India's Nuclear Plans Whirled

Atomic power can provide India some form of energy sufficiency but there are still regulatory and political matters to be surmounted.

It has been a long journey so far – the Indo-US pact signed a year and a half back, exemption at the NSG and abiding by the IAEA norms.

India has announced grand plans to raise nuclear energy capacity from 4340MW at present to nearly 500,000MW by 2050.

The new challenges relate to land acquisitions issues and evolving a consensus on the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill (CNLB) and adoption of Convention on Supplementary Compensation (CSC) for Nuclear Damage (specifically for America), all delicate matters that need considerable sorting.

It is clear that these issues are not just about business and politics. It is about protecting the interests of human victims, should such a situation arise. They have in the past, such as Chernobyl.

The Bhopal Gas tragedy should be a good enough reminder of an error prone compensatory regime.

Thus, the debate is not only about retaining confidence of power plant operators in joining the estimated US$150 billion worth Indian civil nuclear energy market.

It is about maintaining dignity of human lives, in the event of an accident. In India such matters are always the most ignored.

Matters so far don’t look good given allegations being leveled against the ruling party for pandering to American interests and fixing liability limits at a mere Rs.5 billion or $100 million.

The crux is about placing responsibility of compensation in event of nuclear damage whether on the supplier/designer/operator/ “Installation State” (which possesses nuclear facilities) by the wronged party (which too is ambiguous).

There are loopholes and anomalies related to assessments of “risks involved” and not on “damages involved.”

Who is liable in the event of an armed conflict or terrorist attack? These are very pertinent threats in today’s world.
Complex issues such as claims awarded by designated authority, exemptions and operator insurance in the current format also indicate multiple loopholes that have a potential to distort the advantages of nuclear energy generation.

The solution lies in an immediate redrafting and rethinking on every crucial detail before the foreclosure of the 123 nuclear deal.
                                                 
The government should be complimented for enthusiasm to put in place civil nuclear pacts with a host of countries for import of reactors and fuel.

There has also been synchronization of Rajasthan Atomic Power Project-Unit 6 with the Northern Grid, identification of locations for nuke sites and pacts between state run units like BHEL and NTPC with the regulatory body Nuclear Power Corporation India Ltd,.

But all this would be reduced to a naught if the other loopholes are not plugged and a clear policy not cut out. The role for private firms in atomic power nuclear power generation also needs to be worked out.

Indian thirst for energy ranks third in the world, next only to US and China.  A firm and collective resolution and action are essential.

Any tampering with plans to plug the power deficit will directly impact the country’s GDP. The sooner a sound plan is tabled the better for the India emerging story. Disclaimer: The views expressed in Hourglass are the author's own.

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India and Russia sign defence deal

NEW DELHI: India agreed to pay $2.33 billion more for the upgrade of aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, re-christened INS Vikramaditya, and signed a $1.5 billion contract to buy 29 MiG-29K naval fighter jets.The two deals were signed by the Ministry of Defence and Russian officials accompanying Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who arrived in New Delhi on Thursday night.New Delhi and Moscow negotiated military contracts, including joint production of multi-role transport aircraft and a fifth generation combat jet. Russia will also deliver nuclear submarine Nerpa-Akula on lease for ten years.The additional contract for INS Vikramaditya was signed after the two sides settled on the new price of the carrier being reconstructed in Russia.The original contract was finalised in 2004 under which Russia was to deliver the ship for around $900 million.But over the years, Russia demanded more money and $2.33 billion was settled upon.India has also placed an order for 29 more MiG-29K naval jets worth $1.5 billion.The Navy had bought 16 of these aircraft in 2004. Russian officials were hopeful that they would be able to deliver new MiG-29Ks from 2012.The Admiral Gorshkov is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier, originally named Baku. The ship was laid down in 1978 at the Nikolayev South shipyard in Ukraine, launched in 1982, and commissioned with the Soviet Navy in 1987.It was renamed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

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Defence in INDIA

This Supreme command of the Armed Forces vests in the President of India.

The responsibility for national defence, however, rests with the Cabinet. The Defence Minister (Raksha Mantri) is responsible to Parliament for all matters concerning defence of the country. Administrative and operational control of the armed forces is exercised by the Ministry of Defence and the three Service Headquarters.

The principal functions of the Departments are as follows:

I. The Department of Defence deals with Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) and three Services and various Inter-Service Organisations. It is also responsible for the Defence Budget, establishment matters, defence policy, matters relating to Parliament, defence cooperation with foreign countries and coordination of all activities.

II. The Department of Defence Production is headed by a Secretary and deals with matters pertaining to defence production, indigenisation of imported stores, equipment and spares, planning and control of departmental production units of the Ordnance Factory Board and Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).

III. The Department of Defence Research and Development is headed by a Secretary, who is also the Scientific Adviser to the Raksha Mantri.

IV. The Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare is headed by an Additional Secretary and deals with all resettlement, welfare and pensionary matters of Ex- Servicemen.

Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) was created on October 1, 2001 as a sequel to the decision by the Group of Ministers based on Kargil Committee Report.

The staff of HQ IDS is provided from three Services, MEA, DRDO, Armed Forces HQ (AFHQ) Civil Services and DoD. IDS is presently functioning as staff in the advisory mode to the Chairman COSC, and are headed by Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman COSC (CISC).

ARMY
=====

The Indian Army is the world's second largest army in terms of military personnel.

It is based on five year plans. Focus and core areas of modernisation have been:-

(a) Improvement in the Fire Power and increased Mobility
(b) All Weather Battle Field Surveillance capability
(c) Night Fighting capabilities
(d) Enhance capability of Special Forces
(e) Capability for Network Centric Warfare
(f) NBC Protection.

The main focus for the Artillery is to acquire heavy calibre Guns with enhance ranges with better fire power mobility. Acquisition of additional Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Night Vision Surveillance Devices by Artillery will enhance the Surveillance and Target Acquisition capability.

NAVY
=====

• INS Shardul, Landing Ship Tank (Large) was commissioned at naval base, Karwar on January 4, 2007.
• INS Jalashwa (ex USS Trenton) acquired from US (Navy) was commissioned at Norfolk (USA) on June 22, 2007. She adds a new dimension to the Indian Navy's operational prowess and provides flexibility of use for a large variety of roles. The ship is the first Landing Platform Dock (LPD) in the Indian Navy.

COAST GUARD
============

• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) came into existence with the enactment of the Coast Guard Act, 1978 on 18 August 1978.
• The Coast Guard is responsible for surveillance of the Indian territorial waters and the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone to prevent poaching, smuggling and other illegal activities; to conduct search and rescue operations; to protect and preserve marine environment.
• The command and control of the Coast Guard lies with the Director General of Coast Guard, Headquartered at New Delhi. The organisation has three Regional Headquarters at Mumbai, Chennai and Port Blair. The three Regional Headquarters command the entire coastline of India, through 11 Coast Guard Districts and six Coast Guard stations.

AIR FORCE
==========

• The past 75 years have been an eventful journey for the Indian Air Force (IAF) from a flight of 'Wapitis' in 1932, to the fourth largest, professionally acclaimed, strategic Air Force responsible for guarding Nation's vital interests

• The manufacture of HAWK AJT aircraft has commenced in UK. Four aircrafts have been delivered by December 2007 and the deliveries of remaining aircraft will be completed by February 2008. The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) licence-built HAWK AJT will be delivered by May 2010.

• Procurement of Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs) from HAL as a replacement to its Chetak/Cheetah fleet as a utility helicopter is in progress.

• An Inter Government Agreement (IGA) has been signed with the Russian Government on October 17, 2007 for joint development of 'Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft' by HAL and Russians (SDB).

• The airborne warning and control system (AWACS) are being procured from Israel to meet the long felt need of the IAF. The IAF is in the process of acquiring Medium Lift Helicopters from Russia.

RECRUITMENT
===========

The Armed Forces epitomizes the ideals of service, sacrifice, patriotism and our country's composite culture. The recruitment to the Armed Forces is voluntary and every citizen of India, irrespective of his caste, class, religion and community is eligible for recruitment into the Armed Forces provided he meets the laid down physical, medical and educational criteria.

NATIONAL CADET CORPS

• The National Cadet Corps (NCC) was established under the NCC Act, 1948. It has completed 60 years of existence.

• The NCC strives to provide the youth of the country opportunities for all round development with a sense of commitment, dedication, self-discipline and moral values, so that they become good leaders and useful citizens and can take their appropriate place in all walks of life in the service of the nation.

• The total sanctioned strength of NCC cadets is 13 lakh. The NCC's presence can be felt in 607 districts of the country covering 8514 schools and 5255 colleges.

TERRITORIAL ARMY

• The Territorial Army is a voluntary, part-time citizen’s Army.

• The conceptual framework for the Territorial Army is based on the fundamental idea that it should exist for wartime employment, and should be maintainable at the lowest cost during peace time.

• These citizens on joining the Territorial Army undergo a short period of rigorous training, which makes them reasonably competent soldiers. Subsequently, they join their units for two months every year for refresher training, to keep in touch with the art of soldiering.

• Infantry Battalions (TA) have been embodied for operational services since the raising of the force.

• In recent times, a maximum of 22 units were embodied in Operation Rakshak, Operation Vijay and Operation Parakram

TRAINING INSTITUTIONS
===================

The important ones are described in the following paragraphs.

 Sainik Schools: Sainik Schools were established as joint ventures of the Central and State Governments. These are under the overall governance of Sainik Schools Society. At present there are 22 Sainik Schools located all over India.
The Sainik Schools prepare boys academically, physically and mentally to join Armed Forces through the National Defence Academy (NDA).

 Rashtriya Military School: The five Military Schools in the country at Ajmer, Bangalore, Belgaum, Chail and Dholpur are affiliated to CBSE. The Military Schools admit boys in class VI, based on an all-India Entrance Examination. While 67 per cent seats are reserved for the wards of JCOs/ORs called 'entitled category', out of 33% non-entitled category seats, 20% are reserved for wards of service officers.

 Rashtriya Indian Military College: The Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun was founded on 13 March 1922 with the objective of providing necessary preliminary training to boys of Indian birth or domicile, wishing to become officers in Indian Armed Forces of India. The RIMC is now a premier educational institution in the country. Selection for RIMC is through a written examination and interview conducted through the state goverment. The institution now serves as a feeder institute to the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla (Pune).

 National Defence Academy: The National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla is a premier Inter Service training institution where future officers of Armed Forces are trained.

 Indian Military Academy: The Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun transforms young men into courageous, dynamic and erudite young officers of integrity, who are to bear the brunt of battle, or hardship whilst guarding the nation’s frontiers. IMA established in 1932, imparts training to cadets for commission into the Army.

 Officers Training Academy: Established in 1963, the Officers Training School (OTS) was re-designated as Officers Training Academy (OTA) from January 1, 1988 on completion of 25 years of its existence. Its main task before 1965 was to train Gentlemen Cadets for grant of Emergency Commission. From 1965 onwards, the Academy has started training cadets for Short Service Commission. With the entry of women officers into the Army since September 21, 1992, around 100 lady officers now get commissioned from OTA every year.

 Defence Services Staff College : Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington is a premier tri-service training establishment imparting training to middle level officers (Majors and equivalent) of the three wings of Indian Armed Forces, friendly foreign countries and Indian Civil Services.

 College of Defence Management: The Institute of Defence Management (IDM), Secunderabad was established in June 1970 to impart modern, scientific management training to the Armed Forces Officers. The IDM was renamed as College of Defence Management (CDM) in 1980

 College of Military Engineering: The College of Military Engineering (CME) at Pune is a premier technical institution. The training is conducted for personnel of the Corps of Engineers, other Arms and Services, Navy, Air Force, Para-Military Forces, Police and civilians. Besides, personnel from friendly foreign countries are also trained.
CME is affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for the award of B. Tech and M. Tech degrees.

 National Defence College: The National Defence College (NDC) inaugurated on 27 April 1960 is the only institution in the country that imparts knowledge on all aspects of national security and strategy. Senior Defence and Civil Services Officers participate in a 47-week comprehensive programme of national security and strategy.

PRODUCTION
===========

The Department of Defence Production deals with the indigenisation, development and production of defence equipment both in public and private sectors. The Department has 8 Defence Public Sector Undertakings and 39 ordnance factories with a wide-ranging production infrastructure for aircraft and helicopters, warships, submarines, heavy vehicles and earth movers, missiles, a variety of electronic devices and components for the defence sector, and alloys and special purpose steel

ORDNANCE FACTORIES

• The Ordnance Factories Organisation is the largest and oldest departmentally run production organistion in the country and is primarily engaged in the manufacture of Defence hardware for the Armed Forces.

• The first Ordinance Factory was established in 1801 at Cossipore, near Kolkata. There are 39 Ordnance Factories, geographically distributed all over the country at 24 different locations. Ordnance Factory, Nalanda and Ordnance Factory, Korwa is in project stage.


DEFENCE UNDERTAKINGS
======================

 The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was formed in October 1964 with its Corporate Office at Bangalore

The Company has 19 production divisions and 9 R&D Centres located in six States. It is the largest public sector undertaking under the Department of Defence Production.

HAL is a major partner for the space programmes of ISRO. It manufacturers structures and assemblies for the launch vehicles and satellites.

 Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is the leading professional electronics company in the country engaged in the design, development and manufacture of sophisticated state-of-the-art electronic equipment/components for the use of defence services, paramilitary organisations and other infrastructure providers in the telecom sector.

BEL has been accorded "NAVRATNA" Status Company in 2007.

 The Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) was established in May 1964 and commenced operations from January 1965. BEML is the prime earth moving and construction equipment manufacturer in the country and also produces ground supporting equipment for Armed Forces for movement of men and material.

Recently, BEML has diversified its business by successfully assembling state-of-the-art stainless steel metro coaches for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) under technical collaboration with M/s Rotem of South Korea.

 Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), was taken over by the Government of India on 1st April 1960. GRSE is among the leading shipyards in the country and the premium yard in the East

India's first ever tranker fleet too was built at GRSE. The latest on the list is new generation hovercraft.

 Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), the youngest and smallest of the Defence shipyards, has the privilege of having implemented the first successful enterprises planning system amongst the Defence Public Sector Undertakings

 The Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) was set up in 1970 for manufacture of guided missiles. It is amongst a few strategic industries in the public sector and possesses the capability to produce advanced Guided Missile Systems.

Besides producing indigenously developed P-II missile systems, BDL is engaged in the production of Konkurs M and Invar (3UBK-20) missiles in collaboration with Russia.

BDL is working in close assocaition with DRDO for technology absorption/assimilation and extending support by providing missile sub systems/integrated missiles for conducting various trials of missiles like AKASH, NAG, Article K-15, AGNI VARIANTS (A1, A2 and A3).

 Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) was incorporated as a Public Sector Undertaking in 1973 to achieve self-reliance in areas of Super alloys, Titanium alloys and Special Purpose steels required for strategic sectors like Aeronautics, Space, Armaments, Atomic Energy and Navy. Special products like Molybdenum coins and plates, Titanuium and Stainless Steel tubes, alloys for electrical and electronic aplications like soft magnatic alloys controlled expansion alloys and Resistance alloys are also in the product range of MIDHANI.


DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION

• The vision of DRDO is to empower India with cutting-edge defence technologies. It has the mission of achieving selfreliance in critical defence technologies and systems by indigenisation and innovation while equipping the armed forces with state-of-the-art weapon systems and equipment.

• DRDO came into existence in 1958. It was the amalgamation of Technical Dev Establishment (TDEs) of Indian Army and Directorate of Tech Dev and Production (DTDP) with Defence Science Organisation (DSO).

• DRDO is headed by the Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri (SA to RM), who is also the Secretary, Deptt. Of Defence R&D and Director General, R&D. The SA to RM is assisted by 7 Chief Controllers. The organisation has a two tier system, viz., the Technical and Corporate Directorates at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi; and laboratories/establishments located at different stations all over the country.


Important Notes:

Indian Army

 The force is headed by the Chief of Army Staff, currently General Deepak Kapoor.
 The highest rank in the Indian Army is Field Marshal. Late General S.H.F.J. Manekshaw and the late General K.M. Cariappa are the only two officers who have attained this rank.
 Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year in India, in recognition of Lieutenant General (later Field Marshal) K. M. Cariappa's becoming the first Indian Commander-in-Chief in 1948.
 Inclusion of Hyderabad (1948) - Operation Polo
 Goa, Daman and Diu Operation (1961) - Operation Vijay
 Southern Command Pune
 Eastern Command Kolkata
 Central Command Lucknow
 Western Command Chandimandir (Chandigarh)
 Northern Command Udhampur
 South Western Command Jaipur

Indian Navy

 Navy Day: 4th December
 Chief of Naval staff - Nirmal Kumar Verma, former chief was Admiral Sureesh Mehta
 Western Naval Command Mumbai Vice Admiral Jagjit Singh Bedi
 Eastern Naval Command Vishakhapatnam Vice Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma
 Southern Naval Command Cochin Vice Admiral Sunil Krishnaji Damle
 Far Eastern Naval Command Port Blair
 Asia's largest naval academy INS Saamoothiri (Zamorin), was inaugurated at Ezhimala, on January 2009 by the Prime Minister of India.
 INS Viraat is the flagship of the Indian Navy. The oldest carrier afloat, and one of the two aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean Region.
 INS Vikramaditya the new name for the former Soviet aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, which has been procured by India, and is estimated to enter service in the Indian Navy after 2012.
 INS Vikrant (R11) was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. Her keel was laid down on 12 November 1943 by Vickers-Armstrong [2] on the Tyne and she was launched on 22 September 1945. She was formally decommissioned on 31 January 1997 and is preserved as a museum at Mumbai
 In 2005, the Indian Navy commissioned INS Kadamba at Karwar, 100 km from Goa. This is the third operational naval base after Mumbai and Vishakapatnam and the first to be controlled exclusively by the Navy.

Indian Air Force

 The highest rank attainable in the IAF is Marshal of the Indian Air Force conferred by the President of India only after exceptional service (Equivalent to Field Marshall in the Indian Army).
 MIAF Arjan Singh is the only officer to have achieved this rank.
 Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik assumed office as the new chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He succeeds Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major.
 Western Air Command -Subroto Park, New Delhi
 Eastern Air Command - Shillong, Meghalaya
 Central Air Command -Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
 Southern Air Command - Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
 South Western Air Command -Gandhinagar, Gujarat
 Training Command Bangalore, -Karnataka
 Maintenance Command Nagpur - Maharashtra
 Maitri - the new Brahmos - India and France plan to co-produce surface-to-air missiles (SAM) on the lines of the Indo-Russian ‘Brahmos’ missile.
 Sqn Ldr Sanjay Thapar VM is the man of many firsts in the field of parachuting, two of his achievements are acknowledged as world records and seven others as National Records. He was the first Indian to introduce tandem skydiving in the Air Force.
 Sikorsky – first Helicopter

Integrated Guided Missile Development Program
============================== =====

 The Agni missile is a family of Medium to Intercontinental range ballistic missiles developed by India under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. As of 2008, the Agni missile family comprises three deployed variants:

1. Agni-I short range ballistic missile, 700 - 800 km range.
2. Agni-II medium range ballistic missile, 2,500 km range.
3. Agni-III intermediate range ballistic missile, 3,500 km range.
4. There will not be an Agni-IV missile, with DRDO leapfrogging from intermediate range Agni-III to a standard ICBM possibly.
5. Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile, 5,000 - 6,000 km [4] range (under development).

 Prithvi is a tactical surface-to-surface, short-range ballistic missile (SRBM).

• Prithvi I (SS-150) - Army Version (150 km range with a payload of 1,000 kg)
• Prithvi II (SS-250) - Air Force Version (250 km range with a payload of 500 kg)
• Prithvi III (SS-350) - Naval Version (350 km range with a payload of 500 kg)
• Dhanush- Dhanush is reportedly a naval version of Prithvi which can be launched from Ships.[3]. Some sources claim that Dhanush is a System consisting of stabilization platform and missiles, which has the capability to launch both Prithvi II and Prithvi III from Ships[1] while others report that Dhanush is a variant of Prithvi-II Ballistic Missile.
Over the years these specifications underwent a number of changes. While the codename Prithvi stands for any missile inducted by India into its armed forces in this category, the later developmental versions are codenamed as Prithvi II and Prithvi III.

 Sagarika will be a nuclear-capable, cruise missile, capable of being mounted in ships or submarines. Considering the upward capability developments, Prithvi class of missiles could be reclassified from short-range ballistic missile to a medium range ballistic missile. The current codename of the operational variant Dhanush could pave way for the new codename Sagarika as Sagarika becomes operational. Dhanush was successfully tested on March 30, 2007. Sagarika will be inducted into the Advanced Technology Vessel being developed for Indian Navy.


 Akash is India's medium range surface-to-air missile defense system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics Limited(BEL) as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.[3][4][5] The missile can target aircraft up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m

 Trishul is the name of a short range surface-to-air missile developed by India as a part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program

 Nag is India's third generation "Fire-and-forget" anti-tank missile. It is an all weather, top attack missile with a range of 3 to 7 km.

 The Shaurya missile is a canister launched hypersonic surface-to-surface tactical missile developed by the Indian Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for use by the Indian Armed Forces.

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Recent Happenings in Indian Defence

Recent Happenings in Indian Defence

NUCLEAR POWERED SUBMARINE ‘ARIHANT’ LAUNCHED
India’s first indigenously built nuclear propelled strategic submarine named ‘Arihant’, meaning ‘Destroyer of the Enemies’, was launched on July 26 at the Ship Building Center, Visakhapatnam

Keel for India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), was laid by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony at Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) in Kochi. designed by Directorate of Naval Design (DND) of Indian Navy as Project 71.

Note: Other projects of DND:
# Project 15: Delhi class guided missile destroyers.
# Project 15A: Kolkata class guided missile destroyers.
# Project–16: Godavari class frigates.
# Project 16A: Brahmaputra class frigates.
# Project 17: Shivalik class stealth frigates.
# Project 25: Khukri class missile corvettes.
# Project 71: Indigenous Aircraft Carrier.

INS Airavat, the third Landing Ship Tank (Large) of the Shardul class was commissioned in May

The first batch of three MiG-29K aircraft were received on December 04, 2009 at INS Hansa Goa. A total of 16 aircraft have been contracted from MiG RAC.

The Naval Academy at Ezhimala, Kerala was commissioned on January 08, 2009. This Academy named INS Zamorin will be the largest officer-training Naval Academy in Asia.

Two lady officers were inducted as the first women Observers of the Indian Navy. Sub Lieutenant Seema Rani Sharma and Sub Lieutenant Ambica Hooda were awarded ‘Wings’ on November 20, 2009.

The first of the three Indian Air Force AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platform arrived in India from Israel in May.

On September 18, 2009 an IAF AN-32 aircraft landed at Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in eastern Ladakh. Though helicopters have been landing at this ALG, this was for the first time that a fixed-wing aircraft has landed at the compacted airstrip of Nyoma, located 23 kms from the Line of Actual Control at an altitude of 13,300 feet.

The Su-30 aircraft was formally inducted at Air Force Station Tezpur on 15 June 15, following the upgrade of the airbase in the northeast.

President Pratibha Patil inducted the new state-of-the-art VVIP jet into the IAF on April 1, 2009. The President later undertook a flight to Assam aboard the new Boeing 747/700, christened as ‘Rajdoot’. The sparkling white 60-passenger-capacity aircraft, designed on the lines of the US President’s Air Force One and equipped with a wide range of security cover and latest communication devices, replaces the Boeing 737.

The President of India, Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil became the first woman President anywhere across the world to fly a fighter jet - SU-30.

Indigenously built Main Battle Tank, Arjun from Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), Avadi released.

India rolled out its first batch of the indigenous, Russian-designed T-90 tanks in August, which will be the country’s main battle tank over the next three decades.

JOINT EXERCISES

• ‘YUDH ABHYAS-09’ with the US Army at Babina near Jhansi in October
• The Indian and Maldivian troops conducted ‘EKUVERIN-09’ exercise in Belgaum
• COPE INDIA 2009 was held in October at Agra between IAF and US Air Force
• ‘SIMBEX 09’ in March with the Singapore Navy
• US and Japanese Navies under the aegis of the MALABAR exercise
• 'Konkan’ with Royal navy
• 'Varuna' with French Navy

INS Savitri, an Offshore Patrol Vessel, returned yesterday after a deployment of over a month in the waters of Mauritius and Seychelles for Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surveillance and anti piracy patrols.

The 7th Edition of Aero India, Asia’s premier Air Show, was held in Bengaluru from February 11 to 15, 2009.

A 400-strong contingent of the Indian Armed Forces comprising marching columns and a combined military band from the Army, Air Force and Navy participated in the French National Day parade on July 14, 2009 in Paris.

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Japan wants India to sign CTBT, PM puts onus on US, China

Pressed by Japan to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), India on Tuesday clearly put the onus on the US and China taking a lead in this direction by ratifying it.

Japan, however, promised to relax restrictions on hi-tech trade as the two countries sought to impart greater depth to their ties by unveiling an action plan covering defence and counter-terrorism exchanges and vowing to step up two-way trade.

After his wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama remained non-committal on civil nuclear cooperation with India although he observed that it would be an "important agenda for future".

At a joint press conference with Singh after the talks, Hatoyama said the two countries have "differences" over the issue of CTBT and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Noting that he had discussed the issue with Singh, he said, "I expressed the hope that along with the US and China, India will sign and ratify the (CTBT) treaty.

Hatoyama said, "In response, Prime Minister Singh said should the US and China ratify the CTBT, a new situation will emerge. I believe he has stated it as a matter of fact. We firmly have to engage in these endeavours."

Singh said India was committed to "universal, voluntary and non-discriminatory" disarmament and voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing.

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Nerpa nuclear attack submarine enters service with Russia's Navy

Russia's Nerpa nuclear attack submarine, damaged in a fatal accident during tests in November last year, has entered service with the Russian Navy after successfully passing final trials, a Pacific Fleet spokesman said Monday.
The submarine was officially commissioned in the town of Bolshoy Kamen in the Primorye Territory in the Russian Far East, home to the Amur shipyard Vostok repair facility which carried out the submarine's repairs.
On November 8, 2008, while the Nerpa was undergoing sea trials, its onboard fire suppression system activated, releasing a deadly gas into the sleeping quarters. Three crewmembers and 17 shipyard workers were killed. There were 208 people, 81 of them submariners, onboard the vessel at the time.
Following repairs, which cost an estimated 1.9 billion rubles ($65 million), the submarine had been cleared for final sea trials.
The final sea trials had showed that the Nerpa nuclear submarine was ready to enter service with the Russian Navy.
The submarine will be subsequently leased to the Indian Navy under the name INS Chakra. India reportedly paid $650 million for a 10-year lease of the 12,000-ton K-152 Nerpa, an Akula II class nuclear-powered attack submarine.
Akula II class vessels are considered the quietest and deadliest of all Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines.
VLADIVOSTOK, December 28 (RIA Novosti)

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India successfully tests nuclear-capable missile Dhanush

India successfully tested a nuclear-capable ballistic missile 'Dhanush', a naval variant of Prithvi with 350 km range, from a warship in Bay of Bengal off the Orissa coast. 

The single-stage ship-based missile was flight-tested at around 11.31 am from INS Subhadra ship 35 km off shore the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near here, defence officials said.


'Dhanush' has a payload capacity of 500 kg and is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. It can hit both sea and shore-based targets.

The missile, which has liquid propellant, is the naval version of India's indigenously developed surface-to-surface 'Prithvi' missile system, the officials said.

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India's Atomic Research

First Nuclear Explosion

Carried out on May 18, 1974 at Pokharan in Rajasthan (Thar) desert.  This successful explosion made India the sixth nuclear nation in the world.



Atomic Energy Commission

Established in 1948, with Dr. H. J. Bhabha as its first Chairman, to look after India?s atomic energy programmes.

Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)

Set up in August 1954 for implementation of Atomic energy programmes and headed by the Prime Minister of India. It has five research Centers:

1. Bhabha Atomic research Centre (BARC): Established in 1957, it is located in Trombay (Maharashtra) and is India?s largest atomic research centre.  
2.  Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research: established in 1971, it is located at Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu).
3. Centre for Advanced Technology (CAT): Established in 1984, it is located at Indore.
4. Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (CECC), Kolkata.
5. Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration Research (AMD), Hyderabad.

It has:
Three Industrial Organizations:

1. Heavy Water Board (HWB), Mumbai.
2. Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), Hyderabad.
3. Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT), Mumbai.

Four Public Sector Undertakings:

1. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), Mumbai.
2. Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), Jaduguda (Jharkhand).
3. Indian Rare Earth Limited (IRE), Mumbai.
4. Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Hyderabad.

Four Service Organizations:

1. Directorate of Purchase and Stores (DPS), Mumbai.
2. Construction, Services and Estate Management Group, Mumbai.
3. General Services Organization (GSO). Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu).
4. Atomic Energy Education Society (AEES), Mumbai

DAE also financially supports seven autonomous national institutes:

1. Tata institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai.
2. Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai.
3. Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), Kolkata.
4. Institute of Physics (IOP), Bhubaneswar.
5. Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI), Allahabad.
6. Institute of Mathematical Studies (IMS), Chennai.
7. Institute of Plasma Research (IPR), Ahmadabad. 

The Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS) and the National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM) Promote research in nuclear and allied fields and mathematics respectively.

Nuclear Power Projects

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), set up in1987, is responsible for the design, construction and operation of nuclear power plants in the country. It is envisaged that by the year 2000, India's atomic power generation would be in the vicinity of 10,000 MW.

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Kargil War (1999)

In 1998, India carried out nuclear tests and a few days later, Pakistan responded by more nuclear tests giving both countries nuclear deterrence capability. Diplomatic tensions eased after the Lahore Summit was held in 1999. The sense of optimism was short-lived, however, since in mid-1999 Pakistani paramilitary forces and Kashmiri insurgents captured deserted, but strategic, Himalayan heights in the Kargil district of India.

These had been vacated by the Indian army during the onset of the inhospitable winter and were supposed to reoccupied in spring. The regular Pakistani troops who took control of these areas received important support, both in the form of arms and supplies, from Pakistan. Some of the heights under their control, which also included the Tiger Hill, overlooked the vital Srinagar-Leh Highway (NH 1A), Batalik and Dras.

Indian Army near Jammu trucks carry supplies for Indian troops fighting in Kargil in summer 1999.

Once the scale of the Pakistani incursion was realized, the Indian Army quickly mobilized about 200,000 troops and Operation Vijay was launched. However, since the heights were under Pakistani control, India was in a clear strategic disadvantage. From their observation posts, the Pakistani forces had a clear line-of-sight to lay down indirect artillery fire on NH 1A, inflicting heavy casualties on the Indians.This was a serious problem for the Indian Army as the highway was its main logistical and supply route. Thus, the Indian Army's first priority was to recapture peaks that were in the immediate vicinity of NH1a. This resulted in Indian troops first targeting the Tiger Hill and Tololing complex in Dras. This was soon followed by more attacks on the Batalik-Turtok sub-sector which provided access to Siachen Glacier. Point 4590, which had the nearest view of the NH1a, was successfully recaptured by Indian forces on June 14.
Though most of the posts in the vicinity of the highway were cleared by mid-June, some parts of the highway near Drass witnessed sporadic shelling until the end of the war. Once NH1a area was cleared, the Indian Army turned to driving the invading force back across the Line of Control. The Battle of Tololing, among other assaults, slowly tilted the combat in India's favor. Nevertheless, some of the posts put up a stiff resistance, including Tiger Hill (Point 5140) that fell only later in the war. As the operation was fully underway, about 250 artillery guns were brought in to clear the infiltrators in the posts that were in the line-of-sight. In many vital points, neither artillery nor air power could dislodge the outposts manned by the Pakistan soldiers, who were out of visible range. The Indian Army mounted some direct frontal ground assaults which were slow and took a heavy toll given the steep ascent that had to be made on peaks as high as 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Two months into the conflict, Indian troops had slowly retaken most of the ridges they had lost;^[34][35] according to official count, an estimated 75%–80% of the intruded area and nearly all high ground was back under Indian control.


Following the Washington accord on July 4, where Sharif agreed to withdraw Pakistani troops, most of the fighting came to a gradual halt, but some Pakistani forces remained in positions on the Indian side of the LOC. In addition, the United Jihad Council (an umbrella for all extremist groups) rejected Pakistan's plan for a climb-down, instead deciding to fight on.^[36] The Indian Army launched its final attacks in the last week of July; as soon as the Drass subsector had been cleared of Pakistani forces, the fighting ceased on July 26.

The day has since been marked as Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day) in India. By the end of the war, India had resumed control of all territory south and east of the Line of Control, as was established in July 1972 per the Shimla Accord. By the time all hostilities had ended, the number of Indian soldiers killed during the conflict stood at 527.^[37] while more than 700 regular members of the Pakistani army were killed.^[38] The number of Islamist fighters, also known as Mujahideen, killed by Indian Armed Forces during the conflict stood at about 3,000.^[39]

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Air defence

Air defence

India's Advanced Air Defense (AAD) interceptor missile

9K22 Tunguska.

Anti-ballistic missile

• Prithvi Air Defense (PAD)- Exoatmospheric (outside the atmosphere) interceptor system
• Advanced Air Defence (AAD)- Endo atmospheric interceptor
• *S-300PMU-2

Surface to air missile Systems

• Akash- 2 Squadrons are being inducted right now
• SA-6 Gainful- The Indian Army has sought to upgrade its SA-6 Kvadrat and SA-8 Missile systems whilst the Akash gets ready. The Indian magazine "Strategic Affairs " (No. 0011/ Issue: December 16) noted: "Poland has won an order worth $200 m from India to upgrade 100 Kvadrat (SA6) and 50 OSA-AKM (SA8) mobile surface to air missiles. The contract made public in August, is to be completed by 2002. The upgrades include integration of new radars, communications and control systems, improvements to the launch vehicle including new power packs. The Kvadrat upgrade includes new electronics for better electronic counter measures, passive infra-red search and track sensors."
• SA-10 ^[9]
• Trishul- Under Trials. Due to delays in the Trishul missile program the OSA-AKM / SA-8b Gecko air defence systems are being upgraded. Cancelled due to cost of production.^[10]
• SA-8 Gecko- In Service
• SA-13 Gopher- In Service

MANPADS

• SA-16 Gimlet- In Service
• SA-7 Grail- In Service, to be phased out

Air Defense Artillery

• Tunguska M1 (108) - low level air defense system ^[11]
• ZSU-23-4M 'Shilka' self-propelled air defence guns- 100 Systems upgraded
• Upgraded Bofors L40/70 40 mm AA guns replacing the L40/60
• ZSU-23-2 twin 23 mm AA guns - Total 800 purchased
• PZA Loara Armoured vehicle (PT-91 based)AA guns from Poland - Total 100 purchased

Surface to surface missiles

BrahMos at the Indian Republic Day Parade

• BrahMos Land Attack Cruise Missile- In Service ^[12][13]
• Prithvi-I Short Range Ballistic Missile (150 km) - In Service
• Prithvi II 250 km range with a payload of 500 kg- In Service
• Agni-I Medium Range Ballistic Missile (700 km)- In Service
• Agni-II Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (2000 - 2500 km)- In Service
• Agni-III IRBM (3500 km)- Ready for induction
• Agni-V ICBM (5000-6,000 km)-Under Development.^[14]

Non-combat vehicles

[edit] Engineering Vehicles

Armoured recovery vehicle

• Bridge Layer Tank using a T-72 chassis and Kartik Armoured Bridgelayer on a Vijayanta chassis - armoured vehicle-launched bridges
• Multi-Hop and Extended Span Assault Bridges on T-72 chassis
• Sarvatra - 8x8 truck-mounted bridging system
• VT-72B ARV (200+) and WZT-3 ARV (124, 228 to be delivered by 2007) - armoured recovery vehicle replacing the Vijayanta ARV
• BMP-2 Armoured Amphibious Dozer and Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (AERV) & AAD

Mine protected vehicles

Maruti Gypsy

• Casspir - (165 In Service) mine protected vehicles
• CVRDE MPV Type I- Heavy armour and Type- II for Light armour (300 in service)

Logistic vehicles

• Stallion 4x4 Truck for GS Role
• Ashok Leyland Truck Fire Fighting
• Ashok Leyland 5kl Water Bowser
• Ashok Leyland Light Recovery Vehicle 4x4
• Mahindra - light multi-role 4x4
• Rampar - amphibious 4x4

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Equipment of the Indian Army

Handguns

• FN Browning GP35 9mmx19 mm
• SAF (Small Arms Factory) Pistol 1A 9mmx19 mm, This is more or less a copy of the Canadian Inglis 9 mm
• Glock 17 9mmx19 mm, The Glock 19 along with the 17 is in use with the Special Protection Group (Prime Minister's Security)

Heckler & Koch MP5K

Micro Tavor (Zittara)

INSAS rifle.

AK-103 produced under license by Indian arms manufacturer.

M4 of the Indian Army.

Dragunov SVD59

IMI Negev

MG 2A1

Carl Gustav recoilless rifle

AGS-17 Plamya.

Milan-2T ATGM

Nag missile and the Nag missile carrier (NAMICA).

Sub-machine guns and carbines

 

• Heckler & Koch MP5A3 9x19 mm SMG
• Heckler & Koch MP5K 9x19 mm SMG
• SAF Carbine 1A 9x19 mm, Indian made Sterling L2A1 SMG
• SAF Carbine 2A1 9x19 mm, Silenced Carbine
• UZI 9x19 mm SMG
• INSAS MSMC (modern sub-machine carbine) 5.56×30 mm SMG
•  

Assault rifles

• AK-7, clone of the AK-47
• INSAS 5.56mmx45 mm Assault Rifle
• Zittara Indian version of the IMI Tavor TAR-21 Israeli Micro-Tavor
• TAVOR TAR-21 5.56mmx45 mm, 3070 have been purchased for the special forces from Israel ^[1]
• AK-101
• AK-103
• AK-47M1 7.62mmx39 mm, all black Bulgarian AK. Most of these have been imported for police and paramilitary forces
• East German MPi-KM MPi-KMS72 7.62mmx39 mm
• M4
• Czech Vz.58 and Vz.58P 7.62mmx39 mm

Grenades

• Multi Mode Grenade Shivalik

Sniper rifles

• Dragunov SVD59 7.62mmx54mmR Sniper Rifle
• Mauser SP66 7.62mmx51 mm Sniper Rifle
• Heckler & Koch MSG-90 7.62mmx51 mm Sniping Rifle. The H&K PSG-1 sniping rifle serves with the NSG anti-terrorist units while small numbers of the Steyr Mannlicher SSG69 serve with the para-military Border Security Force(BSF)
• Vidhwansak Manufactured by OFB INDIA.In service with Border Security Force(BSF)
• Gepard GM Lynx Indian special forces purchased anti material rifle from Hungary

Machine guns

• MG 1B 7.62mmx51 mm, Indian made Bren- This is currently being retired.
• MG 2A1 7.62mmx51 mm, Indian made MAG 58
• MG 5A 7.62mmx51 mm This is the Indian manufactured Co-axial MAG 58
• MG 6A 7.62mmx51 mm Another Indian version of the MAG58 specifically designed as a tank commanders gun.
• 5.56mm INSAS LMG
• FN-Browning M1919 .30Cal, in very limited quantities
• Browning M2 heavy machine gun .50cal, heavy machine gun
• 7.62mm M60 machine gun
• 5.56mm IMI Negev light machine gun
• 12.7mm NSV (machine gun)
• 14.5mm KPV heavy machine gun

Projectile launchers

• Milkor MGL Grenade Launcher
• AGS-17 Plamya 30 mm automatic grenade launcher
• RPG-7 40mm Rocket Launcher
• Shipon 82mm Rocket Launcher
• Carl Gustav 84 mm recoilless rifles
• NTW-20 20 mm Rifle
• Vidhwansak Anti-Material Rifle
•  
  

Anti-Tank Guided Missiles

• Nag- Third Generation fire and forget IIR Guided ATGM developed Indigenously. Its has been ordered by army. 443 missiles ordered.
• Milan 2- License Produced.
• 9M113 Konkurs (AT-5 Spandrel).
• 9M111 Fagot (AT-4 Spigot).
• 9M119 Svir (AT-11 Sniper)- for T-90S.
• 9M133 Kornet (AT-14 Spriggan).
• Lahat- fired from Arjun MBT 120mm Cannon.

Nag was cleared for production on 1st week of July 2009
A large order was recently placed for a shipment of FGM-148 Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missiles as of September 2009.

Remotely Operated Vehicles

DRDO Daksh IED handling robot

Armoured vehicles

Arjun MBT.

A T-90 Bhishma tank on display.

.

Main Battle Tanks

• Arjun MBT Mk1 - main battle tanks (45+). The Army has ordered production of this tank and the first batch of 53 of the ordered 124 tanks has already rolled out of the Avadi factory and are currently being put through trials to check the quality control of the production process. The remaining tanks will follow thereafter. Indian Army raised First Arjun Regiment. 79 more to join before December 2009. 12 pre-production and 12 of limited series production are already with Army.
• T-90S Bhishma - main battle tanks (667). Over 1000 (excluding 347 plus 310 Russian-made T-90) more T-90S will be manufactured in India by 2020. India signed a new contract for 347 additional T-90 tanks from Russia, total of 1657 within 2020.
• T-72 M1 (2485+)^[4] 968 T72M1 have been upgraded by the Heavy vehicles factory (HVF), While requests for proposal for upgrading approximately 1000 other T-72's have been sent to various firms in Israel, Russia, Poland and France.
• T-55 (900): Some of the T-55 tanks will be attached to infantry brigades and battalions as Tarmour AFV's since despite their vintage, the 105 mm L7 gun has substantial firepower.[4]
• Vijayanta -(1800) Reserve--- 800 of these have been heavily upgraded. 100 converted to Catapult self propelled 130mm gun

Armoured fighting vehicles

Indian BMP-2 on maneuver

• BMP-1 (700) and BMP-2 (1500+)Sarath -(AFV) mechanised infantry combat vehicles relegated the OT-62/64 to mortar carriers. The BMP-2 are now being modernized with TISAS (thermal imaging stand alone sights), better fire control, and more modern ATGM armament (Konkurs M). BMP-1 has been phased out and the upgraded BMP-2 is BMP-2 M with two thermobaric missiles and two tandem warhead Konkurs missiles. Its also has an integrated TI sight, an LRF, and has an AGL mounted on the turret which is also stabilised in the horizontal plane. 100 gets added each year. To enhance the rate to 125 a year.
• CMT Carrier Mortar Tracked 198 (~200) produced by CVRDE. NAMICA (13) started production. Both BMP-II based

Casspir Mine Resistant Armoured Vehicles

• Casspir Mine Resistant Armoured Vehicles from South Africa. 165 in number.
• Aditya Mine Resistant Armoured Vehicle from OFBIndia. 300+ in service (1400 to be produced. 20 getting manufactured each month at HVF, Medak)
• WZT-3 (352 so far) Armored Recovery Vehicles from Poland
• Kroton (80 in numbers) De-mining Vehicles from Poland
• Hydremma Mine clearing Vehicles MCV manufactured by OFB India
• BTR-60 BTR-60P *BTR-152 & BTR-50P APC 817 in numbers.
• OT-64 SKOT APC 157 in numbers
• BRDM-2 (255), Ferret (100) amphibious reconnaissance vehicles from CVRDE. Armed with anti-tank missiles.
• PRP-3 or BMP-M1975 SMALL FRED Battlefield Surveillance Radar based on BMP.
• FV432 APC from UK 80 in numbers

Mahindra AXE

• FV101 Scorpion & Vijayanta ARV [ 200 in numbers] in service
• Total APC (wheeled, Tracked) is around 4000 plus in service.
• Takshak (TATA truck based) APC, Rakshak-Windy-Striker-Bolero-Gypsy all jeep based APC armed with anti-tank missiles, 106 MM RCL Jeep Mounted armoured Personnel carrier in service.
• Swaraj Mazda armoured trucks
• AAD- Armoured Amphibious Dozer & AERV- Armoured Engineering Reccee Vehicle by OFB India started production.
• TGERV - Trishul Ground Electronics & Radar Vehicle by OFB India
• BMP II based Trishul SAM carrier to be manufactured
• BMP II based AKASH SAM carrier production started.
• BMP II based 105mm Light tank to be manufactured
• BMP II based NBC protected recon vehicle to be manufactured
• Unmannaed Ground Vehicle to be manufactured
• Mahindra Axe Light support vehicle to be purchased
• TATA Light Specilist Vehicle - LSV with LMG, MMG to be purchased
• Viper Fast movement vehicle disgned created by Sree Lakshmi ltd for the army and special forces -currently under trials
• windy fast attack vehicle in service from 2005.(more than 700 produced)

Artillery

An Indian Bofors 155 mm howitzer field gun being repositioned during the war.

• Under Field Artillery Rationalization Plan, Indian Army plans to procure 3000 to 4000 155 mm Towed, Wheeled and Tracked Artillery Systems.^[5][6]
•  
•  

Towed artillery

• 155 mm Bofors Haubits FH77/A Out of 410, 100 are NOT in working state.
• 155mm Soltam M68
• M-46 130 mm field guns replacing the 105 mm IFG Mk1/2/3
• 122 mm D-30 towed howitzers (To be phased out)
• 105 mm Light Field Gun (To be phased out)
• 105 mm Indian Field Gun (To be phased out)
• Metamorphosis 155 mm GUN by upgrading present M46 130 mm with a maximum range of 39 k.m.180 has been already converted to 155 mm Guns
• 130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)

Self propelled artillery

Self propelled artillery

• FV433 Abbot SPG 80 approx in number (105 mm) and M-46 Catapult 100 approx in number(130 mm)& 70 in reserve to be replaced by 3600 new 155 mm self-propelled howitzers by 2025. On the short list is the Denel LIW T6 turreted Arjun and the Celsius (Bofors) FH-77AD^[5][6] The Polish licensed version of the AS-90 self-propelled artillery is also considered [also called KRAB].
• Bhim-Initial reports that the Arjun hull might be used with a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer by fitting the South African T6 turret which has the G5 howitzer fitted, proved to be misfounded. The SPH would be integrated at Bharat Earth Movers Ltd, which would manufacture additional Arjun chassis & hulls for the purpose. At present, the Bhim SPH program is in limbo, since Denel has been temporarily blacklisted by the Indian Ministry of Defence, while corruption charges are being investigated. The HVF (OFB) has been ordered for serial production of 100 BHIM.

• 2S1 Gvozdika 122mm SPGH from Poland...... 110 getting supplied by Poland Bumar manufacturer
• KRAB 155mm SPGH from Poland

Multiple rocket launchers

9A52-2 "Smerch" launch vehicle

• Smerch 9K58 MBRL (38) - 300 mm multiple rocket launch system. Further order for 24 units will be completed by 2010.Total 3 regiments created ^[7]
• Pinaka MBRL (80)- 214 mm multiple rocket launch system replacing the 122 mm BM-21. 80 launchers to be inducted by 2009.Already 3 regiments inducted ^[8]
• BM-21 (150+) - Modernized rockets with range of 40 km was purchased from Russia. To be replaced by

                            

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