Pak missiles more superior than India’s

Renowned nuclear scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand has categorically statedthat the comparison between the missile programmes of Pakistan and India clearly transpires that there is no comparison at all.Talking to The News he said that failing of 3rd test fire of Indian Cruise Missile Nirbhay had proven that India was far behind Pakistan Babar Cruise Missile Programme. Pakistan cruise missile having achieved all its technical targets, now ranks among the best cruise missile of the West.Dr Samar claimed that Indian surface-to-surface cruise missile is still in the process of being born. Once again it has been conclusively proven that the calibre of Pakistan missile scientists, engineers and technicians is world class, and for more superior than their counterparts in India.Responding to a question Dr Samar stated that Pakistan successfully testfired surface-to-surface Babar CruiseMissile in 2005 and several times afterthat up to February 2015. He stated that it is known to the whole world that Babar Cruise Missile flies at supersonic speed, skimming the surface of the earth at the height of 100 metres, approximately. It cannot be detected by enemy’s radar. It is pre-programmed to execute it’s complete mission. It can climb over mountains and valleys always maintaining 100 meters above ground.It can strike on enemy target at distance of approximately 750 kilometers day and night with nuclear warheads. It’s accuracy is less than 6 inches after travelling the distance of750 kilometers.Dr Samar was of the view that the Indian DRDO has been desperately trying to produce it’s own cruise missile which can match the excellenceof Babar. He told that the first test flight of Indian cruise missile was made on 12th March, 2013. This was failed and the test flights of Indian cruise missile continuously failed uptil last week.Indian DRDO attempted second test flight of its cruise missile in October 2014 but within 20 minutes of the launching, the missile crashed to the ground. The most recent test flight has been conducted on 16th October, 2015 was supposed to reach a target of 1000 kilometres but the Indian cruise missile nosedived into Bay of Bengal only 11 minutes after its flighthaving travelled a distance of 128 kilometer only.According to Indian media, India’s indigenous surface-to-surface cruise missile Nirbhay nosedived midway after it was test fired in Odisha on Friday. According to DRDO sources, the missile was launched from the Chandipur Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore district at 11.38:am.Although the take off was successful amid repeated disruptions of countdown, the missile missed the target 11 minutes after it was test fired, said sources. The missile had a range of 750-1,000km.The missile’s first test on March 12, 2013 had also failed as it too fell after20 minutes of flight. The second test on October 17, 2014 was also not up tothe mark as it could not maintain a lowheight.The cruise missile is expected to supplement the Indo-Russian joint venture supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, which can carry warheads up to 290km.The two-stage missile has a length of six metres, a diameter of 0.52m, a wing span 2.7m and a launch weight of about 1,500 kg.

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INS_Arihant to Test fire 'K-15' and Nirbhay Missile.

India’s first indegenously developed nuclear submarine Arihant, which has “successfully” completed the sea trials held so far, will undergo its maiden missile firing test this month, top defence sources said.The aim is to handover the submarine to the Indian Navy during the International Fleet Review scheduled in February next year in Vishakapatnam.

“The tests held so far has been successful. We will, this month, fire Nirbhay missile from the submarine which will be followed by firing of another type of missile.
While Nirbhay is a 1000-km-long range subsonic cruise missile, the next missile would be India’s first Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM), which has a range of about 700-1900 kms. These would be followed by another few rounds of tests.

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India eyes safer skies with Russian S-400 Triumf

In what could be a game-changing arms acquisition, India is planning to acquire the new-generation Russian S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems that can destroy incoming hostile aircraft, stealth fighters, missiles and drones at ranges of up to 400-km.

Sources say the defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by Manohar Parrikar, will "soon" take up the proposal moved by the IAF to purchase around a dozen S-400 long-range systems from Russia.

"The project is at an initial stage at present. But it will be a government-to-government contract when it is finalized, with the S-400 systems being inducted over several years," said a defence ministry source.

The procurement proposal comes ahead of Parrikar's impending visit to Russia, which will be followed by the Modi-Putin summit in Moscow in December. It also comes around a year after China sealed a $3 billion deal with Russia for acquisition of six S-400 batteries.

China is slated to get the S-400 batteries, which is designated `SA-21 Growler' by NATO and rivals the anti-ballistic missile capabilities of the US Patriot PAC-3 system, from 2017 onwards.

Countries locked in territorial disputes with China in the East and South China Seas, ranging from Japan and Taiwan to Vietnam and the Philippines, are all worried at the prospect of the People's Liberation Army getting such a force-multiplier to dominate the airspace. India obviously is also wary of China acquiring such a military capability, even if it is defensive in nature, since it can make all the difference during a conflict.

The S-400 basically has three kinds of missiles, with different capabilities, that can fly at supersonic and hypersonic speeds to intercept all kinds of targets at ranges from 120 to 400-km. Russian experts even proclaim the S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system can "radar lock and shoot down" stealth fifth-generation fighters like the American F-35 jets.

India, on its part, is now belatedly trying to plug the gaping holes in its airspace surveillance and defence network with progressive induction of a wide array of sensors and weapons.

With both IAF, tasked with the country's air defence, and Army saddled with increasingly obsolete air defence weapons, the ongoing induction of the indigenous 25-km range Akash area defence system has come as a major relief for them.

Induction of the Israeli Spyder low-level quick-reaction missile systems, with a 15-km range, is now planned from 2016-2017 onwards. The project was stuck since the Tatra trucks -- on which the missile systems were to be mounted - had got enmeshed in corruption scandals. The contract was recently amended to replace the Tatra trucks with Tata trucks.

Deliveries of the medium-range SAM systems jointly developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries and DRDO, with an interception range of 70-km, will also begin from 2016-2017.

Along with induction of these weapons, IAF is also now expanding its fully-automated surveillance network called IACCS (integrated air command and control system) to the entire country, with the cabinet committee on security recently approving another Rs 8,000 crore for the project. Eventually, the Army and Navy's Akash Teer and Triguna air defence networks will be integrated with the IACCS.

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India's Next Guided Missile Destroyer to be commissioned on Sept 30

NEW DELHI: India's latest stealth destroyer, INS Kochi, will be commissioned into Navy later this month by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), the new ship is part of the Kolkata-class (Project 15A) guided missile destroyers. The first ship of the class, INS Kolkata, was commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year.

Parrikar is scheduled to commission the ship on September 30. Another ship, INS Chennai, is currently under production. These are the largest indigenously-built destroyer warships. The government had approved the construction of three Kolkata-class destroyers in May 2000.
Conceptualised by Indian Navy, Kolkata-class is a follow-on model of the Delhi-class and is fitted with modern weapons and sensor systems. The propulsion system of Delhi-class was also retained with minor upgrades. Most of the systems integrated in the ships are designed and built in India.
The destroyers are equipped with action information system and atmospheric control system. The modern stealth destroyers will demonstrate superior anti-surface warfare capabilities and anti-submarine capabilities.
The Navy had in February this year successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from INS Kolkata during Tropex exercise conducted in the Arabian Sea.
The 290-km range conventional missile hit its target with pinpoint accuracy during this first-ever vertical launch.
INS Kolkata is also scheduled to fire a long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) later this year. Called Barak 8, the missile is being jointly developed by India and Israel.

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India has asked Russia for FGFA test flight

Ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow in December, India has asked Russia to allow IAF test pilots to fly its fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) to evaluate its capabilities.

“Flight-testing will help decide the way forward on the collaboration between the two countries on the FGFA. All options, ranging from an off-the-shelf purchase of 60-65 jets to joint production, are on the table,” said a top defence ministry official on Friday.
The fact that India needs an FGFA, which combines stealth, super-cruise capability, super-maneuverability, data fusion and multi-sensor integration on a single fighter, in the years ahead cannot be disputed.
For a country that is yet to even make its first indige- IAF down to 34 squadrons (includes 14 squadrons of obsolete MiG-21s & MiG-27s)

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India to buy 10 armored UAV from Israel

Government approves $400-million plan to purchase Armed Heron TP drones for Indian Air Forc. 

The government has quietly approved the purchase of 10 missile-armed drones from Israel — a crucial acquisition that will enhance India's cross-border military strike capability. The $400-million proposal for buying armed Heron TP drones from Israel was cleared last week and these drones may join service within a year.
These drones will be operated by the Indian Air Force, which has a fleet of reconnaissance drones. IAF also has a fleet of Harpy UAVs from Israel, which are self-destructing systems primarily tasked with taking out enemy radar positions.
Heron drones can carry a payload of over 1,000 kg and will be equipped with air-to-ground missiles that detect, track and take down targets deep in enemy territory.

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Desi Bofors aka Dhanush Howitzers to be inducted soon

JABALPUR: In what would be a shot in the arm for a force that has not had a new 155mm artillery gun inducted since the Bofors, the Indian Army is set to soon be handed over the indigenously-developed howitzer 'Dhanush', also known as 'desi bofors'.

"Dhanush, the indigenously-developed 155mm gun with 45 calibre having advanced features, is likely to be handed over to the army in November this year," Senior General Manager of Jabalpur's Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), NK Sinha, said.
The gun, a towed howitzer with a strike range of 38 km, has been developed by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Kolkata, after going through the design and voluminous documents running into more than 12,000 pages which were delivered to India under the first phase of Transfer of Technology (ToT) as part of the Bofors gun deal in late 80s, an official said.
Costing about Rs 14 crore apiece, Dhanush is comparable to most current generation weapons systems which are in use by different countries, the official added.
Along with electronic gun-laying and sighting systems and other features, the indigenously-developed gun has an enhanced 11 km range as against the gun range of 27 km of the imported Bofors.
Indian Army had stationed a special team of officers at GCF to help monitor the progress, coordinate proof resources and provide guidance regarding the qualitative requirements vis-a-vis the gun system from the user's perspective, the official said.
"A team from the 506 Army Base Workshop, close to CGF, was constantly providing technical inputs which it acquired for the project for over more than two decades," he added.
The Swedish Bofors company (now owned by Britain's BAE System) could not complete the ToT for the 155mm howitzer with 39 caliber to India as the deal got embroiled in a major political row over alleged kickbacks in 80s.
Subsequently, OFB struggled for a long time to produce the howitzer indigenously despite the fact that it has manufactured and supplied several components or spare parts to keep the Bofors howitzers operational in India, especially during Kargil war.

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BSF starts using sand scooters in sandy areas

JAISALMER: For the first time in the country Border Security Force (BSF) is using sand scooters along with camels. The jawans have started patrolling the border area in Shahgarh Bulj using sand scooters. Two sand scooters of American company Polaris have been deployed here.

The jawans face new challenges everyday that threaten the security of the nation. To deal with such challenges, the Centre, three years ago, had planned to provide all terrain vehicles (ATVs) to BSF. Several companies from China, America and other countries sent their ATVs which were tried by BSF at Shahgarh Bulj. After all the trials of various sand scooters, a report was sent by BSF special committee to the Centre. The committee had recommended American company Polaris's sand scooters.
In the first phase these scooters will be used along with camels on the sand dunes. The BSF is planning to gradually reduce the use of camels, but has refused to completely remove them from the area.
Sources said that initially Chinese company's Nebula Jaguar 500cc ATV scooter trial was held between May 17 and 19 some years ago.
Sources said that BSF headquarters in New Delhi had formed a committee led by a DIG to witness the trial of these ATVs. BSF special DG Singla said that under the pilot project, two scooters will be used for guarding the border. It will be seen how successful these scooters are and how they are utilized. After assessing all the factors, a decision will be taken to buy new scooters.

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Pakistan's lies exposed by S. Zaidi about 1965 War

Historian and political economist Akbar S. Zaidi has dismissed “the victory myth” regarding the 1965 Pakistan-India war, saying that can be no a bigger lie, as Pakistan lost terribly. According to the Dawn, Zaidi’s comments came during his thought-provoking lecture titled ‘Questioning Pakistan’s history’, just two days away from observing Defence Day and marking the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war in the country.

He said that the history that is taught in Pakistan is not focused on the people of the country, but rather on the making of Pakistan.
Zaidi began the lecture by thought provoking questions such as “what is Pakistan’s history and is there a need to question Pakistan’s history. And when was Pakistan formed? Aug 14, 1947 or Aug 15, 1947”.
Zaidi read out an excerpt from a Pakistan Studies textbook in which it was claimed Pakistan came into being in 712 A D when the Arabs came to Sindh and Multan. He exclaimed “This is utter rubbish!”
He said the first interaction with Muslims and Arabs occurred in Kerala in South India for trading purposes.
Zaidi also said that the 1940 Pakistan Resolution called for the recognition of Muslims within Hindustan and not for a separate entity.
He also criticised how history in Pakistan is taught to students.
It is focused on rulers and generals and not on social history, he said.
The event was organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences, Karachi University.

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Country's latest military / communication satellite reached to its orbit

BENGALURU: GSAT-6, the country's latest communication satellite has been successfully positioned in its orbital slot, Indian Space Research Organization said today.

"GSAT-6 has been successfully positioned in its orbital slot of 83 Deg E and collocated with INSAT 4A, GSAT 12, GSAT 10 and IRNSS1C today morning, after carrying out four drift arresting maneuvers," ISRO said.
ISRO had successfully launched GSAT-6, having an indigenous cryogenic engine, on-board GSLV-D6 rocket from the spaceport at Sriharikota on August 27.
After the launch ISRO had performed successive orbit raising operation of the satellite and had also deployed the unfurlable antenna ( UFA) successfully.
GSAT-6 is the 25th geostationary communication satellite of India built by ISRO and 12th in the GSAT series.It provides communication through five spot beams in S-band and a national beam in C-band for strategic users.
One of the advanced features of the satellite is its S-Band Unfurlable Antenna of 6m diameter. This is the largest satellite antenna realized by ISRO.
This antenna is utilized for five spot beams over the Indian mainland. The beams exploit the frequency reuse scheme to increase frequency spectrum utilization efficiency, ISRO had said.
The mission life of the satellite is nine years, it had said.

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