NCC all set for a major expansion to cover 173 border and coastal districts

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal of the National Cadet Corps for a major expansion scheme to meet the aspirations of youth in all the border and coastal districts.
• The proposals of the scheme were announced by the Prime Minister Shri  Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on 15 Aug.
• A total of one lakh cadets from 173 border and coastal districts will be inducted in the NCC. One-third of the Cadets would be girl Cadets. More than 1000 schools and colleges have been identified in border and coastal districts where NCC will be introduced.
• As part of the expansion plan, a total of 83 NCC units will be upgraded (Army 53, Navy 20, Air Force 10), to impart NCC training to the cadets in the border and coastal areas.
• Army will provide training and administrative support to the NCC units located in the border areas, Navy shall provide support to NCC units in the coastal areas and similarly Air Force will provide support to the NCC units located close to the Air Force stations.
• This will not only provide exposure to the youth of the border and coastal areas to military training and disciplined way of life but will also motivate them to join the armed forces.
• The NCC expansion plan will be implemented in partnership with the States.

Indian Army dogs Vida, Sophie honoured with ‘Commendation Cards’ on 74^th Independence Day

• Indian Army dogs Vida and Sophie awarded the Chief of Army Staff ‘Commendation Cards’ on the 74th Independence Day this year, for their role in different operations.
• Commendations Cards are given to dogs for good performance while performing the duty.
• In December last year, in a bid to increase the operational capabilities of its troops, the Army has developed an audio-video surveillance system integrated with a protective bulletproof jacket, which can be mounted stealthily on the Army dogs to receive information about location and strength of enemy from a safe distance.
• Equipped with the gadget, the Army dogs can spy on the enemy location from close quarters. The camera and transmitter send the information on the receiver that can be at a safe distance up to one kilometre from the enemy location.
• “The Silent Warriors” as the Army dog unit is fondly called have indeed proven to be an asset for the security forces. They are truly the warriors India needs to stay safe.

Defence auxiliary units will flourish in Hyderabad, Bangalore

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s announcement on 9 August, banning import of 101 items by his ministry will go a long way in boosting thousands of auxiliary units in the private sector, creating lakhs of jobs soon. If given a right push, two metros—Hyderabad and Bangalore—can grow into major hubs of modern warfare, that is futuristic.
• Rajnath Singh’s initiative to ban these imports is in tune with the policy drive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat which is aimed at converting into an opportunity a crisis that was triggered by the recent Chinese aggression along the borders.
• Luckily, Covid-19 and Chinese aggression have given us a chance to introspect on our weaknesses and build foundations for a self-reliant India.
• Of course, self-reliant doesn’t mean shutting doors on the outside world and going into isolation, but to unleash our potential and encouraging indigenous talent and technologies. What we are doing now is exactly what China started in the early 1980s. Sources in the private industry that caters to the defence units in Hyderabad say that India can even surpass China if this policy is pushed in the right direction.
• Ironically, Hyderabad that houses the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), with scores of divisions and around 30,000 employees, since 1958 could not trigger enough auxiliary units boosting the local economy. Late PM Indira Gandhi sanctioned an ordnance factory to Medak, 50 km from Hyderabad, as a thanksgiving gesture after she was elected to the Lok Sabha from there.
• Neither the DRDO, that has units like Defence Electronics Research Laboratory, nor this ordnance factory that produces a clutch of electronic items could nurture any local units, leave alone job creation for the youth. The local outsourcers often complain that the items contracted to them were too small and routine to attract any talent.
• Same is the case with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Bangalore, another defence unit started in 1954, with around 10,000 employees. Bangalore is the IT (Information Technology) capital of India and a start-up hub, yet very few local youth are involved in its operations.
• A source from Bangalore’s IT Electronics City lamented that the defence sector always shut its doors on the local start-ups here.
• Hopefully, now the situation will change. The Centre’s decision to open up the defence sector to private players and promote self-reliance at a time will definitely yield results, igniting imagination of our talented youth and boost the economy too.
• The banning of 101 items like guns, tanks and armour vehicles and electronic gadgets will create around Rs 5.5 lakh crore worth market locally by 2025-26.
• Already, Hyderabad houses hundreds of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) attached to the defence ministry, but they contend with producing some routine stuff, like bulletproof jackets, cartridges and nuts and bolts for tanks. The guarantee of a captive market also led them into complacency, or lack of efficiency and creativity.
• Now these SMEs associated with the defence production are optimistic of scaling up their activities and competitiveness. The new rule that even the public sector ordnance factories will have to compete with private players in manufacturing of these 101 items will encourage cutting-edge technologies and competencies that can only rival that of developed countries.
• Already, Hyderabad has a defence aerospace park at Adibhatla, near the Shamshabad International Airport, from where Tata Advanced Systems, Astra Microwave Technologies, Zen Technologies, and Adani Aerospace Park, among others, operate. Most of these units have their core competencies in the defence sector, but they have to wait for the outside market. Now this will change.
• Contrary to the DRDO or ordnance factory at Medak, this defence aerospace park near the airport is full of activity and there is a heavy demand from the defence-related SMEs for space in it. Current estimates project more such parks would come up in other states too, going by the growing space for private players in defence manufacturing.
• All these years, the Centre oscillated between encouraging indigenous technologies and importing weaponry under some pressures, Now that there is a guarantee that at least 101 items would be made locally for the next five to six years, the private players can focus on ramping up their finances and technologies to meet the challenges.
• Some Bangalore firms are capable of developing unmanned aerospace vehicles with advanced simulated systems. In future, wars can be guided from a simulated centre in Bangalore, Hyderabad, or Mumbai, with fighter jets stationed in Punjab or Kashmir with targets of hundreds of miles across borders. Cyberspace will determine the outcomes in aerospace.
• Not just these big cities, even tier-2 or 3 cities like Bhubaneswar, Indore, or Calicut can become hubs of defence industry, if all the 41 ordnance factories in the country encourage private auxiliary units. The Centre that is focused on Atmanirbhar Bharat in the defence sector can corporatize the ordnance factories and expand the list of 101 items for banned imports in the near future.

Russia to modify Sukhoi-30 fighters to carry 1,000-kilometre range missile

• The Sukhoi Su-30 fighter is considered to be one of the most successful Russian defence export programmes in the past two decades. The Su-30 is the backbone of the Indian Air Force, which operates around 250 Su-30MKI jets, a unique version specifically designed for India.
• The Su-30 is in service with about 12 nations including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Algeria and Venezuela.
• The Russian Air Force also purchased a version of the Su-30 fighter, called the Su-30SM. The Su-30SM first flew in 2012 and the Russian military has ordered around 116 jets. Russia has already announced it plans to upgrade the Su-30SM fighter.
• Izvestia, a Russian media outlet, reported this week the Su-30SM fighters will receive new “heavy” air-to-surface missiles. Izvestia reported the Russian military plans to modify the Su-30SM to carry the Kh-32 supersonic air-to-surface missile. The Kh-32 missile is believed to have a range of up to 1,000km and can be used against both ships and ground targets.
• US analysts have claimed the Kh-32 missile, which uses radar guidance, would allow Russian aircraft to target US Navy aircraft carriers without getting in range of defending fighters. The Kh-32 can carry either a nuclear or conventional warhead. In its 2018 Nuclear Posture Review document, the US Department of Defence categorised the Kh-32 as a nuclear weapons delivery system.
• The Kh-32 missile is estimated to have a speed of over 3 times the speed of sound, while some Russian media outlets have even claimed it is hypersonic (at least five times speed of sound). The Kh-32 is a heavy weapon, with an estimated weight of nearly six tonnes. The Kh-32, reportedly, became operational in 2016 and is primarily carried by the Tu-22M3 bomber.
• Izvestia reported the Kh-32 can be carried on the ‘centreline’ hardpoint under the fuselage of the Su-30SM. Typically, aircraft can carry their heaviest weapons or fuel tanks under the fuselage.
• Russia has already mounted hypersonic air-to-surface weapons on a smaller warplane. In 2018, it unveiled the Kinzhal missile, which is believed to have a range of around 2,000km. The Kinzhal is mounted on the MiG-31 heavy fighter, with the aircraft carrying one missile on its centreline. However, the MiG-31 is an ageing platform, which has been in service since the 1980s.
• Adding the Kh-32 to the Su-30SM would bring a considerable boost to the Russian military’s offensive capabilities.
• Interestingly, the Indian Air Force is modifying the Su-30MKI to carry the air-launched version of the BrahMos cruise missile.

South Korean military retires its UH-1 Huey helicopters

• The Republic of Korea Army retired its UH-1H Huey helicopters after 52 years of service. South Korean UH-1N Huey service has flown 792,000 hours and 146,000,000 km and being officially retired from service on July 31st.
• The Army has operated 129 UH-1H choppers. They flew an accumulated 792,000 hours over 146 million kilometres during the period, it said. The basic UH-1 design predates the Vietnam War.
• The UH-1H choppers were mobilized in various missions and trainings, as well as in rescue operations and fire suppression activities.
• Replacing the UH-1H choppers is South Korea’s indigenous multi-role chopper Surion. The Surion is the first homegrown helicopter which the Korean military started to develop in 2006 with the aim of replacing the old and superannuated helicopters which they currently operates and nurturing the local helicopter industry. Under the support of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and DAPA, KAI set out for developing the Surion and finished making its maiden flight in 2010.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. As part of the recent expansion plan, a total of how many NCC units will be upgraded?
2. 86
3. 85
4. 84
5. 83

ANSWER: D

• Which Indian Army dogs were awarded the Chief of Army Staff ‘Commendation Cards’ on the 74th Independence Day this year, for their role in different operations?
• Vida and Sophie
• Bravo and Bullet
• Charlie and Captain
• Sophia and Margaret

ANSWER: A

• South Korean military retires its UH-1 Huey helicopters. They will be replaced by which helicopters?
• KAI KUH-1 Surion
• Boeing Apache
• Boeing Chinook
• Augusta Westland

ANSWER: A