CATEGORIES

INDIA'S UNDERWATER PREDATORS

While the Indian Navy requires a sizable submarine fleet for countering a two-front war with Pakistan and China, the union government needs to lay more stress on building more nuclear-powered ballistic missile boats and nuclear-propelled attack vessels while quickly finalising the P-75I programme’s roadmap, argues

BOEING F/A-18 SUPER HORNET: AN ENABLER OF INDO-US NAVAL BONHOMIE

Even though Indian aircraft carriers were designed for Russian and indigenous combat jets, Boeing has conducted several studies over the last couple of years that demonstrate that the F/A-18 Super Hornet will be fully compatible with Indian vessels, explains ANKUR KANAGLEKAR, Vice President, India Fighters Lead, Strike, Surveillance & Mobility, Boeing Defense, Space & Security

“P-75(I) PROGRAMME IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY”

JORGE GARCÍA-MONEDERO has just been appointed as International Commercial Director in Navantia. He is a Naval Architect and has been part of Navantia since 2000. With long experience in international business he has been head of the Navantia Malaysia office from 2002 to 2006, and the Turkey office from 2013 to 2017. Excerpts from an exclusive conversation with GEOPOLITICS

COMBATING UNDERWATER THREATS WITH UNMANNED SOLUTIONS

For navies, Saab is a major platform supplier, building the most modern submarines and warships. Saab also designs and builds many other enabling systems like radars, electronic warfare, communications, training and simulation, etc. that define supremacy in naval operations

INS TUSHIL LAUNCHED

INS Tushil, the seventh Indian Navy frigate of P1135.6-class was launched on October 28, 2021, at Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, Russia by Datla Vidya Varma in the presence of Ambassador of India (Moscow) D Bala Venkatesh Varma and other senior dignitaries of the Russian Federation and Indian Navy officials. The ship was named‘Tushil’ which is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘Protector Shield’.

“WE ARE MISSION READY”

Newly appointed CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF (CNS) ADMIRAL R HARI KUMAR assumed command of the Indian Navy on November 30, 2021 as the 25th Chief of the Naval Staff. He succeeds Admiral Karambir Singh who retired after four decades plus of distinguished service. Admiral Hari Kumar was the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command at Mumbai, prior to taking over as Chief. At the traditional Navy Chief’s media briefing a day before Indian Navy Day (December 4), he spoke in details on a wide range of subjects impacting the forces, specifically the navy. Below are the key points from that briefing.

TIME TO REFURBISH THE INDIAN NAVAL AIR ARM

A highly modernised Indian naval air arm will prove to be the biggest sea-based conventional deterrence, both for the tactical and strategic-level battlefields, explains AMARTYA SINHA

”THE SP MODEL SEEMS TO HAVE CHANGED”

It is not an SP model anymore. An SP model should mean a long-term partnership with the MoD, presupposing assured and repeat orders and should not be based on contract wise competitive bidding, says RAJIV CHIB, co-founder Insighteon Consulting in this interaction with GEOPOLITICS

”WE ARE WORKING WITH A RANGE OF INDIAN MSMES”

Naval Group has already, in Project-75, achieved a high level of indigenisation through transfer of technology and has created a strong industrial ecosystem of MSMEs as suppliers, explains LAURENT VIDEAU, Country & Managing Director - Naval Group India Pvt Ltd. in this interview with Geopolitics

INDIA SUCCESSFULLY TESTS NEW LONG-RANGE BOMB

An Indian Air Force(IAF) team and the Defence Research and Development organization (DRDO) has successfully flight-tested the country's first indigenously developed long-range bomb (LRB) from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet over Balasore in Odhisha in October.

INDIA'S AGNI-5 ICBM OPERATIONALISED:ROAD TO AGNI-6 CLEARED

On October 27, India executed the final test flight of the Agni- 5 thermonuclear-capable ICBM (Intercontinental-range Ballistic Missile) from Dr. Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. The missile traveled almost 5000 km before splashing down into the Southern Indian Ocean.

PARAMILITARY MODERNISATION: AN URGENT NEED OF THE HOUR

At a time when the India is facing significant internal security threats both internally and externally, t is high time to reshape the strategic dynamics by modernising the paramilitary forces,

‘PRIVATE SECTOR HAS HUGE POTENTIAL IN INDIA'S AEROSPACE INDUSTRY'

This is an opportune moment for private players to make their presence felt. The DPSUs are beginning o outsource some of their work to MSMEs and private industry, but it is now high time for the industry to step into the big league, ays AIR CHIEF MARSHAL IVEK RAM CHAUDHARI VSM AVSM VM ADC in this exclusive interaction with geopolitics

“WE ARE PREPARED TO HANDLE A TWO-FRONT CONTINGENCY”

Newly appointed AIR CHIEF MARSHAL VIVEK RAM CHAUDHARI PVSM AVSM VM ADC is confident that the Indian Air Force is ready and prepared. The ACM has an air of relaxed confidence and a complete command of the issues that confront the IAF, as it stares down the Chinese both in the Eastern and Western sectors. As he explains during the annual press conference a few days before Air Force Day (October 8), there is a paradigm change in future warfare including the non-kinetic, non-lethal challenges. IAF has its own strategy in place to have directed-energy weapons, unmanned wingman among other futuristic technologies. He is confident that of the force’s offensive strike capabilities that have become even more potent with the induction of cutting-edge weapons. Below are the highlights of the interaction and the key issues he discussed at the event.

EMBRAER CAN HELP INDIA ACHIEVE GLOBAL EXPORTER STATUS

Embraer believes that India’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India)’ campaigns are not only initiatives to boost Indian local industry, but are also eminent steps to make India a producer of critical technologies in the world, says Jackson schneider, President & CEO of Embraer Defense & Security in this exclusive conversation

''IAF HAS NOW GOT ASSETS THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CREATING STRATEGIC IMPACT‘‘

MANMOHAN BAHADUR, a retired Air Vice Marshal, served in 114 Helicopter Unit as a Flying Officer in 1978-82 and as its Commanding Officer 1994-97. This unit is the lifeline for all Siachen operations and has a storybook full of valour and guts. In this in depth conversation he offers his perspective on the IAF and how we need to address issues in the years ahead

BOEING'S VERSATILE RELATIONSHIP WITH IAF

Surendra Ahuja, Managing Director, Boeing Defence India talks about the wide ranging and comprehensive relationship between the American aerospace giant and the country’s armed forces in this exclusive conversation

A 50 YEAR STRONG PARTNERSHIP

MBDA has a strong reputation as a reliable partner that has supported the Indian armed forces for over 50 years. Going forward, the company is committed to delivering the best of military equipment to the country, said Boris solomiac, MBDA General Delegate India

Aeronautics presents multi cross-action intelligence gathering capability

Aeronautics Group presented its multi cross-action operation intelligence gathering solutions, including the Orbiter 3 STUAS, Orbiter 4 STUAS, and Orbiter 1K Loitering Munition UAS, at DEFEA-2021.

AN INSIDER'S VIEW OF DRDO

Institutions that shaped modern India: DRDO

A SPORTING LEGACY TO RECKON WITH

The Most Incredible Olympic Stories

DRONE TECH: INDIA'S JOHNNY COME-LATELY MOMENT

Instead of ruing the missed opportunities of the past, India should instead, take advantage of a late start and focus on critically needed anti-drone technologies using collaboration, besides an innovative model of public-private partnership including encouraging entrepreneurship development in this sphere. We should start now, asserts MAJ GEN RS MEHTA

RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES: INVESTMENT AND INNOVATION FOR INDIA'S FUTURE

Innovation and scientific discovery are in the company’s DNA. From the development of the guidance computer for the Apollo-11 spacecraft that landed on the moon to the environment satellite systems that help predict the weather, Raytheon Technologies continues to be at the forefront of new and emerging technologies in service to customers, explains DAN DARNELL, Vice President, Global Solutions, Raytheon Intelligence & Space

CRUISE MISSILES: A RAPIDLY EVOLVING CAPABILITY

Unlike heavyweight ballistic missiles which have larger CEP and can be used for devastating nuclear strikes on enemy cities, cruise missiles are lightweight, tremendously manoeuvrable and highly accurate, explains AMARTYA SINHA

THE DRONE THREAT: AN UNMANNED REALITY

The drone threat is real and is far more difficult to neutralize than a modern fighter. Stealth and low cost of drones makes it an extremely affordable weapon in the hands of disgruntled non-state actors, argues TEJ PRAKASH SRIVASTAVA

SARS COVID: OF DEFENCE PROCUREMENTS

There is a Sars Covid in the system that is adversely impacting India’s defence procurement. It is time for the country wake up to fight this pandemic, writes MAHESH RAMACHANDRAN

INDIA TIGHTENS ITS BORDER SECURITY BELT

Amid hyper activities by Chinese PLA all along the Line of Actual Control, the Centre is creating a “border belt” comprising all the police stations adjoining the frontiers that will act as a second line of defence after respective frontier guarding forces across the land border with various countries.

THE VERSATILITY OF DRONES (SORRY, UAVS)

The government needs to quickly take the decision to buy and manufacture UAVs and UUVs for strengthening the country’s defensive capabilities. This will require the armed services to move away from their Cold War-era thinking on how to conduct warfare, writes AMIT GUPTA

Theaterisation & The Joint Military Doctrine

There needs to be a legal framework under which the military reorganisation should take place. At present the CDS functions in a legal vacuum

India Invites Israeli Companies To Invest In Defence Corridors

Sanjay Jaju, Additional Secretary (DP), Ministry of Defence, Govt of India has said that there are a lot of mechanisms that have strengthened the bilateral cooperation in the field of defence between India and Israel.