Passing out Parade of Air Force Academy to be conducted tomorrow

• A Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) will be held at AFA on 20 Jun 20.
• Due to #COVID situation parents & relatives of the passing out cadets will not be able to attend the ceremony.

IAF Gets 216 BrahMos ALCM For Sukhoi-30 MKIs

• Amidst the ongoing tensions between India and China, the Indo-Russian BrahMos air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) has received its first-ever Fleet Release Clearance (FRC) which has been issued by the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC). Sources at BrahMos have confirmed to Financial Express Online that, the FRC certification was issued by the CEMILAC on June 10th in Bengaluru. This was shared with all the stakeholders through a video conferencing where the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), BrahMos Aerospace, Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Software Development Institute (SDI), IAF HQ and other were present. BrahMos is the first indigenous supersonic and advanced ALCM system made in India in a joint venture with Russia which has this certification. This has the proven capabilities for the Indian Air Force.
• Explaining the importance of this certification, a senior IAF officer said “With the FRC, the IAF Squadrons can now use these missiles in combat missions. It must be mentioned that the IAF had earlier this year added unmatched capability (as has been reported by the Financial Express Online earlier) when it had inducted the Su-30 MKI which were armed with the BrahMos ALCMs in the resurrected No 222 Squadron at Thanjavur Air Force Station.”
• This has given the IAF more advantage during its missions in the Indian Ocean Region as the BrahMos stand-off distance is around 300 km and the Su-30 MKI is 3000 km, which also has the capability of being refuelled during a mission.
• According to sources, FRC is a critical certification for all who are into missile programmes as based on this can the weapon be used during a mission.

Curtain Raiser Indian Armed Forces Contingent Victory Day Parade 2020

• A Tri-Service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces comprising 75 all ranks, led by a colonel rank officer will participate in the Military Parade at Red Square, Moscow on 24 June 2020, to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Victory of the Soviet People in the great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
• The British Indian Armed Forces during World War-II were one of the largest Allied Forces contingents which took part in the North and East African Campaign, Western Desert Campaign and the European Theatre against the Axis powers. These campaign witnessed sacrifice by over 87 thousand Indian servicemen beside 34,354 being wounded. The Indian Military not only fought on all fronts, but also ensured logistic support along the Southern, Trans-Iranian Lend-Lease route, along which weapons, ammunitions, equipment support and food went to the Soviet Union, Iran and Iraq.
• The valour of the Indian soldiers was recognised with the award of over four thousand decorations, which also included award of 18 Victoria and George Cross. In addition the then Soviet Union appreciated the valour of the Indian Armed forces and by the decree of 23 May 1944, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR signed by Mikhail Kalinin and Alexander Gorkin awarded the prestigious Orders of the Red Star to Subedar Narayan Rao Nikkam and Havildar Gajendra Singh Chand of Royal Indian Army Service Corps.
• The marching contingent taking part in the Victory Day Parade is led by a major rank officer of the gallant SIKH LIGHT INFANTRY Regiment.  The Regiment had fought with valour in the World War-II and has proud distinction of earning four Battle Honours and two Military Cross amongst other gallantry awards.

Russia assures support to India amid violent face-off with China at Galwan Valley: Sources

• Moscow has assured its support to New Delhi in its efforts to resolve issues with China amidst the ongoing stand-off in Ladakh, according to top sources.
• The Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin said, “We hope that the tensions will soon de-escalate, and the sides would further maintain a constructive dialogue also keeping in mind the potential of cooperation. Russia believes it is vital for the region.”
• Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had said, “It has already been announced that the military representatives of India and China have made contact, they are discussing the situation, discussing measures to de-escalate it. We welcome this”.

India confirms participation in trilateral with China and Russia on June 23

• India on Thursday confirmed its participation in the meeting of foreign ministers of the RIC grouping comprising Russia, India and China to be held on June 23. External affairs ministry spokesperson said that Union minister S Jaishankar will represent India in the trilateral.
• Doubts over India’s participation in the meeting in the wake of deaths of 20 Indian soldiers in a violent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh had been removed on Wednesday when Russia declared that a virtual meeting of foreign ministers of the RIC grouping will be held on June 22.
• Russia had recently taken the initiative to organise the virtual meeting this month.

The Indian Army stocks up on body protectors and spiked clubs to deal with a medieval adversary on the LAC

• A day after the deadly June 15 clash in the Galwan Valley with the PLA in which 20 soldiers were killed, many of them with improvised spike-studded clubs, the Northern Command has begun equipping its soldiers with lightweight riot gear. The body protectors comprise padded polycarbonate inserts and protects wearers from, significantly, sharp objects and stones.
• The first consignment of 500 sets of full-body protectors was airlifted from the Mumbai-based supplier to Leh where it is to be distributed among troops deployed along the LAC. One senior military analyst who did not want to be named worried over the optics of kitting the army in riot control gear. “It means changing an army man’s mindset into a policeman’s,” he says. The army also plans to equip its troops along the LAC with spiked clubs. “We won’t be surprised the next time,” an army officer said.
• Among the deadly weapons used by the PLA troopers in the June 15 ambush were clubs studded with spikes. Indian troops had been surprised last month too when the PLA used clubs wrapped with barbed wire to target Indian troops in skirmishes along the Pangong Lake. Several Indian soldiers had been injured, some of them seriously.

Navy sends more ships from Eastern fleet for deployment in Indian Ocean region

• Amid tensions with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, the Indian Navy has sent out additional ships from its Eastern fleet for deployment in the Indian Ocean Region.
• The move comes at a time when India has put its military machinery on high alert following the deadly clash in the Galwan Valley late Monday evening that led to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers.
• Defence sources told that apart from ships that are routinely at sea on various missions, the Navy has instructed other ships to sail out. The sources did not reveal the number of ships, or where they have moved, or for what purpose.

Amid row with China, IAF pushes proposal for acquiring 33 new Russian fighter aircraft

• Amid the ongoing row with China in eastern Ladakh, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has pushed a proposal to the government for acquiring 33 new fighter aircraft, including 21 MiG-29s and 12 Su-30MKIs from Russia.
• “The Air Force has been working on this plan for some time but they have now fast-tracked the process and the proposals expected to be worth over Rs 6,000 crore would be placed before the Defence Ministry for its final approval next week at a high-level meeting,” government sources told ANI.
• The proposal includes the acquisition of 12 Su-30 MKIs that would be required for replacing the number of aircraft lost by the Air Force in different accidents, they said.

China brings in hundreds of soldiers, heavy construction equipment to Galwan Valley

• Even as talks for de-escalation were on at the military level, the Chinese side seems to have carried out a move of deception by bringing in several hundred soldiers and heavy construction equipment into the Galwan valley, latest satellite images and ground reports reveal.
• Border talks carried out on Wednesday at the Major-General level to defuse the situation have also failed, indicating that the Chinese side is not looking to disengage. More talks are planned in the coming days but there has been no resolution on the ground situation that remains tense.
• Sources said that despite earlier talks in which it was decided that the two sides would move back by a kilometre and create a temporary ‘no man’s land’ in the valley, the Chinese side has brought in additional troops and continues to remain deployed inside Indian territory near Patrol Point 14.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Amid the ongoing row with China in eastern Ladakh, the IAF has pushed a proposal to the government for acquiring how many Su-30MKIs from USSR?
2. 15
3. 33
4. 21
5. 12

ANSWER: D

• Russian Foreign Minister:
• Sergey Shoygu
• Sergey Lavrov
• Anton Siluanov
• Mikhail Mishustin

ANSWER: B

• Which Regiment of Indian Army is going to participate in Victory Day parade in Russia?
• Sikh Regiment
• Mahar Regiment
• Sikh Light Infantry Regiment
• Rajputana Rifles Regiment

ANSWER: C