrated Modernisation Strategy ModelThe art of the calibrated modernisation will be to balance capability, sustainability, and readiness within the allocated resources to achieve the desired ends. This requires us to build our equipping priorities based on value, vulnerability and risks in temporal terms. The contours of such a strategy will entail:Tiered Modernisation. This approach

prioritises in terms of progressive capa-bilities and tiered modernisation while mitigating the risks of low funding real-ity. It prioritises a smaller, high readiness status for operationally critical forma-tions to the fullest extent possible while ensuring sufficient modernisation for the balance to be upgraded once funds availability improves. Capabilities desired must be classified as Operationally Criti-cal (P1), Operationally Necessary (P2) and Operationally Desirable (P3). Simi-larly scaling or provisioning must be tiered as Modernisation Level 1 (state of art) of a smaller force which is at high risk, high payoffs and high readiness priority, while ensuring Modernisation Level 2 (current/modern) of the major-ity of the balance force to upgrade when funds become available. The Army must

place first priority on formations most operationally critical to be equipped with the best, that is, those facing the greatest risk and providing the maximum payoffs when employed in battle.

Spiral Approach to Technology Induc-tion. Enhanced functional capabilities and increased weapon effectiveness index contributing to combat overmatch must dictate the desired technologies. The pragmatic effort must be to bridge technology gaps and shorten acquisi-tion timelines with induction of modern in-service technologies earliest, by way of product improvements in the short term. Simultaneously develop R&D for state of art technologies for future time critical technology infusion in the mid-term. In the long term invest into Science and Technology projects for generation after next disruptive technologies in the long term. This spiral and progressive approach based on indigenous solutions needs to be institutionalised. The need is to encourage indigenous solutions and integrate mature technologies with incremental improvements, while invest-ing in future disruptive technologies.

Risk - Vulnerability Analysis. Risk is a function of the values of threat, conse-quence, and vulnerability. The objective of risk management is to create a level of protection that mitigates vulnerabili-ties to threats and the potential conse-quences, thereby reducing risk to an acceptable level. Calibrated modernisa-tion relates to prioritised modernisation based on acquisitions adding maximum value to combat effectiveness, mitigat-ing critical vulnerabilities and accept-ing certain risks in temporal terms. Risk must be assessed in temporal terms and

accepted in certain areas to ensure that the more critical areas are added value while mitigating vulnerabilities.

Cost Informed Decisions. Modernisa-tion decisions must be both affordable and cost effective within the overall budget to include life cycle costs. The opportunity cost of “over-spending” to close a specific high cost gap is that we will not be able to afford closing several other gaps; thus, we must make cost informed decisions to manage ‘best bang for the buck’.

Balance Modernisation and Suste-nance. Modernisation and sustenance cannot be progressed in compartmen-talised mindsets. The fiscal requirements for modernisation must be carefully bal-anced against the fiscal requirements necessary for sustaining the force at hand in its life cycle. Thus, standardi-sation and commonality of a family of platforms and interoperable technolo-gies will reduce sustenance cost with better inventory management.

Indigenous Solutions to Indian Warf-ighting. Indigenous capability is a critical contributory factor of strategic autonomy. Thus, modernisation must be based on indigenous capabilities even if marginally lower, and where insuffi-cient then based on a joint collaboration with an Indian firm, ensuring levers in our hand. Our Defence Industrial Base and Defence R&D need to be boosted to make this a reality. The new cat-egorization of Buy IDDM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) categorisation/Make I or II/Strategic Partnership model must be optimised. However, where time and operational critical equipment are not available indigenously, we must not shy away

and dilute our operational readiness for want of indigenous solutions.

Organisation and Sector Based Inte-grated Capability Equipping. Formation and unit specific equipping with sector specific force multipliers as sector stores, will produce greater effects rather than diluting equipping and distributing limited assets across the board without major payoffs. A ‘one size fit all’ procure-ment may not be adaptable to all our varied operational terrains and thus merits review.

Joint Force Capability Focus. In an era of effect based joint operations, interop-erable and synergised modernisation strategy for joint force capabilities is not only financially wise but operationally prudent. The need is to transit from intra service and inter service compartmen-talised disjointed growth to interoper-ability and interdependency. The newly formed DPC would do well to holistically review the joint force capability building and synergised modernisation through an integrated approach.

ConclusionIndian Army of the future must be equipped and ready to fight and win India’s wars through indigenous solutions, jointly over the entire spectrum of conflict. This man-dates a review of Indian Army’s Moderni-sation Strategy from a scheme based and procedure oriented to a capability based and outcome oriented approach, in tune with fiscal realities and organisational spending capacity. The suggested calibrated moderni-sation strategy model is an attempt based on the need to find the sweet spot of desirabil-ity, availability and reality for combat over-match in future conflicts. SP

MODERNISATION

VISHAL THApAR

THE 2019-20 BUDGETARY ALLOCATION for the Indian Army’s modernisation programmes through capital acquisition route is pegged at `29,447.28 crore. After meeting committed liabilities of approximately `21,600 crore, this leaves about `7,800 crore for initial payments for new contracts.

Of the capital allocation for the Army, `2,115.43 crore is budgeted for Aircraft and Aeroengines, `2,128.05 crore for Heavy and Medium vehicles and `18,562.15 crore under the ‘Other Equipment’ head. A meatier revenue allo-cation of `20,337.40 crore has been made for Stores, of which the substantial part is for purchase of ammunition.

These figures provide a broad indication of the direc-tion of Army modernisation spending. But it’s clear that budgetary constraints have forced the Army to reprioritise its programmes and optimising its spending to met its most immediate requirements.

This has led to the foreclosure of big Army pro-grammes like the Battlefield Management System (BMS) and the stalling of a dedicated Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) secure communication network. The concept of mod-ernising the Infantry too has shrunk from the wholesome Future Infantry Soldier as a System (FINSAS) to acquiring better small arms and personal protection equipment like bullet proof jackets and helmets for soldiers. The big ticket Future Infantry Combat vehicle Programme (FICv) too is being recast.

Ahead of Army Day on January 15, the Indian Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat emphasised that his priority was to modernise the small arms inventory, while ensuring better artillery firepower.

Just a month after General Rawat’s public statement, a $91 million contract was signed on February 12 for importing 72,400 Sig Sauer SiG-716 assault rifles from the US under a Fast Track programme. A similar contract is expected soon with Caracal of the UAE for 93,895 carbines. The initial lot of 5,000 sniper guns too has been delivered to the Army’s Northern Command.

More elaborate Make in India programmes will be

launched soon for acquiring 650,000 assault rifles and 350,000 carbines.

Artillery modernisation, which kicked off in 2018 with commencement of induction of the M777 ultra light how-itzers (ULH) and K9 vajra tracked self-propelled howitzers, is on track. The Army has also placed an indent for acquir-ing Dhanush artillery guns being developed by the Ord-nance Factory Board. It is also expected to commit itself to the ATAGS towed gun being developed by the DRDO.

A new Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SRSAM) programme is also close to being signed. This envisages every unit of Army Air Defence to be equipped with the SRSAM. This involves technology collabortation between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and a foreign OEM, and subsequent nomination of a production agency. Besides, the Army will continue to invest in the indigenous Akash air defence batteries.

There’s also a long-standing need for a new anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). After a change of mind on acquiring the Israeli Spike, a new decision is expected this year.

Another priority is helicopters for Army Aviation. Gen-eral Rawat expressed optimism on progress in acquiring the American Apache gunship and the indigenous Light Com-

bat Helicopter. “The LCH has done well. It is making good progress. The altitudes at which it has operated gives us con-fidence. We need to take a call at Aero India next month,” he had said, hinting that a contract for the first lot of the indig-enous attack helicopters could be signed at Aero India in Feb-ruary. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited announced recently that the weapons trials on the LCH, including the firing of the Mistral air-to-air missile, are complete. The Army is expected to sign up for an initial lot of five LCH gunships.

But the asset which the Army really has set its heart for is the American Apache, which is central to the Army’s aspira-tion to taking over the attack helicopter role from the Indian Air Force. “We’re confident that the Apache (attack helicop-ter) will be signed. We’ve tagged our requirement along with the Indian Air Force (IAF)’s. The issue is who will control the attack helicopters. The role and charter for which we’re inducting the Apache needs to be decided,” the Army Chief had said, referring to the Army-IAF turf war over control of the attack helicopter role. The Army has projected an initial requirement for six Apache gunships.

The Army continues to acquire the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), and a part of this nfleet is also being weaponised to give it an anti-tank role. “We need better rockets and missiles for the ALH WSI. The DRDO is developing a rocket and missile for this helicopter. If it is able to meet development and production timelines, these weapons will be indigenously acquired. Otherwise, we will go in for imports,” the Army Chief had said.

General Rawat had also announced that acquisition of hand-launched UAvs for all Infantry battalions deployed close to unsettled boundaries was another priority. This is being done to avoid sending troops in harm’s way and thereby minimising casualties.

Efforts are also afoot to find equipment for detect tunnels being dug along boundaries to abet infiltration of terrorists.

“Things have changed. It’s time for a relook. The equip-ment used by the US Army is not our requirement. We are modifying our requirement,” General Rawat told SP’s Edi-tor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal, while explaining the repri-oritisation of acquisitions. SP

Budgetary constraints force army to drop Big programmesFocus on Infantry modernisation, artillery and air defence

K9 VAJRA-T 155mm 52 Cal howitzer

PhOTOGRAPhS: L&T heavy Engineering

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NIGHT VISION

Thermal Imaging (TI) detects objects based on heat emitted by them. A variety of advanced thermal imaging riflescopes are being used in military roles like patrolling, engaging targets and for use with snipers.

control the night with Thermal Imaging scopes

LT GENERAL NARESH CHAND (RETD)

IN THE EARLY HISTORY of warfare, armies were meant to rest at night as the soldiers could not see in the dark. But there was a continuous effort to use the darkness to achieve surprise. Use of

moonlight for aiming and use of stars for navigation are some examples. Simple gad-gets like the prismatic compass and other navigation aids combined with detailed day time reconnaissance were employed for operations at night. But modern technology like image intensifier and thermal imaging has enabled the military to fight during the night, almost as it was day.

Working of a Thermal Imaging – A Snap ShotThermal Imaging (TI) detects objects based on heat emitted by them. The warmer the object, the more infrared long-wave light it radiates and the more detectable it is. How-ever it does not have high resolution of the image as compared to an image intensifier of the similar field of view. A special lens focuses the infrared light emitted by all of the objects in view which is scanned by infra-red-detector elements which in turn form a detailed temperature pattern called a ther-mogram. The detector array works very fast and obtains the temperature information in about one-thirtieth of a second to make the thermogram. The thermogram is trans-lated into electric impulses which are then converted into display data where it appears as various colors depending on the inten-sity of the infrared emission. There are two common types of thermal-imaging devices that is Un-cooled and Cryogenically cooled. Un-cooled is the most common TI device which can operate at room temperature, is completely quiet and activates immediately. However there have been critical develop-ments in uncooled thermal imagers with the use of vanadium oxide and amorphous silicon which have made them suitable for head-mounted applications. Cryogenically cooled is more expensive but has an incred-ible resolution and sensitivity that result from cooling the elements. Cryogenically-cooled systems can discern a difference as small as 0.1 C from more than 300m away, which is enough to tell if a person is hold-ing a gun at that distance. The critical con-siderations for any thermal imager include field of view (target size and distance), type of surface being measured (emissivity con-siderations), spectral response (for atmo-spheric effects or transmission through surfaces), temperature range and mounting (handheld portable or fixed mount). Other considerations include response time, envi-ronment, viewing port or window applica-tions and desired signal processing. Fus-ing image intensification technology with thermal imagery brings out the best in both sensors. Some examples of thermal imagers being used by military are given below:

Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocu-lar (ENVG-B) ProgrammeTo operate more effectively at night, US Army has given $391.8 million three-year contract to L-3 Insight during May, 2018

for the ENvG-B. The ENvG family repre-sents helmet-mounted night-vision goggles that blend image intensification and long wave infrared sensors for combat at night, in bad weather, and in smoke and dust. Har-ris and L-3 Insight are building ENvG II, while BAE Systems and DRS are building ENvG III. ENvG III weapon sights also has an improved resolution and a wider field of view which enables rapid target acquisition.

Combination of ENVG III and Family of Weapons Sights-Individual (FWS-I) technologyThe FWS-I, when mounted on a soldier’s weapon, will transmit its sight picture through radio to the ENvG III, which is mounted on a soldier’s helmet. The FWS-I is designed for the M4 and M16 rifles, and can mount on those rifles in front of day sights that have already been bore-sighted. The ENvG will combine thermal imaging with image intensification technology. A variety of modes will allow soldiers to see in their goggles only the image from the ENvG III itself, only the image from the FWS-I, or a combination of the two. Using a ‘picture-in-picture’ mode, the image from the FWS-I is displayed at the bottom right of the image that is coming from the gog-gle. This combines the rapid target acqui-sition technology and can be effectively be used for surveillance, aiming weapons dur-ing daylight, darkness, adverse weather and dirty battlefield conditions. This sys-tem should be with the U.S. Army by the first quarter of 2019.

L-3’s AN/PSQ-20B ENVG L-3 Insight. AN/PSQ-20B ENvG is a helmet-mounted dual waveband monocular which enables the user to view images through one eye, but not through two eyes as a binocular device can. The AN/PSQ-20B ENvG provides improved targeting and identification by fusing image intensification technology with thermal imagery to bring out the best in both sensors.

Trijicon®Trijicon is one of the leading companies for developing and marketing ‘no-light aiming systems’. It offers a large variety of advanced thermal imaging riflescopes for use in military role like patrolling, engaging

targets and for use with snipers. There are 12 models to choose including five for hunt-ing. Many thermal systems offer 17 micron technology and upscale or downscale their imagery, which creates a significant loss of detail. Trijicon®thermal optics utilises a MicrolR™thermal core that features a 12 micron detector LWIR (Long Wave Infra-Red) Uncooled Technology to deliver high performance, clean 640x480 imagery at an outstanding 60 Hz frame rate. 12 Micron 60 Hz High-Speed Frame Rate with vOx (vanadium Oxide) which responses very well for infra red. Most thermal sights give you only one choice for black hot/white hot, which are commonly referred to as polarity. Trijicon®thermal optics come with MaxPol technology for maximum multi-polarity control. This feature gives you three modes of white hot and three modes of black hot so you can identify your targets in most of the condition. Trijicon also offers EDGE DETECT Mode, which is an entirely new way to view your target with more precision. It is a frac-tion of the brightness of other modes, so your eyes are not as prone to night blind-ness from the screen. Their thermal system is built rugged, tough and with MIL-STD-810G standards (which are US Military standards). Trijicon aims to ‘Take on the Night’ with their thermal imagers. Some examples are:

Trijicon IR-PATROLThe models include handheld, helmet-mounted or weapon-mounted systems. And if you already have a day optic sighted in, the IR-PATROL can be placed in front and used as a clip-on device for 24-hour tactical usage. All the models have a sensor resolu-tion of 640x480.

Hand Held. LE100 & LE100C have Advanced Thumbstick Controller, Rugge-dized System Design, Full Digital Display and Objective Lens Cap. The M250XR (extended range)model has 7° FOv, 4.5x Magnifica-tion, Stadiametric Rangefinder, 640x480 Thermal Sensor and image capture.

Helmet Mounted Model. Wilcox®Interface Shoe, 60 Hz High-Speed Frame Rate, Edge Detect Mode, lightweight design and Objective Lens Cap. The kit includes IR-PATROL™640x480 Thermal

Monocular, Wilcox Interface, ShoeWilcox Helmet-Mount Interface Kit, 60 Hz High-Speed Frame-Rate Download/video Cable.

M300W Rifle-Mounted Model. The IR-PATROL™M300W is a mini rifle-mountable system that works as a dedicated or clip-on thermal rifle sight. When not in use, the optional Wilcox®Side Flip mount conveniently flips the IR-PATROL M300W out of the way for zero obstruction. It has fully Adjustable Reticle System, Clip-On Mode Included, Optional Wilcox®Side Flip Mount, Mini Thermal Sight and Objective Lens Cap. The kit which comes along with is IR-PATROL™640x480 Thermal Mon-ocular, Reticle System (with Clip-On mode), Wilcox Interface Shoe, Wilcox Flip Mount Rifle Base, 60 Hz High-Speed Frame-Rate Download/video Cable. Field of view is 22°, Magnification E-Zoom is 1x Optical/8x Digit, Display Type Digital organic light-emitting diode (OLED is a light-emitting diode display which works without a back-light because it emits visible light). It uses a CR123 Lithium Battery with a life of 1.5 hr. @ 60 Hz. Also has EDGE DETECT mode.

Trijicon SNIPE-IR™. It comes with a 640x480 12 micron vOx sensor and OLED digital micro display that gives you clear, brilliant imagery at a fast 60 Hz frame-rate system—even through pitch-black darkness, has a advanced visRelay collimating optic eliminates parallax. The Trijicon SNIPE-IR is optimized for use with a 4x day optic. NO-SHOT ZERO Sight-In Easy sight-in integra-tion for accurate calibrations and can be used in Clip-On, Hybrid and Stand-Alone Modes. Batteries 2 x CR123 with life of 3.5 Hours @ 60 Hz. The company advises to combine their Trijicon ACOG®combat optic with the clip-on SNIPE-IR™thermal sight for having a lethal 24-hour advanced weapons plat-form for maintaining maximum situational awareness and engaging targets.

Indian Perspective

Bharat Electronics Limited Optronic Devices Ltd (BELOP) Image Intensifier Tube manufacturing facilityBELOP (formerly BEL DELFT) is an fully owned subsidiary of BEL which started manufacturing Gen2 Image Intensifiers in collaboration with and as a Joint venture with Bv DELFT Netherlands in 1994. The plant is presently being upgraded to XR- 5 grade with a capacity to produce more than 30,000 Image Intensifier Tubes per year. BEL also has plans to produce Micro Channel Plate (MCP) indigenously with ToT from PHOTONIS once the XR-5 is fully established.

Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL)Night vision Devices is one of the areas of strategic interest for Tata Advanced Sys-tems Limited (TASL). TASL has entered into a partnership with Exelis Inc., the world leader in Gen 3 Image Intensification based NvDs, to manufacture and supply these systems to Indian Defence market. As part of the drive towards achieving indigenisa-tion, TASL has set up a production facility in India, for assembly and manufacture of sub-assemblies and complete systems. SP

PhOTOGRAPh: Trijicon

Trijicon IR-PATROL

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Stage is set for the modernisation of Infantry small arms. Army to get new assault and sniper rifles, carbines this year.

Big contracts for small arms

VISHAL THApAR & LT GENERAL p.C. KATOCH (RETD)

India signs contract for assault rifles in fast track procurementIndia on February 12 signed a `647 crore ($91.6 million) contract with the Ameri-can small arms company Sig Sauer for the import of 72,400 SiG 716 assault rifles.

This procurement is being done under the Fast Track Procedure under the Buy (Global) category of the Defence Procure-ment Procedure to replace the indigenous INSAS rifle. The SiG 716 rifles are to be delivered within 12 months of the signing of the contract, and will kick off the mod-ernisation of the small arms inventory of the Indian armed forces.

Of the 72,400 Sig Sauer rifles ordered, 66,400 will go to the Army, 4,000 for the Indian Air Force and 2,000 for the Navy. The procurement process has been com-pleted in just over a year. The Acceptance of Necessity for this rifle was given by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Janu-ary 16, 2018.

While there was an urgency to acquire these rifles in these numbers, a larger Make in India procurement programme will be initiated soon for 6,50,000 assault rifles. It has been reported recently that a Govern-ment-to-Government deal with Russia may be in the works to produce the AK-103 in collaboration with the Government’s Ord-nance Factory Board.

“The Indian armed forces are presently equipped with the 5.56x45mm INSAS rifle. There is an urgent requirement for replac-ing this rifle with a 7.62x51mm assault rifle which is compact, robust, modern in tech-nology and simple to maintain in field condi-tions,” a Ministry of Defence official said.

The Sig Sauer rifle will be the first Amer-ican Infantry weapon for the Indian Army in over five decades.

Sig Sauer’s offer for the SiG 716, which fires a 7.62mm round, emerged the lowest bid (L1) in a competition also involving Rus-sia’s Kalashnikov, Arsenal, Israel’s IWI and UAE’s Caracal.

It is also learnt that a fast tracked con-tract with Caracal, a UAE-based company, for 93,895 carbines too is close to being signed. The imported Caracal carbine will begin the replacement process for the vin-tage 9mm Sterling carbine. Under a sepa-rate ‘Make in India’ programme, an addi-tional 3,50,000 carbines will be acquired. The companies bidding for the ‘Make in India’ carbine programme include Caracal, Colt, IWI, S&T Motiv and Baretta.

There’s yet another programme for acquiring 16,800 Light Machine Guns.

Indian Army getting sniper guns used in Afghanistan, IraqItalian Berreta Lapua Magnum and Ameri-can Barrett M95 guns to replace the ageing Soviet-origin Dragonov rifles.

Pressed by new threats on the Line of Con-trol (LoC), the Indian Army is acquiring sniper rifles which have been used by allied forces in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These are the Italian Beretta .338 Lapua Magnum Scor-pio TGT and the American Barret M95.

The procurement of an estimated 5,719 of these sniper rifles has been fast tracked on account of the Indian Army being repeatedly targetted by Pakistani snipers on the LoC. The Italian Beretta Lapua Magnum

and the American Barrett M95 will replace the ageing Soviet-origin Dragonov sniper rifles in the Indian inventory. These will scale up the Indian capability to counter the threat on the LoC.

SP’s Land Forces had reported the announcement on the new sniper rifles by the Indian Army Ch ief General Bipin Rawat at a press conference in New Delhi on Janu-ary 10 but the General did not then specify the make of the guns. The specifics were confirmed later by Army sources.

The Northern Command is getting the first lot of these guns as an emergency pur-chase from special funds delegated to Army Commanders. “These will arrive by January 20,” General Rawat announced. “The bal-ance 5,000 guns (for equipping Infantry and special units other than those in Kash-mir) will come under a capital acquisitions programme,” he elaborated. General Rawat described these rifles as “amongst the best in the world”.

The Barret M95 is also used as an anti-

materials rifle (AMR), in the role of a bunker buster to target enemies holed up behind fortified defences. This .50 calibre weapon has a kill range of 1,800 metres, and will supplement the Indian Army’s Denel AMR’s acquired from South Africa post the Kargil War in 1999.

Open source information on the .338 calibre Beretta Lapua Magnum suggests that while it was developed to penetrate body armour at a range of 1,000 metres, it has been effectively used for kills up to 1,500 metres and beyond, and accounts for some record breaking sniper shots.

General Rawat had made this announce-ment in the context of putting the Infantry foot soldier at the heart of the Army’s pro-curement agenda. Many other big ticket programmes including the Battlefield Man-agement System and Tactical Communica-tion System have been dropped. Even the ambitious FINSAS programme itself has been reduced to acquiring a good assault rifle and carbine for the Infantry, and pro-

tective gear like helmets and bullet proof jackets and software defined radios.

BackgroundThe Indian Army has been starved for state-of-the-art small arms including assault rifles and carbines for decades, inability of the gov-ernment-owned ordnance factories board (OFB) to meet the requirement and bureau-cratic red-tape stymieing imports. The hunt for new assault rifles actually began 18 years ago, in 1980, when 17 x 5.56mm rifles from 11 countries were imported by Ministry of Defence (MoD) to equip three Para Com-mando battalions and three Para Battalions.

In 2011, a tender was floated for direct acquisition of 65,000 new generation assault rifles for the Army costing `4,848 crore to equip 120 infantry battalions. Ord-nance Factory Board (OFB) was to then manufacture over 1,13,000 such rifles through Jv with the foreign vendor provid-ing ToT. The rifle was to weigh around 3.5 kg with advanced night-vision, holographic reflex sights, laser designators, detachable under-barrel grenade launchers etc. How-ever, the OFB came up with the ‘Excalibur’ assault rifle, by making cosmetic changes to the INSAS rifle. Not meeting Army’s requirements, it was rejected and the whole process for procuring assault rifles started once again. In May 2015, the request for proposals (RFP) for the assault rifles was scrapped by MoD, forcing the Army in Sep-tember 2016 to re-launch its global hunt for around 2,00,000 new-generation 7.62mm x 51mm assault rifles after similar bids over last decade were shelved on various grounds including corruption. In 2016, the MoD also scrapped tender issued in 2010 for 44,618 close-quarter battle carbines. On January 17, 2018, media reports stated: “13 years after request, Army to get 1.6 lakh rifles, carbines”. The defence acquisition council (DAC) headed by the Defence Minister, had cleared fast-track procurement of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,850 close quarter battle (CQB) carbines for `3,547 crore from the global market. Tenders were to be floated while procurement could also be done on government to government basis. Approval for these limited emergency purchases came after repeated scrapping of tenders, mainly because of allegations of graft, as well as OFB’s inability to provide state-of-the-art small arms over almost two decades.

Following MoD issuing RFP for acquisi-tion of 72,400 assault rifles, 93,895 CQB car-bines promised to Infantry, soldiers deployed on borders with China and Pakistan under the fast track programme (FTP), government sent out a nine-member delegation to US, Austra-lia, South Korea, Israel and UAE to scout for assault rifles and CQB carbines to trial evalu-ate the rifles and carbines of the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of vendors of these countries. The FTP selection was to be based on operational requirements, not on process of general staff qualitative require-ments (GSQR), field trials, staff evaluation etc, as per a MoD official. The weapons found suit-able by the empowered committee were then to be brought to India by the OEMs for “com-patibility trials” with Indian ammunition. The FTP for acquiring 16,479 light machine guns (LMGs) was also approved by MoD in Febru-ary 2018. These purchases are to be followed by a larger ‘Make in India’ project for equip-ping the Army including 382 infantry battal-ions and 63 Rashtriya Rifles battalions. SP

PhOTOGRAPhS: Barrett, Victrix Armaments, Sig Sauer, Caracal

Barrett’s Model 95

Beretta’s .338 Lapua Magnum Scorpio TGT

Sig Sauer’s SiG 716

SMALL ARMS

Caracal’s CAR816

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Sp’S CORRESpONDENT

wITH THE EMERGENCE OF new, highly sophisticated aerial threats, investments in air defence capabilities are growing at a rapid pace.

Maintaining one of the world’s largest mili-tary forces, India is heavily invested in the air defence modernisation, fielding new systems modernising older weapons and replacing obsolete systems with modern, state-of-the-art capabilities for all three ser-vices – Air Force, Navy and Army.

One of the largest air defence acquisi-tion programmes in India is MRSAM, jointly developed by DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). In some of the projects, Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) is the main con-tractor and lead integrator. MRSAM has been acquired in multiple orders as a common defence building block, for all armed forces in India – Navy, Air and Land. MRSAM provides a networked, integrated naval and land-based air defence capability against maneuvering aircraft, UAvs and cruise missiles.

With plans to extend the missile’s range to 150 km (ER version) the combined fire unit operating two missiles ranges could quadruple its area coverage in the future, as the ER will be able to seamlessly with MRSAM units. Using the same intercep-tor strapped to a booster, the ER missile will more than double the intercept range reaching 150 km, while keeping same set of sub-systems and spares to enable a most efficient life cycle cost. This range extension may be used by all three services, already operating the current 70 km MRSAM. The Indian Navy also modernises many of its

air defence capabilities with MRSAM fielded with indigenously built vessels. In this application vertically launched MRSAM is designed to engage the most challeng-ing threats, from saturation attacks by supersonic sea skimming missiles or highly maneuverable, high flying targets.

The Indian Army also intends to field short range quick reaction capabilities and has selected IAI’s SkyCapture system to modernise, enhance and coordinate exist-ing air defence artillery, as well as current and future short-range missile systems. IAI has developed and successfully live fired under Indian Army demonstration, a quick reaction surface-to-air (QRSAM) capabil-ity with the MRAD interceptor, a 30 km air

defence system implementing unique fire-on-the-move technology to defeat low and high-flying targets at medium and short range while protecting the moving ground forces. Equipped with a new seeker that enables all-weather operations, and a mis-sile designed for agility and engagement of targets at all altitudes, MRAD has demon-strated the capability to deploy rapidly, oper-ate on the move and simultaneously engage multiple targets.

These successes are based on the experi-ence IAI has gained in 60 years of develop-ing and supplying Air and Missile Defence systems for customers worldwide. IAI has led the development of Israel’s multi-lay-ered ballistic missile defence programme,

as the prime contractor for the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 missile defence systems and provider of key elements for other widely deployed air and missile defence systems.

Parts of the Arrow anti-ballistic mis-sile system. The system employs large early warning radars, battle management sys-tems and Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 intercep-tors, the system is designed to defeat ballistic missiles in exo-atmospheric and endo-atmo-spheric engagements, targeting missiles and warheads at their mid-course and terminal phases. While the Arrow system is exclu-sively used by Israel, related system includ-ing the ELM-2090 Terra and ELM-2080 Green Pine early warning radars have been exported to some allied countries. SP

AIR DEfENCE

India, Israel Trust Jointly developed air defence solutions One of the largest air defence acquisition programmes in India is MRSAM, jointly developed by DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) which provides a networked, integrated naval and land-based air defence capability against maneuvering aircraft, UAVs and cruise missiles.

PhOTOGRAPhS: IAI

(Left) IAI’s SkyCapture system; (Right) IAI’s MRSAM missile during the test

The Medium Range Surface-to-Air Mis-sile System (MRSAM) began in the mid-2000s as an air defence system defending against all types of threats, manned and unmanned aircraft, sea skimming missiles, and guided weapons. The programme was officially launched in 2006 as a coopera-tive development between Israel and India led by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and DRDO. In 2017 the system, became the de-facto standard for Indian air defences, selected by all three Indian military ser-vices – the Navy, Air Force and Army.

The largest operator is the Indian Navy, where MRSAM was selected for installa-tion on 15 first line surface combatants. Three P15A (Kolkata Class) destroyers are already operationally protected by the sys-tem. Deliveries of MRSAM for four P15B as well as seven P17A destroyers is under progress, along with a system destined to protect the first indigenous aircraft carrier - the vikrant. Last year another contract was signed, for the supply of MRSAM systems for seven P17A frigates. In addition, the system was also selected to protect the first line vessels of the Israeli Navy - the four new SAAR 6 Magen class vessels.

The Indian Air Force is also committed to field 18 air defence batteries while the Indian Army has acquired a first group of the land-based MRSAM, along with the infrastructure of command, control, train-ing and support facilities to support addi-tional four groups in the future.

2017 was a milestone for the pro-gramme, moving to full scale production. Embracing the government’s ‘Make in India’ policy, India’s Bharat Electronics (BEL) was nominated as the prime con-tractor and lead integrator position for the production and delivery of the systems to

the Navy, Army and Air Force. IAI stepped down to the lead sub-contractor position and continues to supply systems and com-ponents to BEL.

Despite the change, the further growth is expected to maintain the momentum. IAI regards the program as one of its pri-mary growth engines, as Barak 8 has gained contractual commitments surpass-ing $6 billion in sales world-wide.

As other large-scale programs, MRSAM relies on local production and participa-tion. To meet these obligations IAI has transferred to India large work share to enable Indian companies to join the pro-gram as sub-contractors. Over 40 Indian suppliers are already involved in the pro-gram. Sub-systems and components are developed and manufactured in India and delivered to assembly lines at IAI and BEL.

IAI also leads the vision to establish centralised national MRSAM infrastruc-ture that will provide Indian services in-country, self-reliance for maintenance and repair for the next decades. This tri-service center will ensure the Indian independence in MRSAM through a joint venture with a local Indian company. SP

mrsam becomes India’s standard for air defence capability

Barak-8 missile

PhOTOGRAPh: IAI

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INDIGENIzATION

VISHAL THApAR

dEMONSTRATING MOMENTUM TO HIS Government’s ‘Make in India’ agenda for military equip-ment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 19 inaugurated

India’s first private sector facility for making tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery guns at Hazira in Gujarat.

Larsen & Toubro’s Armoured Systems Complex (ASC), in the course of its inau-guration by the Prime Minister, showcased before him the K9 vajra-T self-propelled tracked howitzer that it being manufac-tured there currently. One hundred of these 155mm, 52 calibre artillery guns will be supplied to the Indian Army to give punch and mobility to its firepower along the bor-ders in the deserts and the plains.

“Boosting ‘Make in India’ in the Defence sector is our endeavour. I am glad that the private sector too is supporting this pursuit and making a valuable contribution,” Modi tweeted after inaugurating the complex.

“I congratulate the entire team of Larsen & Toubro for building the state-of-the-art K9 vajra Self Propelled Howtizer. This is a sig-nificant contribution towards India’s defence sector and protecting the country,” he added.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was also present on the occasion at the com-plex, where L&T also famously manufac-tured the hulls for India’s indigenous ballistic missile firing nuclear-powered Arihant class SSBN submarines at a neighbouring facility. The ASC is spread over 40 acres within L&T’s 755-acre Hazira manufacturing complex.

“L&T has been supplying critical high technology equipment to the Indian Navy from Hazira and the ASC will now, in addi-tion, address the needs of the Indian Army and friendly Nations to whom Govt of India promotes Defence Manufacturing Partner-ship,” said S. N. Subrahmanyan, the engi-neering giant’s CEO and MD.

The armoured facility is L&T’s 10th manufacturing unit for Defence production, and its seventh raised over the past decade.

L&T describes its ASC as a state-of-the-art facility with a capability to make, besides artillery guns, futuristic tanks and armoured vehicles under the Army’s Future Ready Combat vehicles (FRCv) and Future Infantry Combat vehicles (FICv) pro-grammes. Besides high-end machinery and automation aids and feeder shops, it has full-fledged mobility Test Tracks for acceptance and qualification of armoured vehicles.

The `4,366 crore contract for the K9 vajra-T guns is the largest awarded to a private sector company by the Ministry of Defence. L&T, in partnership with South Korean Hanwha, was declared the winner in a global procurement competition for these guns. Hanhwa is providing key tech-nologies for this gun programme.

“The (K9-vajra-T) programme embod-ies the spirit of the Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative by large scale indigenous production of various equipment and sys-tems for cost efficient through life support, through in-house development as well as transfer of technology, and judicious mix of L&T’s in-house manufacturing facilities as well as multiple tiers supply chain. L&T Defence has played a catalyst’s role in devel-oping the ecosystem of partners mainly from the MSME sector,” said J.D. Patil, L&T’s Senior EvP (Defence).

One 100 guns have been contracted to be delivered in 42 months, along with an asso-ciated engineering support package cover-ing spares, documentation and training and Maintenance Transfer of Technology to the Army Base Workshop to support the K9-vajra regiments throughout their life cycle. Having delivered the first 10 systems ahead of sched-ule, this complex is poised to deliver the bal-ance 90 within the next 22 months.

L&T is delivering these guns with 50 per cent indigenous content by value. The Make in India package involves local production of over 13,000 components per gun system through a supply chain of about 400 Tier-I manufacturers, 100 of which are MSMEs.

Fourteen critical sub-systems have been developed indigenously by L&T, including the Fire Control System, Direct Fire System, and the Ammunition Handling System. Auxiliary Power Packs, Air-conditioning Systems, Fire Fighting Systems, and NBC Protection Systems have also been devel-oped in-house.

L&T’s Hazira Complex is among the few facilities in the world that produces extra-large offshore modules, reactor-end shields and steam generators for nuclear power plants, high-end equipment for the hydro-carbon, thermal power and Defence seg-ments, as also ultra-clean special steels and heavy Forgings.

At Hazira, L&T Defence manufactures submarine hulls and range of platform specific equipment and subsystems and special alloy forgings for Defence applica-tions. At its Advanced Composites Facility in Ranoli, Gujarat, it makes critical com-posite sub systems for India’s Space Launch vehicles and sub systems for BrahMos and Akash missiles. SP

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Tel: +91 11 4120 0400Fax: +91 11 4120 0405Email: [email protected]

Allision creative revised.indd 1 25/10/16 4:10 PM

Currently manufacturing K9 Vajra-T howitzers, L&T seeks to make tanks & combat vehicles at this facility

prime minister modi Inaugurates India’s first private sector armoured complex

PhOTOGRAPh: PIB

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting L&T’s Armoured Systems Complex in Surat, Gujarat

“I congratulate the entire team of larsen & Toubro for building the state-of-the-art K-9 Vajra self propelled Howitzer. This is a significant contribution towards Indiaís defence sector and protecting the country.” —prime minister narendra modi on Twitter

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TRIJICON OFFERS OPTICS THAT are designed to help individuals and security personnel to defend people and property they are tasked to protect. They can carry

out this role quickly and efficiently if they can first defend themselves. For those large number of personnel from military and law enforcement agencies who carry out protection duties; Trijicon offers optical and iron sights which are reliable under the toughest conditions. They are also designed to be easy to handle by civilians, giving everyday citizens the confidence they need when confronted with a life-threatening situation.

Model OptionsTrijicon offers a large variety of mod-els which suit multiple threat scenarios and budgets. In the Magnified Optics, it offers Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG), AccuPoint and AccuPower. In the reflex sights there are four models to choose from i.e. MRO, Reflex, RMR and SRS. In the Iron Sights there are- Bright and Tough Night Sight, HD Night Sight, HD XR Night Sight and Trigidot. All these sights are very versatile and can be used with a variety of hand held weapons.

Details of some models-one from each type are given below:

Trijicon AccuPower®The Trijicon AccuPower is a versatile, vari-able powered riflescope with an electronic illuminated reticle. Featuring a high quality lens system with full multi-layer coatings, the AccuPower provides an incredibly clear sight picture. Due to multi-coating on the lenses they provide superior clarity and light-gathering capability with zero distortion. The First Focal Plane (FFP) Reticle is 1-8x28 and 4.5-30x56 FFP and the reticle subten-sions and used for ranging and wind, and will remain constant at any magnification, allowing the user to rapidly apply the correct hold. 1-8 is the magnification range and 28 is the diameter of the objective (front) lens in millimeters. The same definition is applicable to all such specifications. Second focal plane (SFP) reticle size remains constant as mag-nification increases, which provides a more exact aiming point at higher magnifica-tions. The reticle illumination is powered by a single CR2032 lithium battery and has an easy-to-operate brightness adjustment dial with eleven brightness settings and an “off ” feature between each setting. The Accu-Power features a hard anodized aluminum body that protects against corrosion and is waterproof to ten feet (3m). It is also has an all-weather rugged construction which protects the sight from adverse weather conditions. Dry nitrogen is filled to prevent fogging. With a generous adjustment range for windage and elevation, precise adjust-ment increments, and a re-settable zero, the AccuPower riflescope delivers the precision required for pinpoint accuracy. Electron-ics carries a warranty for 5 years from date of original manufacture. They have seven models ranging from 1-4x24 to 5-50 x56. Parallax Adjustment Range for 10/20 yards to infinity is available only in the last three larger models. Parallax problems result from

the image from the objective not being copla-nar with the reticle. The weight of the small-est model is 16.2oz (459gms) and the largest model is 36.0oz (1020.6gms).

Trijicon MRO®The Trijicon MRO® (Miniature Rifle Optic) and the MRO® patrol is a sealed miniature reflex sight intended for use on rifles, car-bines and shotguns to provide fast target acquisition. The large aperture and tapered light path maximizes the viewing area and allows for better situational awareness and fast target engagement – especially from non-standard shooting positions. Combin-ing all these features with the ambidextrous brightness controls, sub-flush adjusters, advanced lens coatings and the fully sealed, waterproof, hard anodized forged 7075-T6

housing ends up as the ultimate mini reflex sight on the market. There are three models of MRO® i.e. MRO®(Red Dot), MRO®(Green Dot) and MRO®(Patrol(Red Dot). The MRO® Patrol adds lens covers for both the ocular and objective lenses, along with an Anti-Reflection Device KillFlash® that protects you from unwanted detection or in bright condi-tions while eliminating glare. The front lens on the MRO, and MRO Patrol is installed at a precise angle in order to properly reflect the red dot back to the user’s eye. This angled objective lens is common to all reflex style optics. It may be more noticeable on the MRO than some other optics due to the increased size of the lens. The earlier models did have a very slight magnification of 1.05x which is within the range of competitive reflex-style sight. Responding to customer feedback Tri-jicon later on adjusted the magnification in MROs to have a magnification of 1.00x or no magnification. Like all reflex-style optics, the Trijicon MRO is parallax-free when the dot and target are reasonably well centered in the optic’s field-of-view, but when the reticle and target are substantially off-axis, there will be some parallax. The off-axis parallax performance of the MRO meets or exceeds that of other reflex sights of similar size. The large viewing area allows faster target acquisition and engagement with reduced “tube effect.” The brightness control dial is equally usable by left or right-handed opera-tors without having to remove hand from fire control. Eight brightness settings, including two night vision-compatible settings with a

mid-position “off ” feature. Adjusters provide positive-click reticle movement in ½-MOA increments and require no special tools for operation. Sights on a target rifle are adjust-able in units of measurement called minutes of angle (MOA). Multi-coated lenses provide superior clarity and light-gathering capa-bilities with zero distortion and provide for a crisp dot reticle. Dry nitrogen-filled to prevent fogging. MRO Red Dot: 5 years of continuous use at day setting “3” (setting 5 of 8) at 70°F; MRO Green Dot: 1 year of continuous use at day setting “3” (setting 5 of 8) at 70°F. Elec-tronics are warranted for 5 years from date of original manufacture. The Trijicon MRO® was specifically engineered with a slightly canted objective lens, allowing for a shorter optic while minimising reflections. MRO Patrol Lens caps protect glass from damage and help reduce glare and reflection.

Trijicon HD XR™ Night Sights Trijicon offers six sights in the Iron Sights range i.e. Bright & Tough Night Sights; Bright & Tough Suppressor Night Sights; HD Night Sights; HD XR Night Sights; Triji-con® Fiber Sights and TrijiDot® Fiber Optic Shotgun Sights. HD XR Night Sight meets the future challenges of the security forces and law enforcement agencies. Building on the features of the current HD™ Night Sight, the Trijicon HD XR™ night sight are for the next level of advanced target identi-fication and engagement at increased dis-tances. A thinner front sight post allows shooters to have a larger field of view which further enhances the ability to identify tar-gets, expedite engagements and see location of hits on target at longer distances. Pistol shooters that need the advantage of a more precise engagement in any light can rely on the Trijicon HD XR™ Night Sights. Thin front post promotes a larger field of view for fast target identification and engagement at longer distances. Glow-in-the-dark, photo-luminescent-painted front outline combines with a “U” notch rear and black-painted rear outlines to quickly draw your eye to the front post in all lighting conditions. Steeply hooked front surface is meant for an emergency for one-handed slide manipulation. Tritium phosphor-filled glass lamp illuminates sights for high visibility in all lighting conditions. Tritium gas lamps are contained within protective aluminum cylinders and have additional silicone rubber cushioning. Each Trijicon®tritium lamp is capped with a sap-phire jewel that helps evenly distribute the light and also acts as an additional layer of protection from puncture and cleaning sol-vents. Tritium lamp is warranted to illumi-nate for 12 years from date of original manu-facture. Standard-Height models fit Beretta, FN® America, Glock®, H&K®, Sig Sauer®, Smith & Wesson and ®Springfield Armor.

Trijicon offers a vast range of proven sighting systems which can be used for varying degree of security threats. Army’s installations, which are away from the bor-der, like unit/brigade/ base camps, logistic bases and ammunition depots are always under constant threat in the northern and eastern sector. At present they are guarded with basic rifles/machine guns with normal iron sights. So is the case of Naval and Air Force installations thus providing better quality of sights will by it self upgrade their protection capability manifold. SP

TECHNOLOGy

For those large number of personnel from military and law enforcement agencies who carry out protection duties, Trijicon offers a vast range of proven sighting systems which can be used for varying degree of security threats

personal protection Technology

PhOTOGRAPhS: Trijicon

(Top) Trijicon AccuPower; (above) TrijiDot.

with a generous adjustment range for windage and elevation, precise adjustment increments, and a re-settable zero, the accupower riflescope delivers pinpoint accuracy

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THE ANALYSIS OF THE latest local conflicts shows that high-precision air assault weapons along with unmanned aerial vehicles are of pri-mary importance among air threats.

The large number and high density of air threats in an air strike require the air-defence assets to provide not only high combat perfor-mance but a large ready-to-fire ammunition load and capability of its quick replenishment.

Nowadays and in the near future Pan-tsir-S1 Air-Defence Missile-Gun System (ADMGS) fully satisfies all requirements for fighting modern air threats thanks to the specific features of its design:combined missile and gun armament

that allows to create an entire engage-ment zone of up to 20 km in range and up to 15 km in altitude;

jam-proof multimode and multispectral radar-optical control system operating in decimetric, millimetric and infrared wavebands;

automatic operation;capability to fire on the move and from

short stops;short reaction time of 4-6 sec due to

automatic tracking of up to 20 targets by a search radar and high-precision target designation (0.3° in azimuth, 0.5° in elevation, 60 m – in range) pro-viding for quick fine search and target lock-on by multifunction tracking radar and optronic system;

self-contained combat operation and coordination of actions within a battery;

simultaneous firing against four targets within a sector of ± 45 ° in azimuth and elevation.Pantsir-S1 high performance specifica-

tions make an AD system equipped with it significantly superior over the SHORAD sys-tems manufactured worldwide.

Pantsir-S1 underwent a large scale of live tests and proved its high performance in various conditions of combat use.

Development of the Pantsir-S1 ADMG system adapted for a wide range of Custom-ers required solving a number of scientific and technical challenges.

Among them are: layout and structural challenges to

ensure modular design of the system; development of the new multifunction

radar for target and missile tracking; communicational integration of the

Pantsir-S1 into Customer’s Armed Forces;

development and integration of IFF sys-tem customized for the particular Cus-tomer;

development of automated day/night all-weather control system common in terms of instrumentation and featuring customized settings and combat opera-tion algorithms according to the Cus-tomer’s requirements;

development of common ammunition load for customized variants of the sys-tem, unified SPTA and training systems.Great R&D experience of the company

provided for successful coping with all chal-lenges and allowed designing and develop-ing of an air-defence missile-gun system that meets the highest tactical and technical requirements and doesn’t have counterparts within the spectrum of SHORAD systems.

A novel approach in designing the Pan-tsir-S1 system as a modular structure pro-

vides for its installation onto various chassis including tracked one as well as for creation of stationary and sea-based variants of the system (for protecting sea oil platform, vital administrative, military-tactical and other objects), for installation of the system onto railway platforms, ensuring its integra-tion into Customer’s existing maintenance, training and logistics systems with mini-mum cost. The said approach also provides for development of the system variants tak-ing into account particular geotopographi-cal conditions in which the system is to be used by the Customer.

Moreover, the modular design of the sys-tem ensures its capability to be upgraded in future in terms of increasing its combat effi-ciency with minimum cost that undoubtedly raises its commercial interest for the Customer.

Outfitting Pantsir-S1 system with the multifunction tracking radar ensuring track-ing of three targets and transmission of con-trol commands to four SAMs provided for efficient counteraction against a wide range of air threats: fixed and rotary-wing aircraft at stand-off ranges, small-size guided missiles and bombs as well as remotely piloted UAvs.

Thanks to development of a single mul-timode and multispectral radar-optical control system operating in dm, mm, and IR wavebands, featuring a multifunction tracking radar as one of its components, high jamming immunity of the system was achieved and, as a consequence, drastic increase of combat efficiency was obtained.

Current practice of using air-defence mis-sile-gun systems sets forth very strict require-ments on their absolute informational inte-gration into Customer’s existing AD system.

The said requirements are determined by the following factors: mandatory availability of the same target

environment at all levels and all compo-

nents of a common air-defence system; complicated geotopographical condi-

tions dictate the necessity of flexible target distribution both between com-bat vehicles (Cvs) within a battery and within a common air-defence system;

continuous growth of high-precision weapons and UAvs among air threats imposes a specific requirements to the use of anti-aircraft systems consisting in capability of combat vehicle opera-tion without radar emission getting the required data from neighboring Cvs and remote search radars.Availability of mapping computer with

digital maps ensures efficient automatic planning of combat actions taking into account particular geotopographical condi-tions of the Customer.

The task of protecting the transmitted data from jamming was successfully solved. When a command post is used as a part of the system an increase in data transmission range (up to 20 km) is obtained and inter-facing with all types of Customer’s existing command posts is provided without major modifications.

Adherence to modular concept was applied not only to design of the system but to its software as well. That was the way to solve the issues of integration into IFF system exist-ing with each of the Customers. The issue of upgrading the IFF system in case the Custom-er’s decision to change it was also worked out.

The use of the self-contained day/night all-weather control system significantly increases engagement zone in all condi-tions, reduces psychophysical load on the crew, minimizes human factor in tough and strained combat environment.

The following specific problems were solved for the particular Customers: search radar operation without false

tracks in conditions of complicated ter-rain pattern;

targets detection over water and even desert surface;

determination of optimum frequency-spatial separation to provide electro-magnetic compatibility, within the existing AD system as well, taking into consideration particular topographical pattern of the Customer;

integration into Customer’s existing IFF system;

minimizing of time required for shap-ing of search and track zones by a topo-graphic map (with limited resolution in azimuth) thanks to the use of built-in mapping computer and digital maps of the particular Customer;

integration into Customer’s existing air-defence system and creation of a poten-tial for AD system development basing on the combat actions control principle implemented in Pantsir-S1 ADMGS;

implementation of various ways of SAMs destruction ensuring safety of their use according to Customer’s requirements:

a) air-blast initiated by a command on climb trajectory;

b) air-blast initiated by a command on dive trajectory;

c) dive trajectory without air-blast, destruction by ground impact.

Modular structure, unification of units and assemblies design ensure successful integration into Customer’s existing chassis maintenance system, supply of maximum unified individual, common, and base-stored SPTA kits, arrangement of service centers and crews training system.

Constant combat readiness of the Pan-tsir-S1 system is ensured by built-in test equipment in each combat and mainte-nance vehicle.

Modular design allows to develop vari-ous variants of the system and install it onto a range of chassis as well as to develop its stationary modifications.

The system can be installed onto lightly armoured vehicles and can be used as lethal air-transportable AD asset. It can also be mounted on wheeled and tracked chassis in Air Force Air Defence Units and on Navy ships.

Nowadays and in the near future Pantsir-S1 ADMGS fully satisfies all requirements for successful fighting modern air threats.

Appropriateness of the implemented technical solutions and high performance specifications of the Pantsir system were proved by acceptance trials and State Tests, more than 500 SAM launches were per-formed, serial production is established.

For several years already Pantsir com-bat vehicles march down the Red Square as a participants of the victory Day Parade, a battery of Pantsir-S1 Cvs many times took part in a Parade on occasion of Republic of the Republic of Belarus Independence Day in the city of Minsk.

The Pantsir system was shown at a number of international defence exhibi-tions (IDEX, MAKS and others).

In the near future and in the long-term outlook the Pantsir-S1 ADMGS will remain a reliable asset capable to ensure protection of airspace from all types of air threats. SP

The advertorial is based on article of A.A. Zubarev, A.A. Nikiforov

MARKETING fEATuRE

pantsir-s1 modular design air-defence missile-Gun system adapted for Various combat employment

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TECHNOLOGy

The ACOG is designed to be extremely durable and reliable. It combines traditional, precise distance marksmanship with Close Quarter Battle (CQB) speed. Many variants include a bullet drop compensated (BDC) reticle.

Trijicon combat optics


Trijicon ACOG®The Trijicon Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) is a fixed power, compact riflescope with an illuminated reticle pat-tern for use in bright to low/no light. The ACOG is designed to be extremely durable and reliable. It combines traditional, precise distance marksmanship with Close Quarter Battle (CQB) speed. Many variants include a bullet drop compensated (BDC) reticle. Every feature of its design was chosen for with the aim of providing increased hit potential in all lighting conditions. It is available in 12 models ranging from 1.5x16S to 6x48 where the first figure indicates the magni-fication and the second figure indicates the diameter of the objective (front) lens in mil-limeters which is important because it con-trols how much light the scope can let in, and ultimately transmit to your eye.

FeaturesBattery-Free Illumination. Most ACOG®models featu

February-March 2019 Volume 16 No. 1 O se SP’s INDIAspslandforces.com/ebook/65012019.pdf · 2019....

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Transcript of February-March 2019 Volume 16 No. 1 O se SP’s INDIAspslandforces.com/ebook/65012019.pdf · 2019....