Indian Army

Will it ever manufacture its own weapons

And weapons systems

From Missiles to Drones, DRDO projects keep missing deadlines

Published by The Times of India
Dated - 8 August, 2016 Monday

Text of the above Article

New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) continues
to miss deadlines in critical military projects with alarming regularity Leave alone the
much talked about Tejas light combat aircraft and Arjun main-battle tank, several
projects ranging from spy drones and missiles to' radars and artillery guns continue
to languish with time and cost overruns.

Official documents, for instance, show that two important projects were to be
completed this month but have got revised dates of completion now.
The first project, launched in January 2012, was to build an active electronically
scanned array (AESA) radar, which is the norm in modern fighter jets, at a cost of Rs
445 crore. But the radar called Uttam is nowhere near being ready with its deadline
now extended to May 2019.

The second project was for developing a medium-altitude long-endurance UAV

(unmanned aerial vehicle) called Rustom-II, along with an aeronautical test range at
Chitradurga, which was approved in February 2011, at a cost of Rs 1,649 crore. But its
completion date has been pushed to February 2017.
Absence of an indigenous AESA radar has meant that the first 20 Tejas light combat
aircraft the first two jets were finally delivered to IAF last month under the
LCA project approved in 1983 will have an older mechanically steered radar.

Moreover, a hunt is now underway to get a suitable AESA radar-EW (electronic

warfare) package from global arms majors like Raytheon, Israeli Aerospace
Industries, Thales, Saab and others for the next 100 upgraded Tejas Mark-1A fighters
to be delivered from 2020 onwards.

Similarly in the absence of indigenous UAVs, the armed forces continue to induct
highly-expensive Israeli drones.
DRDO, of course, has to contend with technology denial regimes, frequent midterm
revision in qualitative requirements by the armed forces, problems in absorbing high-
end technologies by the production agencies (defence PSUS) as well as continuing
scarcity of scientific manpower and funds.
China spends around 20% of its defence outlay on R&D. But DRDO gets only 5-7% of
the defence budget, said a scientist.
All this is certainly true, and there is no getting away from the fact that India has to
become largely self reliant in defence to avoid becoming strategically vulnerable in
times of crisis. But as of norm revised timelines remain a recurring theme for DRDO
projects across the board which, coupled with shoddy performance of the five
defence PSUs, four shipyards and 39 ordnance factories, means India continues to
import over 60% of its military requirements.
The much touted Nirbhay cruise missile, designed to' carry nuclear warheads with a
strike range of 1,000km, for instance, is already three years overdue
and still far from induction. The Astra air-to-air missile is not ready 12 years after it
was sanctioned at a cost of Rs 955 Crore.

Enough of Akash, says

army as it opts for
Israeli Missiles
Indian system doesnt meet
operational requirements

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Indian Army says, they want Israeli

Quick reaction Surface to Air -
Spyder Missiles ( QR - SAM ) instead
of Akash Missiles. They have firmly
rejected much-touted indigenous Akash missiles. They have claimed that Israeli Quick
reaction Surface to Air Missiles ( QR - SAM ) are better than indigenous Akash
missiles to take on enemy fighters, helicopters and drones. Defence ministry sources
said the Army has made it clear that it does not want any more Akash regiments after
it gets the first two ordered earlier for Rs 14,180 crore with six firing batteries and
hundreds of missiles each.
Indian Navy has also turned to France for similar requirements after dumping the
Akash missiles for its warships due to ..stabilisation problems...
The Army holds Akash area defence missile systems do not meet its operational
requirements for defe nding its strike corps against enemy air attacks in forward
grass Instead, it wants the global route for procurement of QR SAM regiments" the
sources said.
According to Defence Ministry, Indian army lusts for Israeli Quick reaction Surface to
Air Missiles ( QR - SAM ) and wants global route for procurement. Indian army has
conducted tests for missile system from Israel, Russia and Sweden, after which it has
claimed that Israeli Spyder QR - SAM has emerged as a winner.
Indian army is already on course to induct Israeli Spyder QR SAM from Febraury
2017 onwards.

Akash is Indias first advanced tactical missile to be made almost fully indigenously.

Army hunts for lethal

assault rifle, junks
DRDOs Excalibur
Wants higher kill probability of
effective range of 500 Meter

The Times of India

Date July 3 , 2016 - Sunday

Text of the news Reports

New Delhi: Army has launched a
fresh hunt for a new-generation
assault rifle all over again. Rejecting
the 5.56x45mm calibre Excalibur
rifle offered by the DRDO-Ordnance
Factory Board combine, the force has
now decided to go in for a 7.62x51
mm gun with higher kill probability
and stopping power.

In the race to acquire high-end

weapon systems from submarines
and fighters to howitzers and
helicopters, basic weaponry and protective gear for ordinary foot-soldiers often do
not get the requisite attention and push by the brass.
But the Army says it means business this time, shrugging aside failed attempts to
acquire new rifles over the last decade.
The RFI (request for information) for the -new 7.62mm assault rifles is going to be
issued soon to elicit responses from around the globe.
The GSQRS (general staff qualitative requirements) or technical parametersforthe
rifles Willthenbe formulated before the actual tender is floated to invite bids, said a
source.

It was in April that the Army commanders conference first discussed whether the
force required a 7.62mm riile that killed or a 5.56mm rifle that incapaci-
tated enemy soldiers, as was then reported by TOI. The decision has now been
taken to go for 7.62x51 mm rifles with a higher kill probability and accuracy at an
enhanced effective range of 500-metres said the source.
The military wisdom till now was that the 5.56mm ritle was better for conventional
war because it generally injured an enemy soldier; tying down at least two
of his colleagues to carry him in the battlefield. Conversely the 7.62mm riile was
better for counterd surgency since terrorists had to be killed at the first instance,
eliminating the risk of suicide bombing"..?
Soldiers largely use the 7.62 mm AK-47 rifles for counter-insurgency operations in
Kashmir and the northeast, even though the infantry is saddled with the
indigenous glitch prone 5.56mm INSAS (Indian small arms system) rifles.
The fully-automatic Ex-calibur; which fires 5.56X45mm ammunition, is
a much-improved version of INSAS rifle that entered service in 1994-1995. But the
Army now wants 7.62mm rifles for greater 'lethality.
The Armys overambi- tious experiment to induct rifles with interchangeable barrels,
with a 5.56X45mm primary barrel for conventional Warfare and a 7.62x39mm
secondary one for counter-terrorism, miserably flopped last year
As was first reported by TOI in May last year; the proposed mega project was junked
since the rifles on offer by armament firms like Colt (US), Beretta (Italy), Ceska
(Czech) and Israel Weapon Industries were not found cost effective or suitable after
extensive trials.
Under the project, 65,000 rifles were to be directly acquired from the selected vendor
to equip the 120 infantry battalions deployed on the western and eastern fronts. The
OFB was to then subsequently manufacture over 1,13,000 such rifles after getting
transfer of technology from the foreign company.
Lt Col amongst 16 killed in a fire at Indias largest ammo yard
The Times of India
Date - June 1st , 2016 Wednesday

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Lt Col amongst 16 killed in a fire at Indias largest ammo

yard
A Major fire in India largest ammo yard Pulgaon India largest storage facility in
the country killed 16 defence personnel including a Lt Colonel and a major and
injured 17 in the early hours of Tuesday. The cause is not known.

The fire in a storage shed containing 130 tonnes of Anti Tank Mines and ammunition
triggered the blasts that killed many of the personnel trying to prevent the blaze from
engulfing 7000 acre depot, which supplies army with ammunition.
Senior Army personnel said that the quick action by the fire fighters limited the
damage to one of the sheds in the depot and several hundreds of Crores in ..highly
sensitive,.. ammunition.
..The fire began around 1 Am and was extinguished around 6.30 AM. But the fire
fighters paid a heavy price.. Said an officer.

Poor Maintenance and Storage at Ammo Depots

India has lost arms and ammunition worth more than 3000 Crores in fires at
ordinance depots since 2000 many of them triggered by something as innocuous as
growth of dry grass. Despite improvement over the years ordinance depots had to
grapple with poor storage facilities, security and mishandling.
The Pulgaon tragedy compares with J& K Khundroo Depot in 2007 in which 19
people were killed and ammunition worth Rs 1313 crore was lost. The fire was
blamed on mishandling of ammo..
Big Boost Army to get ammo worth Rs 15,000 Crores
Missiles and Rockets on Shopping List
The Times of India
Date March 19, 2016 - Saturday

Big Boost Army to get ammo worth Rs 15,000 Crores

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Gist of the above news report

The ammo here actually doesnt mean bullets for soldiers or anything else.
1. 84 mm new generation rockets for Swedish origin man portable rocket
launchers.
2. Hand Held Thermal Imagers
3. Milan 2 T Anti Tank Missiles
 4. Swati Weapon locating radars
5. Pinaka MLRS Regiments
Actual spending would be close to Rs 1,00,000 Crores.

Navy bids farewell to spectacular Sea Harrier Jump Jets after 33 years

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the gist of the news report. Text shows poorly on the above Graphic image, so could not
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Gist of the above news report

Indian navy inducted 30 Sea Harrier Jump Jets in 1983 onwards. But only 11
airframes are left now due to old age, lack of spares, and cannibalization and
accidents over the years.
Sea Harrier Jump Jets were capable of vertical take off and landing operations.
UK had stopped their production and retired their Sea Harrier in 2006.
Sea harriers had a operation speed of 640 knots or 1386 Kms per hour with a range
of over 800 nautical miles.

Conclusion
If you havent noticed that Indian Army, Navy and Air Force regularly REJECT
weapons and weapons systems created by DRDO, but readily go around the world for
Billion Dollar Shopping spree, to buy basic necessities like Bullets, new-generation
assault rifle , rockets, Missiles, radars, Jets, Tanks, howitzers and helicopters, basic
weaponry and protective gear..etc claiming that India cannot manufacture them or
Indian Arms industry is not capable of manufacturing them.
They have rejected 5.56x45mm calibre Excalibur rifle offered by the DRDO-Ordnance
Factory Board combine. They have rejected indigenous Akash missiles for Israeli
Spyder QR SAM.
Indian army doesnt even like to manufacture its own Machine Guns and bullets but
would rather do Billion / Trillion Dollar purchases from Western Countries.

Why..?

KICKBACKS
If there was no kickbacks in purchases from abroad, top brass of Indian Army, Navy
and Air Force will NOT REJECT weapons and weapons systems created by DRDO.

If these weapons and weapons systems were to be manufactured by factories owned

by Ambanis, Adanis, Jindals, Tatas and Birlas, they would be readily inducted by our
top brass of Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. As there would either be kick backs or
political pressure.

If you think it is the Indian Army, it is not the simple Indian army personnel, who will
actually be using them but rather the top brass of corrupt generals and army officers
appointed by top politicians, who also get a their share of the loot.

Indians must understand that ministry of defence is the safest place for corruption
and our top politicians love it. India is Worlds No 1 importer of Weapons and
Weapons Systems. India buys almost everything from simple Bullets to new-
generation assault rifle , rockets, Missiles, radars, Jets, Tanks, howitzers and
helicopters, basic weaponry and protective gear..etc, from abroad claiming that India
cannot manufacture them or Indian Arms industry is not capable of manufacturing
them.