Largest Indo-French Naval Exercise Yet From Today

Largest Indo-French Naval Exercise Yet From Today

Largest Indo-French Naval Exercise Yet From Tomorrow

Exercise Varuna 2011, starting tomorrow in the Arabian Sea off Goa, is a major part of the French Navy's Agapanthe 2010 deployment. This bilateral exercise will involve nine ships, including two aircraft carriers: INS Viraat (with Sea Harriers and Seaking) and FS Charles De Gaulle (strike group composed of E2C, Rafale and SEM).

The 7 other units are the following: Indian frigates INS Godavari and INS Ganga, Class-209 submarine INS Shalki, French destroyers FS Forbin and FS Tourville, fleet tanker FS Meuse and nuclear submarine FS Améthyste. Shorebased maritime patrol aircraft will also participate in the exercise.

Exercise Varuna will start with a harbour phase in Mormugao (7-10 January), followed by a phase at sea (11-14 January). The phase off Goa includes air operations, submarine exercises, surface exercises as well as replenishment at sea.

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Seoul rejects Pyongyang's talks offer

Seoul rejects Pyongyang's talks offer

South Korea has rejected a North Korean call for unconditional talks to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula, saying the offer was "propaganda."

"North Korea previously issued statements like this early in the year ... they are normally done as part of (a) propaganda campaign towards the South," a Unification Ministry official willing not to be identified said Thursday, Reuters reported. 

Pyongyang's offer for talks was considered an empty gesture. "We do not consider this as a serious proposal for dialogue. It is not even in the correct and appropriate format," the informed official added. 

Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea announced that it was ready for an "unconditional and early opening of talks" with the South amid high tension on the peninsula. 

The North's call for talks comes after the United States met Chinese and South Korean officials for talks about how to calm the Korean Peninsula.

Tensions have been high between the two Koreas since a deadly artillery exchange on an island last November. 

Pyongyang said it shelled the area as a result of provocations by Seoul. South demands an apology after North Korea's deadly shelling of the island. 

The crisis further deepened over rounds of joint military drills South Korea held with the United States despite threats of retaliation from Pyongyang.

US sets up center for 'secret war'

US sets up center for 'secret war'

According to incumbent and former US officials, the center, run by the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), keeps an eye on the growing use of special operation strikes against individuals. 

"The new center would be a significant step in streamlining targeting operations previously scattered among US and battlefields abroad and giving elite military officials closer access to Washington decision-makers and counter-terror experts," the officials revealed to the Associated Press. 

"The center is staffed with at least 100 counter terror experts fusing the military's special operations elite with analysts, intelligence and law enforcement officials from the FBI, Homeland Security and other agencies," they said. 

The new military center focuses on "the offensive end of counter-terrorism, tracking and targeting terrorist threats that have surfaced in recent years from Pakistan to Yemen and Somalia and other hot zones." 

The revelation comes while the US military has already increased the number of special operations and commando raids in Afghanistan. 

A surge in unauthorized CIA-operated drone attacks in Pakistan along with NATO operations along the the country's border has sparked criticism from officials in Islamabad and given rise to the anti-US sentiment in the affected tribal regions. 

"We've gone from 30-35 targeted operations a month in June 2009 now to about 1,000 a month," said NATO spokeswoman Maj. Sunset Belinsky. 

The raids, which Washington claims to be aimed at weeding out pro-Taliban militants, often come at night and often claim many civilian lives in Pakistan. 

US officials noted that several other centers dubbed military intelligence "fusion" offices are already operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Aircraft Carrier Will Be Ready in 2014

Aircraft Carrier Will Be Ready in 2014

Defence minister A K Antony today expressed the hope that the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, that is being constructed at the Cochin Shipyard Limited, would be ready for the final launch in 2014.

Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the foundation stone laying function for the National Institute for Research and Development of Defence Shipbuilding (NIRDESH), at nearby Chaliyam, said that the in spite of the presence of Navy's from nearly 18 countries including USA, Russia, France, Germany, England and India, the piracy in the Indian ocean had not come down.

'It is not possible to say that the Somalian pirates alone are behind these acts. There are certain forces that are helping these pirates', he opined.

However, 'it is not possible to pin-point who are the external forces', he said.

Antony said during his visit abroad, many countries have also expressed their doubt that 'some forces are behind these pirates'.

The indigenation policy, Defence procurement policy and Defence production policy are ready and would be announced very soon, Antony said.

Pointing out that Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), which was considered only as a dream, would become a reality as the initial test operation of LCA will be done at Bangalore on January 10.

Indian Airforce had given orders for 40 LCA, Antony said.

Antony said there was no controversy on the deal signed by India with Russia for the fifth generation fighter aircrafts. 'The deal signed was only for preliminary design contract and it is not a final contract', he said.

Considering the security situation around us, India needs fifth generation fighter aircrafts possessed by America and Ruissia.

Replying to a query on the Medium Multirole Combat Aircrafts, Antony said the project needs detailed study and it would take some more time before signing the deal.

He said 'no undue haste will be shown and everything will be studied in detail before signing the deal'.

On the lack of facility for berthing interceptor boats of Coast Guard at the Beypore Coast Guard Station, he said all necessary help will be given to coast guard for improving their facilities.

More radars will be installed under the auspices of the Coast Guard in Kerala for coastal security, Antony said.

Filed On: Jan 04, 2011 18:15 IST , Edited On: Jan 04, 2011 18:15 IST
FILED IN: Defence | Aviation | A.K. Antony

INS Vikrant - Specifications and Systems.

INS Vikrant - Specifications and Systems.

The Vikrant Class are the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carriers in India. Two aircraft carriers are being constructed for the Indian navy by Cochin Shipyard (CSL). The first ship in the series will replace the retired aircraft carrier, INS Virat. 

The first steel was cut for the lead ship, INS Vikrant, in April 2005. Its keel was laid down in February 2009, and it is scheduled to be launched in mid-2011 and commissioned in 2014. The second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-2) is expected to be ordered by 2010 for induction into the Indian Navy in 2017.

Vikrant Class design and features

Designed by the Directorate of Naval Design, the aircraft carrier can operate a combination of Russian MiG-29K, Ka31 and the indigenous light combat aircraft. It will be powered by two LM2500 gas turbines. The design incorporates highly automated systems for machinery operation, ship navigation and survivability.

The ship will have an overall length of 260m and a breadth of 60m and its displacement will be 40,000t. The ship can accommodate 1,600 personnel including ship company, airgroup and troops.

Construction

The design and construction of the first aircraft was approved by the Indian Government in January 2003. The construction work began in November 2006. Built through modular construction, a total of 874 blocks were fabricated for the erection.

"The Vikrant Class are the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carriers in India."
The ship is constructed from high-strength steel manufactured in-house with the assistance of the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Steel Authority of India. These aircraft carriers will be the biggest warships ever built by CSL.

Fincantieri of Italy will provide assistance for propulsion system integration and the Naval Design Bureau of Russia will supply its aviation technology.

The Ministry of Defence granted funds to the shipyard to improve infrastructure such as workshops and heavy-duty machinery. The ship will be completed in two phases.

The first phase includes the work up to first launch at the end 2010, while the second will cover the remaining works until the delivery of the ship.

Aircraft

The flight deck will feature two take-off runways and a landing strip equipped with three arrester wires. The STOBAR (short take-off but arrested recovery) system on an angled flight deck is used to launch and recover an aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier. IAC-2 will be fitted with steam catapults rather than STOBAR to launch fourth-generation aircraft. The aircraft carrier can accommodate up to 30 aircraft. It will have adequate hangar and maintenance facilities for aircraft onboard.

The airgroup will be a mix of combat aircraft including the MiG-29K, Sea Harrier and naval light aircraft as well as the HAL Dhruv and Ka-31 helicopters. The Ka-31 provides airborne early warning coverage.

Weapon systems

The aircraft carrier will be fitted with a vertical launch system for long-range surface-to-air missiles. A close-in weapon system will provide self-defence for the ship against incoming anti-ship missiles and aircraft. Four OTO Melera 76mm Super Rapid guns - two on the bow section and two at the stern side – will be fitted. They can fire 120 rounds a minute at a range of 30,000m.

Countermeasures

The Vikrant Class ships will be equipped with a modern early air warning radar, VHF or UHF tactical air navigation and direction finding systems. The ship will also feature jamming capabilities. The combat management system onboard will use sensors and tactical data links to provide real-time situational awareness.

Propulsion

A combined gas turbine and gas turbine propulsion system will power the ship. Four General Electric LM2500+ gas turbines driving two shafts will provide a total power of 80MW. The propulsion system provides a maximum speed of over 28kt. The ship will have a range of about 8,000nm.


Builder Cochin Shipyard Limited
Operator Indian Navy
Complement 1600
Displacement Approximately 40,000t
Length 260m
Beam 60m
Draught 8.4m
Possibly might carry:

"RIPOSTE"

The Pakistan Army has developed a doctrine called the Riposte which is a limited "offensive-defence"^[12] doctrine. It has refined it consistently starting in 1989 during the "Exercise Zarb-e-Momin". This doctrine is fully focused towards Pakistan's archenemy, India.
The doctrine is derived from several factors:^[13]

1. The vulnerability of Pakistan is not in its lack of strategic depth versus India, but in the fact that so many of its major population centers and politically and military sensitive targets lie very close to the border with India. As such Pakistan can ill-afford to lose large territories to an Indian attack.‘
2. Strategic depth’ in the form of a friendly Afghanistan is deemed vital by military planners due to the fact that the country is very narrow at its middle and could well be cut into half by an Indian attack in force.
3. India has substantially enhanced its offensive capabilities, and a stand and fight approach doctrine used in the 1965 and 1971 wars would lead to serious Indian penetration of Pakistani territory with the Pakistani army being unable to maneuver to meet the threat. Counterattacking formations would then be destroyed piecemeal by numerically superior Indian forces.
4. Holding formations in both India and Pakistan can man their forward defensive positions and fortifications in less than 24 hours. However, Corps level reserves with large stockpiles of munitions will take between 24 to 72 hours for mobilization after being given their orders. In this regard, both armies will be evenly matched in the first 24 hours since the Pakistani units have to travel a shorter distance to their forward positions.

This doctrine entails Pakistan in the event of hostilities with India will not wait for the enemy's offensive, but rather launches an offensive of its own. The offensive will be a limited advance along narrow fronts with the aim of occupying territory near the border to a depth of 40–50 km. Since Indian forces will not reach their maximum strength near the border for another 48–72 hours, Pakistan might have parity or numerical superiority against the Indians.
The Pakistani Army hopes to accomplish three things under this strategy:^[13]

1. The enemy is kept off-balance as it will be tied up containing the Pakistani offensive into its territory rather than launching an offensive into Pakistani territory.
2. The Pakistani Army hopes to contain the fighting on the Indian side of the border so that any collateral or other damage will be suffered by India.
3. Indian territory of strategic importance once seized, will give the Pakistani Army a bargaining chip to be used in the aftermath of a ceasefire brought about by international pressure after 3–4 weeks of fighting.

Kashmir, LOC and the Northern Punjab areas are heavily fortified and ill-suited for large mechanized offensives. The most likely area where Pakistan might launch its offensive is the semi-desert and desert sectors in southern Punjab and Sindh provinces.
To supplement this doctrine, the Army in the 1990s created a strong centralized corps of reserves for its formations. The force is known as Army Reserve South and is a grouping of several powerful Corps from Pakistan's Order of Battle. These formations have been rapidly equipped with assets needed for mechanized capability. These reserve formations are dual-capable, meaning they can be used for offensive as well as defensive (holding) purposes. Pakistan has also increased its ammunition, fuel and other military stockpiles to last for 45 days in case of a conflict. During the 1965 war for instance, Pakistan only had 13 day reserves which hampered its military operations.

Pakistan's next generation ARM

MAR-1 is an anti-radiation missile (ARM) developed by Brazil's Mectron and the Aerospace Technical Center (Centro Técnico Aeroespacial, CTA) of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).
Development began in 1997 ^[1] and was kept under tight secrecy, for many years the weapon's manufacturers refused to acknowledge its existence.^[2] The missile is guided by a Brazilian-developed passive anti-radiation seeker designed to target different types of land-based and sea-based radars with different modes, including high power surveillance radars, low power mobile radars and radars used by surface-to-air missile systems. Enemy radars can be targeted by the missile independently or with targeting data from the launch aircraft's electronic warfare systems, such as the radar warning receiver. The missile's airframe is constructed from composite materials to reduce its radar cross-section.^[1] MAR-1 has been reported to have a range of 25 km when launched from an altitude of approximately 33,000 feet,^[2] but according to a Brazilian engineer the actual range is far larger than this.^[3]
In December 2008 the Brazilian government approved the sale of 100 MAR-1 missiles to the Pakistan Air Force in a contract worth $108 million.[1

MAR-1
A MAR-1 missile mounted under the wing of an AMX attack fighter of the Brazilian Air Force.
Type	Anti-radiation missile (ARM)
Place of origin	Brazil
Production history
Manufacturer	Mectron
Specifications
Weight	274 kilograms (600 lb)
Length	4.03 metres (13.2 ft)
Diameter	0.23 metres (0.75 ft)
Warhead	High-explosive
Warhead weight	90 kilograms (200 lb)
Detonation mechanism	Laser/contact proximity fuse
Engine	Rocket motor
Guidance system	Passive radar homing, home-on-jam
Launch platform	Combat aircraft: Northrop F-5, AMX