Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

A“peaceful, gain-loving nation,” wrote Alfred Thayer Mahan, one of the great grand strategists of the 19th century, “is not far-sighted, and far-sightedness is needed for adequate military preparation.” This he said of the US of the pre-World War 1 era in which politicians were averse to investment in defence manufacturing, preferring to import instead.  The so-called ‘military-industrial complex’ of the US was built in the inter-war years and helped alter the course of 20th-century history. Much the same can be said of independent India. Of all the ‘major powers’ of our time, India remains the most import-dependent nation with respect to defence equipment.  Of the many differences that presently distinguish what has been dubbed ‘L’Affaire Rafale’ from what was famously called ‘L’Affaire Bofors’ is the changed policy environment defined by the ‘Make in India’ programme in defence manufacturing.  In the mid-1980s, when India mounted one of its biggest defence import progra...

India has been pursuing the goal of indigenization and self-reliance, applying an additional aspect of the central government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. India’s Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the procurement of equipment worth over Rs 91 billion for the country’s defense forces. The DAC approved procurement of two regiments of Akash Missile Systems under ‘Buy (Indian)’ category from Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). The Missile is an upgraded version of the previously inducted Akash missiles and will include seeker technology, 360-degree coverage and will be of compact configuration with reduced signature. The upgraded Akash Weapon System is operationally critical equipment which will provide protection to vital assets, according to business-standard.com. The council also accorded approval for progressing design and development of Individual Under Water Breathing Apparatus (IUWBA) for T 90 Tanks. Developed by the DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organisation in In...

The Indian Navy signed a contract with the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) for the construction of two Diving Support Vessels (DSV) to augment the Indian Navy’s submarine support operations on either coast.  The first vessel to be built over a 36-month period would be followed by the second, six months later. The vessels to be based in Vishakhapatnam and Mumbai respectively would be of 118 m in length and of approximately 7,650 T displacement.  In addition to operating submarines to secure the Indian waters, the Indian Navy undertakes diving operations in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). This necessitates extensive diving operations to facilitate various activities such as submarine rescue, under water inspection, testing or salvage, and recovery of objects/ship aircraft lost at sea.  As these activities involve diving operations with divers remaining underwater for prolonged durations, it requires a suitable platform for their launch and recovery, as well as for carriage ...

A major reshuffle with fresh appointments among the top brass of the army and air force have taken place, including at two key commands that are tasked with guarding India’s frontier with China.  Sources said that orders on the new appointment of the new Eastern Army Commander based in Kolkata and the Eastern Air Force Commander based in Shillong have been issued. These are the two commands that are responsible for defensive and offensive operations along the China frontier. The importance of the Eastern Army Command can be seen from the fact that the Indian troops who were engaged in the standoff against Chinese soldiers in Doklam last year, were part of the army’s 33 Corps under this command.  Even appointments of a new Vice Chief and Deputy Chief in the Indian Air Force have taken place. Air Marshal R Nambiar who is currently the Deputy Chief has been appointed as the head of the Shillong based Eastern Air Command. Air Marshal Anil Khosla who is currently the Eastern Air Fo...

In view of the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat Monday said he believed there was a need for another surgical strike on terror launch pads across the Line of Control. In response to a question on whether there is a need for one more surgical strike, Rawat responded in affirmative. "I believe there is a need for one more action (surgical strike). But I would not want to disclose how we want to do it," he said in an interview to India Today news channel that was telecast on Monday. The Indian Army conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control on September 29 two years ago. On Sunday, Rawat had backed the government's decision to call off dialogue with Pakistan, asserting that talks and terror cannot go together. The government on Friday had called off a meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan in New York, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad relea...

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A top Jaish-e-Mohammad operative was among three militants killed in two gunfights with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, while a woman Special Police Officer (SPO) in south Kashmir announced her resignation on social media after receiving threats from militants. Adnan of Pakistan, a top Jaish-e-Mohammad commander, was killed in a gunfight triggered after militants hiding in a house fired on police, CRPF and Army men conducting a cordon and search operation in Aripal area of Tral in south Kashmir's Pulwama district in the morning, a police official said. "The fire was returned by the troops, triggering an encounter," he said. A security forces jawan sustained injuries in the encounter, which lasted about three hours, and has been hospitalised. The house from where the militant was firing on security forces was damaged during the gunfight. The locals alleged that security forces blew up the house by planting an improvised explosive device. The police official...

The Donald Trump Administration on Friday warned India that there could be “implications” for going ahead with the purchase of S-400 missile defence system from Russia, saying that it has the potential to trigger Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).  The warning came soon after the United States slapped punishing financial sanctions on a Chinese military unit for its purchase of the S-400 surface-to-air missile as well as the Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets. This was the first time the Trump administration targeted a third country with its CAATSA sanctions, designed to punish Russia for its seizure of Crimea and other activities. The US State Department said it was applying the 2017 legislation against the Equipment Development Department of the Chinese Ministry of Defence. At the same time, the State Department also announced it was placing 33 Russian intelligence and military-linked actors on its sanctions blacklist under the CAATSA rules. "The ultimate...

During a summit between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in October, India will sign an agreement with Russia for the procurement of four frigates for the Indian Navy, the Economic Times reported. According to the report, the deal, which is likely to be worth $2.2 billion, will result in India getting four Project 11356 or advanced Talwar-class frigates. Two of these warships will be built by a shipyard based in Goa. As the shipyard will require new infrastructure to build these frigates, the cost of the Indian-made ones is likely to be 30-50 per cent more than those being acquired from Russian directly, the daily’s report says. The deal is likely to be signed even as the Donald Trump administration in the United States has decided to impose sanctions on countries buying weapons from Moscow. Most likely, India will get a waiver from the US. However, according to Reuters, Pentagon’s top Asia official Randall Schriver has said that the US can’t guara...

The apparatus will enable T-90 tank crews to conduct deep fording for at least 45 minutes. State-owned defense lab DRDO is expected to transfer the technology to the private sector for mass production, following which they will be made available to the army starting 2019. New Delhi (Sputnik) — Crews of the Indian army's T-90 tank are set to equip themselves with major war-fighting apparatus used while crossing rivers or water canals in the rough Himalayan terrain. The equipment will make them capable to operate submerged tanks continuously for at least 45 minutes during deep fording. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Tuesday accorded approval for progressing design and development of such equipment, known as individual underwater breathing apparatus (IUWBA), for T-90 tanks. "Developed by DRDO Lab DEBEL, the IUWBA is used by the crew of tanks as a safety gear and is required by the tank crew for emergency escape when negoti...

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday paid rich tribute to its first-generation bombers - the Canberra fighters - which played a major role in the battle of air supremacy during the 1965 War with Pakistan. Remembering the valour of the Canberra jets, the IAF tweeted, ''#1965War & IAF: 13 Sep 1965, saw another first in the war. A daring plan of targeting Peshawar was put in action. 06 Canberras of No 5 Sqn, ripped across the heartland of Pakistan and proceeded to engage targets including the Runway, Aircraft on the ground and other ground facilities.'' Sharing details of the role played by Canberra fighters during the 1965 War, the IAF said in another tweet how Canberras were intercepted by Starfighter aircraft and survived a missile attack from Pakistan.  ''All aircraft returned back safely to the Agra Air Force Station, imprinting a fear that nothing was beyond the reach of the IAF,'' it said in another tweet.  Sharing the heroic deeds of Canberra ...