JaiThe massive relief and rescue operations launched by the States and the Government of India has helped in normalizing the situation very early. About 20,900 personnel from Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Para Military Forces were deployed. 40 Naval/Coast Guards ships, 34 aircrafts and 42 helicopters were part of the massive operations. 28,734 persons were rescued on the mainland and more than 6000 stranded people including tourists from Andaman & Nicobar Islands, were brought to the mainland. 6.36 lakh persons in all were moved to safer places and kept in 930 relief camps.
JaiSome excerpts from the article
Used sensibly, BrahMos will decisively shape the battlefield
By Lt. Gen. R.S. Nagra (retd)
Publication : Force Magazine, India
Issue : March 2005
A land based battery consisting of four Mobile Autonomous Launchers (MAL) covers a frontage of approximately 500 to 600km. A battery consisting of four MALs can either fire as one sub-unit or MAL can be detached from the battery and deployed independently to engage targets outside the coverage zone of the battery. MAL is capable of operating independently on its own provided target coordinates are made available to it either by Mobile Command Post (MCP) or Fixed Command Centre (FCC). Each MAL is supported by two to three missile replenishment vehicles and a battery has one maintenance support vehicle for on the spot repairs except for missiles which should be repaired only in earmarked depots with adequate workshop facilities.
Missile depots with technical facilities will have to be created in various areas to support missile preparation, loading onto launchers, changing configuration and operational parameters based on emergency procedures for draining fuel and dismantling of warhead. Missile depots will need to be equipped with necessary equipment, simulators, trolleys, special and standard tools, as well as necessary spares. However, no maintenance tools are required for three years after a check out from the depot.
MAL is based on 12×12 vehicle with electronically controlled engine and transmission system. It can be deployed in all types of terrain, including transportation by heavy lift aircrafts. The vehicle and the systems are capable of operating in Nuclear Biological Chemical (NBC) environment with all operations being automatically carried out from protected equipment cabin. It also has containerised power supply system. The missile can be programmed to traverse any type of terrain from sea-level to high altitude, over the mountain and within valleys, and engage all types of targets whether on forward or reverse slopes because of the versatility of its pre-programmed trajectories from Low – Low to High – Low and capable of going through seven to eight way points permitting turns up to 80 degrees.
Four MALs of a battery communicate with the MCP for target acquisition and allocation of targets for engagement. MCP receives target related information from battlefield surveillance devices like aircraft, UAVs, helicopters, satellites and ground based sensors. MCP communicates with FCC for an integrated command and control action. MCP also performs multi-functions of radar tracking, correlation and fusion; health check and status monitoring; security for system, network and communications; and diagnostics, simulation and training.
Data received by MAL from MCP is sent to Fire Control System (FCS) which is part of the MAL. FCS is intended for pre-launch preparation and launch of missile. It is capable of preparing and launching of three missiles in single or salvo mode. It also monitors the health of the launcher and does articulation using Launcher Control System (LCS). The configuration of FCC, MCP, MAL and FCS is flexible and can be re-configured by the user depending upon operational requirements.
JaiReduced scale model of the Avro Hack for MMR testing ?
JaiVL MICA Records Direct Hit in Test Firing
On 22nd February 2005, MBDA’s Vertical Launch (VL) MICA air defence system was put to the test with the firing of a production series MICA missile fitted with an infrared seeker against a small drone flying at low altitude. The test was a complete success with the target destroyed by a direct hit at a range of around 10 kilometers.
The successful test took place at 13.00 p.m. (local time), in front of an evaluation team from the Indian Air Force as well as Indian Army officers at the Centre d’Essais de Lancement de Missiles (CELM) missile test centre near Biscarosse on the South West coast of France. MBDA, together with its Indian industrial partner Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), is offering the VL MICA system as the solution to the Indian Air Force’s expressed requirement for a Low Level Quick Reaction Missile (LLQRM) air defence system.
Commenting on the test firing, Marwan Lahoud MBDA’s Chief Executive Officer said: “The test result was totally expected as both the VL MICA land and naval systems feature the proven and in-service MICA missile. However, we are delighted that together with our Indian partners BDL, we were able to show how well suited VL MICA is to the immediate and long term requirements of the Indian armed forces and to reinforce MBDA’s status as a clear leader in air defence systems.”
BACKGROUND NOTES
VL MICA has been developed to provide a highly effective, rapid reaction, all-weather ground or naval based air defence against the widest range of threats. For use in the most severe electronic or IR countermeasure environments, VL MICA has an interception range in excess of 15 km against the whole range of targets, and an altitude range of up to 10,000 metres.
The Low Level Quick Reaction (LLQRM) VL MICA system uses the same MICA missile as that launched by the in-service air-to-air system and incorporates either an active radar homing head or infrared imaging to ensure autonomous terminal guidance after launch. The missile features a thrust vector control system which permits vertical launch, a very short reaction time and a high firing rate (less than two seconds between firings) to simultaneously engage multiple targets and provide 360° defence coverage without a costly dedicated tracking and guidance suite. VL MICA ground and naval systems employ exactly the same missile.
Land Based – VL MICA comprises a Tactical Operation Centre (TOC), a Sensor and Identification Unit (SIU – radar) and several launchers (typically four) mounted on vehicles and interconnected via optical fibre (TOC – radar) and VHF (TOC – launchers). This structure makes it easy to deploy, easy to integrate in global air defence and gives the system a high level of survivability.
All the elements of land-based VL MICA can be mounted on standard high mobility vehicles.
The MICA missile is in series production with about 400 missiles being produced annually.
The new vertical launch container produced for the VL MICA represents a key achievement in this surface-to-air defence system programme. In order to provide a modular and flexible installation on corvettes or light frigates size ships, MBDA has selected a single missile launch container having its own integrated exhaust gases management.
The concept for the VL MICA container takes advantage of many new technologies. The container is an assembly of vacuum-soldered rectangular sections made of shaped aluminium alloy.
The MICA missile and its container constitute the “VL MICA munition”. The total weight of the system is less than 400kg, including the missile which has a mass of 112 kg.
(Source: MBDA; dated Feb. 22, web-posted March 1, 2005)
JaiShowtime, it has been stated a few times in the past that the Kh-59MK has China as one of it’s customers, thus the post.
JaiJaiRe: Kh-59MK
Kh-59MK at Aero India – 2005
JaiIt is the first time I see the designation Su-30MKI MkIII. What exactly was MkI and MkII, then?
Hi flex297, hope you do not mind me cross-posting my post from BR’s Su-30 thread.
The requirements of the IAF and the fact that the MKI required the integration of a number of foreign and Indian components made the job of producing the MKI ( final specification ) at one go a difficult task. So, the solution which was found out was, that before the final variant would be delivered, two intermediate batches will be delivered. These batches are called Mk.1 and Mk.2 respectively. The full, final version of the MKI compatible with LGBs, and long-range precision armament is called the Mk.3 version.
The Su-30 MKI Mk.2 version itself was more than an interceptor, because it was assigned AShM launching duties sometime back.
To answer you question more directly :
Mk.1 = A2A missions and attack w/o PGMs.
Mk.2 = Above and integration Kh/X-31A.
Mk.3 = Above and LGB + Kh-59M. This is the only sub-variant which uses Indian manufactured computers.
JaiI can see fins at the back but that welded appendage in the front
It is the missile. As far as the issur of welding is concerned, my guess is that the company would have created a mockup of the missile and TEL specifically for display in airshows, or military expositions. In such a case, the welding could make the transportation of the entire structure a less unwieldy task.
The orange thing seems to be the cover for the engine . Right ?
Yes.
JaiThis one is for you, Hyperwarp. 😉
JaiPhoto of BrahMos’s @sz from Aero India – 2005
JaiDear Jai,
Have you more hi-resolution Brahmos test launch photos (from Rajput too)? There’s only very little pics on brahmos.com… 🙁
Thanks you,
Ann
I am afraid I do not have more hi-res test launch photos of BrahMos, apart from the ones which I have already posted on the first part of this thread, and on BR.
JaiDeals at Aero India – 2005
THE biennial air-show-cum-defence exhibition organised by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has come of age. Though it may not have reached the iconic status of the ones at Farnborough (outside London) and Paris (at Le Bourget), it certainly ranks on a par with important regional air shows such as those held in Singapore and Dubai. But there is a key difference – while trade enquiries and defence sales at Singapore and Dubai more often that not involve deals made with a third country, Aero India is still an India-specific show.
Aero India 2005, which was held from February 9 to 13 at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station at Yelahanka on the outskirts of Bangalore, was a success. The transactions included the IAF’s decision to buy 40 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft worth almost $1 billion; SpiceJet’s (formerly known as Royal Airways) agreement with Boeing to buy 10 Boeing 737-800 aircraft worth $628 million; the Rs.30 crore joint venture between the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the French engine manufacturer Snecma to produce engine parts; the Embraer-Defence Research and Development (DRDO) technical assistance agreement (TAA) for designing an Indian Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) platform; the TAA between Lockheed Martin and HAL to share export-controlled data on the P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft programme; India’s first low-cost carrier Air Deccan’s $600 million deal with International Aero Engines to buy power plants for its Airbus A320 fleet; Air Deccan’s $528 million order with ATR for 30 ATR 72-500 planes; and Bharat Electronics’ $1.5 million contract with the government of Surinam to supply defence communication equipment and night vision devices.
There were 32 official military delegations (including, for the first time, one from China) to Aero India 2005. The number of exhibitors increased to 410 (including 236 from 30 overseas destinations), and there were over 250,000 visitors.
India’s own airborne early warning and surveillance system, which was being developed by the DRDO but fell apart in January 1999 when the aircraft it was mounted on crashed, got a shot in the arm during the show when it was announced that the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer would cooperate with the Electronic Research and Development Establishment to develop a new indigenous, phased array system. While the DRDO will lead the radar development, Embraer will develop the aircraft.
British aviation major BAe Systems, which in 2003 clinched the $1.75-billion contract to manufacture 66 Hawk 100 Advanced Jet Trainers for the IAF, was keen to modernise the Navy’s Sea Harrier Mk 1 air defence fleet. According to Air Chief Marshall Sir John Day, Senior Military Adviser, BAe Systems, the company would be willing to heed a Navy request to upgrade the fleet. “The aircraft’s radar can be upgraded by installing the (Ferranti) Blue Vixen (track-while-scan, multi-mode, pulse Doppler radar), which the Sea Harrier Mk 2 of the Royal Navy operates with. With the Royal Navy deciding to take the Harriers out of service by 2007, a number of Blue Vixen radars have become available. The Indian Navy could consider taking these radars and installing them on their Sea Harriers. Another option could be for the Indian Navy to acquire some of these Mk 2s.”
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash said the deal to modernise the Sea Harriers would be finalised shortly and added that the Navy was looking out for a world class, beyond-visual-range missile. Arun Prakash said: “The Navy won’t be interested in the Mk 2 since it is a different aircraft and at this stage we won’t want to start a new line of aircraft. We are getting the MiG-29K and the LCA naval variant may also come. It will be the end of the line for the Sea Harriers once this modernisation is over.”
Also on view were missile systems, avionics suites, radars, simulators and a variety of upgrade programmes.
JaiRe: Cope India 2005
New Delhi, Feb. 24: The air force is developing its base in Kalaikunda near Kharagpur in Bengal for joint training with foreign air forces. The first exercise from Kalaikunda with fighter aircraft from the US Air Force is scheduled to be held by the end of the year.
Aircraft operating out of Kalaikunda for training and exercises usually fly in airspace over the Bay of Bengal. Kalaikunda, originally a Second World War base built by Britain’s Royal Air Force, is home to the IAF’s MiG 27 fighter squadrons.
The assistant chief of air staff (operations), Air Vice-Marshal S.C. Mukul, said here today that Kalaikunda will be the second IAF base to be upgraded to host teams from foreign air forces. The first is the hub for Mirage squadrons at Gwalior.
“We are developing international facilities at the base so that it can host joint manoeuvres,” he said and expected the facilities to be ready for the second India-US fighter exercises likely in November-December this year.
JaiHarry….You are kidding right???? He/she actually said that?? :confused: 😮 😀
Well, the following description is slightly off-topic from your question, but the Russians had the “facility” of having a translator and an expert at many of their stalls. When I visited the stall of the Chernyshev MMB I asked the expert to give me a brief description of the RD-93. I don’t know who erred, but the translator lady started giving a description of the RD-33N. I did not bother to ask any more questions from the duo.
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