In our part of the sworld China has been very aggressive in developing its defence industrial base and what it has been doing in the South China Sea makes it quite clear that its long-term designs and machinations converge on its intentions to control the areas which are rich in oil resources.

DSA April 2013 issue is focused on, “Strategic Partnership: India-Japan-Vietnam”, a topic of immediate geostrategic and geopolitical significance, their triangular framework and constructive roadmap for the future. This special issue debates and analyses the developing scenario in the Asia pacific region and the games the key powers are playing to safeguard their national interests.

Another important feature of this issue is an exclusive and candid interview with Dr VK Saraswat, Director General, DRDO and Chief Scientific Advisor to the Minister of Defence, India, sharing the high points of his long and eventful journey in the service of the nation.

Web of Maritime Security Coalition: Bilateral, Trilateral and Multilateral
Vice Adm Hideaki Kaneda JMSDF (retd)

A senior Japanese Admiral takes an incisive look at the concept and need for a Trilateral and later a Multilateral Security Coalition to safeguard the SLOCs and global commons around Asia. “Trilateral Maritime Partnership” of Japan-US-India should take responsibilities as the core responsible parties of a voluntary “Maritime Security Coalition …”

Political Dynamics in the Asia Pacific Region: India-Vietnam-Japan Triangle
Prof Chintamani Mahapatra

“In the current dynamics of Asia politics, there is a need for a new triangular construct consisting of India, Japan and Vietnam. India-Japan-Vietnam cooperative triangle can contribute to peace and stability and can in no conceivable way contribute to conflict …”

To read and enjoy more on the current global defence and security affairs, thought-provoking articles and exclusive interviews, you may subscribe to the issue by following the web link:  http://www.dsalert.org/dsa-subscription/print-edition or e-mail to our subscription department on:  subscription@dsalert.org

Enjoy DSA April 2013 Issue.

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“It is a wonderful Achievement & Proud moment for India“
- A. K. Antony, Defence Minister, India

VISAKHAPATNAM: The submarine-launched version of BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired at 1410 hrs on Wednesday (20th March 2013)  from a submerged platform in Bay of Bengal off the coast of Visakhapatnam.

Creating history, the missile took off vertically from the submerged platform for its full range of 290 kms. Following a   pre-defined trajectory, the missile emerged from underwater, took a turn towards the designated target meeting all mission objectives. All the telemetry and tracking stations, including Indian naval ships positioned throughout the flight path, confirmed the pin-point accuracy of the mission.

This is the first time that any supersonic cruise missile is launched vertically from a submerged platform. BRAHMOS vertically installed in a modular launcher in the pressure hull of the submarine will increase the ‘offensive power’ of the vessel without compromising on its ‘defensive power’ as the torpedo tubes can be fully utilised for defence. This new variant of the supersonic cruise missile will add more fire power to the Navy’s underwater weapon delivery capabilities.

When contacted by Journalists, Dr. Pillai, CEO & MD BrahMos said that “BRAHMOS missile is fully ready for fitment in P75 (I) of Indian Navy in vertical launch configuration which will make the platform one of the most powerful weapon platform in the World.”

Congratulating the team, Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and DG DRDO termed it as yet another landmark technological breakthrough and a significant step towards boosting India’s military strength.

Defence Minister Shri AK Antony congratulated the scientists of DRDO and Russian specialists along with members from Indian Navy associated with the project for successful test launch of BRAHMOS missile from underwater platform and said “It is a wonderful achievement & proud moment for India.”

The naval variant of BRAHMOS missile has already proved its mettle in both vertical and inclined launch configurations from moving warships. The missile has been successfully inducted in number of frontline Indian Navy warships and will be deployed in other future surface ships. They are capable of both maritime strike and land attack.

A National Security Strategy generally outlines a normative future towards which we wish to progress. It defines the end states we wish to achieve and the road map to actualise that normative future. That is the primary problem with this strategy paper. It’s flawed baseline assumptions seem to be as under: We are heading not for a multipolar world order but a new phase of bipolarity with the USA and China as the two new super powers. India, in this bipolar world order, appears to be a peripheral player that must safeguard itself by being neutral or non-aligned between China and USA. How can India be non-aligned against it’s principal security threat? Non Alignment 2.0 claims to maximise India’s autarky but ends up as a capitulationist exercise designed to kowtow to and appease a rising and truculent China with avowals of neutrality in it’s clash with the USA. A National Strategy Paper must define Alternative end states and the desired end state from which, will emerge the ”ends, ways, means” equations. A multipolar world order in which India emerges as one of the major poles of power, will maximise our autonomy and serve our interests far better than a new Bipolar World Order, where India is forced to remain neutral for the fear of offending any super power. Towards this end – India must establish strong and supportive relationships with mid-tier powers like France, Russia and Japan, to maximise its autonomy and Comprehensive National Power (CNP). The problem today is the attempt of the Non Alignment 2.0 thesis to reimpose a new form of pacifism that rules out the use of force altogether.

The great Indian tragedy is the return of pacifism via the Non Alignment 2.0 mindset. Some three decades of the practice of realism by the Indian state, stands virtually overturned today. The nuclearisation of South Asia has led to the revival of the pacifist chorus of the 1962 era – war is just not possible anymore. Once again the military member of this study has categorically ruled out the use of force altogether. All wars will be reduced to nibbles or shallow bites. Even if China or Pakistan attacks us in force, India should not use proportional force in retaliations. It runs the risk of being nuked and hence Indian policies must seek to appease the aggressors. Non Alignment 2.0 translates into a policy prescription for surrender

Read few experts view here >

The AgustaWestland scam could not have therefore come at a worse time. It is amazing that despite the Defence Minister’s strongly articulated antipathy to corruption in defence deals, these scams continue to surface after virtually every defence purchase. The resultant media outcry usually leads to the deal cancellations and blacklisting of the firms concerned. In the process the only ones to really suffer are the Armed Forces. The acquisition of badly needed weapon systems gets delayed by decades with huge attendant cost overruns to the national exchequer. The pity is, for all these setbacks to the defence of the country, no culprits have ever been caught so far and given exemplary punishment.

The ministry bureaucrats who negotiate the actual deal seem teflon coated, take no responsibility and go scot free. The Bofors was an excellent gun. 450 were purchased outright and a 1,000 were to be manufactured in the country before the scam surfaced. The real losers were the Indian Army. The AgustaWestland deal was worth € 560 million. Of this, € 51 million was paid as kickbacks. Of this some € 30 million were disbursed in India and € 10 million given to Italian politicians to secure Giuseppe Orsi’s promotion in Finmeccanica. This amounts to a kickback of virtually 10 per cent of the deal amount, which is huge. Generally international bribes / commissions amount to 2-3 per cent of the overall cost of the deal.

The initial media outcry was focused on the former Air Chief. It was alleged that he had tweaked the helicopters altitude requirements from 18,000 ft to 15,000 ft to accommodate Agusta. It later came to light that this decision had been taken some two years before the commencement of his tenure by the then NSA of the NDA government to rightly avoid a single vendor situation.

The best outcome of the whole sordid deal would be if we were finally pushed into creating a viable Defence Industrial Base in India that involves our vibrant Private sector in a major way. The FDI cap in Defence collaborations should be raised to 49 per cent to start with and India’s major multinationals must be involved in a big way

Deals should not routinely be cancelled. Emphasis should shift to following the money trail and punishing the bribe takers. We cannot afford a piquant situation where we blacklist half the defence firms of the world and needlessly delay the induction of quality and proven equipment

The Bofors was an excellent gun. 450 were purchased outrightand a 1,000 were to be manufactured in the country before the scam surfaced. The real losers were the Indian Army.

The trial evaluations were carried out after the said Air Chief retired and the contract was signed only in 2010. As such, logically it is difficult to establish a quid pro quo with the former Air Chief. The entire spin doctoring exercise in hindsight appeared to be probably aimed at diverting attention from the primary bribe takers amongst the politico-bureaucratic nexus, defaming the Indian Armed Forces and setting up a convenient fall guy. Those who know the mechanics of the Indian arms acquisition process are aware that the Service Chiefs and Headquarters play at best a limited role. They cannot by themselves change any GSQRs, once the RFP is issued. Subsequent media reports have mentioned the role of Abhishek Verma – who reportedly has close links with the ruling establishment and is one of the main commission agents for most arms deals in the capital.

However, the AgustaWestland deal, in particular, merits cancellation. The Finance Ministry has imposed a cut in the Defence Capital Acquisition process of Rs 10,000 crore. To avoid cutting funds for combat equipment, we could do away preferentially with this luxury copter deal for our VVIPs. Having failed to get the armed forces their basic weapon systems they can afford to fly cattle class for some time!

Generally, it would be a waste of time to look for any infirmities in the process of the deal. Usually there are none. In fact, this acquisition process is deliberately dragged out so that the authorised rent collectors can collect their commissions at each stage – simply for letting the process go through. These rent collectors seem to be very well known to the arms dealers in Delhi, have excellent political links and powerful patrons who save and shield them from all enquiries and harm. In the AgustaWestland case unfortunately, as per the fact sheet put out by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) itself, there are some startling infirmities in the process, namely:

Why were the trials not carried out in India under actual operating conditions? These trials were hurriedly completed in just two months in Italy and the USA, which is somewhat of a record. The normal practice is to get the equipment to India under a no cost-no commitment clause.

Why were additional systems like Traffic Avoidance System, Enhanced Ground Proximity System and Medical Evacuation system added at the Contract Negotiation State? As per the DPP this should have been in the RFP. Inserting them subsequently was illegal and enabled the vendor to make huge profits.

There is something about the speed with which this VVIP deal was concluded that raised suspicion. The involvement of the SPG added its share of ambiguity and the then SPG Chief himself went to Italy.

On the whole this is a disturbing state of affairs. This vitiated arms acquisition process has caused a huge setback to our defence preparedness and further slowed down the arms acquisition process. Huge windows of vulnerability have been created, which could now last beyond 2020. An ill-informed Indian public simply does not comprehend the great dangers that this political rent collection in our arms deals is posing to our National Security.

What then, should we do?

The best outcome of the whole sordid deal would be if we were finally pushed into creating a viable Defence Industrial Base in India that involves our vibrant Private sector in a major way. The FDI cap in Defence collaborations should be raised to 49 per cent to start with and India’s major multinationals must be involved
in a big way.

Deals should not routinely be cancelled. Emphasis should shift to following the money trail and punishing the bribe takers. We cannot afford a piquant situation where we blacklist half the defence firms of the world and needlessly delay the induction of quality and proven equipment.

However, the AgustaWestland deal, in particular, merits cancellation. The Finance Ministry has imposed a cut in the Defence Capital Acquisition process of Rs 10,000 crore. To avoid cutting funds for combat equipment, we could do away preferentially with this luxury copter deal for our VVIPs. Having failed to get the armed forces their basic weapon systems they can afford to fly cattle class for some time!

The Mi-17 fleet has stood us well in the past and could suffice for future VVIP duties. This will at least spare funds for combat equipment and send the right message to all vendors. India has to begin somewhere to cleanse this rotten system and a good place to start would be right here and now.

Celebrating 80th Anniversary of Indian Air Force and 3rd Anniversary of DSA!

“This month, the Indian Air Force celebrates its 80th anniversary of a glorious and eventful existence as a corporate entity. No nation today, can aspire to be a regional or global power unless it acquires the prime instrumentality of aero-space power. That is the critical military essence of national power in the 21st century. Aero-space power today is the key to any aspirations we may have for a global / regional role. This anniversary issue of the Defence and Security Alert (DSA) celebrates Air Power and Air Warriors – greets all our boys in Blue and wishes them the heights of glory on the occasion of the 80th Air Force Day. But our celebrations are tinged with concern at the excruciatingly tardy pace at which our aging fighter fleet is being replaced by our mandarins. The Air Chief in his philosophy has put “People First Mission Always”. This emphasis on people enables him to run a happy and motivated team. An interview with the AOP, Air Marshal Anil Chopra, highlights the many initiatives taken to enhance the skills and service conditions of our boys in Blue. The people centric approach has certainly boosted the élan and efficiency of our air warriors and will go a long way in maximising the potential and dynamism of the organisation. Demographically the youthful Indian civilisation state has tremendous potential. It is sad to see that potential being frittered away in fractious identity politics, ideological polarisation and a rising communism of caste that perpetuates sloth and inefficiency and acts as a drag onto the break out potential of the Indian nation state”.

DSA October 2012 issue, “Aerospace Power in South Asia, The Emerging Balance” is out. To access its Cover Page, Editorial Pages and Content Pages, you may follow the DSA web link: http://www.dsalert.org/

Exclusive Interview – Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC

“IAF will continue to maintain a combat fleet strength of 34 Squadrons right through the 12th Plan. Modernisation and upgradation is an ongoing process to maintain our combat edge at all times and the Jaguar, Mirage-2000 and MiG-29 fleets are presently being upgraded to meet the requirements of the future. While certain inductions do take time as brought out by you, our presently available combat fleets are capable of performing all envisaged roles and providing us the combat capability to tackle all contingencies in an effective manner. Also, as per our Long Term Perspective Plan, we are enhancing our capabilities and eventually seeking to build-up our squadron strength to 42 by the 14th Plan period …”

Exclusive Interview – Chief of the General Staff, Brazilian Army, Gen Joaquim Silva e Luna
“The Army Aviation Instruction Centre provides the necessary equipment, such as training aircraft and simulators, which allow the excellent training and development of the crew. We know the Indian Army Aviation’s excellence and we clearly see possibilities of mutual cooperation …”

Exclusive Interview – Air Marshal Anil Chopra AVSM, VM, VSM Air Officer-in-Charge Personnel
“The IAF vision statement “People First Mission Always” underscores the importance that the IAF places on its Human Resource. We appreciate the fact that the man / woman behind the machine is the “pivot factor” who would eventually decide the outcome of any operational endeavour. Coupled with the technology leap that the IAF is presently undergoing, it is, therefore, essential that we train our air warriors into professionals who can exploit these new systems to achieve the desired operational goals. Hence, there is a gamut of processes spanning the functions of recruitment, training and concept development, to name a few, that are being addressed so as to provide the next generation air warrior with the necessary skill sets to excel in a high technology battlefield …”

Young at 80: transformation of the IAF
Air Commodore Jasjit Singh AVSM, VrC, VM (retd)
“The Russians at the very top were willing to set up joint ventures and 1990-93 was the real period of their need since as a consequence of the economic and social crises they were not even able to pay the best of designers. The choice was obvious: some would go the United States and Israel and they did. But for the majority the choice was to link up with India or China. The Indian political leadership was more than willing in spite of our own balance of payment (and not an economic) crisis. But somehow we did not go the whole mile; and due to sheer economic necessity Russia went to China with the best of military technologies. And now the world is worried about China’s military modernisation so much so that China is already test flying a fifth generation fighter …”

Indian air force – up up and away
Air Marshal Dhiraj Kukreja PVSM, AVSM, VSM (retd)
“In the last ten years or so, while China and Pakistan Air Forces were in the process of strengthening their capabilities, IAF was facing a ‘reverse’ process; numbers in the IAF were reducing due to retirement, at times prematurely, of combat ac and other ac and equipment. The sanctioned strength of 39.5 squadrons was to be seen only in policy documents of the IAF; the actual strength on ground having dropped to even less than 30 squadrons! It was only then that the alarm bells rang in the corridors of power and the acquisition process was initiated – but to be strictly following the procedures specified. The continuously evolving extraordinary geo-political and security scenario actually calls for a strength greater than the sanctioned figure; whether the IAF progression matches the security evolution, however, remains to be seen …”

Indian army aviation corps: today and tomorrow
Lt Gen B S Pawar PVSM, AVSM (retd)
“A former Director General of the Army Aviation Corps takes a hard look at the current and future growth profile of the Army Aviation Corps (AAC). The biggest advantage the AAC has is the indigenous capability of the HAL to meet the bulk of its requirement in terms of helicopters and supporting systems like the ALH, ALH-WSI, LCH etc. For majority of the equipment to be inducted ex import the trials have been completed and decisions awaited. However, if any of these projects get stalled, specially the replacement of vintage Cheetah / Chetak helicopters, the modernisation plans will take a nosedive with disasterous consequences. The biggest challenge before the AAC is to be able to absorb the induction of this modern state-of-the-art equipment in the short period of time available – 2030. The writer makes a strong pitch for all light, medium and heavy lift helicopters and fixed wing assets …”

Aerospace industry: manufacturing challenges
Dr Vivek Lall
“There are a number of aeronautics organisations like HAL, NAL, DRDO laboratories, engineering colleges etc. in the country. Moreover, the sector is divided into defence and non-defence segments. With the entry of private companies, an institutional arrangement becomes necessary which could harness the knowledge residing in these various entities. Such an institution could map indigenous capabilities, identify knowledge gaps, direct resources efficiently to address critical technology gaps. The offset policy can become a significant contributor and catalyst to the development of the Indian aerospace sector. The successful implementation of offset policies of countries like Brazil and South Korea provides some encouragement of a similar success in India …”

To read these and many more thought-provoking articles, you may subscribe to the issue by following the web link: http://www.dsalert.org/dsa-subscription/print-edition or e-mail to our subscription department on: subscription@dsalert.org

Enjoy DSA 3rd anniversary special. We invite you to join the DSA mission and let’s make our country and this beautiful world more safe and secure for all.

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What a pleasant coincidence! As DSA special issue on Police and Security Forces Modernisation was being printed we have the good news that the Union Cabinet has passed a proposal moved by the Home Ministry to declare retired CAPF personnel as “ex-Central Police personnel” and extend to them several benefits as ex-servicemen from the armed forces get. This should be welcomed by all. I congratulate our honourable Home Minister Mr Shinde for this initiative for the welfare of the CAPF personnel”.

DSA November 2012 issue, “Police and Security Forces Modernisation: Threats and Challenges Ahead” is out. To access its Cover Page, Editorial Pages and Content Pages, you may follow the DSA web link:

http://www.dsalert.org

Needed clarity about greatest threat to internal security: Modernisation of forces to tackle the challenges

Prakash Singh, IPS (retd)

“The paramilitary forces must have better infrastructure and their transport, communications and weaponry would need to be upgraded. Modernisation of forces will be the key. It must be added however that the forces would also require political support and legal protection. The threat of terrorism would become far more serious and menacing after 2014 when the US forces start withdrawing from Afghanistan. The shortage of manpower at the ground level must be met immediately. The United Nations has prescribed an average of 222 policemen per lakh of population. As against this, we have only 128 policemen per lakh of population in the country. Weapons have been acquired but in a somewhat haphazard manner. Training is still a much neglected area with the most unwanted officers being posted in the training academies. Computerisation has made slow progress. Forensic support is quite inadequate. The writer has elaborated in detail about the ongoing modernisation programmes for the police … ”

Change to modernise

Manvendra Singh

“In the case of the CPOs, since their efficacy impacts on India as a whole, there is already an in-house cadre. But they aren’t allowed to grow beyond a point, which then affects the overall functioning of the force. The first step to modernisation of the police and security forces, the ‘how’ of it, should the promulgation of a rule which states that an officer can only head a CPO if he / she has been a Company Commander in one of them. Whether it is the army, or a CPO, the key appointment is that of a Company Commander, the one that wins the battle, or the operation. Anyone unaware of what it takes to be a Company Commander cannot perform the tasks of a CPO Director General, for the simple reason that he / she would not have the faintest idea how to deploy troops and conduct an operation. This simple method of addressing the ‘how’ will go a long way in resolving the crisis that confronts the CPOs and state police forces …

Bloodiest years of naxal violence: Strategic challenges

Lt Gen V K Ahluwalia PVSM, AVSM**, YSM, VSM (retd)

“Currently the Indian Army is in an over-watch and training support role to the Police and CAPFs. The former Army Commander Central Command has closely followed the Maoist insurgency and lucidly highlights its grave destabilisation potential. The years 2009 and 2010 have been the bloodiest in the history of Naxal movement, with 2,192 persons being killed in all forms of violence including the deplorable act of terrorism perpetuated through the attack on the Gyaneshwari Express. Some of the key strategic challenges today are the absence of national consensus and national strategy, centre state relationship, non-inclusive growth, poor implementation of schemes on the ground, inter-state coordination among all agencies, lack of accountability and large scale unemployment among the youth. In order to sustain and to further strengthen their movement, the Naxals would make enormous efforts to seek external support, be it in terms of funding, weaponry, training, refuge, propaganda or ideological support. Also for India’s adversaries, this is perhaps the one movement which can provide them with a ready tool with which they can undermine the growing economic, political and military might of the country … ”

Assam rifles: Sentinels of the north-east

Lt Gen Karan Yadava PVSM, AVSM, VSM (retd)

“A former Director General of the Assam Rifles traces the history and valuable contributions of this force towards integrating the north-east states and their populations into the body politik of our country as also their stellar role in facing foreign aggression. The Assam Rifles is India’s oldest paramilitary force with a glorious history and tradition of frontier guarding, counter-insurgency operations and regular operations (including in the two World Wars). If the north-eastern states are with India today, a major part of the credit for this must go to the Assam Rifles. A very informative tribute to this force by its former DG. It also provides a brief overview of the many tribal insurgencies that have been contained in this volatile region … “

The enemy within: National security cannot be a law and order issue

Pathikrit Payne

“The old managerial style of police leadership has to change to an inspirational, military style of leadership from the front, as former DG CRPF Mr Vijay Kumar was trying so hard to usher in. Motivation and incentives are needed for the rank and file. The critical infrastructure protection is perhaps one of the most decisive aspects of modern day internal security architecture. Since 2009 Maoists have been responsible for 1,183 incidents of targeting economic infrastructure.  Substantial portion of India’s key economic infrastructure today is in the joint sector or the private sector and needs to be protected with same vigour. In spite of the token action of deploying CISF in protecting refineries of Reliance Industries in Jamnagar as well as that of software centres Infosys and a few others, it has to be acknowledged that CISF with a force strength of a little more than 1,25,000 is grossly inadequate to secure every critical infrastructure in the private sector. It is time that India’s Union Home Ministry takes the next logical step in terms of allowing select private security agencies of repute to procure small arms for the creation of a practical first line of defence. There is a strong case for relaxing the archaic rules that prohibit the purchase of guns for self-defence by law abiding citizens in India. Terrorism and organised crime simply cannot be considered as petty law and order problems. The 5th Report of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission has brought out 152 recommendations, which among others have reiterated the need for police reforms and separation of investigation from day to day policing activities… ”

To read these and many more thought-provoking articles, you may subscribe to the issue by following the web link: http://www.dsalert.org/dsa-subscription/print-edition or e-mail to our subscription department on:  subscription@dsalert.org

Enjoy DSA November Issue. We invite you to join the DSA mission and let’s make our country and this beautiful world more safe and secure for all.

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Counter IED India 2012 is Asia’s largest C-IED conference and exhibition. C-IED India on 3-5 October in Mumbai will bring together experts, policymakers, industry and military staff as well as top decision makers from the C-IED-community and presents an outstanding opportunity to network with  international delegates from India, ASEAN and the rest of the world. The event is being organised in full partnership with the Center for Asia Studies, a major think-tank in India.

The three-day event will include a two-day conference with high level speakers from the Indian government, the U.S. Pacific Command and military staff from the New Zealand Defence Force, European Union and ASEAN, among others. The first day of the event will start with a pre-conference workshop led by representatives from the Indian Government sharing insights on their requirements for the Indian Defence Procurement Policy Plan and is followed by an icebreaker drinks reception. Focus sessions on the second day will examine Indian Naxalite Groups and C-IED, as well as Regional Program Updates, while sessions on the third day are focusing on new developments in C-IED as vehicle borne IEDs and roadside IEDs, developments in training methods and the issue of dirty IEDs.

Colonel Geoffrey Stevens, Director of U.S. Army Pacific Command’s Asia Pacific Counter-IED Fusion Center, will be making the Keynote Address. He will be presenting an overview of The Asia Pacific C-IED Fusion Center’s role in countering the IED threat in the Pacific.

State of the art C-IED solutions

During the last two days of C-IED India 2012 our current confirmed supporters will exhibit their latest products and solutions for the IED-community. These exhibitors include: Mas Zengrange, Cobham, Saab, Aeroflex, Enterprise Control Systems, DSA, K10 Working Dogs, Field Forensics, Vallon, Indra, MKDS Training, Asymmetric Threat Response, Security Watch India and many more.

Some of the technology that you will see during the Counter IED India 2012 exhibition includes:

Explosive Disruptors, Explosive Detectors, Jamming Systems, Force Protection Equipment, Ground Search equipment, Explosives Trace Detectors, ECM, Blast Mitigation and Force Protection, Portable X-Ray Scanners, Training Solutions, PBIED Detection Capabilities, VBIED Disruptors and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs).

Connect with the Counter IED Community across the world

Attend and connect with delegates from ASEAN, the Middle East, the European Union, USA and many more. Some of the public sector organizations already confirmed to attend C-IED India 2012 include:

Indian Bomb Data Centre, Indian Central Reserve Police, CTJW College, Indian Army, Indian Ministry of Finance, New Zealand Defence Force, UK Ministry of Defence, Philippines Office of Transportation Security, Royal Thai Army, Iraq Army, DSTO Australia, Sri Lankan Army, Pakistan Counter Terrorism University, US Pacific Command, ICPVTR Singapore, Asia Pacific C-IED Fusion Centre, Interpol, Asia Pacific C-IED Fusion Centre, Hong Kong Police Force and the European Commission

IB Consultancy

Counter IED India 2012 is being organized by IB Consultancy. IB Consultancy organises defence and security conferences, exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations designed to bring together decision makers, influencers and those at the forefront of current operations to give you the most up-to-date feedback and lessons learned. IB Consultancy works in partnership with governments, militaries and academic organisations for the design, planning and implementation of all of our events. This ensures that our events are timely, well supported at the national and international level and have the full backing of industry leading associations.

Only limited seats available

Limited places remain. To book your place today please contact the Singapore sales team at +65 639 80496, email april@ib-g.com or by registering online at www.c-iedindia.com.

We are happy to announce that recently Fleming Gulf (leading global conference and event organisers who provide the very latest commercial insights on trending topics in the marketplace) have tied-up with Defence and Security Alert DSA magazine as the Strategic Partner for their first and forthcoming Defence Modernisation India (DMI) Summit, scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 29th and 30th November 2012.

DSA is committed to bring awareness on the defence and security subjects among the key policy and decision makers in the governments as well as in the corporate world. This tie-up is a step forward in that direction to bring together buyers and sellers of defence products, services and technologies on the modernisation aspects of Indian Defence Forces through DMI Summit.

As we all know India has emerged as the largest market for the defence products, technologies and services and has embarked on a major defence modernisation drive to introduce latest products, cutting edge technologies and services to equip its defence forces.

Defence Modernisation India (DMI) Summit 2012 will offer you:

• Exposure among the policy and decision makers
• Face-to-face meetings
• Business networking
• Brand promotion and company awareness among the key decision makers
• New prospects and business leads
• Speaker opportunities

Position yourself as a leader in strengthening the Indian military system through your active presence and participation in Defence Modernisation India Summit 2012.

Contact us

For sponsorship at the Defence Modernisation India Summit 2012 please contact DSA sales and marketing team:

E-mail: info@dsalert.org/ dsa-dmi@dsalert.org Tel: +91-11-23243999 / 23287999 / 9958382999

The MiG-29K series of fighters will also operate from the other aircraft carrier INS Viraat. In 2004, India had placed an order to the tune of US$ 650 million for 16 MiG-29Ks to be used from INS Vikramaditya which is being refurbished by Russia. Another order for US$ 1.5 billion was placed in early 2010 to purchase the 29 additional MiG-29Ks.

The MiG-29K has only been exported to India for use on the refitted Russian-built carrier INS Vikramaditya. The MiG-29K is a naval variant of the MiG-29 land-based fighter and has folding wings, an arrester tail-hook, strengthened airframe and multirole capability. The fighter can be equipped with various air-to-air and air-to-surface weaponry. The MiG-29K will be in concurrent service with the Russian Navy. India operates sixteen out of a total of forty MiG-29K planned for acquisition. The newly designed and upgraded MiG-29K prototype was first revealed by Russia in 2007. The new MiG-29K come in two versions: the single-seat MiG-29K and the two-seat MiG-29KUB.

The MiG-29K is equipped with the new Zhuk-E radar, which can detect up to ten targets at a time and engage four of them. The MiG-29K is also equipped with an electronic counter measures suite and the pilot is equipped with a helmet-mounted targeting system. The MiG-29K is powered by two RD-33MK engines and has a maximum endurance of 850 kilometers.

The Minister has stated that the state-run Defence units are continually progressing in terms of exports. Minister of State (Defence) M M Pallam Raju has tabled a report in the Parliament which describes the value of material exported by nine DPSUs to a total of 53 countries. The total export value generated by the DPSUs stood at Rs 1, 81,487 lakh. While Defence products from the Indian DPSUs were exported to major countries like UK, Canada, China, Israel, Germany and France, the countries from the sub-continent like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka also got a share of Indian Defence products.

The largest chunk of the export was done by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which sold material worth Rs 78,306 lakh. India has been aiming at self-reliance in the Defence sector for a long time and the ushering of the new Defence production policy in January 2011 has been a step in that direction. In order to produce advanced Defence products, the procurement policy allows means such as formation of consortia, joint ventures and public-private partnerships within the government-approved framework.