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Defence Notes

	April 01, 2002

CAG exposes more shortcomings in defence purchases

Three months after exposing the Kargil coffin scam, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has indicted the government for procuring anti-aircraft missiles and explosive-release cartridges, saying both contracts were “unnecessary”.

Taking exception to the Indian Navy importing 104 anti-aircraft missiles worth $5.72 million by projecting it as a requirement for the Kargil conflict, the CAG in a new report said the “unnecessary procurement of missiles for Kargil operations resulted in avoidable expenditure of Rs.24.77 crore.”

“The rates contracted were more than twice those of 1996,” the CAG report said.It said 34,000 explosive cartridges, imported for the Kargil operations, were costlier than those indigenously manufactured by ordnance factories.

The CAG also took the government to task for the misuse of special financial powers of disbursing Rs.10 crore given to the Northern Army Commander to meet urgent and immediate requirements of counter-insurgency operations and internal security duties.

The CAG said the army had purchased sub-standard stores worth Rs.3.12 crore which had an “adverse impact” on anti-insurgency operations



Shake-up of Indian Air Force top brass expected

An intrusion into Pakistani airspace by a senior Indian Air Force commander’s aircraft is likely to result in a shake-up of its top brass, highly placed defence sources said. Air Marshal Vinod Bhatia, who was piloting an AN-32 transport aircraft that was hit by Pakistani fire after it accidentally crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, is likely to be shifted from his position as commander of the strategic Western Air Command, the sources said.

A number of other senior commanders will be transferred at the same time to coincide with Bhatia’s shifting from the New Delhi-based formation. “This move could involve chiefs of other commands and other senior Air Marshals,” a senior IAF officer said.

Bhatia’s aircraft, on a flight from Delhi to the Kargil airstrip, made an emergency landing at Leh after it was hit by Pakistani fire on February 19.

The incident sparked a controversy with Indian Army and IAF officials trading charges in the media as to whether Bhatia’s AN-32 was hit by “friendly fire” from Indian ground forces or it was damaged by a missile or anti-aircraft fire from across the LoC.

With India and Pakistan engaged in a tense military standoff following the terror attack on Parliament in December last year, the possible downing of Bhatia’s aircraft could have precipitated a major crisis.

“In view of the sensitivities involved, the air force does not want to be seen as acting too harshly against any one. A shuffling of senior commanders was due later this year but it will now be carried out much earlier,” the IAF officer said. The reshuffle is likely to be completed in early April, he said.

A probe conducted by Air Marshal M.S. Sekhon has reportedly found that Bhatia’s aircraft flew at a low altitude while approaching the LoC and crossed into Pakistani airspace.

The probe itself resulted in another controversy when a letter written by Sekhon, seeking a politician’s intervention to boost his career, was mysteriously leaked to the media. Sekhon was forced to resign by the IAF soon after he completed his probe.

Matters were further complicated when Bhatia reportedly questioned the impartiality of the probe, as Sekhon had sought political help to wangle a posting as Chief of the Western Air Command.

“Air Marshal Sekhon’s inquiry was a fact-finding exercise and the facts have been established. The inquiry report has been accepted by the Air Headquarters,” the IAF officer said. “There is no need for any other probe.”



India tests pilotless aircraft

India successfully tested an indigenously developed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a new engine at a range in eastern Orissa state on March 25.

Defence sources said the Lakshya UAV was successfully test-fired from the interim test range at Chandipur-on-Sea. Senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officials were present at the trial.

Development Organisation (DRDO) as a pilot-less target aircraft, has already entered service with the IAF. Limited production of the UAV too has already begun.

The latest test was aimed at studying the performance of a new engine developed for the Lakshya by the DRDO, the sources said. India’s armed forces use UAVs as force multipliers in warfare and cost-effective alternatives in mounting surveillance in remote areas like the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. The IAF and the army have several units equipped with Israeli UAVs. India and Israel have reportedly reached an agreement to explore the joint production of UAVs.

Besides the Lakshya, India has also developed the Nishant, a remotely piloted vehicle for battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance.



IAF in the market for VIP jets

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is expected to soon replace its three aging B-737s that fly VIPs like the president and the prime minister with custom-made jets.

The Air Force, which maintains the VIP aircraft at its Communication Squadron in Palam airbase, has invited bids for new jets.

“The matter is at a proposal stage right now. We are in the process of identifying the most suitable bidder,” informed a senior Defence Ministry official.

The IAF has said the new jets should have a bedroom that can be converted into a conference room, besides hi-tech security equipment. “The IAF wants the aircraft to be more utilitarian than luxurious, except for the specific request for the convertible bedroom-cum-conference room,” said an Airbus official.

Toulouse-based aircraft manufacturer Airbus Industrie is in the running for the deal. It is offering the Airbus Commercial Jet (ACJ), A319, currently used by the Italian and French Air Forces. Boeing too had made an offer.



Assam Rifles : ‘Friends of the Hill People’ in troubled northeast

From a levy to being the sentinels of India’s troubled northeast, the country’s oldest paramilitary force has come a long way. Raised as Cachar Levy way back in 1835, the force, now known as the Assam Rifles, has continued to play an integral role, earning for itself the name “Friends of the Hill People.”

“When you remain in one area for centuries you develop certain ties, linkages and soft corner for the people, and so the popularity of Assam Rifles among the masses in the region,” said Lt. Gen. G.K. Duggal, director general of the Assam Rifles.

“We are here in the region in both good and bad times and we have managed to win the hearts of people.”

From 750 combatants 167 years ago, the Assam Rifles is today one of India’s best paramilitary forces with 36 battalions (roughly 35,000 personnel) spread over the entire northeastern region. They guard sensitive frontiers with China and Myanmar, besides being engaged in anti-insurgency operations. The transition from Cachar Levy to Assam Rifles took place in 1917 and since then there has been no looking back — the force has since fought World War I in Europe and the Middle East, besides taking part in World War II.

The Assam Rifles, known as they are for hand-to-hand fights, did not confine themselves to guarding the eastern frontiers alone — their troops were also deployed as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka, besides engaging in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

“In the northeast our role is not limited to just anti-insurgency operations but we involve ourselves in disaster management missions at times of natural calamities and other development works in the region for which we always get support and cooperation from people,” Duggal said. The task of maintaining a balance between being friendly to the commoners and ruthless to the separatists is indeed a challenging one.

The Central Government recently sanctioned Rs.5 billion for the modernisation of the Assam Rifles.

“The money earmarked by the Government is to be spent in the next five years for upgrading weaponry, besides utilising it for modernising the force,” Duggal said. “The militants are always getting new weapons but then we are always a couple steps ahead than the underground.”