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AQUISITIONS
Army:
The decks are cleared for the tank and additional 155 mm howitzer
acquisition programmes. Bofors, currently under Celcius Saab umbrella,
has been removed from the blacklist and the firm received orders for
spares, and approval for the supply of one 155 mm D model for trials in
India. The Controller General of Accounts and Public Accounts Committee
came down heavily on the DRDO for not delivering on the MBT ARJUN for 16
years after spending over US$ 100 million. The project is delayed and
the Army has demanded a lighter tank with greater accuracy in
fire-power.
The Army Aviation Corps plan to acquire 300 helicopters at a likely cost
of US$ 500 million so as to increase their number from 150 to 450, has
received Govt’s approval in principle. Talks are being held with
French Company – Eurocopter and with Dutch for MD544. HAL has also
offered to design and build an indigenous aircraft to meet the Army’s
requirements.
Air Force:. The Defence Minister George Fernandes announced that 66
Advanced Jet trainers were cleared for order but did not name the
successful bidder. The French Dassault Alphajet and BAE Hawk 100 are
both contenders. He also confirmed that Israel was supplying UAVs. The
speculation was that additional Searcher IIIs and HERON 450S family for
high altitude recce would be ordered to keep vigil over the Kargil
heights. The Nishant – another DRDO-HAL built remotely piloted
vehicle, was also cleared for acquisition. The Air Force received one A
50 Russian AWACS in April at Chandigarh for trials on the IL 76 platform
with which the IAF is familiar, on a lease basis. The plan is to induct
three. The six month deployment is being looked at with interest. The
Indian DRDO had lost its indigenous ASWACS with a rotodome radar and the
EW equipment on an Avro 748, in an air crash on 10 Jan 1999, in which
the entire crew and scientists had all died. In end April, Air Chief
Marshal A Y Tipnis surprised analysts by making a plea at the Air Force
Commanders Conference in the presence of Defence Minister George
submitting - “All air assets of the Navy and Army should come under
one umbrella ( Air Force) for optimal employment of aerial resources”.
The controversy of control of nuclear delivery platforms, the Prithvi
and the ICBM Agni, currently under development has been debated, with no
clear-cut policy arrived at, and the Indian Air Force is keen on a
strategic air command. The Defence Minister also stated that DRDO’s US
supported LCA programme had slowed down due to the US sanctions but the
Phase One cost of US$ 600 mill will be followed with another equal sum
of US$600 mill. He was referring to the GE 404 engines, the Lockheed FCS
System tried out on an F 16 (VISTA) and other such systems that are on
hold. The long pending deal to
purchase 10 Mirage 2000 aircraft from Dassaut which has been hanging
fire on the price issue, is likely to top the agenda when French Defence
Minister Alain Richard visits Delhi beginning 18 May. These 10 aircraft
would act as the ‘war reserve’ for the 40 machines acquired by IAF
in 1985.
Navy :
It is reported that GE LM 2500 kits for the Indian Navy meant for the
type 17A frigates to be built at Mazagon Dock Ltd, were cleared for
import by HAL. The Navy appointed fighter pilot Rear Admiral Suresh
Mehta as Contoller Carrier Projects to oversee the induction of Gorshkov
and the Air Defence Ship which will have a ski ramp and arrestor gear
but will not need a catapult. The projects have moved ahead and the Navy
has honed in on the acquisition of MIG 29Ks in preference to upgrading
the Sea Harriers which will be maintained by a local facility code named
Ashok in Cochin. The Navy has sanctioned an advance of US$ 8 million to
Cochin Shipyard to begin activity for the Air Defence Ship ordered on
it, and a search is on for consultants. The Navy also nominated a three
star Admiral Arun Prakash to look into the offer of vertical launched
Barak AA missile from Israel for the future frigates though the price
quoted compared to the Kashtan Russian offer is higher. There is no
clear-cut acquisition policy and more and more senior officers are being
hand picked to oversee the acquisitions of large inductions. As reported
in AMR last issue INS Aditya the fleet tanker and INS Bramahaputra
Project 16A the follow on Godavari class frigate, 12 years in the
building, were commissioned in April at Garden Reach Shipbuilders &
Engineers in Calcutta and inducted into the Indian Navy. The Bramhaputra
is without the Trishul AA system which is still to be delivered but has
the powerful URAN 16 missile launchers still being operationalised in
the IN. INS Karmukh the Kora class 6th missile corvette was also
launched at GRSE Calcutta in April.
VISITS
The Defence Minister Mr. George Fernandes, accompanied by an inter
service team including Rear Admiral SV Gopalachari, ACNS Policy and
Plans of the Navy, visited Viet Nam in end March for a week. During
meetings with Lt Gen Pham Van Tra, the Viet Nam Defence Minister, and Mr
Nguyan Dy Bian, the Foreign Minister, the Viet Namese offered jungle
warfare training for the Indian Army, who may well accept the offer to
hone its operations in the North East. The French Defence Chief of
Staff, Gen Jean Pierre Kelche, who had hosted Gen V P Malik Chairman
Chiefs of Staff Committee earlier this year in France, paid a return
visit, and after calls and meetings in Delhi, visited Agra and Gwalior
on 24 April when he took ill and had to be flown back by a special
French plane, thus cutting short his visit. India flies its VIPs around
India in the Avro 748 on official visits and it is reported that when
the French Chief entered the Avro he was traveling in, the temperature
in the plane was over 48 degrees celcius and he was overcome by the
heat. He left Delhi fully recovered. He did not, however, lose the
opportunity to recommend the twin engined Alpha Jet that the French have
offered to the Indian Air Force. Earlier, Gen La Rosa, Director of the
French Armament Studies College CHEAR, had visited India and called on
Mr. T R Prasad and Probir Sengupta, the Defence Secretaries, to push for
French interests. Alan Richard, the French Defence Minister, is also due
to visit from 18 May. An Air Force helicopter team of 187, led by Gp
Capt B S Siwach, with 4 MI8s and 4 Alouttees left for Sierra Leone to
assist the UN Military team, which includes the Indian Army contingent.
In an interesting development, Mr Sergei Ivanov, the Secretary of
Russia’s powerful National Security Council, and close confidante of
Russia’s President elect Vladimir Putin, arrived in New Delhi on 26
April, at the invitation of Brijesh Misra, who is both India’s
National Security Adviser and the Principal Private Secretary to Prime
Minister Vajpayee. He held meetings where many security issues of
cooperation were discussed, including the induction of the carrier
Gorshkov. The Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Yang Wenchang also visited
from 27 April and took part in the 12th joint working group
meeting to resolve the border and other issues where the Chinese have
shown diplomatic finesse in their approach to keep Pakistan supplied
with nuclear and defence assistance, whilst ensuring that India is kept
appeased with talks which were suspended post the Pokharan nuclear
blasts.
Three ships the Ranvir, Gomati and tanker Shakti visited Safaga in Egypt
and the Israeli port of Eilat in early Three ships the Ranvir, Gomati
and tanker Shakti visited Safaga in Egypt and the Israeli port of Eilat
in early April to strengthen ties with these countries. In Israel the
Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Suresh Mehta was joined by the Flag Officer
Commanding Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Madhevendra Singh and
signifies the increasing ties with Israel. Last year Shri Jaswant Singh
had to cancel an official visit to Israel at the last moment. The
Training Squadron ships Tir and Krishna visited Dubai on 11 Apr and the
Eastern Fleet ships Rana and Khukri visited Bangkok and Port Kelang in
mid May.
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