Issue 1 • 2009 Vo l . 6 N o .

SP’s
LandForces
AN SP GUIDE P U B L I C AT I O N

WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET ROUNDUP
In This Issue T h e O N LY j o u r n a l i n A s i a d e d i c a t e d t o L a n d F o r c e s
The Indian Army’s Use of airpower in the Left wing extremism
modernisation plans battlefield has made the is perceived as a one
have created a $20 task of ground forces of the biggest threat
billion (Rs 1,00,800 somewhat easier. In Iraq to internal security.
crore) opportunity, and Afghanistan, the US has The PLGA of the CPI
propelling the country to demonstrated how airpower (Maoists) is no longer
the centre stage of all can become the ‘silver bullet’ a poorly trained militia
big arms manufacturing in achieving victory in the but a highly equipped
establishments. immediate battle. force trained on the
lines of a regular army.
LT GENERAL (RETD) LT GENERAL (RETD)
4 V.K. KAPOOR
? 6 NARESH CHAND
? 9 AMIT?KUMAR SINGH

EEdi
d ittorial
orial Nei g h b o u r h o o d Wa t c h

PA K I S TA N
Security threats and chal-
lenges constitute the major
impediments to a nation’s
endeavours at development
and prosperity. If such dan-
gers arise from the neigh-
bourhood, they become more
complicated and burdensome
because of the proximity that affords greater

Collapse of a Nation
impact. The heightened sense of insecurity
tends to keep security forces on the edge,
thereby escalating violence. India’s immediate
neighbourhood seems to be falling apart.
Pakistan is on the verge of collapse.
The reasons could be one or more of the fol-
lowing: political instability, Talibanisation of
the provinces, sectarian strife generated by
ethnically or religiously motivated violence;
Kashmir-based extremists or economic bank-
ruptcy. President Asif Ali Zardari has said that
he fears a Taliban takeover and that Pakistan
is fighting for its survival. The latest move
to further arm the population in Peshawar
and Quetta to withstand the onslaught of the
Taliban spells the recipe for a civil war, ingre-
dients for which exist in Pakistan.
On February 26, Bangladesh experienced a
brutal mutiny by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR),
their border guarding troops. Many of those killed
were stripped, mutilated, bayoneted and shot.
The Director General of the BDR, Major General
Shakil Ahmed, was killed in cold blood and even
his wife was not spared. The whole nation has
been numbed by the sheer scale of brutality. The
mutiny has come at a time when the newly elect-
ed government, enjoying overwhelming majority
in the Parliament, was getting ready for the task
of governance, hence pointing to a larger and
deeper conspiracy. The matter is being investi-
gated by national and foreign agencies.
Sri Lanka, after a prolonged struggle has
managed to subdue and defang the LTTE but
the remnants are unlikely to give in easily as
evidenced by the suicide attack during Muslim
religious festival, Milad-un-Nabi. The explo-
sion on March 10 rocked the southern town
Illustration: Mamta

of Matara, killing 14 people and injuring more

than 30, including Post and Telecommunication
Minister Mahinda Wijesekara.
India’s neighbourhood on the sub-continent
is seething with militancy and terrorism. This
aspect analysed together with the existing
Pakistan is paying a steep price for destabilising the entire region and
economic slow down and the Parliamentary indiscriminately employing non-state actors to spread the virus of chaos
elections in April and May 2009, suggests that
India needs to remain calm, plug weaknesses, MAJOR GENERAL (RETD) G.D. BAKSHI
and prepare its security apparatus for acquiring

timely information and rapid reaction to pre-
empt any attack from snowballing into a crisis.
LT GENERAL (RETD) PRAN PAHWA
EDITOR Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor
O
n March 3, 12 heavily armed terror-
ists attacked the Sri Lankan cricket
team in an up market commercial
area in Lahore. At the end of the 27-
minute gun battle, eight persons including six
policemen were dead and 10 wounded. Among
those injured were seven Sri Lankan cricketers.
The incident shocked the world, highlighting
the systemic chaos that the State of Pakistan
is rapidly descending into. Pakistan presents a
strange paradox. As a systemic entity, it suffers
from serious fault lines and ethnic cleavages
that are threatening to tear it apart. The State
has eroded the very basis of its corporate exis-
tence by heavily weaponising society. There are
over 250,000 armed jihadis in Pakistan and
over three million motivated madrasa students
fed on a diet of hate and victimhood.
The main line of the educational system
was thoroughly Islamised by General Zia-ul-
Haq and transformed into what Dr Pervez

1/2009 SP’S LAND FORCES 1


Illustration: Ratan Sonal
Hoodhboy describes as a “blue print for a
religious–Fascist State”. The US and the West
today are desperately trying to prevent Pakistan
from becoming a nuclear armed Somalia with
even larger doses of military and economic aid.
However, an objective analysis indicates that, as
a systemic entity, Pakistan is no longer a viable
concept. It has gone too far down the road and
has become seriously dysfunctional.
Economic collapse
It is noteworthy that in the last 10 years the
State of Pakistan has twice come to the brink
of economic collapse.
• 1998: Post the nuclear tests, economic
sanctions imposed on Pakistan saw the
country’s economy teetering on the brink
of collapse. Islamabad was left with just
$1 billion (Rs 5,170 crore) in its Forex
reserves. The country’s foreign debt had
risen from $10 billion (Rs 51,700 crore)
in 1980 to over $40 billion (Rs 2,06,800
crore) by the year 2000 and debt repay-
ments were already 103 per cent of its
GDP. Pakistan had thus become a rentier
state. Executing a neat U-turn, Islamabad
signed on to the US-led Global War on
Terror, thereby receiving a generous assis-
tance of nearly $11 billion (Rs 56,900
crore). Instead of rationalising its economy,
Pakistan spent $6 billion (Rs 31,000 crore)
on expensive Swedish Airborne Warning
and Control System, US Orion Maritime
Patrol Aircraft, German Air Independent
Propulsion Submarines and Chinese fight-
ers and frigates—ostensibly to fight terror.
• 2008: Not surprisingly, by 2008 Pakistan’s
economy was once again on the verge of
collapse. Its Forex reserves had come down
from $16 billion (Rs 82,820 crore) to just
$3.5 billion (Rs 18,120 crore); simply
put, less than one month’s import bill.
Hat in hand, the country’s elite attended
the Friends of Pakistan meeting to seek a
bailout package of $10 billion to $15 bil-
lion (Rs 51,760 crore to Rs 77,665 crore).
The global financial meltdown caused its
patrons to quail. After much Pakistani
pleading, General David Petraeus of the
US Central Command intervened with
officials of the International Monetary
Fund to get Islamabad a loan of some $7.5
billion (Rs 38,000 crore) to tide over its
immediate financial crisis. The loan comes
with stiff conditionalities (stoppage of
WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET
subsidies) which will only add to the levels
of economic pain in Pakistan. Pakistan’s
debt burden has now crossed $47.5 billion
(Rs 2,40,610 crore). Inflation in Pakistan
stands at a staggering 25 per cent and
there are serious food and fuel shortages.
Deep systemic flaws
Sultan Bashir, a Pakistani economist,
has highlighted the basic structural flaw
in the Pakistani economy. It is in a “Low
Equilibrium Trap”. This stems from its abys-
2 SP’S LAND FORCE S 1/ 2 0 09
mally low rate of domestic savings. It is just
12.7 per cent of the GDP (for most developing
countries this is around 20 per cent of the
GDP). Low savings lead to low growth rates
of GDP. This further lowers the rate of domes-
tic savings and makes Pakistan hostage to for-
eign doles and bail outs. It is this vicious cycle
or negative spiral which constitutes the “Low
Equilibrium Trap” in the Pakistani economy.
The poverty trap
Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world
where the levels of poverty have actually risen.
In 1987-88, poverty levels in Pakistan were
around 17.3 per cent. By 2001, these had gone
up to 35 per cent. These are estimated to be
well over 50 per cent today. In fact, more than
74 per cent of the population of Pakistan lives
on less than $2 (Rs 103) a day. It is this poverty
trap which compels Pakistani families to push
their children into the madrasas for two square
meals a day. The madrasas thus form an infor-
mal social security net in Pakistan.
The madrasa trap
At the time of partition, the number of
madrasas was just 245. By 2000, there were
11,882 registered madrasas in Pakistan.
If the number of unregistered madrasas
is added, the total number of madrasas in
Pakistan goes over 45,000. Unfortunately,
during the CIA sponsored Afghan jihad,
these madrasas had been turned into fac-
tories for producing fanatical and moti-
vated Mujahideen for the jihad not just in
Afghanistan but also in Jammu and Kashmir,
Bosnia, Chechnya and Xinjiang. It is this
abrasive complex of jihad that spells a dan-
ger now not just to the state of Pakistan but
equally for the entire region and the globe.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
recently underlined the fact that most ter-
rorist strikes in the world have their origins
in the Af-Pak region. It is these madrasas
which spawned the Taliban and the ideol-
ogy of jihad. General Zia-ul-Haq had made
Abdul Ala Maududi’s book Al Jihad–e-Islami
into his Mein kamph! This book divides the
whole world into two conflicting ideological
spaces—“Dar ul Islam” (where the pious rule)
and the rest clubbed as Dar ul Harb, or the
land of war which must be put to the fire and
sword (and nuclear weapons once available).
The Maududi thesis questions the very notion
of state sovereignty. The only sovereignty that
the jihadis recognised is “Hakumate-Illahi”
or the “Sovereignty of Allah”. The jihadis,
therefore, have no sanctity for state frontiers.
This is an anti-nation state and anti-modern
ideology that questions the very basis of a
territory centered nation state.
Today, this jihad centered ideology of
Talibanism is threatening to take over the
whole of Pakistan. It is radiating outward
from the tribal areas of NWFP and FATA
to the major cities like Karachi, Lahore and
Islamabad. The Pakistan Army and the
Pakistan is a nuclear
armed state. If it spins out
of control or disintegrates
under the weight of its
own self- contradictions,
it could place weapons of
mass destruction in the
hands of non-state actors
with a suicidal mindset.
Pakistani State simply lack the will to stop
the Taliban juggernaut. They just tamely
surrendered to it in the Swat valley. Nizam-e-
Adl (Religious Code of Justice) has just been
imposed in the Malakand Division comprising
of seven districts, including Dir, Swat, Chitral
and Khoistan. This marks a major retreat
of the Pakistani State. Islamabad sealed the
deal with Maulana Sufi Mohammad who had
earlier led tribal Lashkars to aid the Taliban
against the US-led Operation Enduring
Freedom in Afghanistan in 2001. Pakistan’s
unwillingness to fight the Taliban can be
traced to the simple fact that 28 per cent of
its troops are of Pashtun origin.
Collapse of over-militarised states
No other country quite fits Paul Kennedy’s
thesis of the collapse of over- militarised
states as Pakistan. For 33 years out of 62, the
Pakistani Army has directly ruled the state.
Even in periods of civilian rule, it has never
been a normal state where the army obeys the
civilian government. Fact is, in Pakistan, the
army formulates and runs the security/foreign
policies and has its finger on the nuclear trig-
ger. The real power in Pakistan is the military-
ISI nexus. For decades it ensured that in spite
of the lavish foreign aid and funding, Pakistan
was spending some 6 to 9 per cent of its GDP
on defence. In contrast, expenditure on educa-
tion has been just 1.7 per cent of GDP, while
health was allotted barely 0.4 per cent.
The Pakistani security state is obsessed
about competing with India militarily. A
nuclear armed state, by simply threatening
to collapse it holds a pistol to its own head. It
has arm-twisted its foreign patrons not just
into keeping the bankrupt state economically
afloat but also duped them into bank rolling
its conventional and nuclear arms race with
India for over six decades. India is a country
five times the size of Pakistan and has 10
times its economic resources. India must
cater for deterring a much larger China. Yet,
the Pakistani military elite has been aiming
for not just parity but even trying to gain an
edge in nuclear and conventional terms.
Bane of asymmetric warfare
Key cause for the systemic collapse that is now
threatening the State of Pakistan is the heavy
investment its military has made in asym-
metric warfare. In seeking military parity with
India, it has time and again rented out terri-
tory to extra regional powers in return for lib-
eral grants of military aid and equipment. To
support the CIAs jihad against Soviet troops
in Afghanistan it indiscriminately weaponised
the tribes in the Af-Pak border.
What was alarming was not just the scale
but the sophistication of weaponisation
which included shoulder-fired anti-aircraft
missiles and air defence guns, and heavy
caliber rockets. Around 80,000 mujahideen
were armed and sent into Afghanistan. The
border madrasas were turned into a jihad
factory. The ISI raised some 40 Islamist
organisations bent upon promoting jihad in
all corners of the world. Once the Afghan
war was over, the ISI turned its full covert
potential to wage a proxy war in Jammu
and Kashmir. The ideology of jihad was
used to fuel these asymmetric wars in its
neighbourhood to seize the head waters of
the Pakistani rivers in Jammu and Kashmir
and gain strategic depth in Afghanistan.
Hussain Haqqani observes: “Unfortunately
in the process of the tactical use of ideol-
ogy to further short term agendas and
narrow political and personal objectives,
the very character and chemistry of the
Pakistani state changed forever.” Vali Nasr,
a Malaysian Islamic scholar, wrote, “Zia-
ul-Haq’s use of ideology subverted the very
character and nature of the Pakistani State.”
Dr Ayesha Siddiqui highlighted: “Pakistan
tried to minimise the cost of defence and
increase its strategic depth by employing
non-state actors. This is not a viable option
anymore. The general perception is that
these groups can be used and discarded as
required. In other words, they are control-
lable or their use is unlikely to change the
character of a society and State.”
Today, Pakistan is paying a steep price for
destabilising the entire region and indiscrimi-
nately employing non-state actors to spread
the virus of chaos. This has led to the indis-
criminate weaponisation of its own society to
an extent that has made the state completely
dysfunctional. A modern nation state is char-
acterised by its sole monopoly of violence. It
has to consciously disarm and de-weaponise
its citizenry. Pakistan did the opposite and has
now to come to terms with the stark conse-
quences. Its asymmetric warfare assets are
spinning out of control and seriously threat-
ening the stability of not just the state but
the entire region. Problem is, Pakistan is a
nuclear armed state. If it spins out of control
or disintegrates under the weight of its own
self- contradictions, it could place weapons of
mass destruction in the hands of non-state
actors with a suicidal mindset. That would be
a catastrophe for the world in general.
Is it already too late to save the nation state
in Pakistan from its own asymmetric warfare
assets? Unfortunately, the time for short term
solutions and quick fixes in Pakistan is now
over. An objective and dispassionate analy-
sis of Pakistan as a systemic entity clearly
indicates that it has become dysfunctional.
Economically it can not be sustained. Periodic
injections of $10 billion to $15 billion (Rs
51,375 crore to Rs 77,060 crore) cannot cor-
rect the structural flaws in its economy. Such
doles will be used by the military elite to buy
more expensive weapons that may one day
be put to use to haunt the very people who
financed them. The world may soon have to
come to terms with consequences of State fail-
ure and collapse in Pakistan.
Even as the State careens into col-
lapse mode in Pakistan, China is building
three more reactors to produce plutonium
to enlarge the Pakistani nuclear arsenal.
Paradoxically, even in its death throes,
Pakistan’s patrons are supplying it with more
sophisticated weapons and nukes for the
Taliban to use tomorrow. The world must
now be made starkly aware of this great dan-
ger to the global order. SP
The writer is a strategic analyst and former Senior Directing Staff at the
National Defence College.
 D efence Budget
Money Sparsely Spent
The problem of under utilisation of resources under the capital head
persists even as India’s Defence Budget 2009-10 represents 14.87 per cent
of total central government expenditure and 2.35 per cent of the GDP
LT GENERAL (RETD) V.K. KAPOOR
O
ne of the important highlights of
the interim budget is the compara-
tively higher allocation for defence
comprising the three services
and a host of other departments and agen-
cies of the Ministry of Defence, including
the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and the ordnance
factories. Elaborating on the government’s
decision to increase the defence expen-
diture to Rs 1,41,703 crore this year,
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the
Mumbai attacks had given a new dimension
to cross-border terrorism.
Over the last three decades, India’s
Defence Budget has varied between 2 and
3 per cent of the gross domestic product
(GDP), corresponding to between 13 and 17
per cent of central government expenditure.
Annual increase has varied from as low as 3
per cent to a high of 26 per cent. This time,
it has been pegged at 2.35 per cent of the
GDP. Historically, the resource allocation
strategy of the government has appeared to
be incremental, driven by the need to replace
obsolescent equipment and hardware of
each service. This time around an additional
factor was introduced, namely, substantial
increase in the revenue expenditure due to
the enhanced pay and allowances for all
central government employees in accordance
with the Sixth Pay Commission’s report. As
far as building a military capability is con-
cerned, despite all the rhetoric endorsing the
need for capability-based defence budgeting
to ensure a secure future, in practice India is
still employing the same old methods with an
element of superficial sophistication infused
by the Integrated Defence Staff.
Building military capability is a long
term exercise which depends not only on
the level of expenditure but on a holistic
plan that delineates stage wise milestones
of capability development. Thus, defence
expenditure is linked to longer term
planned expenditure, based on emerging
challenges and threats, trends in warfare,
induction of new technologies and new
method of warfighting which is dependent
on the nature of future conflicts. Hence,
military expenditure for capability build-
ing is associated to a wide range of issues.
Other factors that impinge on building a
military capability include the voids in the
inventory of equipment and munitions of
each service, the revenue to capital ratios,
indigenous research and development and
manufacturing capabilities, import con-
tent, the technology and performance of
acquired weapon systems, their lifetime
support, interoperability with other systems
in use within the three services, and the
efficiency of the equipment in local geo-
graphical environment.
Budget in detail
For 2009-10, the defence budget at 2.35 per
cent of the GDP has increased by 34.19 per
cent over the previous year’s budget estimate
(BE) of Rs 1,05,600 crore. However, at the
Revised Estimate (RE) stage of 2008-09,
the budget stood Rs 1,14,600 crore, scaled
upward by Rs 9,000 crore (8.52 per cent).
Thus, the increase in the budget is 23.65 per
cent over the RE stage.
Towards revenue expenditure of the three
services, Rs 86,879 crore has been allocated,
while capital budget, which caters for mod- are vast and wide ranging. Some require-
ernisation and military capability building, has ments of the three Services are given in the
been pegged at Rs 54,824 crore. Thereby, rev- succeeding paragraphs.
enue expenditure has been increased by 50.85 The Indian Army needs to acquire field
per cent (Rs 29,286 crore) while the capital guns of 155 mm calibre for its fighting for-
expenditure has declined as compared to last mations in the plains, deserts and in the
year. The defence budget as a percentage ratio mountains. India has floated a global tender
of revenue expenditure to capital expenditure for the purchase of 400 155 mm towed
now stands at 61.31 to 54.54. Capital expen- artillery guns for the army, to be followed by
diture has gone down by nearly 7 percentage indigenous manufacture of another 1,100
points as per figures shown below. howitzers, in a project worth a whopping
Rs 8,000 crore. In January 2008, the MoD
2008-09 2009-10 floated an RFP for 140 pieces of ultra-light
39 calibre 155 mm towed howitzers for use
Defence Budget 1,05,600 1,41,703 by the Indian Army’s mountain formations
(Rs in crore) which will cost approximately Rs 3,000 crore.
Growth of 10 34.19 India has also decided to acquire another
Defence 347 T-90S tanks from Russia and assemble
Budget (%) them within the country. Another area of
inadequacy is the air defence (AD) of field for-
Revenue 57,593 86,879 mations. Nearly all equipment in the Indian
Expenditure Army’s AD inventory needs replacement,
(Rs in crore) most of the equipment is between 30 to 40
years old. Simultaneously there is a need for
Share of Revenue 54.54 61.31 equipping our infantry and Special Forces
Expenditure with modern surveillance and soft ware
in Defence Budget driven communication equipment. Tactical
(%) communications need to be upgraded for field
Growth of 6.50 50.85 formations because that will form the back-
Revenue bone structure for the C4ISR system when it is
Expenditure (%) established. Hence, there is no dearth of proj-
ects in the Army which need to be funded.
Capital 48,007 54,824 The Indian Air Force is in dire need of
Expenditure multi-role combat aircraft to fill the existing
(Rs in crore) vacuum. Reduced to around 30 squadrons
from its earlier strength of 39-and-half
Share of 45.46 38.69
squadrons, the IAF is also in urgent need of
Capital
radars to cover the gaps existing in the west-
Expenditure
ern and northern borders and air defence
in Defence
missiles. The percentage of precision muni-
Budget (%)
tions is also inadequate for the anticipated
Growth of 14.51 14.20 conflicts of the future.
Capital The Indian Navy requires:
Expenditure (%) • long range air defence and anti missile
defence capability
The relatively large increase of revenue • long range anti-surface warfare capability
expenditure is primarily due to the increase in using precision guided weapons, including
pay and allowances flowing from the imple- those with a credible land attack capability
mentation of Sixth Central Pay Commission. • anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability
To put the figure in perspective, total bud- to counter the potential submarine threat
geted pay and allowances debited from the both conventional and nuclear through
services’ budgets has more than doubled provision of a balanced mix of ASW capa-
from Rs 21,891.67 crore in 2008-09 to Rs bility both for deep waters as also the more
44,500.69 crore in 2009-10. Service-wise, challenging littorals
the army accounts for the largest share of • amphibious capability for provision of
the 2009-10 budget with an approximate security to island territories as also for a
allocation of Rs 76,680 crore, followed by the possible power projection role, and
air force (Rs 34,432 crore) and the navy (Rs • mine warfare through augmentation of
20,604 crore). While the Ordnance Factories minesweeping and mine hunting capability.
(OF) have a budget of Rs 1,505.45 crore, the All three services need to develop Network
DRDO’s budget is Rs 8,481.54 crore. Centric Warfare.
Modernisation plans Availability of capital budget
Modernisation of the armed forces is not Assuming that nearly 80 per cent of the capi-
keeping pace with the changing security tal budget is meant for capital acquisitions,
environment of India’s immediate and stra- with 60 per cent of committed liabilities and
tegic neighbourhood. New challenges have 40 per cent for new schemes, then the main
already emerged while the old threats from sub-divisions of the capital budget could be
traditional adversaries remain. Hence India as under:
needs to prepare itself for the full spectrum of • Total Capital Budget : Rs 54,824 crore
warfare ranging from low intensity conflict • Capital Acquisition : Rs 43,859 crore
involving counter insurgency and counter • Committed Liabilities : Rs 26,316 crore
terrorist operations to conventional conflicts • New Schemes : Rs 17,544 crore
under the nuclear shadow. The dilemma is of In view of the above, a substantial amount
how much emphasis should be laid to acquir- will be available for capital procurement.
ing each type of capability. That notwith- Nearly Rs 17,500 crore (30 per cent of the
standing, the requirements of the Services capital budget) will be available for new
weapons systems planned for induction.
While this is an optimistic view it will depend
on how much resources are actually made
available and the method adopted for spend-
ing the amounts made available.
Budgeting Process:
The loopholes
The budgeting process for the ensuing
financial year (FY) starts with the Forecast
Estimates (FE), which are submitted to the
Ministry of Defence by each Service HQ in
the month of November of the previous year.
FE is an indicative projection of requirement
of funds by the services for the forthcom-
ing FY. The FE is followed by the Budget
Estimates (BE) in December. This is a more
fine-tuned estimate of requirement of funds
for the ensuing FY. Meanwhile, a number of
proposals submitted by Service HQ remain
pending with the government. There are no
clear indications from the ministry about
the final outcome of these proposals and the
related cash out go in the current FY. Since
the requirement of funds for the ensuing FY
also depends on the proposals cleared in the
current FY, Service HQ are not in a position
to project the BE accurately.
Additionally, the government is also known
to surprise the Services at the RE stage (around
mid-February) by withdrawing sizeable
amount of funds from the initial allocations.
The blame game between the services and the
government continues. The services harbour
the opinion that the government deliberately
goes slow and withdraws funds from defence
allocations due to political considerations or to
balance the account books at the end of the FY.
This surrender of funds is a matter of serious
concern, since the money is from the capital
account of the budget, needless to say that the
modernisation programme of the services are
delayed and much needed equipment is not
available to the troops in actual combat. The
cascading effect of this delay in procurement
can never be made up, because of the sheer
numbers and size of requirement.
Thus, even if adequate funds are allocated,
equipment may not be available in adequate
numbers as also the time required to absorb
technology will militate against mass pro-
curement. There are a host of other reasons
for surrender of funds, such as lacklustre
pursual of procurement cases based on inac-
curate and inadequate framework, bureau-
cratic delays, delays in price negotiation
committee, single vendor situations, long tri-
als, no or late release of payments to vendors
and so on. Surrender of funds has been hotly
debated in Parliament and invited adverse
comments of successive Defence Committees.
Utilisation of funds
The defence budget for 2009-10 represents
14.87 per cent of total central government
expenditure, and 2.35 per cent of GDP. The
growth of over 34 per cent in this year’s
defence budget is a high figure. During the
past few years, the defence budgets had been
subjected to criticism in view of their declining
share of total central government expenditure
and GDP. In fact, last year the defence budget
had decreased to below two per cent of GDP.
The corresponding figures for 2008-09 are
14.06 per cent and 1.95 per cent respectively.
However, the problem of under utilisation
of resources under the capital head persists.
As the latest budget reveals, the budgeted capi-
tal expenditure for 2008-09 has decreased by
Rs 7,007 crore (15 per cent) from Rs 48, 007
crore to Rs 41,000 crore at the RE stage. Its
implication is also seen in the wide variation in
the growth of the capital budget. If the entire
2008-09 capital budget had been spent, the
2009-10 capital expenditure would have seen
only 14.2 per cent growth instead of 33.72
per cent rise (Rs 13,824 crore). Recurring
under utilisation of resources is serious
enough to mandate a complete overhaul of
the acquisition system to ensure that funds are
utilised in a timely manner and for the purpose
for which they are allocated. SP
1/2009 SP’S LAND FORCES 3
 T h e Indian Ar my
Reinforcing POWER
The T-72
www.imageshack.us
A synopsis of the proposed and acquired systems that promise to enhance the army’s capabilities
LT GENERAL (RETD) V.K. KAPOOR
T
he Indian Army’s modernisation
plans have created a $20 billion (Rs
1,00,800 crore) opportunity, propel-
ling the country to the centre stage of
all big arms manufacturing establishments. The
key features of the plan and the steps already
taken towards the acquisition of equipment are
discussed below.
Armour: The army has already received 14
out of the 124 Arjun Main Battle Tanks (MBT)
it had ordered. These are undergoing sub-unit
trials before further induction of the entire lot.
As many as 310 T-90S tanks had been ordered
from Russia. Of these, 124 fully assembled
tanks were directly imported from Russia and
186 kits were imported for assembly in India.
The first indigenously assembled T-90S rolled
out from the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF),
Avadi on January 7, 2004. These tanks have
now been operationalised. Defect in the fire con-
trol systems of the T-90S tanks, caused due to
excessive heating of the turrets during the sum-
mers, is being remedied by air-conditioning the
interior. An additional 347 T-90S tanks have
been negotiated for induction into the service,
bringing the total figure to 647.
A programme has simultaneously been
launched to modernise the T-72M1 Ajeya
MBTs. Around 1,700 T-72M1s have been man-
ufactured under licence at HVF, Avadi. The T-
72M1 modernisation programme under Project
Rhino will extend the service life of the MBT by
20 years, enhance their accuracy with the new
Drawa-T Fire Control System (FCS) which, inte-
grated with a thermal imager, will afford night
fighting capability. The tanks are additionally
being equipped with Explosive Reactive Armour
(ERA) for better protection, along with a laser
warning system and new, frequency hopping,
tank radios sets from Tadiran for more secure
communications. A new power pack is also
under consideration to further enhance mobil-
ity, especially with the heavy ERA packages that
are being strapped on. However, modernisation
of the T-72 is way behind schedule due to com-
plicated procurement procedures exacerbated
by delayed decision making. The T-90 and the
WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET
improved T-72M1 tanks will constitute the
armour might of India in the future till a new
MBT is chosen or designed indigenously.
Mechanised Infantry: The mechanised
infantry is equipped with the BMP-2 Infantry
Combat Vehicle (ICV), christened Sarath. Over
1,000 of these have been manufactured since
1987. A new variant is the 81 mm Carrier
Mortar Tracked based on the chassis of the
Sarath ICV and has been indigenously devel-
oped to enhance the integral firepower available
to mechanised infantry battalions. Other vari-
4 SP’ S L AN D FO RC E S 1/ 2 0 09
ants include a command post, an ambulance,
armoured dozer and engineer and reconnais-
sance vehicles. The ICVs are being equipped
with thermal imaging sights and image intensi-
fiers. The army had ordered 198 Carrier Mortar
Tracked, which have since been delivered.
Artillery: In keeping with the policy that 15
mm will be the standard calibre for the artil-
lery, Israeli firm Soltam was given the contract
for upgunning 180 of the M-46 130 mm guns
acquired from Russia. After some initial hitches,
all 180 guns have been successfully upgraded
and operationalised. This will extend the range
of the erstwhile 130 mm guns from 28 to 40
km with extended range ammunition.
Two regiments of Smerch Multi-Barrel
Rocket Launchers (MBRL) have been procured
from Russia, through Rosboronexport. This will
enhance the reach of the artillery considerably,
thus giving commanders multiple options for
offensive operations in enemy’s depth. Extended
range rockets are also expected to boost the
range of Grad BM-21 rockets from 22 km to
about 40 km. The indigenously developed
Pinaka MBRL has been accepted for induction
into service. Two private sector companies are
taking part in the production of Pinaka.
Two missile groups of Prithvi surface-to-
surface short range ballistic missile and one
of Agni have reportedly been raised. Agni-II
intermediate range ballistic missile has been
successfully test-fired and is undergoing further
trials. These missiles may be placed under the
Strategic Forces Command. The army version
of BrahMos cruise missile, developed jointly by
India and Russia, has been successfully tested
and inducted into service. Twelve AN/TPQ-37
Firefinder radars have been received from the
US. Additional radars of the same class are
planned to be acquired through indigenous
development.
The Heron UAV—a medium-altitude, long
endurance UAV from Israel—has been acquired
in addition to the Searcher I and II UAVs.
Medium range battlefield surveillance radars
have been introduced into the inventory of the
army’s surveillance and target acquisition units
for enhancing the medium range ground sur-
veillance capability of the army. The long-range
observation system (LORROS) provides day
and night surveillance capability up to a range
of about 11 to 13 km. It is performing well,
especially in counter-infiltration operations in
Jammu and Kashmir. Most of these sensors are
currently functioning in a stand-alone mode as
there are no arrangements to link them togeth-
er on a networked surveillance grid.
Development of the Nishant remotely piloted
vehicle, designed by the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) to under-
take battlefield surveillance, reconnaissance,
real time engagement of targets by artillery
fire and laser designation has been successfully
completed. It has been approved for induction
through limited series production. The Artillery
Combat Command and Control System has
been successfully developed and is under pro-
duction. Trial evaluation of Terminal Guided
Munitions, Trajectory Guided Munitions,
Velocity Enhanced Long Range Artillery
Projectiles and Anti-Radiation Ammunition is
also in progress.
Air Defence Artillery: The Corps of Army
Air Defence holds a large variety of guns
and missile systems. It has the 40 mm L/70,
Zu-23-2 Twin gun, ZSU-23-4 Schilka and
Tangushka in its inventory. The 40 mm L/70,
which is about four decades old, needs immedi-
ate replacement. Considering the high costs of
new weapon systems, the army is going in for
The T-90 and the
improved T-72M1 tanks
will constitute the
armour might of India in
the future till a new MBT
is chosen or designed
indigenously
weapon upgrades for L-70, ZU-23-2 Twin gun,
and ZSU-23-4 Schilka.
Meanwhile, the army is also looking for suc-
cessors to L-70 and the ZU-23-2. A successor to
Schilka (ZSU-23-4) already exists in the form of
Tangushka, but in limited numbers. In missile
systems, Kvadrat (medium range) and OSA–AK
(short range) have reached the end of their life-
cycle. These were to be replaced by Akash and
Trishul surface-to-air missiles, but since these
DRDO projects have been inordinately delayed,
replacements from abroad may have to be
acquired. One major weakness in the overall air
defence matrix is the lack of a battlefield man-
agement system, which is also linked with the
national air defence network.
Infantry: The combat potential of the infan-
try, particularly in the areas of firepower
and surveillance for counter-insurgency and
conventional operations, is being significantly
enhanced. Some of the systems introduced
recently include the 20 mm and 14.5 mm Anti-
Material Rifle, Automatic Grenade Launcher-
The Agni III missile model
30, Multiple Grenade Launcher, 84 mm Rocket
Launcher Mk II and Kornet-E ATGM with ther-
mal imaging night sights. Surveillance equip-
ment includes Battlefield Surveillance Radars,
Hand Held Thermal Imagers and various types
of Unattended Ground Sensors.
Engineers: Equipment has been procured to
assist in de-mining operations. Equipment is also
being procured to better equip army engineers to
participate in disaster management. Protective
equipment, to enhance the fighting capability of
the army in the nuclear, biological and chemical
scenario has been procured. Protection against
Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in counter-
insurgency and counter-terrorist operations is
also being enhanced through procurement of a
sophisticated range of equipment.
Communications: A country-wide, secured,
value-added backbone for data and voice trans-
mission in a networked architecture is being
established to connect the army’s important
formation headquarters. Strategic broadband
satellite network, the first of its kind connect-
ing 22 locations, has recently been commis-
sioned under a project titled Mercury Flash.
On February 24, 2006, the erstwhile President
of India, Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam, dedicated the
Army Wide Area Network (AWAN) to the
nation. The AWAN is designed to connect all
field and peace-time formations, training estab-
lishments and logistics installations in the coun-
try. As regards electronic warfare, the Defence
Acquisition Council of the MoD has approved
the acquisition of electronic warfare equipment
worth Rs 1,500 crore ($333 million).
Information Systems: A new organization, the
Director General Information Systems, has been
established in the army under the Deputy Chief
(Policy and Systems). The objective is to vigor-
ously pursue the establishment of the Command
Information Decision Support System for the
army to link together all other automated com-
munication and information systems such as
the Battlefield Surveillance System, the Artillery
Combat Command and Control System, the Air
Defence Control and Reporting System, and
Battle Management System in an effort to pres-
ent a holistic picture to a commander and his
senior staff officers to ease the decision making
process. This will also link the communication
system at strategic, operational and tactical levels
and enable the army to fight ‘network enabled
warfare’ in the future. Developments in these
fields are slow but steady and the army report-
edly expects to achieve the first stage of network
enabled capability in a decade or so. SP
Full article in SP’s Military Yearbook
2008-2009.
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 A i r Defence
Close Combat
Short range and very short range air defence
systems are effective in countering low
altitude attacks
LT GENERAL (RETD) NARESH CHAND
U
se of airpower in the battlefield
has made the task of ground
forces somewhat easier. In Iraq and
Afghanistan, the US has demon-
strated how airpower can become the ‘silver
bullet’ in achieving victory in the immediate
battle but ground troops have to finally slog
to win the war. This is the time when they
are most vulnerable to enemy airpower and
would need air defence (AD) by own air force
as well as ground based systems.
Threat from the air will include fighter
aircraft, attack helicopters, UAVs and cruise
missiles. Generally, the attack profile will be at
low altitudes, except that of the UAVs. Thus,
the requirement will be of point AD where
the fighters will be flying low and attack heli-
copters will be flying nap of the Earth even
as zooming cruise missiles hug its contours.
However, with the development of standoff
weapons, selected AD weapons will require
longer ranges to destroy the attacking aircraft
before it launches its weapon.
Indian Perspective
Use of airpower was quite extensive during
the 1965 and 1971 conflicts. As a conse-
Te chnolog y
www.army.mil
The Shadow 200 UAV
A
ccurate intelligence is a vital ele-
ment of planning for any success-
ful military operation. The process
of gathering intelligence starts
with the systematic collection of information
by all types of sensors—soldiers, electronics
and optics, to name a few. Information is also
accrued by reconnaissance and target acqui-
sition. This information is then converted
into intelligence to assist the commander and
his staff formulate battle plans for execution.
Technology can assist in providing bet-
ter sensors, faster passage of information
and conversion of mass information into
intelligence with the help of computers.
Integrating the Intelligence, Surveillance
and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems with bet-
ter communications, faster computers and
command and control systems helps to cre-
ate a complete battle command and control
system. Intelligence received by the military
WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET
forces must:
• be in a format that enables the defence
forces to swiftly defeat an adversary
• enable the commanders to act quickly,
secretly, and effectively
• allow anticipation of the adversary’s
actions and the needs of own command-
ers and warfighters
• provide predictive intelligence that stays
ahead of the battle, and
• extend to the post-conflict, security and
stabilisation phase of a campaign as well.
6 SP’ S L AN D FO RC E S 1/ 2 0 09
quence, army AD was modernised especially
to cater for the field army, including the
mechanised forces.
Guns: The 40 mm L60 and L70 were
in service and, later on, all the L60s were
replaced by L70, but with its heavy weight
and fire control radar, the latter proved
unwieldy for the field army. Subsequently,
ZU-23 mm twin barrel guns were acquired
from Russia which, although very light and
mobile, had to be manually operated and thus
not effective during the night. The L70 is now
obsolete and needs immediate replacement
but options are few. At the forefront is the
Skyshield of Rheinmetall Defence—a modern
gun system with Ahead (advance hit efficien-
cy and destruction technology) ammunition.
Ahead contains 152 heavy tungsten metal,
spin stabilised sub-projectiles that are ejected
by a time fuse and is very effective against
small targets. Schilka was acquired for the
mechanised forces during the early 1970s but
is now obsolete. Tangushka replaced Schilka,
but for some reason a limited number were
imported. There is a requirement to acquire
either more Tangushkas or look for alterna-
tives, like mounting Skyshield on a suitable
Gateways to Intelligence
ISR Systems facilitate accrual of information that can be converted into
intelligence to assist in the formulation of battle plans. These systems
help to create a complete battle command and control system.
LT GENERAL (RETD) NARESH CHAND
Major ISR systems
Imagery Intelligence: IMINT uses all types of
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), electro opti-
cal/infrared sensors, synthetic aperture radar
(SAR), moving target indicator and so on. The
UAVs range from Global Hawk and Predator to
the smaller tactical versions, like the US Army’s
SHADOW 200 and Elbit’s Skylark which pro-
vide flexibility and adaptability to meet the
immediate needs of battlefield commanders.
The US also has the Joint Surveillance Target
Attack Radar System and other similar systems.
Measurement and Signals Intelligence:
MASINT includes unattended ground sen-
sors (UGSs) and so on.
Signals Intelligence: SIGINT, as the name
suggests, involves intelligence gathering
by intercepting signals. Communications
Intelligence (COMINT) refers to information
gleaned from exchanges between people,
while Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) signifies
signals intercepted between machines, includ-
ing radars. As sensitive information is often
encrypted, signals intelligence often involves
the use of cryptanalysis. However, traffic anal-
ysis can also produce valuable information. In
fact, order of battle (ORBAT) can be built step
by step through SIGINT. Various systems pro-
viding COMINT and SIGINT are available and
can be used to enhance intelligence or jam the
adversaries systems.
Human Intelligence: HUMINT is a vital com-
ponent of ISR and can be obtained by covert or
www.kr.blog.com
indigenous chassis or Pantsir S1 developed by
KBP, as an upgrade of the Tangushka.
Short range missile systems: India had
acquired the OSA-AK (SAM 8) which has
a range of about 8 km and is a fully mobile
system, but now needs to be replaced.
Trishul was being developed by the Defence
Research and Development Organisation,
but it was foreclosed as efforts hit a wall. At
present, there are many systems available,
like the Spyder which has been developed
by Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries.
It is a short range (15 km max range), low
level (20-9,000 m altitude), integrated, all-
weather air defence system, which consists
of the Python 5 IR guided and Derby RF
guided Beyond Visual Range missiles. The
Indian Air Force has already acquired a few
launchers of Spyder.
Raytheon’s SLAMRAAM is a mod-
ern system which offers effective defence
against the low-flying cruise missile and the
unmanned aerial vehicle. Russia’s TOR-M1
surface-to-air missile system is a mobile,
integrated air defence system, designed for
operation at medium-, low- and very low
altitudes, against fixed/rotary wing aircraft,
overt means, including special forces.
Future Combat System Platforms: This
is especially applicable to the US and other
countries which have developed and fielded
systems for their soldiers for providing bet-
ter situational awareness, faster exchange
of orders, better fire power, improved com-
munications and protection. India is also
developing a similar system called “Soldier
as a System”. All the sensors used in these
systems are integrated with the overall ISR
system to provide a better intelligence picture.
ISR in the Indian Army
A great source of intelligence during peace
and war, SIGINT has been widely used in the
Indian Army (IA). Also in the frame are the
ELINT systems which have various types of
radar signatures in the database and, after
comparing with intercepted signals, can
issue electronic order of battle from which
ORBAT can be inferred. The other source
is battlefield surveillance radar developed
by the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by
Bharat Electronics Limited. UAVs, like the
Israeli-made Searcher and Heron, have also
become part of the inventory.
Improved ISR packages are available,
which include the SAR. Then again, BAE
Systems’ AURORA Generation IV spectral
ISR system combines hyperspectral imaging
technology with high-resolution electro-optic
The Pantsir S1 developed by KBP
UAVs, guided missiles and precision weapon
at a range of 12 km. Canada’s Air Defense
Anti-Tank System (ADATS) is based on the
M113A2. The ADATS is purportedly the
most successful short range AD system in
the world, with 85 per cent or better engage-
ment success rate. Developed by Rheinmetall
Air Defence, it has a range of 8 km for
ground targets and 10 km for aerial targets.
Shoulder-fired AD missile systems:
Indian defence forces have the Igla shoul-
der-fired missile system of Russian origin
which is a very good system. Russians are
developing its successor, the Igla-S, which
is effective against approaching targets. US
short range AD systems are based around
the FIM-92 Stinger missile and its mounted
platforms, the M1097 Avenger and M6
Linebacker. It is effective against cruise mis-
siles, UAVs, low-flying fixed-wing aircraft
and helicopters. Similar to most of the
shoulder-fired AD systems, it is a fire-and-
forget infrared guided missile. Another sys-
tem is the Starstreak, with a range of 7 km,
which is in service in UK and has been man-
ufactured by Thales Air Defence Limited
(formerly, Shorts Missile Systems). SP
and infrared sensors with an airborne pro-
cessing system that fuses spectral and imag-
ery data in real time and has been provided
to the US Army. IA is reportedly on the look-
out for micro UAVs directly or through the
DRDO route. The border management has
been through a mix of HUMINT, battlefield
surveillance radars, electro-optical devices,
UAVs and even electrified fencing which is
manufactured by Tata. But certain portions
of the border with Bangladesh or the desert
area in Rajasthan is still porous and needs
better means for surveillance.
To fight insurgency like that unleashed
by the Naxalites, systems specially designed
for urban areas need to be acquired. Among
the systems fielded are the Eyeball-1 and
Gate Keeper, remotely controlled video sur-
veillance devices from ODF Optronics Ltd
of Israel. Eyeball-1 enables troops to gather
valuable intelligence by viewing images and
listening to voices in a target area prior to
an assault into a room or entering subterra-
nean spaces. Gate Keeper uses covert cam-
eras, triggered by passive infrared signals,
to secure access routes, or a building, room
or floor, validating that it has not been
recaptured by hostile elements. A minia-
ture UGS, developed by Seraphim, provides
covert visual surveillance of a target. The
choices are varied and to keep pace with the
future operational challenges, India needs
to upgrade ISR systems. SP
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Photo courtesy of S&H
 I n dustr y
Power
Wheels
Mahindra Defence Systems initially created
the market for light bullet proof vehicles in
India and soon became the leader in
up-armoured vehicles
BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
M
ahindra Defence Systems
(MDS) is a division of Mahindra
& Mahindra Ltd (M&M).
Supplying vehicles since 1947
to the army and security forces, M&M is also
the main supplier of 4x4 light vehicles to
the Indian armed forces, police and para-
military forces. At present there are over
12,000 vehicles in the army and many
times that number with the police and para-
military forces.
MDS was formed in July 2000 as a single
point contact for all M&M dealings with the
Ministry of Defence and for special vehicles
for the security forces. MDS initially created
the market for light bullet proof vehicles
in India and soon became the leader in
up-armoured vehicles. Today there are in
excess of 600 MDS up-armoured vehicles
in service in the Indian Army and security/
police forces as well as in the security forces
of some foreign countries.
MDS is organised in three functional
areas—Land Systems, Naval Systems and
Defence C4I systems.
Land Systems
After modest beginnings with supply of
M&M Jeep and its variants to Indian Army,
Land Systems has developed into a large
entity with its own Defence R&D and a
manufacturing facility near Faridabad.
Current competencies in land systems are
up-armouring of light and medium vehicles,
high mobility vehicles and special vehicles.
In the light armoured vehicle category, MDS
has a 80 per cent market share.
Up-armoured and Specialist Vehicles:
Currently, the range encompasses the fol-
lowing up-armoured and specialist vehicles.
Rakshak: This is a battle proven opera-
tional vehicle of which there are over 450
Naval System
WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET
Processor Based Ground Mine MK I
Mahindra Naval Systems is a leading supplier of high technology marine underwater systems
for defence applications. The company has a dedicated manufacturing facility at Pune with over
21,000 sq ft of covered space and a wide range of machinery for composite applications. It has
been associated with the Naval Processor Based Ground Mine Mk 1, including significant improve-
ments in the electronics of the mine. In conjunction with the NSTL, Visakhapatnam and BEL,
Bangalore, it has manufactured the first indigenous Torpedo Decoy Launcher for fitment on board
newly constructed warships. SP
8 SP’S LAND FORCE S 1/ 2 0 09
The Axe
in service. With ballistic protection up to
7.62 mm x 51 NATO ball and the ability to
withstand the simultaneous explosion of two
grenades below the belly, these vehicles have
been tested in combat.
Marksman: India’s only bulletproof vehicle
based on a steel capsule, it offers ballistic
protection against 7.62 mm x 51 NATO
ball. It has the aggressive styling and
engine power required for high intensity
combat situations.
Up-armoured Scorpio & Bolero: Discreet
protection for VIPs and senior officers, there
are over a hundred up-armoured Scorpios
and Bolero in service. Various protection
levels to suit user needs can be configured.
Mine Protected Vehicle: This MPVi is
being developed specifically for the require-
ments of Indian armed and police forces.
A highly powered operational vehicle, the
MPVi will have modern fitments and weap-
on mounts for its role. Apart from suitable
ballistic protection, it will have protection
against mines and IEDs containing upto 10
kg of explosive.
Axe: A High mobility fast attack vehicle, it
incorporates world class technologies for
bespoke Indian Army requirements. Based
on a space frame chassis with independent
suspension on all four wheels, fitted with a
180 hp engine, the Axe is a consummate
off-road military vehicle. It has a versatile
design that can be adapted to various mili-
tary uses.
Light Strike Vehicle: The vehicle has a 3
tonne GVW with a payload of 950 kg and
a power to weight ratio of above 30 kW /T.
MDS is the only Indian vendor participating
in the Global Tender by Indian Army for 138
such vehicles.
Rapid Intervention Vehicle: The RIV is
designed for riot control in urban areas by
Torpedo Decoy Launcher
police forces. It has many specialist fittings,
including tear gas launchers and a dozer
blade to clear obstacles.
Cash in Transit Van: Designed for movement
of valuable cargo, the CITV is a sheer proof
light armoured vehicle that can be manufac-
tured to any configuration required by the user.
Future Competencies
In order to expand its range of products,
MDS plans to acquire the following addi-
tional competencies, obtaining technology
through joint ventures with international
leaders in the field where required:
• Artillery Systems upgrades and integration.
• Combat vehicles and advanced vehicle
armouring.
• Remote controlled vehicles.
In keeping with our plans, and following
approval from the Government of India’s
Foreign Investment Promotions Board,
a joint venture is being set up with BAE
Systems focused on Land Systems for the
Indian Defence Forces and export market.
Mahindra Special Military Vehicles
The Rakshak
Up-armoured Scorpio & Bolero
Cash in Transit Van
Photographs: Mahindra Defence
Facility: This modern facility is the first of
its kind in India; spread over six acres in
Faridabad, it is uniquely equipped to handle
the manufacture of special military vehicles
for various applications. Besides manufactur-
ing, virtual designing, vehicle engineering
and advanced prototyping of vehicles will
also be undertaken at the facility. The facil-
ity which started its operations in December
last year is currently manufacturing up
armoured light and medium vehicles.
Military Electronics
In conjunction with Tech Mahindra, the
Defence IT Capability & Solutions Unit–
Defence intends becoming a global provider
of C4I Systems & Network Centric Warfare
solutions to the armed forces & other secu-
rity agencies. Tech Mahindra is today con-
sidered the third largest systems integrator
in the world, and it will bring this awesome
capability to bear on defence solutions.
This organisation has already leveraged its
strong capabilities for various military C4I
projects. SP
The Marksman
Rapid Intervention Vehicle
Mahindra Special Military Vehicles Facility
 C ounter Ter rorism
Rise of Left Extremism
Illustration: Ratan Sonal
R
oots of Left wing extremism in India
can be traced back to the colonial
phase of the modern history. Leftist/
communist political movements,
labour and agrarian unrests, revolutionary
societies and tribal revolts that erupted dur-
ing various phases of colonial rule in India
sowed the seeds of Left movement in India.
The revolutionary fervour these movements
induced among the masses proliferated to the
post-Independence period as well. The radi-
cal Left political movement continued to gain
popularity and support and ultimately crys-
tallised into an organised armed movement
in the aftermath of a police firing incident in
Naxalbari village in the Darjeeling district of
West Bengal on May 25, 1967. The incident
was the beginning of the transformation of a
primarily political and socio-economic agrar-
ian movement into an armed struggle.
During this phase, radical Left move-
ments erupted in various parts of the country.
Ripples of the Naxalbari incident were felt
in Tamil Nadu, Bihar (Muzaffarpur), Kerala
(Wayanad and Tellicherri), parts of Orissa,
Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh
(Srikakulam). But it remained largely scattered
and uncoordinated. The movement could not
withstand the repressive measures of the gov-
ernment. West Bengal, for instance, launched
a major offensive, Operation Steeple Chase, in
which the military, paramilitary and the state
forces participated jointly in the Naxal affected
areas. The movement finally died out after the
arrest and death of Charu Majumdar in July
1972. Thereafter, it re-emerged in the early
1980s, continued to gain base and has been
expanding ever since. Charu’s death dealt a
blow to Naxalites across the country even as the
central authority of the movement collapsed.
In the aftermath, the Communist Party of India
(Marxist-Leninist), or CPI (M-L), got disinte-
grated into innumerable groups and sub-groups
which were engaged in internecine squabbles.
Efforts to form a joint front
Late 1970 onwards, the centre of gravity of
Naxalism gradually shifted from West Bengal to
Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. During this phase,
some extremist groups, such as the Maoist
Communist Centre (MCC) and the People’s War
Group (PWG), made dogged efforts to form a
joint front. Despite similarities in ideology and
Left wing extremism is one of the biggest threat to internal security.
The Maoist influence affects 40 per cent of India.
AMIT KUMAR SINGH
shared objectives, endeavours to
the merger met with numerous
obstacles, with territorial and
leadership clashes giving rise to
an internecine conflict. However,
towards the end of the millen-
nium, efforts to form a joint front
bore partial fruit. The creation
of Jharkhand State in November
2000 and anti-Maoist operations
launched by the administration
pushed the MCC and PWG into
closer cooperation, and a truce
was announced. Significantly, the
PWG had earlier merged with the
CPI (M-L) Party Unity of Bihar on
August 11, 1998. The ideological
differences have now been ironed
over, with Maoism prevailing.
At the close of the millennium,
the CPI (M-L) PWG, the Maoist
Communist Centre-India (MCC-I)
and the Janashakti emerged as the
main Left Extremists Groups and
efforts to amalgamate these groups
were intensified. Besides, focus
was directed towards organising regular mili-
tias. In December 2000, the PWG reorganised
and rechristened its guerrilla force to form the
People’s Guerrilla Army (PGA). Efforts to form
a joint front resulted in the merger of the MCC-I
with CPI (M-L) People’s War in September 2004
to form Communist Party of India (Maoist) (CPI-
Maoist) which emerged as the most powerful
Naxalite group in the country. The merger aug-
mented the group’s support base and imparted
it a pan-Indian revolutionary group character.
The two guerrilla armies of the PWG and the
MCC—the PGA and the People’s Liberation
Guerrilla Army (PLGA), respectively—also
merged under the agreement. The new armed
force reportedly operates under the name of
PLGA since December 2, 2004.
Compact Revolutionary Zone
As of today, there are around 38 to 40 Left
Extremist Groups with their area of influence
and operation extending across nearly 194
districts of the country. There was an attempt
to bring CPI (M-L) Janashakti to the CPI-
Maoist fold but the effort failed. The extremists
aim to establish a Compact Revolutionary
Zone (CRZ) from Nepal to Tamil Nadu. The
merger had brought the Maoists closer to their
objective of ‘liberating’ their proposed CRZ; its
realisation would give them domination over
the vital mineral and industrial areas of India
as this area contains most of the country’s
coal, iron and aluminium mines.
The ninth party Congress (2007) of the
Left Extremists Groups was held after a gap
of 36 years. Apart from emphasising on
forming a joint front and expressing desire to
take the movement to the next stage of the
Maoist strategy, a decision was also taken to
protest against Special Economic Zones and
the setting up of industries by acquiring for-
est and tribal land. It appealed to the groups
to upgrade the PLGA’s to regular PLA, deepen
mass base and wage a militant mass move-
ment against the “neo liberal policies of glo-
balisation, liberalisation and privatisation”.
Over the past several years, efforts have
been multiplied towards gathering and mobilis-
ing international public opinion to put pressure
on government agencies. Available reports indi-
cate that the CPI-Maoist is currently strength-
ening the formations of the PLGA’s three
forces—basic, secondary and main. Lately, an
increased presence of Naxalites in the urban
areas and industrial belts has been observed.
While pursuing the goal of enlisting broader
mass support, the rebels are adopting latest
information technologies to spread awareness
about their ideology and goals besides estab-
lishing one-to-one contacts and sponsoring
cultural events, like folk songs, dances and
drama, to convey their message.
A multi-faceted problem
Left wing extremism poses a unique, multi-
dimensional and comprehensive challenge to
the Indian state structure. The multi-faceted
problem has social, ideological, security, cultur-
al, economic, political and strategic dimensions.
Flaunting the single largest armed group in the
country, Left wing extremism is perceived as a
one of the biggest threat to internal security.
The sheer geographical expanse of the Maoist
influence affects 40 per cent of India.
The Naxalite groups, particularly the CPI-
Maoist, have been expanding and consolidating
their influence much beyond traditional strong-
holds (Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal, Chhattisgarh,
Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa)
into certain new areas such as Tamil Nadu,
Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttaranchal, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. Naxal
presence is also being felt in some of the promi-
nent Indian cities such as Mumbai, Pune and
Delhi which clearly signal their urban shift.
Of all the Left-wing extremist groups, the CPI-
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Maoist has the largest presence in different
parts of the country. The CPI (M-L) Janashakti
and the CPI (M-L) Liberation are also reported
to have a sizeable presence and influence.
Naxalite groups have been making
concerted efforts to militarise their cadres
through formation of special guerrilla squads.
The PLGA of the CPI (Maoists) is no longer a
poorly trained militia but a highly equipped
force trained on the lines of a regular army
that has an elaborate command structure.
The arsenal is a mix of hand-made agricultur-
al tools, country made weapons and sophis-
ticated weapons. Besides dedicated teams for
repair and fabrication of weapons, they are
said to have various R&D units as well.
Faced with the rapidly spreading influ-
ence and power of the Naxalites, the foremost
responsibility of the State, and the need of
the hour, is to uphold the law of the land,
provide security of life and property and a
secure environment for development and
economic growth in the areas deeply affected
by the violence unleashed by these rebels.
The formation of a special 10,000-personnel
strong force Combat Battalion for Resolute
Action (COBRA) for the purpose is a step in
that direction. The various development ini-
tiatives undertaken by the Central and state
governments would also, in the long run,
help weed out the Naxal menace. SP
The writer is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies.
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1/2009 SP’S LAND FORCES 9
 Te chnolog y

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

AFV and IFV technologies are among the most effective for low intensity and urban combat
LT GENERAL (RETD) V.K. KAPOOR

environment. Across the spectrum of

combat action in urban warfare, a mutu-
ally supporting combined arms (armour-
infantry) tactical grouping can achieve
success while keeping casualties, as well
as collateral damage to a minimum. The
nature of fighting in urban areas compels
the use of smaller combined arms teams
of armour and infantry led by experienced
and audacious young officers. The rapid
decentralisation makes command and con-
trol difficult.
At small-unit tactical levels (sections
and platoon), light infantry forces without
armour would face serious disadvantages.
When moving exposed in an urban environ-
ment, dismounted infantry troops may be
subjected to intense hostile fire, thus pin-
ning them down. It is here that AFVs come
into action while the close-in protection of
AFVs would be provided by the infantry.
Normal infantry weapons lack adequate
www.army-technology.com

firepower for subduing well-protected

enemy bunkers and carefully camouflaged
positions in buildings. Decentralised tacti-
Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicle, Australia cal movements through built-up areas pose
severe difficulties in maintaining control

T
and mutual identification. In such a situa-
he wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq Modern technologies tion, the danger of fratricide casualties also
have demonstrated how relatively There have been rapid advances in technol- Terrorism and becomes acute. This weakness can be com-
smaller number of troops using ogy in recent times. Historically, there are insurgencies are the more pensated for by using AFVs or IFVs like the
precision weaponry and networked countless examples to illustrate that technol- ones available in mechanised infantry units,
digitised communications, together with ogy is one of the principle factors that drives serious challenges facing provided that the vehicles are adequately
integrative technologies (C4ISR), were able the change in the method of war fighting and the country today and protected by add-on armour or other pro-
to wrap up military operations with preci- India is facing an entirely new technology tective suites capable of withstanding the
sion and speed. Many analysts point out that era, generated through advancements in the will have to be fought fire of rocket propelled grenades from close
the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are still field of miniturisation, digitisation, material in all types of terrain, quarters and heavy indigenous explosive
ongoing and though the new technologies science, bio-technology, sensor technology, devices (IEDs).
may have greatly assisted the US forces in stealth, communications and information
including urban areas of In Iraq, insurgents used innovative tac-
achieving a quick military victory initially, but technology. India needs to integrate new India’s densely populated tics during urban encounters against US
they have not been able to secure peace despite technologies as warfighting systems. armoured elements. The troops reported use
increasing the troop strength from time to The dominant technology trends
towns and cities of snipers, grenades and Molotov Cocktails
time. While this is true, nevertheless, these two that impact land forces are: Long Range from rooftops or upper floor windows, in an
wars and the ongoing, technology driven, rev- Precision Firepower; Integrative technolo- attempt to attack vehicle crews and command-
olution in military affairs (RMA) have spurred gies, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Armoured Fighting Vehicles ers through open hatches. Moreover AFVs and
the military leadership all over the world to Reconnaissance (ISR); stealth technologies; The US and coalition troops have engaged mechanised infantry units also face dangers in
review their military doctrines, organisations, communication technologies; lighter, more in counter-insurgency operations in Iraq, confined urban areas due to limited all-round
force structures and equipment in light of the mobile strike vehicles with greater firepower and the Israelis in their low intensity observation and restricted manoeuvre capa-
changes observed in the method of waging for out of area contingencies and power pro- conflict with the Palestinians. They have bility. This places the armour as well as the
conflicts by employing new technologies. jection, and for urban combat. This article acquired ample experience in the employ- mechanised infantry at a severe disadvantage
Types of violence/conflicts likely to affect deals with Armoured and Infantry Fighting ment of AFVs in urban combat. Both advo- when operating alone. The tactics employed by
security and stability in and around India, Vehicles (AFVs and IFVs) technologies for low cate the employment of fully integrated the insurgents included simultaneous attacks
due to external and internal security prob- intensity and urban combat. combat teams in any urban warfighting on both flanks from alleys, allowing the insur-
lems are: terrorism emanating from the
neighbourhood in the west and in the east;
ethnic and sectarian violence, insurgencies, MODERN IFVs & APCs
narcotics/drug wars, illegal immigration,
Fahd Fuchs VAB USMC LAV-25 Stryker ICV BTR-90
religious fundamentalism, territorial dis-
putes over unsettled boundaries, conflicts in Weight 10.9 t (12.0 18.3 t (20.2 13.8 t (15.2 12.8 t (14.1 short 16.47 t (18.16 20.9 t (23.0
the neighbourhood, proliferation of nuclear short tonnes) short tonnes) short tonnes) tonnes) short tonnes) short tonnes)
weapons, WMD falling in the hands of ter- Primary 30 mm (1.2 in) Up to three 7.62 7.62 mm (0.300 25 mm (0.98 in) 0.50 in (13 mm) 30 mm (1.2 in)
rorists, wars to secure resource areas, and armament 2A42 automatic mm (0.300 in) in) AA-52 M242 chain gun M2 Browning 2A42 automatic
piracy and terrorism at sea, land and in the cannon Rheinmetall MG3 machine gun machine gun cannon
air. The above challenges cover the entire machine guns
spectrum of warfare and will place heavy
Secondary 7.62 mm (0.300 - - 7.62 mm - 7.62 mm
demands on the military as well as the police
armament in) FN MAG (0.300 in) M240 (0.300 in) PKT
forces doctrinally, and organisationally.
machine gun machine gun machine gun
WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET

Terrorism and insurgencies are the more

serious challenges facing the country today Missile AT-5 Spandrel MILAN (400-2000 - - - AT-5 Spandrel
and will have to be fought in all types of ter- armament (700-4000 meters) (700-4000
rain, including urban areas of India’s densely (Range) meters) meters)
populated towns and cities which have a Road range 700 km 800 km 1,000 km 660 km 500 km 800 km
large number of vulnerable installations and (430 mi) (500 mi) (620 mi) (410 mi) (310 mi) (500 mi)
landmarks, all of which cannot possibly be
Maximum 100 km/h 96 km/h 110 km/h 100 km/h 100 km/h 100 km/h
well guarded. Overcoming this challenge will
velocity (62 mph) (60 mph) (68 mph) (62 mph) (62 mph) (62 mph)
demand extensive use of new and emerg-
(On road)
ing technologies among other doctrinal and
organisational reform, in order to remain Capacity 3 crew + 10 2 crew + 10 2 crew + 10 3 crew + 6 2 crew + 9 3 crew + 9
ahead of the adversary at all times. (Maximum) passengers passengers passengers passengers passengers passengers

10 SP’S LAND FORCE S 1/ 2 0 09

 gents to fire RPGs from close range at the rela-
tively weak areas of the tank’s armour. Since
the urban scenario has no “frontline”, attacks
can come not only from the front, where the
tanks are heavily protected, but also from
above, and from the flanks or the rear, aiming
at the vehicle’s weak spots. Attacks by IEDs
and mines can also come from below the sur-
face. Thus, innovative methods of improving
the armour protection on top and in the belly
of the tank will help.
Although urban warfare is not exactly
the tanker’s dream, a significant number of
future battles will inevitably take place in
www.armyrecognition.com
this environment. The value of tank support
cannot be underestimated in this high-risk
environment, in which a commander wishes
to use all available combat elements in order
to reduce casualties. Modifications to tanks
for use in urban combat conditions will con-
tinue to make them indispensable partners
in the future warfighting team.
Israeli experience
Israeli Defence Force (IDF) have already mod-
ified the Merkava main battle tanks so they
can be employed in lieu of M113s armoured
personnel carriers (APC), even though the
tanks are much heavier and more difficult to
manoeuvre in urban terrain. The Merkava is
being increasingly deployed in low-intensity
conflict. The IDF have adapted the tank to
operate as an infantry carrier thus protect-
ing the infantry throughout the approach
to the objective area. Removing the ammu-
nition from the back of the tank opens up
enough space to fit five soldiers. The tank
operators can scan and observe from inside
the vehicle, with the hatch closed. Patrolling
hostile urban areas in a tank can be danger-
ous, because the AFVs cannot manoeuvre as
easily as light armoured personnel carriers,
and can be threatened by a range of weap-
ons—from rocket-propelled grenades fired
from tall buildings to trip wires and Molotov
Cocktails. According to Israeli soldiers, the
Muslim “casbah” is the most challenging
environment for tanks.
Merkava has now been equipped with an
underbelly charge plate, lightweight plows
and mine rollers. A mine roller or mine
trawl is a demining device mounted on a
tank or APC, designed to detonate anti-tank
mines. It allows engineers to clear a lane
through a minefield which is protected by
enemy fire. The IDF, additionally, is consider-
ing equipping the tank with so-called “non-
lethal weapons” for crowd control anti law
enforcement type of operations.
For low-intensity missions, the Merkava
is being upgraded with polycarbonate. A
category of plastic materials used to make
a myriad of products, including CDs and
www.forte.jor.br
The French Army has selected the VBCI 8x8 infantry fighting vehicle as a successor to the AMX10P
The Merkava Mk4
CD-ROMs, sight shields, a rear-door firing
peephole, and intake and exhaust shields to
defend from Molotov Cocktails. The IDF has
also fitted tanks with marking poles, which
assist the commander and driver manoeu-
vring in narrow streets. To protect against
individuals planting explosive charge, wire
meshes were added to close the openings
and to shield the optic sights. A redesigned
commander’s cupola was installed to
improve the commander’s visibility at high-
er elevation. A firing hatch and observa-
tion window was opened in the rear access
The eight-wheeled
Stryker is the first new
military vehicle to enter
service into the US Army
since the Abrams tank in
the 1980s
door, where a sniper can operate from a
sheltered position. The newest version of
the Merkava eventually could get active
protection systems, which defeat incoming
rocket-propelled grenades or missiles by
shooting them down with another rocket.
That technology also is being considered for
US armoured vehicles, but it poses a danger
to friendly troops in the vicinity of the tank,
who may be accidentally killed by their
own vehicle’s defensive weapons. The IDF,
meanwhile, has built a prototype Merkava
that, is at least 15 tonnes lighter than the
main battle tank, and would be employed
exclusively as a personnel carrier for urban
counter-insurgency operations.
The new BTR-90 builds on the success of the BTR-80
Infantry Fighting Vehicles
IFVs have gained prominence in asymmetric
warfare and in urban combat zones where
their importance is being once again highlight-
ed. The IFV offers a viable compromise between
mobility, protection, and firepower. They can
be used in high and low intensity conflicts as
well as peacekeeping operations. The latest
vehicles have been designed with an emphasis
on modularity that improves their ability to be
repaired in the field. Some IFVs are amphibious
and nearly all are air transportable.
Wheeled IFVs can travel great distances
on their own without needing to be trans-
ported by tank transporters and railway
which is mandated by the tracked versions.
The tracks themselves and the weight of the
IFVs tend to ruin road surfaces, especially
in large scale movements while the wheeled
IFVs have the same impact as other wheeled
vehicles. Consequently, wheeled IFVs have
greater mobility.
Moreover, many wheeled IFVs can
extract themselves from a battlefield even
on flat tires, while an IFV with damaged
tracks would require an armoured recov-
ery vehicle to tow it out. However, tracks
do offer greater cross country mobility
and greater manoeuvrability than wheels.
Stryker Mobile Gun System of US Army
and Vehicule Blinde de Combat d’lnfanterie
(VBCI) of the French Army are described
briefly in the succeeding paragraphs.
Stryker Mobile Gun System
The Stryker Mobile Gun System is an eight-
wheeled armoured fighting vehicle mounting
a 105 mm tank gun, based on the Canadian
LAV III light-armoured vehicle, which in
turn is based on the Mowag Piranha. It is
in service with the United States and is also
being considered for adoption by several
www.news.xinhuanet.com
other countries, including Canada. Stryker is
a family of eight-wheel-drive combat vehicles,
transportable in a C-130 aircraft, being
built for the US Army by General Dynamics
Land Systems, Canada (formerly General
Motors Defense) and General Dynamics Land
Systems Division of the US. Fabrication and
final assembly of the vehicles is being shared
among plants at Anniston, Alabama; Lima,
Ohio; and London, Ontario.
The Stryker brigade combat team com-
bines the capacity for rapid deployment
with survivability and tactical mobility. The
Stryker vehicle enables the team to manoeu-
vre in close and urban terrain, provide pro-
tection in open terrain and transport infantry
quickly to critical battlefield positions. The
eight-wheeled Stryker is the first new military
vehicle to enter service into the US Army
since the Abrams tank in the 1980s.
Stryker variants
Stryker variants include the M1126 infantry
carrier vehicle (ICV) and the M1128 mobile
gun system. There are eight configurations
of the ICV include M1135 nuclear, bio-
logical, chemical reconnaissance vehicle;
M1134 anti-tank guided missile; M1133
medical evacuation vehicle; M1129 mortar
carrier; M1132 engineer squad vehicle;
M1130 command vehicle; M1131 fire sup-
port vehicle; and the M1127 reconnaissance
vehicle. These have parts commonality and
self-recovery abilities, and are equipped with
a central tire-inflation system.
Vehicule Blinde de Combat
d’lnfanterie
In the early 1990s, the French government
started the Véhicule Blindé Modulaire, or
Modular Armoured Vehicle, as a replacement
for its older Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Soon,
Germany and UK joined the project. However,
in 1999, the programme was discontinued
but France decided to follow on its own. On
November 6, 2000, the French government
ordered 700 vehicles. In 2003-2004, the
programme reached some major milestones:
The mobility/agility tests, the armour tests
and the electronic systems tests were all suc-
cessful. From 2004 to 2005, the first five pro-
totypes—four VCIs and one VPC—were tested
in real conditions. These tests proved some
crucial design mistakes on the DRAGAR tur-
ret, which had to be redesigned. The two-year
delay in the programme is the consequence
of this design flaw.
As the programme reaches completion,
other versions are being studied. A mortar
version and a vehicle using the MILAN
Missile have been considered by the develop-
er. In June 2007, VBCI was being considered
for the British FRES programme.
On October 2007, the DGA ordered 117
VBCIs, bringing the total ordered so far to
182 out of a total requirement for 700;
the first vehicle for the French Army was
assembled two months later. The first unit to
be equipped with the new infantry fighting
vehicle was the 35th Infantry Regiment in
Belfort. The DGA ordered an additional 117
vehicles on December 2008, bringing the
total ordered to 298. SP
1/2009 SP’S LAND FORCES 11

News i n B r i e f
US considers arms sales to Libya
The US is ready to consider arms deals with
Libya, a former foe, that could include trans-
port aircraft and systems for coastal and border
security. “We will consider Libyan requests for
defence equipment that enables them to build
capabilities in areas that serve our mutual
interest,” said Lt Col. Elizabeth Hibner of the
army, a spokeswoman for the US Defense
Department. As examples, she referred to sys-
tems used for border and coastal security as
well as ‘theatre airlift’, by implication aircraft
such as Lockheed Martin’s C-130 Hercules that
can ferry forces and equipment.
Libya entered a new era with the US mili-
tary in January with the signing of what the
Pentagon calls a ‘non-binding statement of
intent’ aimed at developing bilateral military
ties. Relations had warmed after Libya gave up
banned weapons programmes in 2003, and
again after settlement of compensation claims
for attacks including the 1988 bombing of Pan
Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, for
which Libya has accepted responsibility. Charles
Taylor, a spokesman for the Pentagon’s Defense
Security Cooperation Agency, said Libya already
had requested approval to buy Humvees, the
rugged light trucks that are the vehicular
backbone of US forces worldwide. As a prelude
to any such sale, US and Libyan officials were
working to mesh certain aspects of their acquisi-
tion systems, he said, without providing details.
■ in a race for military build-up, or increasing
Composite armour solution
against EFP roadside bombs
TenCate Advanced Armour has developed an
armour protection solution against improvised
explosive devices (IED)
with explosives formed
projectiles (EFP), often
used by insurgents. The
product, made with
TenCate Armourtex BM,
is lightweight composite
vehicle armour, minimis-
ing the added weight
to the vehicle. In recent
years military peace-
keeping operations have
become increasingly haz-
ardous for soldiers due
to a shift in the methods of military engagement
and the use of roadside bombs. The company
claims that the roadside bomb armour will be
ideal for the protection of armoured personnel
carriers for the latest threat requirements giving
protection against armour piercing projectiles as
well as the more complex threats of EFP and IED.
■ Defence System as it successfully carried out
France orders 800 SIT V1
BMS for the army
The French Defence Procurement Agency
has placed an order on Nexter for 800 SIT V1
Battle Management Systems (BMS) in order
Mahindra Defence Systems opens manufacturing hub in Faridabad
WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET
Anand Mahindra and Brigadier Khutub Hai
flank the marksman at the inauguration
manufacture of world class products. With its technologically advanced manufacturing capability, MSMV
will help Mahindra Defence Systems harness the potential in this space,” said Anand Mahindra, Vice
Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group.
The MSMV facility will manufacture specialised vehicles for the armed forces, paramilitary forces and
police, and is also designed to undertake vehicle development, armouring and conversions. Different lines
have been established for different products, ensuring the highest level of quality control and processes.
“Aside from manufacturing, the plant also has an advanced facility for R&D, product development,
design and prototyping of special vehicles to meet specific customer requirements, which is another first
in the private sector,” said Brigadier Khutub Hai, Chief Executive, Mahindra Defence Systems. SP
12 SP’ S L AN D FO RC E S 1/ 2 0 09
to equip 400 Infantry Combat Vehicles. This
contract includes a new version of the software
which increases the interoperability of the SIT
V1 with the other information systems in use
by forces through the “SIC TERRE” joint opera-
tions. This contract also includes technical con-
trol and maintaining in operational condition
of the SIT V1 systems for 10 years.
■ and procedures developed by the US Army
China arms spend prompts
South Korea to issue a warning
South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak has
warned of the danger of a North Asia arms race
after China announced another double-digit rise
in annual military spending. Lee, speaking dur-
ing a visit to Australia, said a near 15 per cent
hike in China’s military spending this year could
influence the defensive strategies of other coun-
tries, like Japan and South Korea. “In Northeast
Asia, it is not desirable to have countries engaged
their military spending,” Lee said. China has
announced the official military budget for 2009
would rise from last year’s 62.5 billion yuan
($9.13 billion; Rs 46,015 crore) to 480.7 bil-
lion yuan ($70.24 billion; Rs 3,54,010 crore).
■ and Development Organization (DRDO) have
Boost to India’s Ballistic Missile
Defence programme
India inched forward in its endeavour to put
in place its own home-grown Ballistic Missile
the third Interceptor test on March 6 at 1624
hours from Integrated Test Range (ITR) on
Wheeler Island in Orissa. The mission control
room burst into raptures as the radar display
indicated the interception and destruction of
the decoy enemy missile by the interceptor. The
Mahindra Defence Systems, one of India’s lead-
ing providers of special light military vehicles,
on March 17 inaugurated the Mahindra Special
Military Vehicles (MSMV) facility at Prithla in
Faridabad, NCR. Spread across six acres, this mod-
ern plant has facilities for specific military manu-
facturing applications.
“I am delighted to inaugurate this state-of-
the-art facility, the first of its kind in the private
sector. Today, the defence space is growing at
an exponential rate, creating opportunities for
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Jayant Baranwal
Editor
Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor
THAAD missile defence Assistant Editor
successfully tested in the US Arundhati Das
The Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Senior Technical Group Editor
Agency and US Army soldiers from the 6th Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand
Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bliss, Texas,
Contributing Editor
completed a successful intercept of a ballistic
Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia
missile target during a test of the Terminal
High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) mis- Sub-Editor
Bipasha Roy
sile defence element of the nation’s Ballistic
Missile Defense System.
Contributors
Conducted on March 17, at approximately
India
2.30 pm Hawaii time (8.30 pm EDT), at the
General (Retd) V.P. Malik
Pacific Missile Range Facility off the island Lt General (Retd) Vijay Oberoi
of Kauai in Hawaii, preliminary indications Lt General (Retd) R.S. Nagra
are that planned flight test objectives were Lt General (Retd) S.R.R. Aiyengar
achieved. THAAD is a mobile system now in Air Marshal (Retd) Vinod Patney
development designed to intercept short to Major General (Retd) Ashok Mehta
medium range ballistic missiles. Major General (Retd) G.K. Nischol
Soldiers of the 6th Air Defense Artillery Brigadier (Retd) Gurmeet Kanwal
Brigade conducted launcher, fire control and Brigadier (Retd) S. Mishra
radar operations, using tactics, techniques Rohit Sharma
Europe
Air Defense School. The THAAD programme
Andrew Brookes (UK)
is managed by the Missile Defense Agency
in Washington, D.C., and executed by the USA & Canada
THAAD Project Office in Huntsville, Ala. SP Lon Nordeen (USA)
Anil R. Pustam (West Indies)
South Africa
test achieved all the mission objectives. The two- Helmoed R. Heitman
stage Interceptor Missile, fitted with advanced Chairman & Managing Director
systems, hit the target enemy missile at 75 km Jayant Baranwal
altitude. To mimic the incoming enemy’s bal-
Admin & Coordination
listic missile trajectory, Dhanush missile went to Bharti Sharma
an altitude of 120 km and was launched from a
ship about 100 km away from the Orissa coast. Design
Associate Art Director: Ratan Sonal
The Interceptor missile was launched from a Graphic Designer: Rajkumar Sharma,
mobile launcher located on Wheeler Island Vimlesh Kumar Yadav
Launch Complex. The third consecutive inter-
Published bimonthly by Jayant Baranwal on
ception of ballistic missiles once again demon- behalf of SP Guide Publications Pvt Ltd. All
strated the robustness of the Indian Ballistic rights reserved. No part of this publication
Missile Defence system. The Defence Research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any
already conducted two interception trials, first means, photocopying, recording, electronic,
in exo-atmospheric region at 48 km altitude or otherwise without the prior written
permission of the publishers.
on November 27, 2006 and second in endo-
atmospheric region at 15 km using Advanced Printed in India
Air Defence missile on December 6, 2007. by Rave India (www.raveindiapress.com)
The missile interception trial was witnessed © SP Guide Publications, 2009
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Elbit Systems Introduces Post Box No 2525, New Delhi 110 005,
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(ORCWS-M) as an additional family member Bangalore 560043, India.
Tel: +91 (80) 23682534
of Elbit Systems’ ORCWS product line, includ-
ing the 7.62 mm, 40 mm AGL and both the MOSCOW, RUSSIA
unmanned turrets, UT-25 mm and the UT-30 LAGUK Co., Ltd
mm. The common denominator in all of Elbit’s Yuri Laskin
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remote weapon systems is the ability to fully 11/15, app. 132,
function the weapon while under cover and Moscow 115172, Russia.
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laser detection systems and other sensors. RNI Number: DELENG/2008/25818
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Appointment
Lt General Vinay Sharma has taken over as
the Master General of Ordnance (NGO) of
the Indian Army.