Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

But its submarine woes are unlikely to end soon as it stares at a lost decade of its underwater arm. The Indian Navy is decommissioning the INS Sindhudhvaj, a Kilo-class submarine, sometime this year. It will set in motion a process of phasing out of a class of boats that have formed the backbone of the navy’s underseas fleet for nearly three decades. The decommissioning ceremony was due in Mumbai this April but is now delayed by two months awaiting clearances from the defence ministry. The Sindhudhvaj was acquired from the Soviet Union in 1987. With its retirement, the navy’s submarine arm dips to 14 units. Seven of these submarines are in the Kilo class. Dubbed the ‘Kilo’ class by NATO, the Project 877 EKMs are one of the world’s commonly visible conventional submarines with 62 units currently in service across nine navies in the world. India acquired eight such subs between 1986 and 1991. It later acquired two more submarines from the Russian Federation, between 1998 and 2000. They...

Officials say efforts were made to speed up deal; dismiss CAATSA concerns The delivery schedule for the S-400 long range air defence systems was on track for the end of 2021 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior defence official said.  “The deal is on track and deliveries are expected to begin by November this year,” the official said.  Two officials independently stated that efforts were made to speed up the deal but the Russian side had conveyed this was not possible. Two official sources, also speaking independently, dismissed concerns over possible U.S. sanctions on the deal under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), stating this deal met national security considerations.  In October 2018, India had signed a $5.43 billion deal with Russia for five S-400 regiments despite objections from the U.S., with deliveries scheduled to begin end 2021.  U.S. officials on several occasions raised concerns over the deal as India deepened its d...

Quad’s proposed DPG will decide the road map for defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and operate as the umbrella group to share information and the group’s response to challenges. The  four-nation Quad grouping  may add a new layer of interactions at the level of top security officials to coordinate their posture and specific roles in the Indo-Pacific. The proposed defence secretary-level meetings, tentatively called Quad’s Defence Policy Group (DPG), would strengthen their security architecture and deepen defence cooperation between the grouping comprising the United States, India, Japan and Australia, people familiar with the matter said. “The decision is still to be taken but scheduling a DPG at the Defence Secretary official level is being considered,” said a senior government official. News reports from Japan indicate that the next step is going to be multi-layered cooperation among Quad partners. While the Quad virtual summit on March 12 did not discuss the...

The application supports end-to-end secure voice, text and video-calling services for Android platforms over the internet  From April 1, the Indian Army is likely to start using SAI (Secure Application for Internet), a messaging platform, for internal communications, Army chief General M.M. Naravane said on Wednesday.  He said the application, developed by Colonel Sai Shankar, is undergoing the process of getting cyber and security clearance and data testing.  "One of our officers has developed a software application, which is the equivalent of WhatsApp.”  "We plan to introduce that throughout the Indian Army. It is undergoing cyber clearance, security clearance and data testing. And maybe from April 1, we will only use that for our internal communications," Mr. Naravane said at a webinar organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation. The application supports end-to-end secure voice, text and video-calling services for Android platforms over the internet....

Lt Gen Raju, who has extensive experience in counter-terror operations, will succeed Lt Gen Paramjit Singh who has taken charge as Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (strategy). Lt Gen B S Raju, the General-Officer-Commanding of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, will be the new Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army. Lt Gen D P Pandey, currently serving as the Director General of the Territorial Army , will succeed Lt Gen Raju at the crucial corps that carries out the Army's counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir, they said.  Lt Gen Raju, who has extensive experience in counter-terror operations, will succeed Lt Gen Paramjit Singh who has taken charge as Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (strategy).  The new post of deputy chief of the army staff (strategy) was created to deal with military operations, military intelligence, strategic planning and operational logistics.  Lt Gen Raju is expected to take charge as the new DGMO in late March or early Ap...

The Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICG) named as C-453 was commissioned into services in Chennai on February 19, 2021. This was the 17th interceptor boats out of the 18 which are being indigenously built by Larsen & Toubro Ltd. ICGS C-453 It is a 27.80-m-long interceptor boat. The boat has a displacement of 105 tonnes. It can attain a maximum speed of 45 knots (85 kmph). It is capable to undertake the multifarious tasks such as surveillance, close-coast patrol, interdiction, and search & rescue. It will also provide assistance to the boats and craft in case of distress at sea. It comprises of the advanced navigation and communication equipment. The ship is commanded by Assistant Commandant Animesh Sharma. Interceptor boat will be based in Chennai under operational control of Commander of the Coast Guard Region (East). Functions of the interceptor boat The ship will be deployed to do surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone and other duties in accordance with the Coast Guard Charte...

Major boost  to indigenous defence technologies To indigenous defence technologies  at least 51% of the 123 LCA Tejas fighters that will be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) will have the desi Uttam radar, replacing Israeli radars that the first batch of aircraft will be equipped with. In all, IAF will get 123 Tejas fighters: 40 in initial and final operational clearance (IOC and FOC) configurations and 83 Tejas Mark-1A, orders for which were placed in the first week of February. While the first 40 will have mechanical radars (all Israeli), 83 Mk-1A planes will have Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars. “We will have the Uttam radar from the 21st Tejas Mk-1A to be produced. Uttam has performed better than anticipated in the trials so far. We’ve already signed an MoU with HAL,” DRDO chairman Sateesh Reddy told TOI. This means 63 of the 83 will be indigenous Uttam radars developed by LRDE (Electronics and Radar Development Establishment), a DRDO lab in Bengal...

BHEL has indigenised these guns and has established dedicated, intricate manufacturing and inspection facilities at its Heavy Electrical Equipment Plant, Haridwar for production, installation & commissioning and lifecycle support of these guns State-run engineering firm BHEL NSE 0.13 % on Thursday said it has bagged an order from the Indian Navy for supplying two Super Rapid Gun Mounts (SRGM), main guns standardised for all warships of the Indian Navy. BHEL has indigenised these guns and has established dedicated, intricate manufacturing and inspection facilities at its Heavy Electrical Equipment Plant, Haridwar for production, installation & commissioning and lifecycle support of these guns, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) said in a statement. Standardisation of these guns by the Indian Navy for all major warships has resulted in optimisation of cost and consolidation of expertise and self-reliance. BHEL is also working on an upgraded version of these guns, with enhanced r...

Minister of state for defence Shripad Naik said the number of women serving the Navy is 704 while the strength of men in the force is 10,108. The figure is in respect of women officers only as women are inducted at officer level at present. Women have been employed as officers in Indian Navy since 1992 where in only three streams were available to them namely law, education and logistics. The Indian Navy has the maximum percentage of women in its workforce among the three services at 6.5 per cent, according to details provided by the government in Rajya Sabha on Monday. The percentage of women in the Army and the Indian Air Force is 0.56 and 1.08 respectively. In a written reply to a question, Minister of state for defence Shripad Naik said 6,807 women are employed in the Army while the number of men serving the force is 12,18,036. "There has been an increase in the number of women personnel in the armed forces (excluding medical, dental and nursing cadres) during the year 2020 co...

Total indigenous content of the Ka-226T Utility helicopters “In Ka-226T when we talk of 70% indigenous content, it is not the same as the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) 52%. The 70% is of the Russian content. Engine from Safran and avionics from other countries are not accounted for in this. Balance is what we are looking and from there 70% is taken.  Taking the whole helicopter, the indigenous content is about 27-33%,” he said in response to a question from The Hindu at Aero India. Russians were unable to offer 70% of this and they offered upto 62%; that too which will come only in Phase-4 of production, he stated. Defence Ministry is also asking for better split of indigenous production from Phase-2 onwards and increasing it to 70% by including more items, Mr. Madhavan said, adding that the items are being identified for including in the Transfer of Technology to bring the indigenous content up to 70%. The Ka-226T is meant to replace the ageing and obsolete Cheetah and Chetak fleet ...

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday delivered the three helicopters to the Indian Navy and two to the Coast Guard during the ongoing Aero India show in Bengaluru.  Indian Navy and Coast Guard received upgraded advanced light helicopters (ALH) -- the Mark III versions -- meant for costal security on Friday. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) delivered the three helicopters to the Navy and two to the Coast Guard during the ongoing Aero India show in Bengaluru. Out of 16 Mk-III helicopters, these are the first five of the upgraded Mark III. “HAL today handed over three Advanced Light Helicopter [ALH Mk III] to Indian Navy and two ALHs to Indian Coast Guard as part of its 16 ALHs contract at the ongoing Aero India 2021,” a statement from HAL said. These are fully loaded multi-mission helicopters fitted with an array of advanced sensors. This will enhance Navy and Coast guard’s capabilities for maritime security and surveillance to prevent 26/11-like terror attacks. Features ...

"The remaining helicopters from the contract are under various stages of production, flight tests and we plan to deliver all the helicopters within the contract delivery schedules despite production slowdown due to COVID restrictions." State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Friday said it has handed over three Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH Mk III) to the Indian Navy and two to Indian Coast Guard as part of its 16 helicopter contract at the ongoing Aero India. The company also said its Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) received the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) for the Indian Army from Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC).  The ALHs were handed over by R Madhavan, CMD, HAL to Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Naval Staff and K Natarajan, DG, Coast Guard in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. "The remaining helicopters from the contract are under various stages of production, flight tests and we plan to deliv...

Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty took over as the Vice Chief of the Indian Army. Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty, who took over as the Vice Chief of the Indian Army on Monday, brings with him a recent experience of strategising against the Chinese aggression.  He has commanded the Trishakti Corps immediately after Doklam standoff. The 33 Corps based in Sukma takes care of deployment in Sikkim.  In his career spanning 39 years, the officer commanded a battalion on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and later in the North East. “He has the unique distinction of commanding two brigades: First on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and later on the multinational UN Brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He later commanded the Rangiya based Division in a counter-insurgency environment and the Sikkim-based Trishakti Corps immediately after the Doklam incident,” the Indian Army said.  Lt Gen Mohanty takes over the appointment of the Vice Chief of...

The IAF has already issued the Request for Information (RFI) for the tender. Global leaders including fighter jet manufacturers from the US, France, Russia and Sweden have responded to the RFI. With the deal for 83 LCA Tejas Mark 1A aircraft set to be signed during upcoming Aero India. Indian Air Force is now looking to focus on the multirole fighter aircraft project under which it is planning to acquire 114 combat aircraft expected to cost over Rs 1.3 lakh crore.  The Air Force had been undertaking one fighter aircraft project at a time and now its 83 LCA Mark 1A fighters have been cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Rs 50,000 crore deal is set to be signed in Bengaluru during Aero India.  "The 83 LCA Tejas would be replacing the four squadrons of the MiG-21 fighter jets which are set to be phased out in near future. The focus would now be on the 114 fighter jets project ". The IAF has already issued the Request for Inform...

Indian Army 10+2 TES 45 Recruitment 2021 Detailed Notification has been released at the official website of Join Indian Army .i.e. joinindianarmy.nic.in. Check Indian Army 10+2 TES 45 Eligibility, TES 2021 Online Application Form, TES 2021 Selection Criteria, TES 45 application form 2021 and other details here. Indian Army 10+2 TES 45 Recruitment 2021: Indian Army has released the detailed recruitment notification for Indian Army 10+2 TES 45 Recruitment 2021 for July Session. Candidates who have passed 10+2 exam with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (hereinafter referred to as PCM) subjects and fulfil the eligibility conditions can apply from today onwards.i.e. 1 February 2021. The direct link of online application is given below. Indian Army 10+2 TES 45 Recruitment 2021 Online Application Process will be ended on 2 March 2021. The selected candidates will be joined as permanent commission in the army after four years of basic military training and technical training thereafter. All ...

Indian envoy to Moscow Bala Venkatesh Varma has asserted that New Delhi makes its defence choices independently and based on its security needs and its key partners are aware of this fact indicating that the Modi government is going ahead with purchase of S-400 missile defence system considered best in its category. “Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke in detail about the essence of the Russian-Indian partnership at a press conference on January 18. He called it very close, special and privileged and strategic, which is a very accurate description. As for your question about military-technical cooperation, India-Russia ties go back decades. This is one of the pillars of our strategic partnership. India also has a global strategic partnership with the US. New Delhi's relations with each country are independent. India has an independent policy, and we make every decision in the military sphere in accordance with the interests of our defense and national security. This principle is r...

The three new additions will add to the current fleet of eight Rafale jets. Three Rafale combat aircraft will arrive in India on Thursday after flying non-stop from France, an Indian Air Force official said on Wednesday.   The three Rafale combat aircraft, manufactured by French company Dassault Aviation, took off from Istres in France on Wednesday. The Indian Embassy in France tweeted that three more Rafale jets have taken off from Istres for a non-stop flight to India with mid-air refuelling. "Adding more strength to India's air power. Wishing our amazing pilots a smooth flight and safe landing with superb fighter jets," the Indian Embassy said. With three more aircraft, the IAF will now have 11 Rafale jets in service. Further, Indian Air Force pilots are being trained in batches at the Saint-Dizier air base in France. India received the first batch of five Rafale aircraft on July 29, 2020 which were inducted into the 17 'Golden Arrows' Squadron on September 10 ...

India and the UAE are expected to take bilateral ties to the next level with the two countries, along with France, discussing conducting trilateral military exercises PM Narendra Modi has led India's effort to deepen ties with UAE and other Gulf countries after he came to power in 2014. At a meeting of the  consultative committee of the external affairs ministry  on January 16, foreign minister S Jaishankar had underscored India’s deepening relationship with Gulf countries. He had told the Congress MPs that it was due to the intense efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that  India’s relationship with Gulf countries  had gone way beyond diaspora and energy as in the past. The state of the relationship will be on display later this month when the United Arab Emirates Air Force will handle the mid-air refuelling of India’s three Rafale fighter jets flying into the Indian Air Force station at Ambala from France, people familiar with the matter said. The UAE air force’...