Armed Forces plan — time to do more, make change
Has the government been distracted by Chinese aggression in the Himalayas, and are funds getting diverted towards urgently-needed equipment for land forces, stockpiling of missiles and ammunition, and infrastructure along the Indo-Tibet border? If so, strengthening the northern border should not starve modernisation funds in other areas. The Centre should provide extra funds to deal with Chinese aggression.
Strategic infrastructure will have enduring benefits, such as all-weather connectivity, lower logistics costs and rapid troop & equipment deployment to and between forward sectors. —1) Leh [airport, city, base station] —2) Turtuk & Hunder [gateways to the highly critical Siachen Glacier] —3) Nubra Valley [alternative route to Depsang plains & DBO or Daulat Beg Oldi, at the international tripoint] —4) Merak [leading to Pangong Tso] —5) Zojila Pass [tunnel connecting Leh & Kargil to Srinagar].
There are expectations from the combined Air Force and Army such as indigenous Prachand, HAL LUH, ballistic missile defence, air defence systems, surveillance assets, drones and more. Equally relevant are the Army's offensive capabilities like ATGMs, tube artillery, rocket artillery; and tactical missiles for the rocket force (e.g. Shaurya hypersonic quasi-ballistic @over 700 km, Brahmos ER supersonic cruise missile @800 km, Parlay quasi-ballistic @150-500 km, Prahaar-2/ Pranash quasi-ballistic @200 km & Nirbhay CM @1000 km). Centre needs to put its weight squarely behind these acquisitions as well.
While the naval shipyards are chock-a-block with activity, there are glaring delays in orders for 6 diesel-electric submarines, 4 LPDs, 12 minesweepers and the 3rd aircraft carrier. New acquisitions have been cleared at the MOD level but, like the grand plans of the Air Force, have remained on paper as "good to have", and not given construction contracts. The Navy has used the delay to prepare "next generation" ship designs that are not only highly advanced but nearly 100% made-in-India. The Navy's air assets (e.g. P-8I, SeaGuardian drones, Mig-29k) can be used elsewhere just as they were engaged in Ladakh and Arunachal. The Centre needs to put its weight squarely behind these acquisitions as well—and more so, as naval capital ships take a long time to build and commission.
Aerial platformsIAF has 83 Tejas Mk1A on order (delivery starting 2024), and Tejas Mk2 follow-on orders of up to 10 squadrons (starting ~2029). IN's order for 26 Rafale-M will be confirmed or placed by March 2023 (1/23). IAF will receive 56 C295 transport aircraft, including 40 manufactured by Tata. IN & Coast Guard have ordered an additional 22 aircrafts (12/22). In future, C295 is likely to be the base platform for multiple variants (SIGNIT, ASW, AEW&C, refuellers, Air & Attack ISR). Government has cleared 6 DRDO's AEW&C on modified Airbus A321 (9/21). It is an upgrade of CABS Netra project. HAL will convert 6 passenger aircraft (possibly Boeing 767) into a "multimission tanker transport (MMTT) aircraft" under a MOU with Israel's IAI. India is negotiating for additional heavy-lift Chinooks and Apache attack helicopters (has 6 on order) (OEM Boeing, 6/22).
HAL will manufacture 15 Prachand helicopters (a high-altitude specialist, light attack helicopter with proven experience in Ladakh) but orders will reach at least 162 for IA & IAF (10/22). 12 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) will be manufactured at the Tumkar plant in Karnataka. Large orders for LUH will follow from all services, and multiple variants will be developed for militiary (i.e. different variant for each service & coast guard) and civilian purposes. Arup Chatterjee, director (HAL) discusses LUH in depth. For example, HAL is aiming for a very high level of indigenisation of its helicopters including a brand new Indian engine within 5 years (5/22).
IAF has ordered 70 newly-developed HAL HTT-40 basic trainers worth Rs 6800cr! More orders are expected from IAF. HAL HJT-36 Sitara, intermediate jet trainer, validated safety with 6-turn spin tests (1/22). It will undergo further testing for ~2 years. Arup Chatterjee opines that HAL will soon have state-of-the-art trainers for stage I and II training of IAF pilots.
India may, or may not, buy 30 MQ9B from US for ~$3billion. It is a long-endurance (40hrs), high-altitude UAV meant for persistent day & night surveillance (ISR), at low cost and high efficiency. It can be fitted with mission-specific payloads like anti-submarine, airborne early warning & electronic warfare and defensive counter-air suites. It has anti-collision controls to avoid civilian traffic. MQ9B is planned for IAF, IA, and IN. Military has provisionally ordered 76 Tapas-BH-201, an indigenous and affordable MALE, with delivery beginning in 2023! Multiple private firms (eg L&T) are also developing MALE UAVs.
Missile systems
India has started testing Phase-2, Ballistic Missile Defence. AD-1 interception was successfully tested for first time. AD-2 tests are yet to be done.
"Yesterday's test helps us to intercept any missile of the 5,000 km strike range. It is mainly endo-atmospheric. We are parallelly developing for high exo-atmospheric region. By 2025, we should be able to prove our capabilities," DRDO chairman Samir Kamat said (11/22).
Phase-1 & 2 BMD will use LRTRs, long-range tracking radars (ground or ship-based, GaN, range >1500km). For longer interceptions, DRDO is developing space-based surveillance systems. It is developing SSLV, or small satellite launch vehicle, to rapidly launch (posthaste) multiple satellites in LEO orbit. These small satellites will create new space-based ISR capability (e.g. for Phase-2 BMD), replace satellites taken out by the enemy during war, protect existing satellites and/or hunt down & neutralise enemy satellites (e.g. kamakazi space drones). Last SSLV test was conducted in August 2022 Link. India already possesses land-based ASAT (anti-satellite weapon) developed under Mission Shakti. It successfully hit a satellite in LEO orbit in March 2019.
It implies that development of phase-1 BMD (PDV/ AAD combo, protection upto ~2500km) is completed and phase-1 BMD is quietly being inducted. The article shows a large dome-shaped structure (housing search & tracking radar) coming up in Rajasthan. It says 3 more radars will be built at the Indo-Pak border, in 2 different states, by 2024. Radar is a precursor to BMD.
India has bought 5 regiments of S-400 air defence systems from Russia. Akash SAMs and Barak 8/ER MRSAMs are being inducted in large numbers. IA has also bought some Spider QRSAMs from Israel but has switched to purchasing DRDO's QRSAM, which it cleared after intense testing. IA is reported to have ordered 2 regiments of improved Akash Prime (5/22). Prime has a RF seeker for terminal guidance, making it more deadly (i.e. higher kill ratio) vs Akash IS. There are no orders yet for emerging indigenous systems like Akash NG (stand-alone, ASEA radar, low ground presence) & DRDO's VSHORAD (man-portable, successfully tested). India is short of MANPADS.
ERSAM & XRSAM are highly improved versions (e.g. 2 or more seekers) that will be available in 2024 (if all goes well) Youtube. They would be useful against the growing threat of hypersonic cruise missiles. ERSAM will have a range of 80-150km against fighter aircraft. XR-SAM (eXtra-long Range Surface to Air Missile) will have range of 250km against wide-bodied aircraft and cruise missiles.
Forces are acquiring 'Pralay' ballistic missiles for striking targets at 150-500km. Parley can defeat interceptor missiles due to its quasi-ballistic trajectory & advanced features, and it can change direction midway. Prahaar is a very agile missile intended for short-range "battlefield tactical roles". It replaces Prithvi-I SR ballistic missile. Shaurya missiles have been inducted into strategic forces (9/20). There are undisclosed nos of Nirbhay CMs (subsonic, 1000km range) that use Russian engines. Nirbhay variant with Manik engine has not been successful in trials (10/22).
India continues to stockpile increasing numbers of advanced Brahmos missiles. It can now extend the range of the older Brahmos CMs to 400-500km. A 800km variant, BrahMos ER was tested in January 2022 and may be ready by end-2023. The air-launched Brahmos ER was successfully tested from Su-30MKI (12/2022). IAF believes this is a "game-changer" combination. For example, IAF can carry out precision strikes against enemy ships in the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, IOR below Sri Lanka and proximate 3000km around the Andaman & Nicabar islands.
"We launched Brahmos from Su-30MKI, which is remarkable. No missile system can match the Brahmos today. And if we can extend the range from 400 to 800 kms, then the whole of China will come within its strike range," Lt. Gen (Retd) VK Chaturvedi said (12/22).
DRDO is also developing Brahmos-NG CM (next-gen, lighter @1.5-ton, supersonic) for long stand-off strikes. Unmodified Su-30MKI can carry 4 such missiles. IAF has air-launched stand-off missiles, both foreign and indigenous, like Scalp (500km, stealth strike CM, may licence produce in India) and Meteor BVRAAM (for Rafale) from Europe, and DRDO's SAAW, anti-airfield weapon with a 100km range. DRDO is developing Rudram family (1, 2 & 3), next-gen anti-radiation missile (NGARM) with stand-off ranges of 150km, 300km & 550km. Rudram navigates using the INS-GPS system, and uses passive seekers to close on the enemy target without being detected. It is meant to take down surveillance radars and disrupt communication systems. Rudram-1 was successfully tested in October 2022. The IAF is very keen to have ARMs and has already sent proposals to buy Rudram-1 missiles. Development of Rudram-2 & 3 is almost complete. Rudram-2 missile is being fabricated for trials.
IAF has ordered indigenous Astra-1 BVRAAM, beyond visual range air-to-air missiles (active seeker, 110km range). Upgrade of Astra-1 with ASEA radar (available by end-2024), will extend its range to 130km. Under-development Astra-2 & 3 BVRAAMs are next-gen, "game-changer" missiles that will make IAF competitive or better than its rivals. Astra-2 (range 160km) has a dual-pulse solid motor, exceptional maneuverability, enhanced jammer resistance, etc. Astra-3 (range 300+km) has SFDR or solid fuel-ducted ramjet propulsion. DRDO has refined SFDR technology over recent years, and successfully tested it in March 2021 & April 2022. Carriage & separation trials of dummy Astra-2 (10/22) and Astra-3 (6/22) missiles have happened, suggesting live trials for Astra-2 are imminent and Astra-3 trials are not far away. Astra and Rudram missiles are being integrated with Tejas and older fighters. IAF also has a number of glide bombs in 30-100km range.
Ground weapons
IA will order 100 more K9 Vajra SPH under Make-in-India. IA will order large nos of newly-developed ATAGS 155mm/52-calibre towed guns, 155mm/45-calibre Dhanush towed guns, Pinaka (ER) rocket systems, and precision (or guided) ammunition. 155mm Sharang guns are being added as upgrades to older artillery. Now, upgraded 155mm/52 Dhanush is available for 400 guns, under-15 tonne tender (12/22). It will be assessed alongside private sector guns. BharatForge has a family of Make-in-India artillery guns. For example, BF has atleast 2 types of mountain-orientated wheeled guns, which IA may acquire. DRDO-designed "India mounted gun system" is suitable for the larger wheeled mounted gun requirement. It is under trial, and comprises ATAGS guns mounted on BEML 8-wheeled high-mobility vehicle. According to the DRDO, MGS can be deployed in mountainous, desert and high-altitude terrains.
IA has ordered 3100+ Konkurs-M AGTMs (cheap, 2nd gen, indigenized Russian AGTM, ground or vehicle-mounted, needs to be manually guided to the target). Operator is at risk for longer, but it can be used innovatively, e.g. destroy bunkers & hardened structures at low cost. DRDO has successfully tested laser-guided ATGM (tandem HEAT or high explosive anti-tank warhead) from Arjun tanks (6/22). They are intended for multiple platforms. IA has acquired limited nos of 3rd gen (240) & 4th gen (LR, 200+) Spike man-portable AGTMs (Israeli). India probably has unspecified nos. of Nag ATGM and its ground-based carrier Namica from the 2000s order. Improved Nag ATGM (4km) & Namica combo was cleared in October 2020. Instead, Nag MkII programme is taken up to increase range and performance of Nag. IA now has a choice of newly developed Indian AGTMs. MPATGM, man-portable version has completed trials but IA wants the minimum range to be reduced to 200m from 400-500m. There is no clarity on the newly developed Helina/ Dhruvastra (helicopter-launched, range 7km) meant for attack helicopters like Prachand and Rudra. The order may be delayed by 3 years or cancelled for SANT (stand-off anti-tank missile, MMW seeker, 10km), which is under development and has a longer range. Alternatively, IAF may acquire additional Israeli Spike NLOS, a 30km helicopter-launched ATGM. IAF wants to arm Russian Mi-17V5, medium-weight, transport helicopters with NLOS (4/22). There are no follow-on orders for NLOS as of now.
"We have limited numbers of Spike NLOS (4/22). Forces would look to getting the missiles in large numbers through Make-in-India. Israelis developed NLOS after Kippur war (1971), for hitting Arab armour columns at great distances. We face the same situation as the Chinese have deployed large numbers of tanks and infantry combat vehicles across the LAC."
Mechanised infantry is receiving indigenous systems such as FICA (intital purchase from TATA), Arjun Mk1A tanks, CIWS (L&T Sudarshan), night-fighting gear, anti-drone weapons, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms (e.g. drones). Night-fighting gear will be enhanced through acquisition of gunner's main sight, commander panoramic sight, fire control system, automatic target tracker and laser range finder (8/22). Future-ready Zorawar light tank is in prototype, has received a significant order of ~350 and will be in production within 3-4 yrs. It will include cutting-edge technologies such as drones, active protection and superior situational awareness. It is designed to operate on all terrains including high-altitude, marginal & island terrains.
Infantry soldiers are receiving modern gear under F-INSAS, e.g. SIG 716i battle rifle, AK-203 assault rifle, .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rifle, AT4-CS shoulder-mounted rifle. Acquisitions primarily are locally developed by DRDO (e.g. bomb blast suite, extreme cold clothing), OFB (e.g. new combat uniform, ARDE 40mm under-barrel granade launcher, Multi Grenade Launcher 40mm) and Indian private companies (e.g. SMPP bulletproof vests, MKU ballistic helmets). Infantry will receive large nos. of Carl-Gustaf M4, a versatile shoulder-mounted rocket cannon. CG-M4 or the lighter DRDO variant of M4 will be manufactured in India.
