Indian Defence Review

Defence Preparedness: An unforgiving opportunity

At Rs. 2.29 lakh crore, Defence expenditure is the largest component of the national budget. But true to Parkinson Law, when the figures are astronomical and beyond the grasp of human mind, the discussion/debate is minimal while smaller items will be hotly debated by our parliamentarians. This author recalls sitting in...

Employment of Helicopters in Counter Insurgency Roles

Experts estimate that about 80 different insurgencies are active around the world. Malaya, French Indochina, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, South Africa, Algeria, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, the Congo, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, the Balkans, Xinjiang, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Chechnya have all seen the...

Strategies for Defence Modernisation and Self-Reliance

In defence parlance, modernisation may be defined as relevant upgrades or improvement of existing military capabilities through the acquisition of new (imported or indigenously developed) weapon systems and supporting assets, the incorporation of new doctrines, the creation of novel organisational structures and the...

The ‘Why’ of Rethinking Indian Nuclear Deterrence!

Indian nuclear decision making was always in the global political context. These were almost exclusively political decisions with the armed forces not in the loop. The 1974 Pokhran I tests were in response to the emergent Sino-US quasi alliance of 1972 (Shanghai declaration by Nixon and Chou En Lai) that threatened the...

The Indo-Pak Peace Talks: A Duodrama

The two actors of our sub-continent prepare to enact the latest scene, in the series of peace drama running over decades. The script is yet to play out the denouement. Nevertheless they meet again on Aug 25, 2014. What this should means for Indo-Pak relations remains anybody’s guess. In a telephonic conversation with...

The Gaza Debate: A View Point

The Rajya Sabha had been pressing for a debate on the Gaza action of Israel, and with overwhelming pressure, including by threatening to forestall all other discussions in the Rajya Sabha, they were able to pressure an unwilling government to debate the issue. …India will now not sacrifice or de-recognize Israel for...

Defence Preparedness: An unforgiving opportunity

Employment of Helicopters in Counter Insurgency Roles

Strategies for Defence Modernisation and Self-Reliance

Kashmiris are being hijacked!

The government in the centre has been there barely two months and a segment of the so-called prime-movers of the Kashmir valley, political leaders and intelligentsia, have started voicing a litany of demands – political, economic, development, social and what not. Inimical voices from across the border have increased...

Israel under the Iron Dome - Should India Seek Cover?

The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has once again brought into sharp focus the technological disparities between the two adversaries. Although there are news reports indicating use of UAVs by Hamas, most of these are unconfirmed. It could be very much possible that these were rudimentary aero-models with explosive...

Drone Terrorism

Media recently reported the arrest of four persons in Varanasi for filming the ‘Ganga Aarti’ using drone cameras at the Dashashwamedh Ghat without permission. The arrest was possible because the cam-copter was observed hovering in the vicinity. These four persons reportedly belong to Mumbai, Chandigarh, Delhi and...

Finmeccanica – Selex ES’s mini and micro UAVs see success in tests

Finmeccanica – Selex ES’s ASIO-B and SPYBALL-B UAVs have passed their factory acceptance tests, leaving them ready for delivery to the Italian Army for its Forza NEC modernisation programme. With the systems ready to be welcomed into operation, the Italian Army will soon be able to benefit from the effective support...

FDI in Defence: Dispelling the Myths

India should adopt a flexible FDI policy to import much needed technologies which cannot be mastered through indigenous efforts in the acceptable time frame. Unfortunately, every time the issue of increasing FDI limit comes up, the opponents resort to their time-tested subterfuge of raising the bogey of security...

Lenco announces successful Blast Test of BEAR Troop Transport Armored Vehicle

Lenco Industries, Inc., the global leader in the design and manufacture of armored police vehicles, announces successful underbody and side blast testing of the BEAR® 17-man Troop Transport Armored Vehicle designed for Military and Government personnel and International Security Forces operating in hostile...

Future of Manned Combat Aircraft

It has long been known that the forte of an unmanned device is to undertake “dull, dirty and dangerous” missions. No pilot can ever hope to equal the staying power of a UAV while orbiting a target for several hours at a stretch, just waiting for something to happen. UAV endurance may soon be specified in days. Then...