BEML TATRA vehicles are manufactured with unique technology suitable for all terrain operations. BEML TATRA 8×8 are the multi-terrain vehicles used for tank transportation as well as personnel. These equipment are provided with a winch for self recovery and loading of dead tanks on to the trailer. Similarly BEML TATRA 6×6 are high mobility vehicles used for GS role in Indian Army. These vehicles have a payload capacity of 8000 KGs and useful for towing trailers on public roads upto 65,000 KGs and on terrain conditions trailer weighing upto 16,000 KGs. These vehicles also are provided with winch for self recovery and recovery of other vehicles.

As Norbert Ducrot, Eurocopter Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing Asia points out “By participating in the key RFPs with our best products, we hope to continue to support India acquire the right mission equipment and develop a strengthened aerospace industry. Over the next few months we will also further our relationship with India by exploring opportunities for setting up joint ventures with our long time partners and establish a stronger footprint to provide end-to-end service to the country. ”

The AS550 C3 which is undergoing trials for the Indian Army and Air Force requirement of Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopters will be one of the key products to be showcased at the event. Also showcased will be specification and mock-up models of the EC 725, which is Eurocopter’s key offering for the Indian Multi-role Helicopter requirements and the Panther, which is suited for the requirements of the Indian Coast Guard.

With reference to both the Indian military and civil markets, Eurocopter currently holds a leading position achieved through strong partnerships. In the military space, Eurocopter has had a fruitful association with India for over 4 decades through two co-operation agreements with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).The relationship started with a license production enabling HAL to manufacture more than 600 helicopters of the Alouette 3 and Lama type (Cheetah/Chetak). In 1984, HAL associated with Eurocopter in the development of the Advanced Light Helicopter. The cooperation with HAL has been further strenghtened with Eurocopter outsourcing metallic and composite work packages and today, HAL is part of Eurocopter global supply chain by producing Ecureuil/Fennec airframes, joining the ranks of very few select tier I suppliers.

In the civil space, Eurocopter has succesfully formed partnerships in both public and private sector with Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited and Indocopters. These partnerships cover the entire spectrum of helicopter activities, from manufacturing to operations, maintenance and product support.

With a motto – ‘Yudham Pragraya’ meaning ‘to war with wisdom’, the Defence Services Staff College stands tall as the epctome of Indian Military proficiency. Being one of its kind in the world, it is the only institution that provides under the very staff training to officers of Army, Navy and the Air Force alongwith officers of civil services and those of common wealth and friendly foreign countries.

Outlining the aim of this institution which is to train and educate selected officers of the three services in command and staff functions in peace and war, in own service and inter services environment, the present Commandant of DSSC Lt Gen HPS Kler said, “Our aim is to create an atmosphere of professional excellence led by an outstanding faculty with students learning in a supportive, challenging and educational environment, which shapes future leaders to think creatively, reason critically and act decisively.

The origin of this premier Tri-Services institution dates back to 1902 when Lord Kitchner proposed to establish an Indian Staff College to train officers to improve military proficiency on the lines of Staff College Camberley. The approval of the proposal in 1905 let to the establishment of Indian Staff College in Quetta (Now in Pakistan) in 1907. With partition becoming a reality in 1947, the Indian elements of the college moved base to Wellington in Tamil Nadu as an Army Category ‘A’ training establishment.

01 April 1948 saw the first interim course of 20 weeks commencing at the college attended by 46 Army, 02 Air Force and 02 Naval officers with a purely Army syllabi. Today in the 62nd year of its existence, the DSSC has evolved into a true joint training institution with integrated training Syallbi and operational synergy.

Talking of this college Late Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw who had been the Commandant of DSSC, said “In 1971 Indo Pak War I was to experience first hand the synergy achieved in battle due to the spirit of jointmanship it ingrains within the Officers of the three services who graduate from this college”.

The Marker Pen like AGNI-3 Missile is 17 meters long with 2 metres in diameter. The Missile is a two stage solid propellant system with a pay load capability of 1.5 tons. During the course of flight the Missile reached a peak height of 350 kms and re-entered into the atmosphere successfully tolerating the skin temperatures of nearly 3000 degree Celsius.

The missile is equipped with a state of the art computer system, navigated with a most advanced Navigation system and guided with an innovative guidance scheme. The Navigation system used for guidance is first of its kind. Number of Radars and electro optical tracking systems along the coast of Odisha have monitored the path of the Missile and evaluated all the parameters in realtime.

The launch is part of the pre-induction trial. Indian Army (the user) has carried out the total launch operations guided by the DRDO scientists. Now the Missile system will be fully inducted into the armed forces.

Mission Director Sri Avinash Chander and Project Director Dr V.G. Sekaran have guided and controlled the complete Missile integration and launch activities. Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri and Director General, DRDO Dr V.K. Saraswat has over seen the total launch operations.

Dr V.K. Saraswat and Sri Avinash Chander congratulated all the Scientists and employees of DRDO and the industry partners.

The Government of India has requested a possible sale of 145 M777 155mm Light-Weight Towed Howitzers with Laser Inertial Artillery Pointing Systems (LINAPS), warranty, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, maintenance, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor representatives’ technical assistance, engineering and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $647 million.

This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the U.S.-India strategic relationship and to improve the security of an important partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in South Asia.

India intends to use the howitzers to modernize its armed forces and enhance its ability to operate in hazardous conditions. The howitzers will assist the Indian Army to develop and enhance standardization and to improve interoperability with U.S. Soldiers and Marines who use the M777 as their primary means of indirect fire. India will have no difficulty absorbing these weapons into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractors will be, BAE of Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Watervliet Arsenal of Watervliet, New York; Seiler Instrument Company of St Louis, Missouri; Triumph Actuation Systems of Bloomfield, Connecticut; Taylor Devices of North Tonawanda, New York; Hutchinson Industries of Trenton, New Jersey; and Selex, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will require annual trips to India involving up to eight (8) U.S. Government and contractor representatives for technical reviews/support, training, and in-country trials for a period of approximately two years.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.

The joint exercise which began on October 18 comprised of three stages. Firstly, familiarization was carried out in which the participants were made aware of the organization and rolls of each other’s defence forces. Next, during the training phase, the soldiers were told about the cordon and search operations, ambush operations, special techniques of commandos, road opening and convoy protection. In the third phase of the exercise, night navigation followed by cordon, search and destroy operations were carried out. Today, on the final day, a mock drill was carried out to evict the terrorists holed up in a house. This platoon level exercise was successful in sharing expertise in Counter-Insurgency and Counter-Terrorism operations. From the Indian Army, the 16 Madras Batallion (One Officer, one JCO and 33 Other Ranks) and the 2 Para (One Officer and 6 Other Ranks) participated while five officers and 38 Other Ranks participated from the Maldives National Defence Force.

Sharing their experiences in India, Sergeant Asleef Khaleel and Lance Corporal Ali Zalif of the Maldivian troops said that coming from a flat nation it was an enriching experience for them to work in different terrains like mountains and valleys. Though the two nations had vast differences in terms of terrain and weather, they felt they were close culturally and said that the Bollywood flicks are quite popular in Maldives and they tune in regularly to the Hindi cable channels for their dose of soap operas.

Apart from the Defence Minister of Maldives, EKUVERIN-09 was witnessed by GOC-in-C, Southern Command, Lt. Gen Pradeep Khanna, Commandant of the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment Centre, Brigadier Sanjay Holey, the Male region Commander and Marine Corps Commandant Brigadier General Ahmed Shiyam.

Two Naval ships located at the targets, tracked and monitored both the missiles hitting the targets very accurately. All the Radars and other sensors along the East coast monitored the Missiles trajectory parameter.

Prithvi, the first missile developed under IGMDP programme, has the capability to carry 500 Kg of warhead, has a length of Nine metres with one metre diameter thrusted by Liquid propulsion twin engine. It uses Advanced Inertial Guidance System with manoeuvring trajectory and reaches the targets with a few metre accuracy.

Both the missiles were from the stock of Armed Forces and the total launch activities were carried out by the Strategic Force Comand. The launches were witnessed by Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri, Dr. VK Saraswat, Lt Gen BS Nagal, CNC, Strategic Force Command, Lt Gen VK Singh, GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, Sri Avinash Chander, Director ASL, Shri SK Ray, Director RCI, Shri SP Dash, Director ITR, Shri VLN Rao, Programmed Director, Maj Gen (Retd) R Khetrapal, CMD, BDL and other top DRDO Scientists.

The emerging security threats being faced by the Defence Personnel’s, in the present scenario of insurgency & terrorism, calls for new and improved defence solutions in every conceivable sphere. The presence of a safe, reliable and light weight armored vehicles for safety of troops operating in such insurgent areas has been conspicuous by its absence.

Concord has been recently invited to participate in a Proposal for providing Light Weight Armoured Vehicle Solution (LWAV) by Indian Army. To beat the challenges of Indian Army’s operational requirements, Concord developed the new light weight armoured vehicle – the C8. The first prototypes were built at Concords manufacturing facility in Dehradun, India. The vehicle is currently under trials at Northern Command of Indian Army. After two months this vehicle will be available for paramilitary and police forces.

Concord’s, “C8″ has been developed at Concords state of art manufacturing facility in Dehradun. The Concord’s, “C8″ is a cost effective armored vehicle, based upon Powerful and rugged 4 X 4 platforms, and will be soon launched in Asian markets as well.

The Rugged C8 4X4 light weight armored vehicle viable to operate virtually in all types of terrains. Its unmatched capacity permits carrying of 6 soldiers including driver with full combat loads. The vehicle is ideally suited to operate in counter insurgency operations for patrol, reconnaissance and convoy protection, logistics, search and rescue missions.

The special features of C8, LWAV, which has been offered to the Indian Army for evaluations, is its high power to weight ratio enabling carriage of extra combat loads, full ballistic protection of the crew compartment, engine, fuel and fuel pump, air pressure tanks, ensuring complete safety of the crew inside the vehicle.

“We have designed C8, with three goals in mind, to provide the operationally unmatched performance in all terrain and provide ultimate security and comfort “, said Anurag Gupta Director Concord Safety Solution.

The NBC recce vehicle is based on BMP-IIK Chassis for cross country capability. Its fitted with Nuclear, Chemical, Metrological and Positional Sensors for monitoring of nuclear and chemically contaminated areas. It enables demarcation of nuclear and chemically contaminated zones with Flag Marking System. The vehicle collects radiologically and chemically contaminated soil and water samples with Scooping device. The vehicle enables display and storage of NBC data in control console.

NBC recce vehicle can transmit data to command Hqr on request through Communication Link Controller and Star-V radio set. It has various nuclear and chemical monitors in dismount role for personal monitoring. The vehicle comprises of NBC Hazard Prediction Software for Prediction of Hazardous zone. The vehicle costs 4 times less w.r.t. similar imported vehicle. This vehicle provides adequate shielding to crew.

Army has given the Limited Series Production Order of eight NBC Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBC RV) to DRDO and the same are under production by OF, Medak and BEL, Pune by involving industry from private sector.

The first vehicle was flagged off on 27th June 2009 by Lt Gen Gautam Dutt, VSM, Engg in Chief, Army Hqrs, Shri M Natrajan, SA to RM & DG, DRDO; Dr D Banerjee CC R&D (AMS) & DS DRDO, Lt Gen A M Verma, GOC 12 Crops, General Managers of OF, Medak and BEL, Pune, Directors from R&D Hqrs and Directors and senior scientists of participating labs were presents. The key of this vehicle was handed over by CC R&D (AMS) to Engg. In Chief.

In addition 60 other products related to NBC defence have been developed by DRDO and introduced into the Service to make the country self reliant in this strategic area

Lieutenant General PC Katoch, Director General of Information Systems (DGIS) and Shri Ashwani Kumar Datt, Chairman & Managing Director, BEL handed over the SHAKTI equipment JTO Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor and Lieutenant General KR Rao, Director General of Artillery. The function was atte4nded by several army officers alongwith senior officers from Air Force, Navy, DRDO and BEL.

Project SHAKTI is the first among the various Combat Command Control and Information (C31) systems being fielded in the Army. It is a network of military grade tactical computers automating and providing decision support for all operational aspects of Artillery functions from the corps down to a battery level. The system is also designed to seamlessly integrate with overall C31 grid. Project SHAKTI, thus will be the hub center of the fire power resource component of the corps combat potential. The major functions that the systems can perform are :-

• Technical fire control for accurate delivery of fire power at the right time and place.

• Tactical fire control for optimum utilization of available resources.

• Fire planning.

• Deployment management to ensure timely and speedy deployment to achieve maximum fire densities at critical area.

• Operational logistics management.

‘SHAKTI’ will give the capability to concentrate the Artillery fire power at tactical level with ease and delivering the decisive blow by concentrated fire power at critical areas to ensure victory in battle.

In his address the Army Chief stated that future wars would be short, intense and technology driven. To achieve a cutting edge the Army needs to take speedy decisions facilitated by situational awareness and decision support tools in a networked C 31 environment. Project SHAKTI has empowered the Artillery with that cutting edge through automation of all Artillery functions in was at all levels of command.

General Kapoor extended his appreciation to BEL Bangalore, Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics (CAIR), ARDE for their dedicated efforts resulting in successful completion of the project.