India plans to purchase 44,618 close-quarter battle (CQB) carbines and 33.6 million rounds of ammunition. This deal is worth a potential $1 billion (Rs.4,440 crore). The Indian Army is looking at a 5.56 mm caliber system with a rate of fire of 660 rounds a minute. Foreign vendors are partnering with Indian firms.
Potential competitors include FN Herstal, Beretta, Heckler and Koch, Israel Weapon Industries Ltd (IWI), Colt Defense Llc, Bushmaster Firearms International Llc and Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd, among others. Singapore Technologies may not be allowed to compete. In addition to small arms and ammunition, India will purchase magazines, bayonets, slings, reflex sights and visible and invisible laser spot designators.
The selected carbines will likely be manufactured under licence by the new Indian ordnance unit at Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. In addition to the initial batch, India could manufacture another 116,764 carbines and 218,320 advanced carbines for an estimated $500 million. As many as 10,730 lightweight assault rifles for para-special forces may also be acquired.

Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/india-seeking-small-arms-ammunition-worth-1-billion-33836/#ixzz1TCNSx3qzhttp://cautionindia.blogspot.com/

RUSSIAN STELTH FIGHTER TO COUNTER F 35

Zhukovsky, Russia: Russia's fifth generation fighter will be about three times as cheap as its foreign analog, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
He observed the test flight of a prototype fighter and later talked to the pilot, Sergei Bogdan.
"It will be a machine superior to our main competitor, the F-22, in maneuverability, armament and range," Putin said.
"Also in morale," the pilot added.
"Above all else," Putin said smiling.
Bogdan said it was the fighter's 16th test flight and more would follow shortly.
The prime minister said 30 billion rubles (around $1 billion) had already been spent on the project and another 30 billion would be required to complete it, after which the engine, weaponry and other components would be upgraded.
He said, factoring in modernization and upgrades, the fighter will have a service life of 30-35 years.
Russia's only known fifth-generation project is Sukhoi's PAK FA and the current prototype is the T-50. It is designed to compete with the U.S. F-22 Raptor, so far the world's only fifth-generation fighter, and the F-35 Lightning II.
Russia has been developing its newest fighter since the 1990s. The country's top military officials earlier said the stealth fighter jet with a range of up to 5,500 km would enter service with the Air Force in 2015.
The PAK FA is to be armed with next-generation air-to-air, air-to-surface, and air-to-ship missiles, and has two 30-mm cannons.

Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/russias-5g-fighter-3-times-cheaper-than-foreign-analogs-27202/#ixzz1TCBcOK7g

RUSSIA AND INDIA SET TO EXPORT IT'S STELTH ATTACK AIRCRAFTS TO SOUTH KOREA

Russia's Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter has been placed on a short list of a South Korean tender for the delivery of advanced fighter jets, a Russian arms industry think-tank said on Monday.
Korea is seeking to buy 60 fighters with advanced stealth capability from a foreign aircraft maker in the biggest arms-procurement deal ever for the country with an estimated budget of $7.86 billion under a program code-named FX-III.
Russia's Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade cited South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) as saying that Sukhoi's fighter would compete with the F-15SE Silent Eagle from Boeing, the F-35http://cautionindia.blogspot.com/ Lightning II from Lockheed Martin and the Eurofighter Typhoon from the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS).
The winner of the tender is expected to be announced in 2012, but the actual deliveries may start four years later.
The Sukhoi T-50 fighter is being developed by the Sukhoi design bureau and built at a plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in Russia's Far East.
The first prototype conducted its maiden flight in January 2010 and has so far carried out over 40 tests. Two more prototypes are at the various stages of testing. The Russian Air Force said it had plans to acquire over 60 T-50 fighters after 2015.
Although T-50 specifications remain classified, reports indicate that the design incorporates the latest fighter jet developments, including advanced stealth capability, supersonic cruising speed, and highly integrated control systems.
The T-50 offered to Seoul is most likely an export version of the aircraft being developed by Sukhoi and India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) under a $6-billion joint project.
Experts believe, though, that Sukhoi and EADS have little chance of winning the tender as Korea's alliance with the United States will be a decisive factor in the race.

INDIAN NAVY COMMISSIONED IT'S FIFTH LANDING SHIP TANK

Vishakhapatnam. The Indian Navy has commissioned its 5th indigenously-built large Landing Ship Tank (LST), strengthening its amphibious capability. 

Chief of Naval Staff Sureesh Mehta who commissioned the 5,655 tonne ship at a ceremony at the Naval Jetty here, disclosed that 32 warships and six submarines were under construction at various shipyards in the country, and a few more abroad.
 

He pointed out however that the present rate of induction of three or four ships a year was not sufficient to maintain the desired force level, which would probably keep reducing till 2012 since the number of ships being decommissioned would be much more than those being inducted.
One reason was that very few orders were placed with the country’s shipyards during what he called the “Lost Decade” from 1985 to 1995.
Lost Decade is the expression defence analysts use due to the blockage of most acquisitions for the armed forces and intelligence organizations following the allegations of corruption in the Bofors gun deal. The armed forces suffered the worst after 1989 when the V P Singh government took over as Prime Minister and imposed virtually a blanket ban on arms acquisitions.
 
Admiral Mehta said that a large number of ships and submarines were now planned to be built in Indian shipyards, particularly by the end of XII plan ending 2017.
Built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkota, Airawat is the 132nd ship commissioned by the Indian Navy. Besides playing a useful role in any naval operations during any conflict, the vessel would be highly useful in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance on the Indian coast or those of the neighbouring countries as had happened in 2004 tsunami.

Airawat can be converted into a fuel tanker or even a hospital ship.
Flag Officer Commanding-in- Chief of Eastern Naval Command Nirmal Verma described the commissioning of INS Airavat as a milestone in the Navy’s quest for indigenization and a strong amphibious force.
GRSE Chairman and Managing Director K C Sekhar detailed the advantages of the ship, adding that GRSE had earlier delivered INS Shardul and INS Kesari in 2006 and 2008.
INS Airawat can carry 10 Main Battle tanks, 11 combat trucks and 500 troops. The ship is a potent assault vessel, and is armed with two indigenous WM 18A Rocket Launchers, CRN 91 Anti-Aircraft Guns auto-controlled by Optronic Sights, shoulder launched IGLA Surface to-Air Missiles, advanced sensors and a missile protection suite.

It has a crew of about 170 officers and men, and two onboard helicopters, either Seaking or the indigenous Dhruv.

The vessel is full air-conditioned and has comfortable modular type accommodation. It can stay in the seas for 45 days without replenishment.

INDIA BUILT IT'S NEW SHIPS IN SOUTH KOREA

NEW DELHI - With Indian shipyards too busy to meet demand for new military vessels, the Indian Navy is negotiating with South Korea to build warships there.
To begin with, a frigate and an escort vessel for the Indian Navy could be built in South Korea, Indian Defence Ministry sources said.


Adm. Sureesh Mehta, chief of the Indian Navy, will discuss the matter with South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee and other officials during an Aug. 19-24 tour that takes him to Japan and South Korea, Navy sources said.
The Indian Navy plans to buy more warships to replace the large number of obsolescent ones due to be scrapped in the next five years. But India's shipbuilding capacity is saturated.
Mehta will visit South Korean submarines and the naval academy. In Japan, he will meet Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Vice Defense Minister Kohei Masud. Mehta will also visit the Yokohama shipyard and the front-line ships of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.

padmanabhaswamy temple treasure may worth 7 lakh crores

  Two more vaults will be opened today in Sri Padmanabhswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. A Supreme Court appointed seven member team is taking stock of the treasure trove that surfaced in cellar chambers of the temple, a week ago. The estimated value of the treasure found at the temple is estimated to be over Rs 1 lakh crore so far.

The Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple, one of the oldest in Kerala, may soon turn out to be one of the India's richest temples. There are apprehensions about the safety of the priceless wealth found inside the temple chambers. The Centre is expected to provide security forces to guard the temple premises following the discovery. The chambers are believed to contain priceless gold and silver ornaments. The chambers had been kept shut for the last 130 years but were finally opened on June 27 following a Supreme Court order. One of the chambers, that was remained shut for nearly a century revealed precious jewels, stones, ornaments a
The opening of the first four chambers showed that three of them housed gold ornaments, vessels, jewels and precious stones worth hundreds of crores of rupees. It also had gold chains, diamond-studded bracelets, a crown and a golden bow. The temple, built in 18th century by King Marthanda Varma of the Travancore royal lineage, is run by a trust under control of the royal house and Lord Padmanabha is the family deity of Travancore Royal house. The apex court had issued orders on a private petition, which sought measures for greater transparency and accountability in management of the temple. The Supreme Court appointed committee consists of two former Kerala High Court judges. The actual worth of the treasure will only be revealed in a report to the Supreme Court.

INDIAN RAILWAY ASSOCIATES WITH ALL INDIAN DEFENCE AGENCIES TO DEAL WITH SECURITY PROBLEMS IN INDIAN AND ABROAD

ALLAHABAD: To thwart the nefarious designs ofterrorists, Indian Railways in association with other ministries has made an elaborate plan named as 'crisis management plan'.

As a part of this plan, three committees have been formed which would monitor the situation if there is a terror threat to passengers or railway property.

The three committees are - national crisis management committee (NCMC), crisis management group (CMG) and zonal management group - which would be operational at their respective levels.

However, the contours of the precise crisis management plan have been kept confidential.

When asked to elaborate, Ranjit Sinha, director general of Railway Protection Force refused to comment on the issue.

The NCMC is the apex body comprising senior officials of the government of India to deliberate on the problems at national-level cases of terrorism and security related crisis.

In this connection, Sandeep Jain , director ( safety), railway board, has written a letter to all zonal railways.

The CMG is the executive authority responsible for dealing with the crises and shall work under the broad guidelines and directives issued by the NCMC.

It shall be in constant touch with the NCMC and concerned zonal management group.

In addition to the concerned officers of the railway ministry, nodal officers from the concerned ministries would be contacted if help is needed from other ministries for effectively dealing with various crises.

The ministry of defence would be contacted for air support and/or for expert help like divers, boats etc.

The third zonal management group (ZMG) would be established at the zonal railway headquarters and would comprise of additional general manager, principal chief engineer/chief engineer (coordination), chief security commissioner, chief personnel officer, chief operation manager etc.

The railways will take necessary steps/actions for crisis concerning its properties, and ministry of home affairs will step into the lead role.

In cases of large-scale sabotage or explosions on railway property, requiring assistance from ministry of home affairs, cabinet secretariat and the state governments, the director general of the Railway Protection Force will coordinate on behalf of the railways as a convener of CMG during the crises.

Role of other ministries and departments

The ministry of home affairs is the nodal agency to deal with crisis situations. The Indian Railways, at operational level, will render help and assistance and will facilitate to deal with crisis on railway system.

Intelligence agencies will keep informing the railway administration and the local police about the likely terrorist attacks/sabotage on the railway system. Local police will co-ordinate and liaison with railway authorities in warning of any imminent danger.

Civil administration will alert government and private hospitals and rescue resources to reach the site to take care of the victims. Trauma centres, if any, in the region would be alerted to receive the victims for their expeditious treatment

== Local civil administration will organise surveillance of the terrorism prone area after the event to preclude another happening.

== The ministry of defence will mobilise defence personnel to take over the crisis situation as per the need.

However, Ranjit Sinha, director general of Railway Protection Force refused to comment on the issue.