Defence Current Affairs And Updates 27 August 2020

India, Vietnam Agree to Add “New Momentum” To Economic, Defence Ties India and Vietnam have today agreed to add new momentum to their economic and defence engagement besides resolving to...

Hemanth Kasturi
August 27, 2020
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India, Vietnam Agree to Add “New Momentum” To Economic, Defence Ties

India and Vietnam have today agreed to add new momentum to their economic and defence engagement besides resolving to explore closer cooperation in sectors like civil nuclear energy and space.
The decisions were taken at a virtual meeting of the India-Vietnam Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation which was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh.
“Both sides reviewed the recent developments in India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed the future trajectory of their wide-ranging engagement,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
“They agreed to add new momentum to the economic and defence engagement between the two countries and to explore closer cooperation in emerging areas such as civil nuclear energy, space, marine sciences and new technologies,” it said in a statement.
It is learnt that the overall situation in South China Sea also figured in the talks. However, there is no official confirmation to it. China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons. However, several ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries, including Vietnam, Philippines and Brunei, have counter claims.

Last week, Vietnamese ambassador Pham Sanh Chau briefed Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla about the escalating tension in the South China Sea after China significantly ramped up its military presence in the region.
Both sides agreed to coordinate closely at multilateral forums, including at the UN Security Council based on their strong convergence of views on many global and regional issues, the MEA said adding they also agreed to step up cooperation and coordination at important regional forums under the ASEAN framework.
It said the co-chairs exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, especially in the context of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Concluded the 17th India-Vietnam Joint Commission Meeting. Thank Deputy PM and FM @FMPhamBinhMinh for co-chairing. Our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership keeps growing. Ensures peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” S Jaishankar said in a tweet.
The MEA said S Jaishankar expressed India’s full support to Vietnam’s chairmanship of ASEAN this year and appreciated the positive leadership provided by Vietnam to the bloc in a year when the world is faced with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“India and Vietnam also agreed to enhance their bilateral cooperation in line with India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the ASEAN’s Outlook on Indo-Pacific to achieve shared security, prosperity and growth for all in the region,” the MEA said.
“India invited Vietnam to collaborate on one of the seven pillars of the IPOI,” it added. An agreement for cooperation between Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) and Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam was sealed on the margins of the Joint Commission Meeting.
A separate MoU was finalised between National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi and Scientific Research Institute of Sea and Islands, Hanoi.
In the meeting, S Jaishankar underlined Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) for enhancing resilience and human-centric globalisation as the basis for India’s economic revival, the MEA said.
He also reaffirmed India’s development and capacity building assistance to Vietnam through initiatives such as Quick Impact Projects (QIP).

COAS presides in Army War College Webinar

General MM Naravane COAS presided over the seminar on “Impact of Disruptive Technologies on Our Fighting Philosophy in Future Conflicts”.
The two-day event conducted by Army War College, Mhow as Webinar provided valuable inputs on various facets to include Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Cyber and Big Data Analytics for military applications.
Highlighting the impact of disruptive technologies in warfare and warfighting, Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane on Tuesday asserted that the Indian Armed Forces will have to pay adequate emphasis on the available disruptive technologies that have dual-use and are being driven by commercial entities and innovations.
He recommended that an overarching national mission to identify the needs and congruence of products into military applications must form part of armed forces modernization strategy.

Indian Navy helps Mauritius in dealing with Wakashio incident

INS Nireekshak a specialised Diving Support Vessel reached Port Louis, Mauritius on 24 August 2020.
The ship has the capability to aid towards fighting Oil Spill & provide Seaward Security & Medical Cover off the Wakashio wreck.

About INS Nireekshak

INS Nireekshak (A15) is a diving support vessel (DSV) of Indian Navy. It can also function as interim submarine rescue vessel (SRV).
Nireekshak was originally built by M/S Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai, for the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s offshore oil exploration work, having a dynamic position facility and a recompression chamber. It was however acquired on lease with an option for purchase by Indian Navy and was commissioned on 8 June 1989.
The ship was modified and refitted with the diving bell and other rescue equipment removed from the former Russian submarine rescue vessel INS Nistar in a dry dock.
In March 1995 the purchase option was invoked, and the vessel was formally re-commissioned on 15 September 1995.
The ship is equipped with two Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles (DSRV), capable of taking 12 men to 300 meters together, with two six-man recompression chambers and one three-man diving bell.
It is intended to facilitate rescue from a submarine in distress and training of saturation divers. Its pennant number is A-15.

Admiral JG Nadkarni Memorial Essay Competition – 2020

Maritime History Society, Mumbai, conducts regular maritime-themed programmes and activities ranging from Outreach Exhibitions to Talks, Conversations and Seminars to bring together scholarship and awareness of Indian Maritime History & Heritage.
The theme for the essay competition is “Reflections on Indian Nautical Knowledge: Past, Present, and Ways Ahead”. This theme is chosen to stimulate thoughts and discussions about the India’s contribution to nautical knowledge.
There are various things that help mariners navigate: from close observation of the celestial bodies to the contemporary cutting-edge digital technology. As an organization steering research on Indian contribution to nautical knowledge, MHS is interested in investigating Indian contribution to nautical knowledge in the past, and the research happening in the said field in contemporary times that can reinvent future at sea.
Essays in English up to 3000 words are sought from three categories of participants below age of 30.
Researchers, PG Students and Scholars in Academic Institutions in Mumbai.
Lieutenant Commander and below (Indian Navy)
Maritime Professionals from Indian Coast Guard, Shipping, Ports and related sectors.

DRDO comes out with list of 108 military systems for production by domestic industry

India’s premier defence research institute DRDO has identified 108 military systems and subsystems like navigation radars, tank transporters and missile canisters for the domestic industry to design, develop and manufacture.
The list of the items was handed over to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh by a high-level delegation from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the defence ministry said.
It said the DRDO will also provide support to industries for design, development and testing of these systems on a requirement basis, adding the initiative is in sync with the government’s focus on achieving self-reliance in the defence sector.
The DRDO has set a target of next year for developing the systems and subsystems. “All the requirements of these systems by R and D establishments, armed forces, and other security agencies can be met through development contracts or production orders on suitable Indian industry. This will allow DRDO to focus on the design and development of critical and advanced technologies and systems,” the ministry said in a statement.
Two weeks back, the defence minister announced a ban on import of 101 military systems and weapons like transport aircraft, light combat helicopters, conventional submarines and cruise missiles in a staggered manner by 2024 to promote India’s domestic defence industry.
Following the announcement, the defence ministry has initiated a series of measures to promote the domestic defence industry.
The ministry has set a goal of a turnover of USD 25 billion (Rs 1.75 lakh crore) in defence manufacturing in the next five years that included an export target of USD 5 billion (Rs 35,000 crore) worth of military hardware.
“Responding to the clarion call given by the Prime Minister for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India), the DRDO has taken several initiatives to strengthen the indigenous defence ecosystem,” the ministry said.
It said the present industry base for DRDO consists of 1800 MSMEs along with defence public sector undertakings, Ordnance Factories and large-scale industries.
“DRDO has already taken major initiatives through various policies to involve Indian industry as development cum production partners (DCPP), offering its technology to industry at nominal cost and providing free access to its patents,” the ministry said. “This initiative will support the fast-growing Indian defence industrial ecosystem and will help the industry to contribute towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in a big way,” it added.
The list of items identified by the DRDO for domestic production included mini and micro UAVs, mountain footbridge, modular bridge, mines laying and marking equipment, armoured engineering reconnaissance vehicle and anti-terrorist vehicle.
It also comprised tank transporter, missile canisters, missile storage container, marine rocket launcher, satellite navigation receivers, navigation radars, high nitrogen steel, among others.
The timeline for developing some of the systems and subsystems has been mentioned as 2020.

Bangalore based start-up developing air launched drones with US Air Force Research labs

A Bangalore based start-up is part of the first Indo-US technology collaboration project in the aerospace sector and will work with the US Air Force Research labs to develop future air launched drones for the armed forces.
NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd, a start-up that lists itself as a 46 member team, is part of a project selected under the Indo-US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) to do-develop air launched unmanned aerial vehicles.
While the company did not offer comments when contacted, it is learnt that it has been selected for a futuristic program that involves collaboration with the US Air Force Research Labs, the Indian Air Force and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Details of the project have not been shared yet but is likely to involve drones that act as force multipliers for combat aircraft on mission. The project would be one of the first success stories for the intergovernmental DTTI that has yet to show significant results, despite intense efforts by both India and US.
At a seminar last month, top Pentagon official Ellen M Lord, Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment had referred to the air launched drones program but had not mentioned the name of the Indian start-up being involved.
Experts have welcomed the move to involve the private sector in the Indo-US technology sharing initiative. “A lot of the work under DTTI isn’t terribly advanced, certainly not the kind that requires high-level enabling S&T research from organisations like DRDO and DARPA. Given that, it makes sense to involve private businesses, particularly the more agile and specialised outfits, to collaborate on meeting high level requirements set out by the militaries of both sides,” aviation expert Angad Singh with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) says.
He adds that projects like these need to focus on development of technology and not be treated as an arms sale. “The key thing is to frame DTTI as cooperative tech development — where both sides contribute and both benefit from the outcomes — rather than one-sided arms sales or technology transfer from the USA to India,” Singh said.
While the US side seems to be keen to work with Indian companies and start-ups, as is clear from the selection for the first aviation project, it remains to be seen how things go ahead, given that traditionally such initiatives have been driven by the DRDO that is bound to a set governmental procedure and pace.

INS Viraat, decommissioned three years ago, to be dismantled at Alang in Gujarat

INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier that served the Indian Navy for 30 years before being decommissioned three years ago, is likely to be towed from Mumbai to Alang in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district next month to be dismantled and sold as scrap, an official said on Tuesday. The longest serving warship, inducted into the Indian Navy in 1987, was bought by Shree Ram Group for Rs 38.54 crore at an auction conducted by the Metal Scrap Trade Corporation Limited last month.
It will likely be towed from the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai to ship breaking yard at Alang next month, the company’s chairman Mukesh Patel said.
“We have made the entire payment and received delivery order from the government. So, depending on the monsoon condition, it will be towed to Alang from the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai where it is stationed now, most likely by mid or end of September after receiving the required permission from the Directorate General of Shipping,” Patel said.
It will take around three days for the ship to be towed from Mumbai to Alang. It will be scrapped at the country’s first certified eco-friendly ship recycling yard in nine to 12 months, he said.
INS Viraat, the second Centaur-class aircraft carrier, was in service for 30 years before being decommissioned in March 2017.
There were proposals in the past to preserve it as a maritime museum.
In July last year, the central government said in Parliament that the decision to scrap INS Viraat was taken in due consultation with the Indian Navy.
The aircraft carrier, in its earlier avatar, had won the Falklands War against Argentina in 1982 for the Royal British Navy.
It weighs about 27,800 tonnes and served in the British Navy as HMS Hermes from November 1959 to April 1984 and after refurbishment, was commissioned into the Indian Navy.
In late 80s, the Indian Navy purchased it at a cost of USD 65 million and it was re-commissioned on May 12, 1987.
INS Viraat is the second aircraft carrier to be broken down in India.
In 2014, INS Vikrant was dismantled in Mumbai.

Indian troops with shoulder-fired air defence missiles deployed near China border

Against the backdrop of the activities of the Chinese helicopters close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, Indian forces have deployed troops equipped with shoulder-fired air defence missiles on the crucial heights there.
“Indian troops armed with the Russian-origin Igla air defence system have been deployed on the crucial heights along the border to take care of any enemy aircraft trying to violate the Indian air space there,” sources told.
The Russian-origin air defence systems are used by both the Indian Army and the Air Force and are supposed to be used when the enemy fighter jets or choppers come close to own locations or deployments during hostilities. The India side has also enhanced its surveillance through the deployment of radars and surface to air missile systems to keep track of the enemy air movement there.
While building up in the Eastern Ladakh sector including areas such as Galwan valley and Patrolling Point 14, the Indian forces had observed that a number of Chinese choppers had tried to come inside Indian territory near the flashpoints.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) had also deployed its Su-30MKI around the first week of May to foil a possible airspace violation by Chinese helicopters in the Eastern Ladakh area. India is keeping a close watch on the Hotan, Gar Gunsa, Kashgar, Hopping, Dkonka Dzong, Linzhi and Pangat airbases of the PLAAF in the Xinjiang and Tibet region and all of them have been highly active in recent times.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has upgraded a number of these bases in recent times including the construction of hardened shelters, the extension of runway lengths and deployment of additional manpower to carry out more operations. The Linzhi airbase opposite the North-eastern states is mainly a helicopter base and the Chinese have also built a network of helipads there to enhance their surveillance activities in those areas.

China launches first of the four advanced naval warships it is building for Pakistan

China has launched first of the four advanced naval warships it is building for Pakistan, amid deepening defence ties between the two all-weather allies. The launching ceremony for the first warship was held at the Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai on Sunday.
Pakistan-China defence ties turn a new chapter with the launch of the first ship of Type-054 class frigate, Pakistan’s state-run APP news agency reported.
The Type-054 class, equipped with the latest surface, subsurface, anti-air weapons, combat management system, and sensors will be one of the technologically advanced surface platforms of the Pakistan Navy fleet, the report said.
Pakistan signed a contract with the China Shipbuilding Trading Company Ltd. (CSTC) for the delivery of two Type-054 A/P frigates in 2017. Last year, the Chinese official media reported that under a major arms deal between the two all-weather allies, China would build four advanced frigates for Pakistan Navy.
The terms of the deal and the price of the ships were not revealed.
The launching of the ship coincided with the 2nd strategic dialogue between Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi held at the Chinese holiday resort of Hainan on August 21.

Pakistan’s ISI hold meeting with JeM terrorists to plan fresh terror attacks in J&K

Pakistani’s ISI may have been planning fresh terror attacks in India as it had a major meeting with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists including its top leadership. Going by intelligence agencies sources, during the meeting, ways and means of fresh attack in Jammu and Kashmir were discussed. The security agencies have been put on high alert as a similar meeting was held two months before the Pulwama Attack.
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) yesterday filed chargesheet in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack case naming JeM chief Masood Azhar, his brothers Abdul Rauf Asghar and Ammar Alvi, slain JeM terrorist Mohammad Umar Farooq, suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar and other terrorist commanders operating from Pakistan. These are apart from the six arrested accused in the case.
The NIA has filed a 13,500-page chargesheet in the special NIA court in Jammu along with the pictures and digital evidence of the Pulwama terror attack. An NIA official told IANS: “The agency filed a chargesheet (on Tuesday) against Azhar, Asghar, Alvi, their slain nephew Farooq, six arrested accused, and absconding accused Sameer Dar in the Pulwama terror attack case at a Jammu special NIA court.”
The NIA said that it has also named two Pakistani nationals – Mohammad Kamran and Mohammad Ismail alias Saifuddin, both IED experts. The official said that the agency has prepared a watertight case against the people named in the chargesheet along with all the irrefutable evidence, including their chats and call details to highlight the role of Pakistan in the February 14, 2019 attack in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed.
The official said that this attack was a plot hatched by the Pakistan-based terror group to project the attack as part of the home-grown militancy in Kashmir. The NIA has also accused several top commanders of the terrorist group in its chargesheet.
The agency arrested Mohammad Iqbal Rather, 25, a resident of Budgam, Jammu & Kashmir in July this year. He is accused of facilitating the movement of Farooq, the JeM terrorist and a key conspirator in this case, after he infiltrated into Indian territory in Jammu region in April 2018.
Farooq, along with others, had assembled the IED used in the terror attack. The NIA in its chargesheet accused that Farooq, who infiltrated in India was an IED expert. Farooq along with suicide bomber Adil and absconding terrorist Sameer Dar prepared the IED that was placed in the Maruti car that was used in the terror attack.
Sameer had come out of the car 500 meters away from the attack site. Earlier, the NIA found that Rather was in constant touch with the Pakistan-based leadership of the JeM and was in communication with them over secure messaging applications and was also part of the transportation module of the terrorist organisation.
The other five arrested accused named in the chargesheet are – Shakir Bashir, Mohammad Abbas Rather, Waiz-ul-Islam, and the father-daughter duo of Tariq Ahmad Shah and Insha Jan – all alleged over ground workers of the JeM.

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