THE THREE SERVICE CHIEFS

1.  Chief of the Army Staff(COAS) :  The current COAS is General Bipin Rawat who took office on 31st December, 2016 following the retirement of General Dalbir Singh. He is the 27th Chief of Army Staff to assume the office.

2. Chief of Air Staff(CAS) : Air Chief Marshal Birendra Singh Dhanoa is the current CAS who assumed office on 31st December, 2016 following the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha. He is the 25th officer to reach this post.

                                            

3. Chief of Naval Staff(CNS) : The current position of CNS is occupied by Admiral Sunil Lanba. He is the 23rd Navy Chief  preceded by Admiral R K Dhowan who retired from service on 31st May, 2016.

                                              

Image Courtesy : Wikipedia  

News of the week

Some important decisions taken by MoD's Defence Acquisition Council on 7th November, 2016. Some major purchases were cleared. Will post an article regarding that soon. Stay tuned.

FINALLY

FINALLY, the wait is over.....

The wait for a medium range multi-role combat aircraft(MMRCA) for the IAF is over with the signing of the deal worth 7.8 billion euros for 36 RAFAEL aircraft. IAF will be acquiring a new combat aircraft nearly after 2 decades. The last being the big daddy of IAF, SUKHOI-30 MKI. This deal will add some strength to the ageing fleet of IAF, which still operates MIG-21's in vast numbers. Huge number of crashes in MIG-21's have earned it the tag of "flying coffin". Though outdated, MIG-21 was an awesome aircraft in its time.

In a govt-to-govt deal, France will supply 36 fighter jets in flyaway condition to India. The first jet will be coming in September, 2019 and the last one probably in August, 2022. The cost of the jets is 3.4 billion euro and the rest 4.4 billion euro being for spares, maintenance, logistics, weapons, training and alternations demanded by India.

Dassault emerged as the lowest bidder in the original MMRCA programme, which saw 6 participants and Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafael making it to the last stage. Both the fighter jets went to the last round after a series of flight trials in harsh conditions. Tests were carried out at Bangalore for its humid climate, in Jaisalmer for its extremely hot climate and in Leh for its extremely cold conditions. The other 4 participants in the race were Lockheed Martin F-16IN super viper, Boeing's F-18 super hornet, Gripen from SAAB and MIG-35 from Russia.

The original MMRCA was for procuring 126 aircraft, 18 in flyaway condition and the rest 108 had to be made in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL) with the help of transfer of technology(TOT). But the current NDA govt. scrapped the original programme and rather went for a govt-to-govt deal to buy 36 aircraft off the shelf directly in flyaway condition, with a clause for a possible follow on order of another 18. Sources believe that the govt. will soon roll-out MMRCA-2 to obtain more jets of the same category.

Pic credits:- respective owners

Hi friends.....i am back....exams over, so back to blogging. Will try to increase the frequency of posts as promised earlier. So let's begin with our home built "LCA TEJAS", taking off for its trials and captured beautifully.

PIC Credits:- On pic

BRAHMOS ON SU-30 MKI

Do you all remember the opening jodi of our beloved Viru and Sachin...??? None of the bowling attacks in the world has been spared by them.... 

Mighty Sukhoi-30 MKI armed with the deadly BRAHMOS cruise missile(nuclear capable) is going to be exactly the same deadly combination. Individually, both Su-30 and BRAHMOS are powerful and reliable weapons. But when the world's most capable fourth generation fighter is armed with the world's best and fastest cruise missile, the combo is going to be a dramatic force multiplier.  

In March 2015, the Strategic Forces Command(SFC) received the first 42 Sukhois armed with air launched version of BRAHMOS.  The tests are supposed to be done within next one year.

First test will be a dead weight launch, while the second will be a dummy missile launch. The next two launches will be of the actual missile.

This is the first time in the world that such a heavy supersonic cruise missile(3000 kg) is being integrated on a fighter aircraft. Now the question arises that why only Su-30 ? Obviously, SFC does not want to take any chances by installing nuclear tipped missile on untested fighters. Su 30 has a titanium air frame which enables it to fly at high altitudes at high speed.

Having a dedicated fighter jet for a nuclear attack role is very crucial as it offers strategic flexibility and increases the odds of success. Ballistic missiles are used only as a weapon of last resort and once launched, they can't be recalled. Fighter jet on the other hand can perform multiple sorties and can direct the warheads on moving targets too. For example, in case of a war with Pakistan, they will most probably move their warheads out of their current depot, then Sukhois can be directed to neutralize those warheads carrying trucks.

This is indeed some very bad news for the enemies sitting across the border......

""JAI HIND""   

LCA TEJAS-THE INDIAN BIRD

India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) , TEJAS is the smallest and lightest multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft of the class. A single engine, single seater and a tailess air-craft has been developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to replace the ageing fleet of Mig-21's.

Costing around 200 crore per unit, TEJAS took its first flight on 4th January, 2001 and was officially introduced in the INDIAN AIR FORCE (IAF) on 17th January, 2015. This aircraft is available in 2 versions. One for air force and the other for navy. While the IAF requires around 220 aircrafts, the NAVY has demanded 40 such aircrafts.

The LAC development programme has been largely delayed. While the design got finalised in 1990, it took 25 years for the aircraft to get introduced in the air-force and that too with a foreign engine. It is yet to get Final Operational Clearance (FOC), which is expected by late 2015.

Nevertheless, it is a great leap forward in the aim to achieve indigenousness of our defense forces.

""JAI HIND"" 

SUKHOI 30-MKI

A multi role air superiority fighter, SU-30 MKI, is a two seater and a twin jet aircraft developed by Russia's Sukhoi and being produced in India by HAL(Hindustan Aeronotics Limited) for the Indian Air Force.

MKI stands for "Modernizirovannyi, Kommercheskiy, Indiski" meaning "MODERN COMMERCIAL, INDIAN".

Costing around 360 crore rupees per unit, IAF currently operates over 200 MKI'S, and has ordered around 70  more. The aircraft has been made according to the Indian specifications and also include Indian systems and avionics as well as French and Israeli sub-systems.

This versatile fighter has 12 hard-points for bombs and missiles. The IAF is carrying out structural modifications on Sukhois to carry air launched version of BRAHMOS. Su-30 is world class and will be unbeatable in a dog-fight scenario, if operated by experinced pilots.  

India currently has deployed Su-30's on 8 IAF bases spread across the country, namely Bareilly, Gwalior, Bhatinda, Tezpur, Jodhpur, Halwara, Pune and Chabua. Unluckily, the aircraft has also seen 5 accidents in last 6 years.

With the induction of large number of class leading Su-30's, the IAF has not only made a huge transition from its ageing Mig-21 dominated fleet, its war fighting doctrine has also changed , focusing on long range and strategic missions. Su-30's are going to be the nations foremost line of defense and response in case of any threat in the air.

""JAI HIND""

APACHE AND CHINOOK COPTERS DEAL

Recently govt. cleared a multi-billion dollar deal for 22 APACHE attack helicopters and 15 CHINOOK heavy-lift helicopters, with American aviation giant BOEING.

Valued to be over $ 2.5 billion and pending since 2013, the deal was cleared by CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security), ahead of the PM'S visit to U.S.A. The contract also has a clause to place a follow on order for 11 more Apaches and 7 more Chinooks.

Apache helicopter is one of the most advanced multi role combat helicopter in current date, featuring all weather and night fighting features, advanced sensors, BVRM (Beyond Visual Range Missiles ) beside stealth characteristics.

Chinooks, the iconic twin rotor are one of the most modern heavy lift helicopters in the world. This massive machine is capable of carrying 9.6 tonnes of cargo, including heavy machinery, artillery guns and light armoured vehicles to high altitudes.

Experts believe that Apache will be a "game-changer" in the tactical battle scenario, whereas Chinook will initially be a great boon for the projects of BRO (BORDER ROADS ORGANISATION).

""JAI HIND""

1965 INDO-PAK WAR

Golden Jubilee celebrations of a golden win.......

15-20 September, SHAURYANJALI, India Gate Lawns.......open for public........

""JAI HIND""  

1965 INDO-PAK WAR

1965 WAR: 2 Param Vir Chakra, 37 Maha Vir Chakra and 174 Vir Chakra were awarded by Governmnt Of India in recognition of Gallantry of Armed Forces.

In pic you can see Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan meeting and encouraging the young soldiers.  

""JAI HIND""

INDIAN AIR FORCE

"नभः  स्पर्शम्  दीप्तम्  "-touch the sky with glory......

In case of any future wars, the air power of  nations will be the deciding factor.

in pic you can see the two beasts of  "INDIAN AIR FORCE", the Su-30 MKI and the IL-78, under mid air refuelling exercise.

""JAI HIND"''