Indian army running short of ammunition: General VK Singh

Indian army running short of ammunition: General VK Singh

The India army is seriously short of ammunition, and in the event of war, it may run out of stocks in two days. This has been highlighted in a letter written by Army Chief General VK Singh to Defence Minister AK Antony, reported by the Indian Media. 

It also warns of shortages in artillery and air defence ammunition and says that the blacklisting of firms has contributed to the situation.

With reports hinting at cuts in defence spending in the next budget, the army may well see further degradation of its capability.

 This comes even as China has announced that it will increase its military spending by 11.2 per cent in 2012. According to an official spokesperson, China will spend nearly 106.4 billion dollars on defence in 2012. The country has witnessed double-digit rises in the defence budget across the last two decades. 

Indian Army operationalises 2nd regiment of BRAHMOS missile

Indian Army operationalises 2nd regiment of BRAHMOS missile

The Indian Army Sunday successfully test fired the 290-Km range BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile at the Pokharan range here to operationalise the second regiment of the weapon system in service.

"In conformity and pursuit of operational and strategic surface to surface missile capability development, the second BRAHMOS unit of Indian Army has been operationalised. The Indian Army unit successfully launched BRAHMOS missile and destroyed the preselected target in the field firing ranges in Rajasthan," an Army spokesperson said here.

The test was witnessed by senior Army officials including Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen A K Chaudhary.

The Army has so far placed orders for three regiments of the supersonic cruise missile and with Sunday's test firing, two of them have been inducted operationally.

The Defence Ministry has also given a go ahead to the Army to induct a third regiment for being deployed in Arunachal Pradesh along the China border.

One regiment of the 290-km range BRAHMOS consists around 65 missiles, five mobile autonomous launchers on Tatra vehicles and two mobile command posts, among other equipment.

BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian Joint venture company headed by Dr. A Sivathanu Pillai, is also working to develop the submarine launched, air launched and a hypersonic version of the missile in the near future.

It has already been inducted into the Navy and is deployed on almost all the front line surface warships of the maritime force.

BRAHMOS attracts NIT-K students at 'Literati-2012'

BRAHMOS attracts NIT-K students at 'Literati-2012'

BrahMos Aerospace Thursday attracted a large number of enthusiastic students during its participation in the ongoing Annual Technical Symposium- Literati-2012 organised by National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra in Haryana.

Literati-2012 techno-managerial event is being held from March 1-4, 2012 with an aim to provide a common platform to the young talents to showcase their innovative potentials, creative ideas, and technical skills.

BrahMos along with DRDO laboratories TBRL and SASE are organising exhibitions to demonstrate their R&D potentials which will enthuse budding engineers and technologists and also motivate them for a career in defence technology development.

Literati-2012 was inaugurated by Dr. S. Sundaresh, Distinguished Scientist CC R&D (ACE), DRDO and Dr. S.N. Asthana, Director of Armaments, DRDO. Prof. Anand Mohan, Director, NIT-K and Prof. Lillie Dewan, Chairperson, Literati accompanied the Chief-guest during lighting the lamp ceremony.

The theme of the technical festival is 'Sustainable Development', a predominant global requirement for wide acceptability of the upcoming technologies.

India sets date for scrapping MiG-21 jets

India sets date for scrapping MiG-21 jets

India will begin phasing out its dreaded MiG-21 fighter jets -- nicknamed "the flying coffin" -- in 2014, Defense Minister A.K. Antony told a parliamentary committee.

Pilots, former pilots and families of pilots who have died in MiG-21 crashes have been pressing the government for years to scrap the aircraft. India purchased 946 of the aircraft, many of them made in India, in the past 45 years.

But 476 have been lost in accidents -- six of them last year -- and many of the incidents were fatal, a report by the Press Trust of India said.

The aging single-engine Russian-made jets have been in service with India for around 45 years and still make up around 40 percent of the Indian air force's fleet, Antony said.

But as the air force upgrades with newer planes, the MiG-21 fleet will be reduced. They will be switched out for "modern next-generation aircraft such as the fifth-generation fighter aircraft and medium multi-role combat aircraft," Antony said in the report by The Press Trust of India.

"The Indian air force will be a new look force," he said.

The first flight of the MiG-21, made by Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB, was in 1955 and induction into the Soviet Union air force began in 1959. Russia retired its MiG-21s in the 1990s.

The MiG-21, despite its lack of sophisticated avionics, was agile and extremely uncomplicated to manufacture. This made it a valuable military export for the Soviet Union to many countries, more then 30 and in particular India and China.

The Chengdu Jian-7 is the Chinese licensed variant, made by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation and Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corp. China stopped production in 2008.

Production of the first MiG-21, the FL variant, in India began under license by Hindustan Aeronautics in Nasik in 1966, although the first MiG-21s were produced in the Soviet Union in the early 1960s.

Throughout the years HAL began manufacturing an increasingly larger part of the aircraft until it was a totally Indian manufactured jet fighter including the majority of components.

Antony's announcement that the aircraft will start to be phased out in 2013 comes after a previous government statement on the scrapping of the increasingly controversial aircraft.

"The MiG 21s will get phased out by 2015-16. I think the last of the squadrons of the aircraft will be phased out by 2017," Minister of State for Defense M. M. Pallam Raju said in August.

In one of the latest crashes, Indian air force search parties found the body of a pilot in his crashed MiG-21 near a glacier in the Himalayas and at an elevation of 17,000 feet, the Press Trust reported in November.

The pilot, 32, had crashed 19 days earlier in the remote location. He was found still strapped to his cockpit seat.

In December The Times of India reported that a MiG-21 pilot ejected safely after his aircraft developed technical problems and crashed in a field. No injuries were reported.

One of the worst crashes happened in May 2002 when a MiG-21 variant crashed into a bank in Jalandhar, in the Punjab, killing eight people and injuring 17. The pilot ejected safely, The Times of India reported.

'Indo-Russian fighter jet better than Chinese, US aircraft'

'Indo-Russian fighter jet better than Chinese, US aircraft'

The Indo-Russian fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) is superior than the similar Chinese and American rival fighter jets which include the J 20 Black Eagle and the F-22 Raptor, a top Russian military commander has claimed.

India and Russia are jointly developing the Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA FGFA for their respective air forces and have plans of producing over 400 of these highly-advanced fighter jets.

Commander of the Russian Air Force Colonel General Alexander Zelin told Russian news agency RIA Novosti that his country's government has decided to give top priority to the development of the joint venture aircraft.

"While comparing Russia's T-50 PAK FA with the US F-22 Raptor and China's Chengdu J-20 Black Eagle, one concludes that the T-50 is superior to its foreign analogues in terms of its maximum speed in afterburner and standard modes, maximum range and thrust-to-weight ratio," he said.

The Russian Air Force Commander said that despite the comparable dimensions and weight of the Chinese J20 Black Eagle and the F-22 raptor, "the T-50 has much shorter take-off and landing runs. Moreover, its on-board equipment has better specifications than its foreign equivalents."

India signed a preliminary design contract with Russia recently for the aircraft and is planning to induct around 250 of them starting from 2017.

Commenting on the flight tests schedule of the FGFA, Zelin said, "Tests are now taking place as planned in line with specific decisions.Over 100 flights have been performed and all the specifications obtained during the tests confirm T-50 project requirements."

"The tests involve three fixed-wing aircraft, and three more aircraft will arrive in the near future. All in all, the tests will involve 14 aircraft," he added. 

IAF Chooses Italian M-346

IAF Chooses Italian M-346

The Israeli Ministry of Defense has decided to procure the Italian M-346 to replace the antiquated Skyhawk training aircraft. IAF pilots examined both aircrafts and submitted reports to indicate which plane met their demands.

Earlier in the week, South Korean representatives complained about the lack of transparency on the deal.

Before the decision was made, the Israeli Ministry of Defense responded by saying, “The Ministry is conducting contacts with the South Korean and Italian industries and governments, with full transparency and while providing both industries with an equal opportunity. Contacts were conducted in the recent months within the framework of the process, which allowed the industries to offer the best exchange deal to the defense establishment, as well as present the aircraft and its capabilities to the IAF in the most detailed manner.


“The data and proposals which were delivered by both governments and industries during the past several months will enable the examination of the overall package in a fair and equal basis, as is done by the Ministry.”
Prior to the selection, Italy and South Korea battled it out to close the deal.

South Korean representatives had met with senior defense establishment officials during the Air exhibition in Singapore, and demanded that the process of selecting the new air force training aircraft be conducted “with full transparency” and publish "a request for proposals” before any decision was made.

Meetings took place during the international air exhibition between top Israeli and South Korean officials, including Minister of Defense Ehud Barak.

India Upgrades Military to Match China

India Upgrades Military to Match China

India has decided to buy 126 fighter jets from France, taken delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia and prepared for its first aircraft carrier in recent weeks as it modernizes its military to match China's.

India and China have had tensions since a 1962 border war, and New Delhi has watched with dismay in recent years as Beijing has increased its influence in the Indian Ocean.

China has financed the development of ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, and its recent effort to get access in the Seychelles prodded New Delhi to renew its own outreach to the Indian Ocean island state off western India.

With its recent purchases, running into tens of billions of dollars, India is finally working to counter what it sees as aggressive incursions into a region India has long dominated.

"The Indian military is strengthening its forces in preparation to fight a limited conflict along the disputed border, and is working to balance Chinese power projection in the Indian Ocean," James Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence, told a Senate committee last week.

India has created new infantry mountain divisions and plans to raise a strike corps aimed at countering aggression by China. Their border still has not been set despite 15 rounds of talks, and patrols frequently face off on the ground.

Analysts say that although the probability of a conflict between the two Asian giants is remote, a short, sharp conflict in the disputed Himalayan heights can't be ruled out.

"Over the last couple of years, the Chinese have been acting more and more aggressively in the political, diplomatic and military arena," said retired Brig. Gurmeet Kanwal, director of the Indian army-funded Centre for Land Warfare Studies in New Delhi.

Indian leaders and defense strategists have fretted as China modernized its forces and extended its military advantage over India. For some in India, countering China is taking precedence even over checking longtime rival Pakistan.

"Of late, there has been a realization (in India) that China is the real danger of the future," Kanwal said.

The drive to modernize Indian forces was long overdue as much of the equipment was obselete Soviet-era weapons, and the orders for fighter jets, naval frigates, helicopters and armaments have made India the world's largest importer of arms. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said India accounted for 9 percent of all the world's weapon imports in 2010, the latest year for which figures were available. (PHOTOS: China's Investments in Africa)

Last week's order of 126 combat aircraft, won by France's Dassault, followed a bitter battle by global jet manufacturers. The initial cost for the fighter jets is estimated as $11 billion, but on-board weaponry, technology transfers, maintenance, warranties and other costs are expected to almost double the price.

The Indian navy last week took command of a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine, renamed INS Chakra-II, at the Russian port of Vladivostok, propelling India into an elite group of countries operating underwater nuclear-powered vessels. It joins the United States, France, Russia, Britain and China.

The Chakra-II, on lease for 10 years at a cost of nearly $1 billion, is expected to be inducted into the navy by March. Later this year, India is expected to take delivery of a retrofitted Soviet-built aircraft carrier.

In addition, six Scorpene subs being built in India under license from France in a $5 billion deal are expected to start going into service in 2015, three years behind schedule, said Defense Minister A.K. Antony. Labor problems and difficulties procuring needed technology have hampered the project, he told the Indian Parliament recently. Critics also blame India's sluggish bureaucracy for the delays.

"India's efforts at modernizing its forces have been very slow," said Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, a defense analyst at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation.

Some Indian military experts complain that the country is not doing enough to upgrade its forces to the level befitting the regional power it aspires to be.

"It's not only China that is rising. India is on the ascent too, and it's a trend that will continue for some decades," said retired Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak at the Centre for Air Power Studies in New Delhi.

India may be worrying over China's overtures to its neighbors, but New Delhi is reaching out to the Southeast Asian and East Asian countries in Beijing's backyard as well.

India has struck a strategic partnership with Vietnam, including helping Hanoi beef up its defense capabilities. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been actively pursuing a "Look East" policy, engaging the leaders of South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, among others. The policy has resulted in a troupe of high-level visits to India, bolstering trade and economic cooperation.

Nowhere is the contest between China and India more evident than in Myanmar, where both of the energy-seeking Asian giants are caught in a race to gain access to the country's natural gas sources.

India has regularly conducted defense exercises with countries in the region. It is scheduled to host the navies of 14 Asian countries in maritime exercises later this week; the Chinese and Pakistani navies have not been invited.

And, while India is increasing its defense capabilities, China is doing the same, but faster, making it difficult for India to catch up. The Chinese government's military budget is the second largest in the world after the United States.

India has raised two mountain divisions of soldiers to add to its existing high-altitude troops. Around 36,000 soldiers and officers of the divisions have been posted in the remote northeast, not far from India's Arunachal Pradesh state, which China claims as part of its territory.

A proposal for a mountain strike corps is awaiting clearance by India's Cabinet, and an independent armored brigade for the mountain region also is in the works. India hopes to show it can strike deep beyond its neighbor's borders to serve as a deterrent for any Chinese aggression, Kanwal said.

PAF can counter India’s new war doctrine, says air chief

PAF can counter India’s new war doctrine, says air chief

PAF Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman has said that the Pakistan Air Force can effectively counter India’s new war doctrine.

Talking to the media here at the Shahbaz Air Base, the air chief said PAF has modified its plan within the existing infrastructure in view of the new war doctrine of India. The Indian Air Force, he said, has been given a very crucial and critical role in India’s ‘Cold Start’ doctrine.

Suleman told the media that the Shahbaz Air Base was totally in the control of the Pakistan Air Force and existing hardware procured and being acquired by the PAF was sufficient to fulfill its requirements. “We are in the process of consolidating the hardware procured so far,” the air chief said.

To a question about the capability of US F-16 Block 52 aircraft, he rejected the impression that the aircraft could not target or intercept US aircraft if they violated the country’s airspace. “There is nothing which can prevent us from targeting or intercepting US fighter planes,” he said. Suleman maintained that PAF could intercept or target US planes, if required, but at the same time he said they did not wish for such a situation to arise. 

IAF to the rescue of snow-trapped in Jammu

IAF to the rescue of snow-trapped in Jammu

Jammu, OLR, The Indian Air Force (IAF) Friday rushed to evacuate as many snow-trapped people as possible from remote areas of the Jammu region before it starts raining or snowing again.

A defence spokesperson said 108 adults and 13 children have so far been rescued since the IAF started the evacuation operation  Wednesday.

He said over 300 people were trapped in an inaccessible mountainous area that recently experienced heavy snowfall which cut off many villages like Sondar, Dachan, Marwah, Nawapachi and Warwan from the rest of the state.

“These villages do not have road connectivity. The people have to trek long distances to go to their villages,” the spokesperson said.

The operation, being carried out by a helicopter unit of the IAF  under the leadership of Wing Commander Anurag Kumar, was suspended Thursday due to severe snow blowing in Nawapachi, Inchan area in Kishtwar district. It takes minimum three to four days of difficult trek on foot to reach most of the cut-off villages.

The IAF spokesperson said visibility was very low and the temperature was also 5-6 degrees Celsius below the freezing point.

Said Mohammad Abbas of Marwah who was airlifted by the IAF along with his family: “We were stranded there for two weeks.”

Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

 Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

 Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

 Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

 Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

 Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

 Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

 Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

 Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

 Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

Indian Republic Day Military Parade In Photos---Jan 26-2012

India test flies Lakshya-II pilotless target aircraft

India test flies Lakshya-II pilotless target aircraft

India's advanced version of pilotless target aircraft (PTA), Lakshya-II, has been successfully flight tested at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha, demonstrating its 'ultimate' capability.

The 10th flight demonstration was held on Wednesday at the ITR, about 15 km from here.

"The entire flight was pre-programmed and was totally successful," the Defence Ministry said Thursday.

Lakshya-II flew at sea skimming height of about 15 meters.

"In a flight lasting over 30 minutes, it was made to dive down from an altitude of around 800 meters to just 12 meter and maintained required altitude for the specified time before demonstrating auto climb-out," sources said here.

The pilotless aircraft demonstrated various technologies and sub-systems including software correction to auto rudder scheme done to prevent loss of mission, engaging and flying in way point navigation mode while carrying tow targets.

During the flight, one of the tow targets was released and the other was deployed while way point navigation was on.

Lakshya-II has been designed and developed by Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a premier DRDO lab specialising in UAVs and flight control systems, the sources said.

American tanks to roll on Indian soil during wargame

American tanks to roll on Indian soil during wargame

For the first time, American tanks will roll on Indian soil in wargames codenamed 'Exercise Yudh Abhyas', which will mark the beginning of the series of military engagements scheduled between the two countries for this year.

For the first time in Indo-US wargames, Americans will deploy their tanks in the company-level Exercise Yudh Abhyas scheduled to be held in the Mahajan field firing ranges in Rajasthan desert in March, Army sources told PTI.

Apart from fielding three tanks, the US will also deploy around 200 men accompanied by armoured personnel carriers for the wargames, they said.

In the last edition of the exercise, the American Army had brought its Stryker infantry combat vehicles which were being inducted into war operations in Afghanistan.

However, it is not yet clear which tanks would be deployed by the American side for the exercise.

India will field its Russian-origin BMPs along with tanks for the wargame.

After the 'Yudh Abhyas in March', Indian infantry troops from the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles regiment will fly to California to engage their American counterparts in exercise 'Shatrujeet'.

130 troops from the 19 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles battalion will fly to California in April and engage in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism drills there for the exercise, sources said.

The Special Forces of the two countries will also test their skills in a mountain exercise codenamed 'Vajra Prahar'.

60 troops from American Special Forces and an equal number of them from the Indian Army's 3 Para (Special Forces) will take part in a wargame in Chaubatia in Uttarakhand in August this year in mountain terrain.

Indian troops from 1 Para (SF) had visited Seattle last year for the 'Vajra Prahar' exercise last year.

The Navies of the two countries are also scheduled to exercise with each other in 2012.

India to showcase military might at R-Day parade

India to showcase military might at R-Day parade

Showcasing India's military might, the Army will display its T-72 Main Battle Tanks (MBT), Agni-4 missile and Advance Light Helicopter (ALH) at the Republic Day parade on Thursday.

Marching contingents on the Rajpath would include mounted troops from 61st Cavalry, mechanized columns and 11 regiments of the Indian Army followed by a flypast of ALH from Army Aviation Corps, according to parade second-in-command Major General Rajbir Singh.

The parade would be commanded by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Delhi Area, Lieutenant General V K Pillai.

Maj Gen Singh further informed that the one-and-a-half hour long parade would begin with national salute followed by presentation of one Ashok Chakra.

"The parade would begin with the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) and Ashok Chakra (AC) awardees marching on the Rajpath which would be followed by the mounted cavalry troops, mechanized column and three ALH," he said.

Besides Smerch and Pinaka rocket launchers, the army contingent would also feature NBC water purification system, jammers, and march past by 'Canine Force' of the Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC).

The army contingent would be followed by the tableaux from Indian Navy and Indian Air Force (IAF).

While Navy is showcasing a Delhi-class destroyer, IL-38 reconnaissance aircraft and a UAV positioned atop a globe, IAF's marching contingent would be followed by the tableau of C-130J Super Hercules aircraft and Mi-17 choppers.

For the first time, the IAF marching contingent would be commanded by a women officer, Flight Lieutenant Sneha Shekhawat.

Meanwhile, DRDO will showcase three of its latest products, Agni-4 missile, which was successfully test fired recently, Prahaar missile and Rustom-I UAV.

From Air Force, a total of 32 aircraft and helicopters would enthrall the audience with their flypast and other airborne manoeuvres.

Russian media: United States next year will replace Russia as India’s largest source of weapons

Russian media: United States next year will replace Russia as India’s largest source of weapons

According to the Russian world arms trade center site on 20 January reported that Russia will continue to be India’s first year major source of arms for the country. It is estimated that Russia and India in 2012 on weapons and military equipment exports will total about $ 7.7 billion, is expected to account for the total amount of Russian arms exports to over 60% of India’s arms imports accounted for about 80%. However, from 2013, Russia and India as the largest source of arms for the country’s position will be replaced by the United States. 

Russian World Weapons Analysis Center released U.S. report shows that Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation in the field this year will implement a number of major trading scheme. It should be noted that a considerable part of the transaction which is based on a previous contract implementation. Among them, one of the highest value end of the year was undoubtedly the Russian deliveries to the Indian Navy, “Admiral Gorshkov” aircraft carrier. For modernization of the cost of the ship has been changed several times and eventually freeze-frame 23.4 billion. The second major deal between Russia and India for the delivery of two 1135.6 frigate, with a total value of about $ 1 billion. Russia ranked third in the transaction in January this year for the Indian Navy to lease a 971-type submarines. According to the latest news, the amount of the transaction will involve up to $ 920 million. 

Russia and India according to finalize the delivery schedule, Russia will be delivered to India in 2012, more 40 m-17V-5 type of military transport helicopters, 21 Su-30MKI (signed in 2000, according to contract to license the assembly), 12 Su-30MKI (according to the 2007 supply contracts signed) and nine carrier-based fighter aircraft MiG -29K/KUB. In addition, this year, Russia and India will continue serving on the Indian MiG-29 fighter jets, Figure -142 patrol aircraft, helicopters Mi-17 upgrade and maintenance of 877EM submarine contract. At the same time, Russia will provide card-31 shipborne helicopters, AL-55-and TRDD-50MT engine, “club-S” anti-ship missile systems, Mi-17 helicopter training simulator, the assembly authorized the Indian T-90S a series of main battle tanks and other contracts. 

be noted that, with a number of major sales contracts, the United States from 2013 to replace Russia as India’s largest source of arms for the country. The United States plans to provide arms and equipment to India, including P-8I anti-submarine patrol aircraft, C-17A large military transport aircraft, AH-64D “Longbow” helicopters. The correlation between the US-India arms contract will be implemented between 2013-2015. 

It is estimated that the United States to India in 2013, the total value of arms exports will reach $ 3.06 billion (the amount of Russian arms sales to India over the same period is expected to be only $ 2.03 billion), $ 3.7 billion in 2014 (Russian side of 22.3 billion U.S. dollars) in 2015 to $ 2.47 billion ($ 1.95 billion Russian). However, generally will be, taking into account Russia’s 2012 arms sales to India’s huge, Russia in 2012-2016, India will remain among the most important arms supplier, the arms trade between the two countries will total $ 15.6 billion. 

According to statistics, in 2002-2011, the Russian arms exports to India amounted to $ 14,780,000,000. During the same period, the United States is the only weapon in India’s fourth largest source country (16.6 million). In addition to Russian-US two countries, Israel, India, another major source of arms for the country. In the 2002-2011 years, the Indian arms exports to $ 3.7 billion, the latter is the fourth largest arms supplier. In between 2012-2016, to arms exports to India will reach $ 2.62 billion. 

China, India come together for world's largest telescope

China, India come together for world's largest telescope

China and India have catapulted to the forefront of astronomy research with their decision to join as partners in building a Hawaii telescope, which will be the world's largest.

China and India will pay a share of the construction cost, expected to top USD 1 billion, for the telescope at the summit of Mauna Kea volcano. They will also have a share of the observation time.

"This will represent a quantum leap for the Chinese community," Shude Mao, professor of astrophysics at National Astronomical Observatories of China, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday from Waikoloa on the Big Island, where he was attending a meeting of the telescope's scientific advisory committee.

The Thirty Meter Telescope's segmented primary mirror, which will be nearly 100 feet or 30 meters long, will give it nine times the light-collecting area of the largest optical telescopes in use today. Its images will also be three times sharper.

G C Anupama, professor at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, said the largest telescope in India has a 2-meter (6.5-feet) mirror, though India is currently building one that will be 4 meters (13 feet).

"So it's a huge jump for us from 4-meter to 30-meter," Anupama said in a telephone interview on the sidelines of the advisory committee's meeting. "It definitely will take Indian astronomy to greater heights." 

The telescope, known as TMT, will be able to observe planets that orbit stars other than the Sun and enable astronomers to watch new planets and stars being formed.

The University of California system, the California Institute of Technology and the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy founded the telescope, which is expected to be finished by 2018.

China joined as an observer in 2009, followed by India the next year. Both are now partners, with representatives on the TMT board. Japan, which has its own large telescope at Mauna Kea, the 8.3-meter Subaru, is also a partner.

TMT may not hold the title of world's largest for long, however, as a partnership of European countries plans to build the European Extremely Large Telescope, which would have a 42-meter, or 138-foot, mirror.

Israel, India defence ties to grow stronger

Israel, India defence ties to grow stronger

The multi-billion dollar India-Israel defence market is set to grow as a number of military and security related contracts are likely to be inked soon, sources have said, as Tel Aviv is ready for joint production and sharing of technical know-how.

"The financial year gets over in March and we expect a number of deals to be signed. Most of them are in the last negotiation stages," a source said.

Asked what kind of deals are to be signed, the source said, "They are in various fields from upgradation to specialised software, buying of equipments and others".

In the last few years, Israel has emerged as the second largest defence supplier to India after Russia and following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Israel has become a major player in the homeland security arena too.

"You cannot ignore the fact that Israel has very high level of specialisation in such products. From buyer-seller relationship, we are now working jointly on research and development," another source said.

Defence trade with Israel includes buying of billions of dollars of military equipment including UAVs, missiles and command and control systems besides fire arms.

Sources said one of the main attractions of Israeli defence market was that Tel Aviv is ready to share its technical know-how and is ready for joint production.

The cooperation is not just on already developed projects but also which are futuristic.

It is not that India only needs Israel because Tel Aviv is also "pulling out all stops" to ensure that relations with India grows. 

In India, the buyers of Israeli defence and security equipments include the army, navy, air force, paramilitary forces and specialised counter-terrorism units and security agencies.

Sources said the software, weapons and arms that are being supplied by Tel Aviv are also being used by Israel's elite army thus ensuring dependability.

The area of cooperation in defence includes air defence systems. Modernisation of tanks and fighter aircraft is also another area where cooperation has increased in recent past.

India to buy MICA missiles for IAF's Mirage fighters

India to buy MICA missiles for IAF's Mirage fighters

India has cleared a Euro 950 million deal to procure 500 air-to-air missiles from a French firm for Indian Air Force's Mirage 2000 aircraft fleet.

A Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday cleared the deal to procure 490 MICA missiles manufactured by French firm MBDA for Euro 950 million (Rs 6,600 crore), Defence Ministry sources said here.

The missiles would be deployed on the 51 Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft, which are already undergoing upgrades at French facilities under a Euro 1.47 billion deal signed earlier this year.

Under the deal, MBDA will have to do offsets worth 30 per cent of the deal meaning that they will have to invest 315 million Euros back in the Indian defence sector.

The Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) mandates that foreign vendors bagging deals worth over Rs 300 crore have to invest back at least 30 per cent of the contract's worth into Indian defence, civil aerospace and homeland security sector.

India signed a deal with French companies Thales and Dassault Aviation which will take ten years to carry out mid-life upgrade of IAF's 51 Mirage-2000 fighters.

Two aircraft have already been flown to France for upgrades and the remaining would be modernised in India at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facilities.

"The cost of the contract for upgrade of the Mirage 2000 with Thales is Euro 1,470 million while the cost of the contract with HAL is Rs 2,020 crores (around 340 million) Euro. The upgrade of the aircraft is expected to be completed by mid 2021," Defence Minister A K Antony had recently informed Parliament.

China beefing up military presence in Indian Ocean

China beefing up military presence in Indian Ocean

 Little by little China is forming military links in Africa and in the Indian Ocean in order, experts say, to protect Beijing's economic interests in the region.

In the past three weeks Beijing has committed to supporting Ugandan forces operating in Somalia and to helping the Seychelles fight piracy.

"It is very clear that the Chinese leaders recognise that military force will play a bigger role to safeguard China's overseas interests," Jonathan Holslag, of the Brussels Institute of Chinese Contemporary Studies told AFP.

"There is a willingness, and even a consensus, in China, that this process will take place."

The Indian Ocean is strategic, Holslag said, noting that 85 per cent of China's oil imports and 60 per cent of its exports are routed via the Gulf of Aden.

Beijing does not so far have any military base in the region; its military presence consists of three vessels in the Gulf of Aden to fight Somali pirates.

But the deployment of those ships in 2009, the first of its kind for the Chinese navy, was already highly symbolic.

For the moment, cooperation between China and the islands of the Indian Ocean is still limited to "low profile military-to-military exchanges, but it is getting broader and more structured," Holslag told AFP.

"The mere fact that China has a multi-year naval presence in the Gulf of Aden has great symbolic and diplomatic significance," said Frans-Paul van der Putten, senior research fellow at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael.

"Symbolic because it shows other countries that China is an emerging naval power in the region, and diplomatic because China uses its navy ships for occasional visits to ports along the Indian Ocean rim, which helps it strengthen its diplomatic ties with countries in the region," he added.

During an unprecedented visit by Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie earlier this month, the Seychelles asked China to set up a military presence on the archipelago to help fight piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Victoria is ruling out a military base but is looking rather at having "reconnaissance planes or patrol ships stationed" there, along the lines of what the US and Europe do, Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Paul Adam said.

Twin test of Prithvi-II postponed: ITR Director

Twin test of Prithvi-II postponed: ITR Director

A twin user trial of India's nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile by the Indian Army was deferred Wednesday due to a technical problem at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near here.

"The test was postponed due to a technical snag," ITR Director S P Dash told PTI, adding that the date for future trial would be decided after correcting the problem.

The ITR director's statement came in the midst of media reports that two missiles had failed to take off during the twin trial. "I don't know on what basis they have concluded that the trial had failed," Dash said.

Defence officials and scientists associated with the trial were tight-lipped on what exactly led to the postponement of the test.

Two indigenously developed surface-to surface missiles were planned to be fired from a mobile launcher in salvo mode from the launch complex-3 of ITR as part of user trial by the Army, defence sources said.

The missiles were randomly chosen from the stock of the Armed forces and the entire launch activities were to be carried out by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) and monitored by the scientists of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of training exercise, they added.

Prithvi, the first missile developed under India's prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) has the capability to carry 500 kg of warheads.

It has a length of 9 meters with one meter diameter and thrusted by liquid propulsion twine engine, uses advanced inertial guidance system with maneuvering trajectory and reach the targets with few meter accuracy.

The last trial of Prithvi-2 was successfully carried out with very high accuracy of better than 10 meters from the same base in September, 2011.

Agni-V shows India's intention to become major power: report

Agni-V shows India's intention to become major power: report

As India gears up to test its 5000 km range Agni-V missile in February next year, Chinese official media here said that the "killer" missile with potential to reach several cities in China showed New Delhi's intention to become major power in the region.

"Indian officials and scientists claimed that their Agni-V missile is the 'killer' for a certain country, which obviously shows the intention of seeking regional balance of power", an article in the state-run People's Daily titled 'Risks behind India's military build up' said on Sunday.

It added that India has strategic ambitions and hopes to play an important role in world affairs, "so it cannot tolerate these internal and external security environment constraints".

"It is the Indian goal to continue to strengthen the military and possess a military clout that matches its status as a major power", the write-up in the daily, which is the official organ of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), said.

"However, how many missiles is enough is a question for all governments in the missile era", it said.

Chinese media reported the last month's successful test flight of the 3000 km range Agni-IV missile.

DRDO Director-General V K Saraswat had announced that Agni -V will be test fired in February.

Defence analysts say that the two together has the potential to reach several top Chinese cities, though far off regions could still be out of range for Indian missiles.

Analysts say that while short range missile Agni-I and II are regarded as Pakistan-specific, Agni-III, IV and V are perceived to be China-specific.