2012-02-04 The new Sukhoi T-50 / PAK FA Russian fighter is by now quite well known but any official document is certainly welcome. That is the case of the Sukhoi patent that form the basis of this report. Even if it may not bring groundbreaking detail..
2012-02-03 Press Trust of India has quoted Pentagon spokesperson Commander Leslie Hullryde confirming that, contrary to press reports, the United States has not made available Lockheed Martin's advanced, fifth generation fighter jet F-35 Lightnin..
2012-02-02 The first batch of five remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Daksh, designed and developed by Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) [R&DE; (E)], Pune, was handed over to Maj Gen Rakesh Bassi, SM, Director General Combat Engineers..
2012-02-01 Dassault Aviation's fighter jet Rafale has emerged as India's choice in the 126 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) competition. The deal is estimated to be worth USD 10.4 billion making it one of the largest defense deals in the wo..
2012-02-01 Russia will complete development of advanced tactical air-launched missile systems for the Sukhoi T-50 fifth-generation fighter within the next two years, the head of the Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV), Boris Obnosov, told Russian new..
2012-01-31 French company Dassault Aviation's Rafale has won the $10.4 billion deal to supply 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) to the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to sources, Rafale won the multi-billion dollar deal as it was fo..
2011-12-17 An additional 42 Sukhoi frontline fighters will be provided to India by Russia under an agreement inked between the two sides during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit in Moscow. With this pact, the total number of acquired or co..
2011-10-18 European consortium MBDA has offered their 300 km-range Taurus stand-off missile system to the Indian Air Force (IAF) for its fighter jets such as the Su-30MKI. "We have received a Request for Information (RFI) from the IAF for a st..
2011-10-04 In a press conference in New Delhi, the Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne revealed the following: Indian Air Force has the funds for the MMRCA programme. There will be a realignment in committed liab..
2011-10-02 Augmenting its chopper fleet, the Indian Air Force will induct the first batch of Russian-origin Mi-17 V5 helicopters by mid-October. India had in 2008 signed a deal with Russia to induct 80 Mi-17 V5 helicopters for strengthening its chopp..
2011-10-02 The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to acquire six more C-130J Super Hercules special operations aircraft in addition to the six already ordered. The IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, told India Strategic defence magazin..
2011-10-01 Indian Army soldiers deployed on the Line of Control (LoC) in Machil sector foiled a major infiltration bid by killing five Pakistani terrorists and by capturing one of them alive while he was attempting to flee back to Pakistan Occupied Ka..
2011-10-01 The Indian Navy is looking to upgrade its present fleet of Sea King and Kamov helicopters and purchase new helicopters to replace them in the coming years. Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai, Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area, told reporters in Pana..
2011-08-02 In anticipation of winning the Indian Air Force's $10.4 billion tender for 126 combat jets, European consortium EADS has offered India a choice to pioneer a project for a naval version of the Eurofighter Typhoon that is in the fray in ..
2011-08-02 Set for induction into the Indian Navy in 2012, the harbour trials of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (Admiral Gorshkov) are expected to begin by the end of this month (August 2011) in Russia. These trials are aimed at testing the fun..
2011-08-02 India will get lightweight anti-submarines torpedoes to arm the eight P-8I maritime patrol aircraft it is buying from the US, with the Obama administration notifying the potential sale to the US Congress on Tuesday. The news was welcomed by..
2011-08-02 Raytheon has bagged a USD 23.2 million contract from Tata Power Strategic Electronic Systems to automate air traffic management systems of the Indian Air Force. This was first reported at the Paris Air Show earlier this summer. The contr..
2011-05-11 Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) would be testing some of the new military platforms during the Indian Army's six day-long ongoing exercise -- Vijayee Bhava -- in northern Rajasthan. Indian Space Research Orga..
2011-05-09 Leading defense and aerospace publication FlightGlobal has quoted industry sources confirming the integration of Rafael Derby Air to Air Missiles with India's indigenous HAL Tejas Light Combat Aircraft for the Indian Air Force. Deliver..
2011-05-09 A six-day joint exercise of the Army and the IAF will begin Monday in the deserts of Bikaner and Suratgarh near Pakistan border. "Vihayee Bhav" -- the exercise, will involve tank-to-tank wars, helicopter operations and others, Arm..
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2007-05-02 Tanks rumbled across the desert as helicopter gunships hovered overhead to provide protective cover even as hundreds of soldiers parachuted into 'enemy' territory when night fell in an Indian Army war game to test its newly-acquired IT-based battlefield techniques.
Elsewhere, soldiers scrambled across a water obstacle after a furious fire fight while helicopter borne troops surreptitiously penetrated into 'enemy' territory to neutralise a radar installation and open an air corridor for the attacking forces.
These were but some of the elements of Exercise Ashwamedha that 25,000 Indian Army troops were engaged in along an 80-mile long and 40-mile wide front in the scorching heat of Rajasthan's Thar Desert. Pallu is located some 400 km from state capital Jaipur.
'We fight to win. What we are aiming at is to validate our network-centric warfare capabilities and night fighting capabilities,' the Indian Army chief, Gen. J.J. Singh told reporters here Wednesday on the penultimate day of the five-day drill.
'We have progressed reasonably well in both areas in validating our concepts,' a very pleased looking Singh added.
Network-centric warfare means the ability to convey information in real time through satellite imagery, UAVs (unarmed aerial vehicles) and battlefield radars from the scene of action to the highest level of command and vice versa to facilitate quick decisions in an evolving situation.
Night vision devices like handheld thermal imagers, the TISA integrated fire control system of the T-72 main battle tank (MBT) and the LORROS long-range radar light up a battlefield like day and enable effective counter-action against advancing forces.
'The exercise will enable the integration of surveillance systems and night vision devices with the weapons systems of the army and the air force,' Brigadier Amarjeet Singh, the army spokesman for the exercise, explained.
'The aim is to integrate the various fighting elements so that combat power is optimised and simultaneous and concentrated attacks can be staged at several points along a front. The exercise is also meant to practise operational synergy within the army as well as with the air force,' Amarjeet Singh added.
For the war game, the troops of 1 Corps, one of the three strike corps of the Indian Army, were split into the Blue Force representing the attackers and the Blue Force representing the defenders. On the first day of the exercise Sunday, Blue Force troops made a concerted effort to breach the Red Force defence at three points along a canal dividing their territories but succeeded at only one spot.
This breach was consolidated on the next day and a perimeter established to keep the defenders out. This bridgehead was further consolidated on the third day and a town captured as the Blue Force dug in with the night drop of some 330 soldiers from IAF An-32 transport aircraft. By the fourth day, the Blue Force had moved 30 kilometres into Red Force territory and a vigorous tank battle ensued as the defenders threw in their reserves.
The engagement was underway late into the night Wednesday, with the final denouement coming Thursday to decide on the outcome of the 'invasion'. However, it will be a few weeks before the 'winner' and 'loser' is named. 'We need to analyse the means used (by the two forces) during the exercise. Whichever commander better exploited his resources will get the result,' the army chief maintained.
As part of the exercise, the army's Special Forces displayed a variety of infiltration methods - including one that involved jumping from an aircraft at a great height and paragliding into enemy territory before deploying their parachutes for landing. Besides, IAF fighters and attack helicopters as well as the army's attack helicopters undertook a number of missions during the exercise.
'This will enable us gauge the effectiveness of airborne operations to engage the enemy across an entire front. It will also validate our concept of utilising air power at the decisive point of battle,' Amarjeet Singh pointed out. Prior to the exercise, the troops had been practising tactical level operations at the battalion and brigade level for the past 30 days.
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