Articles in Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018
Seizing the Ultimate High Ground: The Growing Military Exploitation of Space
By: Gp Capt Joseph Noronha | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 08 Jan , 2019
War in space rather than on the Earth is not entirely undesirable because it would be fought entirely by machines with no direct risk to human life. However, a major shootout could make...
The Unmanned Battlefield Helicopter
By: Gp Capt AK Sachdev | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 20 Nov , 2018
The term ‘battlefield helicopter’ continues to live on and conjure up visions of sleek, fierce looking rotary-wing craft shrieking their way over friendly forces on the ground. Since the...
IAF Fighter Fleet in Crisis
By: Air Marshal Anil Chopra | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 10 Jul , 2018
Clearly evident in Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa’s statements was the fact that the threat from both China and Pakistan, including a possible two-front war is real. The emphasis was on the need to...
Project 75 (India) and the Australian Submarine Programme
By: Cmde CP Srivastava | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 01 Jul , 2018
The final choice of platform under project 75(I) should, therefore, be based not only on the quality of the submarine, but also on the extent of TOT and certain other factors which would be given...
Dealing with the Stealth Threat: The Way Forward
By: Lt Gen (Dr) VK Saxena (Retd.) | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 24 Jun , 2018
The stealth muscle in the air threat vehicles of today is one dimension of survivability that is fast becoming a nightmare to air defence warriors. Why so? Because survivability directly...
What Made the ‘Sword of Islam’ Conquer Large Parts of the Ancient World?
By: Col JK Achuthan (Retd.) | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 23 Jun , 2018
The deep study of the characteristics of successful Muslim armies is very important for Indian military professionals, because we have Pakistan as our neighbour. Rulers there can unite the polity...
The Scorpene: Enhancing India’s Underwater Capability
By: Danvir Singh | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 21 Apr , 2018
In addition to the 14 active submarines, India is in the process of constructing six Scorpène-class boats that are being indigenously built at the Mazagon Dock in Mumbai, under the supervision...
The Strategy of Moral High Ground in Jammu and Kashmir
By: Lt Gen PG Kamath | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 18 Apr , 2018
The two epics of Indian Philosophy; Ramayana and Mahabharat portrayed wars fought for righteousness and justice. These wars depicted ‘Victory of Virtue over Vice’. Even Christianity supported...
Make in India for the Indian Navy: A Make or Break Situation
By: Dr P K Ghosh, PhD | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 13 Apr , 2018
It is obvious that the ‘Make in India’ initiative has the best of intentions for all 25 sectors including defence. However, its efficacy and viability (especially for the Indian Navy) till...
F-16 Block 70 vs SAAB JAS 39E
By: Air Marshal Anil Chopra | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 12 Apr , 2018
The Indian Air Force (IAF) continues to be at a near all time low of 33 fighter aircraft squadrons. In fact, it will require around 500 new aircraft by 2030, to compensate for the additional...
Defence Production: Time for Major Policy Reforms
By: Prof (Dr) SN Misra | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 11 Apr , 2018
With the NDA coming to power, there has been a renewed effort to energise defence manufacturing. The NDA government has increased the FDI limit to 49 per cent and constituted a committee under...
Cyber Security: Civil and Military Implications
By: Maj Gen S G Vombatkere | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 06 Apr , 2018
The capability of India’s matchless troops in on-the-ground, blood-and-guts fighting is legendary. But if operational logistics is compromised in advance by a hostile military, wars may be lost...
Pakistan: From the Arms of Uncle Sam to the Lap of Aunt Xing
By: Brig Anil Gupta | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 28 Mar , 2018
Pakistan was a blessed state at the time of its birth due to its strategic location fitting well into Mackinder’s heartland construct. The location dominates the major land and maritime...
Strategic Review of 2017: Forecasting for 2018
By: Lt Gen (Dr) JS Bajwa | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 20 Mar , 2018
It can be difficult to separate the important from the unimportant on any given day. The reflections below mean to do exactly that – by thinking about what happened today, we can consider what...
Defence Budget 2018-19
By: Prof (Dr) SN Misra | Issue: Vol. 33.1 Jan-Mar 2018 | Date: 10 Mar , 2018
There was considerable disappointment in the last year’s budget speech of Finance Minister, as there was no mention of the defence outlay. Arun Jaitley has made amends of it this year, by...