France pitches for India to join military ops overseas

NEW DELHI, Oct 17: Ahead of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to India in December, France has made a pitch for the two nations to cooperate in operations where their armed forces are deployed, including in the anti-piracy efforts in Gulf of Aden.

French Defence Minister Herve Morin also wants to enhance consultations between the two counties on regional issues such as terrorism and situation in Afghanistan.

"As I had the opportunity to convey to Defence Minister A K Antony during my visit in December 2009, we can go even further in enhancing our consultations on the regional situation -- I am specifically referring to Afghanistan, where France is engaged -- but also on major international issues," he said.

"We could also intensify our cooperation at the theatres of operation where both our armed forces are deployed, piracy in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden being such a case."

"Lastly, we could develop more armament programmes that are efficient and adapted to the needs of both armed forces," Morin said to a question on how Indo-French strategic partnership could be improved in the defence sector.

His remarks in an interview to defence journal 'Indian Defence Review' coincides with the four-day visit of French Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Edouard Guillaud to New Delhi.

Referring to Sarkozy's emphasis on several occasions that Indo-French partnership contributed to stability and peace not only in the region but globally, Morin said the French President's December visit would enable progress in bilateral relations in all its facets, "be it facing common threats, or intensifying operational cooperation, or bringing the projects for equipping the Indian armed forces, launched together, to their fruition."

He said the cooperation between the two nations "concerns the very heart of our security: counter-terrorism."

"This is even more indispensable as we often face similar kinds of threats in Afghanistan, in Europe and in India, as borne out by the attacks in Mumbai in November 2008. Further, we have a very promising operational cooperation, be it regarding anti-piracy, joint exercises or officer exchanges," the French Defence Minister added.

He also pitched for France's 'Rafale' fighter jet that was a competitor in the USD 11 billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) 'mother of all deals' tenders, saying it was "an exceptional aircraft" which met the needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

With regard to defence equipment cooperation, Morin said France's own history had made it "extremely sensitive" to India's desire to favour local production and development of its defence industries.

"This relation has always been characterised by mutual trust and technological cooperation. As always, we are following the true course of partnership," he said, listing the supply of Mirage-2000 fighter jets since the late 80s and construction of Scorpene submarine by Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks in collaboration with French companies, as examples.

"Scorpene is a project to which we feel totally committed, in support of our Indian partners," he added.

On the modernisation of the IAF's Mirage-2000 fleet, Morin said he hoped that the upgrade programme for the fighter jets will be executed by French companies D'Assault, Thales and MBDA.

"I am confident that the negotiation of this contract will reach speedy conclusion," he added.

Regarding the Maitri missiles project, the French Defence Minister said the MBDA-DRDO joint effort was "unprecedented" involving extremely ambitious transfers of technology.

"The anti-aircraft defence system (is being) developed in India, which will use this missile to meet the requirements of the IAF and the Navy, as well as the Army, should the latter wish to join the programme. I am confident of the completion of this project, which perfectly illustrates the spirit of our strategic partnership as it implies the joint development of a new weapon system," he said.

He was also hopeful that French industries will supply the reconnaissance and observation helicopters to India, apart from participating in the second phase of six conventional submarines for which Navy has already issued a Request for Information.

"We must together explore other possible areas of applying the renewed cooperation, accompanied by real transfer of technology," he said.

Pointing out to the bilateral naval exercise 'Varuna' and air force exercise 'Garuda' between India and France, Morin said the two were "major manoeuvres that enable us to develop and implement new tactics, which can be directly used, for instance, to fight piracy."

"These joint manoeuvres are also internationally recognised for their high standards and stir much interest, as reflected in the participation of the Singaporean Air Force in the 'Garuda' exercise held in France in June 2010," he noted.

India, Vietnam to extend defence ties

HANOI, Oct 13: India and Vietnam on Wednesday decided to extend the frontiers of their defence-related cooperation. As the centrepiece, New Delhi agreed to expand assistance to Hanoi in its ongoing military modernisation, according to sources.

The modalities of toning up cooperation were discussed, from a broad political perspective, by Defence Minister A. K. Antony and his Vietnamese counterpart Phung Quang Thanh in Hanoi. Their talks followed India's participation in the first-ever Asia-Pacific Defence Ministers' meeting, which ended in the Vietnamese capital on Tuesday.

Mr. Antony later called on Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. They discussed regional and international issues of common interest in the context of India's ongoing participation in the East Asia Summit process and New Delhi's growing links with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations .

Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar and India's Ambassador Ranjit Rae assisted Mr. Antony in these talks. Both countries expressed satisfaction at the progress made so far under their defence cooperation memorandum of November 2009.

Specifically, India now agreed to share its expertise in defence-related information technology and the usage of English for military purposes. Such cooperation was seen as a promising possibility, sources said.

However, it was not immediately clear whether the model of India's assistance to Indonesia, specifically an army-oriented IT lab, would apply to Vietnam as well.

There was no authoritative word on whether Vietnam would, like Malaysia, seek to capitalise on India's expertise in the training of pilots for Russian-made combat aircraft.

However, sources said the two sides discussed military training, as different from joint exercises, as a key aspect of cooperation.

In a press release, the Defence Ministry later announced that India “will provide support to Vietnam to enhance and upgrade the capabilities of [its] services in general and navy in particular. New Delhi would also help Hanoi in its programme of capacity-building for repair and maintenance.

New Delhi agreed to host the Vietnamese Army for joint training in mountain and jungle warfare at a suitable Indian location next year. India offered to help Vietnam in mastering the art of United Nations peace-keeping operations.

Cooperation between the defence institutes of the two countries was also agreed upon.

Vietnam, for its part, wanted more port-calls by the Indian warships and offered maintenance-and-repair facilities at its ports.

Successful maiden flight of Indian Super Hercules

By Deepak Arora

MARIETTA (Georgia), Oct 4: The first Super Hercules that donned Indian Air Force (IAF) colours in June took to the skies for its maiden flight Monday, its manufacturer Lockheed Martin said, releasing images of the plane in flight at its Marietta plant in Georgia.

The aircraft will now complete a series of company and customer flight tests prior to delivery in December. The second and third aircraft are due to fly within the next few weeks, according to the release.

Purchased from the US in a $1 billion deal, India’s six stretched-fuselage C-130J-30s would provide the Indian Army and Indian Air Force “new special operations capabilities using the world’s most advanced airlifter”, according to Lockheed.

Equipped with India-unique operational equipment, including an infrared detection set (IDS), the aircraft for the first time will provide the IAF an ability to conduct precision low-level flying operations, airdrops and landings in blackout conditions.

To ensure 80 percent availability of the aircraft at any given time, Lockheed Martin has offered a long-term maintenance contract to the IAF on the lines of the ones it has with the US Air Force and the air forces of Australia, Britain and Canada.

The C-130J primarily performs the tactical portion of an airlift mission. The aircraft is capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for air dropping troops and equipment into hostile areas.

The flexible design of the Super Hercules enables it to be configured for many different missions, allowing for one aircraft to perform the role of many. Much of the special mission equipment added to the Super Hercules is removable, allowing the aircraft to quickly switch between roles.

The C-130J Super Hercules, a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft, is a comprehensive update of the venerable Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems.

The aircraft can also be configured with the “enhanced cargo handling system”. The system consists of a computerised loadmaster’s station from where the user can remotely control the under floor winch.

The cargo compartment is approximately 41 feet long, 9 feet high, and 10 feet wide, and loading is from the rear of the fuselage. Initially developed for the USAF, this system enables rapid role changes to be carried out and so extends the C-130J’s time available to complete tasks.

These combined changes have improved performance over its C-130E/H siblings, such as 40 percent greater range, 21 percent higher maximum speed, and 41 percent shorter take-off distance.

Engine run begins on first C-130J-30s for India

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Sept 23: Lockheed Martin inched closure towards delivering the first of the C-130J Super Hercules to the Indian Air Force when the first aircraft for India ran engines for the first time on Tuesday.

The aircraft is being prepared for its maiden flight early next month. The aircraft’s distinctive air-to-air refueling probe can be seen in the photograph over the left side of the cockpit.

In 2008 the Indian Air Force ordered six C-130J’s for Special Services, with an option for six more.

The order includes six aircraft, three years of initial support, training of aircrew and maintenance technicians, spares, ground support and test equipment, servicing carts, forklifts, loading vehicles, cargo pallets, and a team of technical specialists who will be based in India during the three year initial support period. Also included is India-unique operational equipment designed to increase Special Operations capabilities.

The C-130J Super Hercules will provide the Indian Air Force with modern and effective airlift to support a wide range of national requirements. Due to the aircraft’s mission flexibility, several other departments in India have shown interest in the C-130J. These include the Border Security Force, Coast Guard and Weather Department, hence increasing the potential for additional sales to India.

In keeping with IAF requirements, the US Government offered a unique C-130J configuration modified for special mission roles. Equipped with an Infrared Detection Set (IDS), the aircraft will be able to perform precision low-level flying, airdrops and landing in blackout conditions. Self-protection systems and other features are included to ensure aircraft survivability in hostile air defense environments. In addition, the aircraft is equipped with air-to-air receiver refueling capability for extended range operations. Lockheed Martin will integrate this equipment and other capabilities into the Indian configuration as agreed between the governments.

The Indian Air Force’s new Super Hercules will be the longer fuselage or "stretched" variant of the C-130J, similar to those being delivered to the U.S. Air Force. India joins the growing number of nations with C-130J fleets including Australia, Canada, Demark, Iraq, Italy, Norway, Oman, Qatar, United Kingdom and the United States. The C-130J carries eight 463L pallets, 97 medical litters, 24 CDS bundles, 128 combat troops and 92 paratroops.

Lockheed Martin will work with a large number of partners in the private and public sector, including HAL, to meet its offset requirement from this program, which approximately $300 million. Lockheed Martin successfully achieved more than $37B in offset program credits in 40 countries.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.

Sachin becomes Group Captain in IAF

NEW DELHI, Sept 3: Sachin Tendulkar was on Friday conferred with the Indian Air Force’s honorary rank of Group Captain to honour his cricketing achievements and contribution to the nation.

Tendulkar is the first sportsperson to be conferred a rank by IAF and the first personality with no aviation background to receive the honour.

In 2008, Kapil Dev had received the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Territorial Army.

Tendulkar was inducted into the Air Force as its brand ambassador with IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik doing the honours in a glittering ceremony at the Air Force auditorium here.

“It’s a great pleasure and honour to be honoured by IAF. It was a wishful thinking and it has come true today. I’m extremely proud to be a part of IAF. I want to urge the youth to join Air Force and serve the nation. So dream, because dreams do come true,” Tendulkar said after receiving the honour.

Earlier, President Pratibha Patil had conferred the honorary rank of the IAF on the iconic batsman on June 23 this year.

The rank was conferred on Tendulkar under the provision of granting honorary rank by Armed Forces to eminent personalities acknowledging their contribution towards the nation.

The IAF had, in January this year, mooted a proposal to confer the honorary rank of Group Captain on Tendulkar.

IAF feels that besides the recognition, his association with it would motivate the younger generation to join the Air Force to serve the country.

Air Chief Marshal Naik said the batting legend’s association with IAF will help in making the youth aware about the Air Force.

“Youth admires him (Tendulkar). I think the youth will get inclined towards the Air Force. What youth will do in future we can’t say but the indications that we are getting from school students ... we are hopeful.

“To take corrective measures in reforming the IAF is my duty and Sachin’s association will help in spreading awareness (about the Air Force),” he said.

Before being felicitated with the honorary rank, Sachin had gone through a process of familiarisation with the IAF and training in basic military practices and drills.