Defence Current Affairs And Updates 17th June 2020

20 Indian Army soldiers martyred in Galwan Valley, almost the same number of Chinese troops also killed

• The government sources on Tuesday (June 16, 2020) said that at least 20 Indian Army soldiers have been martyred during the violent face-off with the Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night.
• The sources also said that though the exact number is not known, almost the same number of Chinese troops have been killed during the clashes in the Galwan Valley.
• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has, meanwhile, blamed China for the incident and alleged that it tried to unilaterally change the status and “departed from the consensus to respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley”.
• Speaking on the issue, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said both sides suffered casualties in the violent face-off and the Chinese side departed from the consensus to respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley.

Fighters, warships moved to forward bases after bloodiest day in Ladakh

• The government has given powers to the armed forces to make emergency procurements to stock up its war reserves in the wake of escalating conflict with China along the Line of Actual Control.
• While India has initiated dialogue to contain the conflict in Ladakh, sources said, the government did not want to leave anything to chance at this stage, especially after the violence on Monday night.
• Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has been asked to coordinate with the three services on prioritising the requirements, where necessary.
• Those familiar with the details told that the Navy has also been given the go-ahead to deploy its assets near the Malacca Strait and, if needed, anywhere else in the Indo-Pacific to counter Chinese action.
• Air Force assets, including fighters, too have been moved up to forward locations. The first signs of discomfort in the Indian camp started when the Chinese side a few days ago began pressing hard for another round of Corps Commander-level meeting to kickstart talks on the Pangong Tso.
• The PLA even moved a request for a Corps Commander-level meeting on June 16. The Indian side, however, declined and had conveyed to their Chinese interlocutors that a higher-level meeting would only be possible after complete disengagement from Galwan.
• This decision was taken at the highest levels, added sources. The issue on the table from an Indian standpoint were two semi-permanent structures with tents on PP (Patrolling Point) 14 in Galwan.
• The Chinese troops had moved back some distance following local commander-level talks but had refused to remove these structures. At PP 17, China had apparently raised objection to some Indian hutments.
• In the recent past, sources said, Chinese troops have acted in a pattern where they move up, build tented structures, and then move back after talks without demolishing what they had made.
• It is learnt that this was flagged off by the Army as a way to make reoccupation easier at these heights. However, pending resolution of these issues on Galwan, China was keen to start conversation on Finger areas of Pangong Tso.
• At that stage, sources said, a high-level meeting took place in Delhi last Friday where it was decided that India will insist on complete resolution of dispute in Galwan before moving on to Pangong Tso
• The turn of events on Monday night took the top brass by surprise. South Block was, in fact, gearing up for a more protracted conversation on getting Chinese troops to move back from Finger 4 in Pangong Tso. It was felt that Chinese PLA would be more belligerent there as it had moved into advantageous ground.

Lockheed wins customisation contract for Indian navy MH-60R anti-submarine helicopters

• Lockheed Martin has won a $375 million contract for bespoke hardware and software for India’s acquisition of 24 Sikorsky MH-60R anti-submarine warfare helicopters.
• “This modification provides non-recurring efforts to design and develop unique hardware and software for the Multi-Role Helicopter MH-60R development programme for the government of India,” says a US Department of Defense contract announcement.
• In May, Lockheed’s Sikorsky rotorcraft unit signed a $905 million contract with the US Navy to provide 24 MH-60Rs to the Indian navy via the US government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process.
• The $905 million contract was far less than the original notice, which valued the deal at $2.6 billion.
• Tom Kane, director of Sikorsky naval helicopter programmes, said the $905 million would cover production of the helicopters, but that additional work would be necessary for “unique modifications and systems”.
• The MH-60R is New Delhi’s second acquisition of a major US Navy anti-submarine warfare platform, following its acquisition of the Boeing P-8I Neptune in a 2009 deal.
• U.S. Air Force F-16 receives digitized ‘ghost’ scheme similar to Su-57 fighter
• Painters at Hill Air Force Base recently completed an elaborate makeover on an F-16 Fighting Falcon by giving it the now-popular “ghost” paint scheme that similar to the Russian Su-57 fighter aircraft digitized scheme.
• The 576th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron painted the jet at the request of the 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, that participates in training with Air Force and other aviation branches during Red Flag exercises.
• The paint scheme is intended to replicate an adversary’s fighter jet. United States, allied, and partner-nation aircrews routinely train against accurate and realistic threats including aircraft painted to replicate those pilots might see in aerial combat.

California Air National Guard held massive ‘elephant walk’ exercise for the first time in over 20 years

• California Air National Guard held a massive exercise, known as the ‘elephant walk’, for the first time in over 20 years.
• 6 California Air National Guard C-130J Super Hercules aircraft took part in a massive flying exercise at the Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Port Hueneme, California.
• With a large crowd of airmen gathering to witness the historical event known as “the elephant walk,” the colossal aircraft began taxiing down the runway in tight formation.

U.S. Navy tests next generation of smart munition on Super Hornet

• The U.S. Navy recently tested, for the first time on an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft, the GBU-53/B StormBreaker glide bomb that will give operators an upper hand in combat by hitting moving targets in some of the worst weather conditions.
• The new StormBreaker smart weapon, commonly known as a smart tank hunter, is a winged munition autonomously detects and classifies moving targets in poor visibility situations caused by darkness, bad weather, smoke, or dust kicked up by helicopters.
• “StormBreaker is the only weapon that enables pilots to hit moving targets during bad weather or if dust and smoke are in the area,” said Cristy Stagg, StormBreaker program director. “Super Hornet pilots will be able to use poor visibility to their advantage when StormBreaker integration is complete.”
• StormBreaker features a revolutionary tri-mode seeker that uses imaging infrared and millimetre wave radar in its normal mode. The weapon can also deploy its semi-active laser or GPS guidance to hit targets.
• StormBreaker’s small size enables the use of fewer aircraft to take out the same number of targets as larger weapons that require multiple jets. The weapon can also fly more than 45 miles to strike mobile targets, reducing the amount of time that aircrews spend in harm’s way.
• The F-15E Eagle is the first platform to add StormBreaker; it’s also being integrated on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Which company has won contract for bespoke hardware and software for India’s acquisition of 24 Sikorsky MH-60R anti-submarine warfare helicopters?
2. Boeing
3. Airbus
4. Lockheed Martin
5. Raytheon

ANSWER: C

• Which among these is a feature of StormBreaker?
• It is commonly known as a smart tank hunter.
• It is the only weapon that enables pilots to hit moving targets during bad weather of dust and smoke.
• F-15E Eagle is the first platform to add StormBreaker.
• Only 1 and 2
• Only 1 and 3
• Only 2 and 3
• All 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER: D