Defence

The Indian Armed Forces

January 31, 2020 by Syskool

The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of four professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Indian Coast Guard. Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by several paramilitary organisations (Assam Rifles and Special Frontier Force) and various inter-service institutions such as the Strategic Forces Command. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. The Indian Armed Forces are under the management of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which is led by the Union Cabinet Minister of Defense. With strength of over 1.3 million active personnel, it is world’s 3rd largest military forceand the largest standing volunteer army in the world.

The headquarters of the Indian Armed Forces is in New Delhi, the capital city of India. India honours its armed forces and military personnel annually on Armed Forces Flag Day, 7 December. The Indian Armed Forces are the world’s largest arms importer, with Russia, Israel, and to some extent, France and United States being the primary foreign suppliers of military equipment.

The Armed Forces have six main tasks;

To assert the territorial integrity of India.
To defend the country if attacked by a foreign nation.
To send own amphibious warfare equipment to take the battle to enemy shores.
To follow the Cold Start doctrine, meaning that the Indian Armed Forces are able to quickly mobilise and take offensive actions without crossing the enemy’s nuclear-use threshold.
To support the civil community in case of disasters (e.g. flooding).
To participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations in consonance with India’s commitment to the United Nations Charter.

Indian Army : The basic responsibility of the Army is to safeguard the territorial integrity of the nation against external aggression. The force is headed by the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army. The Indian Army has seen military action during the First Kashmir War, Operation Polo, the Sino-Indian War, the Second Kashmir War, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the Sri Lankan Civil War and the Kargil War. The Indian army has dedicated one brigade of troops to the UN’s standby arrangements. The Army is often required to assist the civil administration during internal security disturbances and in the maintenance of law and order, in organising relief operations during natural calamities like floods, earthquakes and cyclones and in the maintenance of essential services.

Indian Navy : The foundation of the modern Indian Navy was laid in the seventeenth century when the East India Company had established a maritime force, thereby graduating in time to the establishment of the Royal Indian Navy in 1934. With 58,350 men and women, including 7,000 personnel of Indian naval air arm, 1,200 Marine Commandos (MARCOS) and 1,000 personnel of the Sagar Prahari Bal, it is one of the world’s largest navy. The navy is under the command of the Chief of the naval staff – an Admiral. The Indian navy is deployed under three area commands, each headed by a flag officer. In recent years, the Indian Navy has undergone extensive modernization and expansion with an intention to increase its capabilities as a recognized blue-water navy. It is also only one of the six navies in the world that has nuclear capabilities. In addition it is in command of the BrahMos which is the fastest cruise missile in the world with speeds of 2.8 Mach.

Indian Airforce : The Indian Air Force (IAF) today, having completed more than six decades of dedicated service to the nation, is a modern, technology-intensive force distinguished by its commitment to excellence and professionalism. The Indian Air Force was officially established on 8th October 1932, and on 1st April 1954. With the passage of time, the Indian Air Force undertook massive upgrading of its aircraft and equipments. In recent times however, India has manufactured its own aircraft, including the HAL Tejas, a 4th generation fighter, and the HAL Dhruv, a multi-role helicopter, which has been exported to several countries, including Israel, Burma, Nepal and Ecuador. India also maintains UAV squadrons which can be used to carry out ground attacks and aerial surveillance.

Indian Coast Guard : The Coast Guard (CG) was set up as an Armed Force of the Union in 1978 on recommendations of Rustamji Committee for preservation and protection of our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The CG is responsible for keeping India’s EEZ measuring over 2.02 million sq. kms. under regular surveillance in order to prevent poaching/ smuggling and other illegal activities in the EEZ. The coast guard works closely with the Indian Navy and the Indian Customs Department, and is usually headed by a naval officer of the rank of Vice-Admiral.

The Primary duty of Indian Coast Guard is:

To protect our ocean and offshore wealth including Oil, Fish and Minerals.
Protect the artificial Islands and off-shore installations.
To assist Mariners in distress and safeguard life and property at sea
To enforce Maritime Laws with respect to sea, shipping, poaching, smuggling and narcotics.
To preserve marine environment and ecology and to protect rare species.
To collect scientific data
To assist Indian Navy during war situation

The Department of Defence Production of the Ministry of Defence is responsible for the indigenous production of equipment used by the Indian Armed Forces. It comprises the 41 Indian Ordnance Factories under control of the Ordnance Factories Board and 8 Defence PSUs namely, HAL, BEL, BEML, BDL, MDL, GSL, GRSE and Midhani.

The Royal Indian Navy was first established by the British while much of India was under the control of the East India Company. The first Indian to be granted a commission was Sub Lieutenant D. N. Mukherji, who joined the Royal Indian Marine as an engineer officer in 1928.

The major commitments of the Indian Navy constitute patrol missions, anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, the ‘Singapore Indian Maritime Bilateral Exercise’ with the Republic of Singapore Navy in the Straits of Malacca, maintaining a military presence in Southeast Asias waters, and joint exercises with other countries, such as Brazil, South Africa, the United States and Japan, France (Varuna naval exercises), People’s Republic of China, the Russian Navy (INDRA naval exercises)

Param Vir Chakra (PVC) – All You Need to Know

January 30, 2020 by Syskool

Param Vir Chakra (PVC) as is commonly known to defense personnel is India’s highest military decoration. It is what every army personnel dreams for. It has mostly been awarded posthumously.

Constituted On the First Republic Day, 26^th January 1950

The PVC was established on first Republic Day of India, 26^th January 1950. Only people enlisted in the Indian military are eligible for it. It is given to the highest and the bravest of the brave act of valor and self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It was designed by Savitri Khanolkar, wife of Vikram Khanolkar, an officer in the Indian Army. She was requested by Hira Lal Atal, the first Indian Adjutant General, Major General.

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Designed inspired from Lord Indra’s weapon Vajra

It is a circular bronze medal 3.49cm in diameter. The state emblem of the four lions is in the center on a raised circle. Lord Indras’s all mighty weapon the Vajra surrounds it on four sides. On the back side are two legends separated by lotus flowers. The words Param Vir Chakra are inscribed in English and Hindi. The whole disc is suspended from a suspension bar, with a purple ribbon going through it. The ribbon is 1.3 inches long.

Awarded To Only 21 People and None from the Navy

Till date, only 21 soldiers have been awarded this honor. Out of which 20 were from the Indian Army and one from the Air force and none from the Navy. Only 5 of the awardees are living, Lt. Col. Dhan Singh Thapa, Subedar Bana Singh, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, Subedar Major & Honorary Captain Bana Singh and Naib Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav. The medal is a symbolic representation of the Vajra made by Rishi Dadhici for the Gods with his bones. It is equivalent to

The Victoria Croos of UK
Medal of Honor in the USA
Hero of the Russian Federation
Order of Blue sky and white sun of China
Nishan e Haider of Pakistan
Bir Shresto of Bangladesh

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Non-Commissioned and Commissioned Up to the Rank of Lieutenant Are Eligible for the Award

All the officers eligible for this award are either non-commissioned soldiers or commissioned up to the rank of Lieutenant- Colonel.

3 PVCs have been awarded to Grenadiers Regiment
3 have been awarded to Gurkha Rifles
2 each to J&K Rifles, Poona Horse, Sikh Regiment and Kumaon Regiment

Postage Stamps and On TV

A stamp depicting the PVC medal was issued by Indian Postal department in 1976. In 2000, 4 more were released depicting various recipients. The brave soldiers on the stamps were:

Lance Naik Karam Singh
Lance Naik Albert Ekka
Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hameed
Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon

In 1988 a serial was made for Indian Television depicting various stories of the winners of PVC.

Most Prominent Officers Who Received PVC

Major Somnath Sharma, from the state of Himachal Pradesh, was the first soldier to be awarded this prestigious award. He laid down his life fighting for the nation against Pakistani troops in Kashmir. He was awarded this posthumously.

Captain Vikram Batra of HP, was the last officer to been awarded this honor in 1999 for his extremely important role in the Kargil war, in capturing an enemy post. His father G.L. Batra received this award on his son’s behalf, from the President of India.

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Top 11 Indian Missile Systems

January 8, 2020 by Syskool

In this article, we will be looking top 11 Indian Missile Systems namely Prithvi, Agni, Akash, Nag, Brahmos, Dhanush, Nirbhay, Sagarika, Shaurya, Trishul, and Maitri.

Prithvi Missiles

Surface-to-surface tactical battlefield missile, Prithvi has three version.

Prithvi I – Army version (150 km range with a payload of 1,000 kg)

Prithvi II – Air Force version (250 km range with payload of 500 kg)

Prithvi III – Naval version (350 km range with a payload of 1000 kg)

The Prithvi missile project encompassed developing 3 variants for use by Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Indian Navy.

Agni Missiles

Agni missile is one of the five missile systems developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the integrated guided missile development programme (IGMDP). The four other missiles developed under this program include Akash, Prithvi, Nag and Trishul.

Agni-I Missile: With a range of 700 km, surface to surface Agni-I missile has single stage solid rocket motor that can carry 1-tonne warhead. It can be configured to fire from road/mobile launcher. Agni-I has been inducted into Services.

Agni-II Missile: The range for Agni-II is more than 2000 km. Unlike the Agni-I, the Agni-II has a solid fuelled second stage. The salient features of the test firings are mobile launch capability, multi-staging, state-of-art control and guidance, re-entry technology and sophisticated onboard packages including advanced communication. Agni-II has also been inducted into services.

Agni-III Missile: Agni III is a long range missile with a capability to launch from rail mobile launcher. It has a capacity to carry 2000-2500 kg warhead. Fourth flight test of Agni-III is planned shortly. Nuclear capable Agni Missile has a range up to 3000 km and can carry a payload of 1000 kg. In June 2006, India successfully test-fired Agni-III, a two stage nuclear capable ballistic missile with a range of 3,500 km. Both stages of the Agni-III utilize solid fuel propellants and its range can be extended to 5000 km.

Agni-IV Missile: It is the fourth in Agni series missile Agni IV was tested on November 15, 2011. With a range of 2500-3500 km. Agni-IV can take a warhead of 1-tonne.

Agni-V Missile – Agni V is a solid fueled inter continental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by DRDO. Agni V was test fired successfully on 19 March 2012 from Wheeler Island off the coast of Orissa. Agni-V can hit strategic targets well beyond 3500 km.

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Akash Missile System

It is a medium range surface-to-air missile. It has multiple target handling capacity with a digitally coded command guidance system. User trial of its Air Force version has been completed. Air Force has placed an order for two Squadron of Akash Missile System. Procurement of another 6 Squadrons is in progress.

The missile can hit target aircraft up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m. Akash can be fired from both tracked and wheeled platforms.

Nag Missile System

Nag is a third generation anti-tank missile with ‘top-attack’ and ‘fire and forget’ capabilities. User trials have been completed against moving/static targets under various operating conditions. The helicopter launched version known as helicopter-launched NAG (HELINA).

BrahMos

BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia who have together formed the BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.

The acronym BrahMos is perceived as the confluence of the two nations represented by two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and Moskva of Russia.

It travels at speed of Mach 2.8 to 3.0 and is the world’s fastest cruise missile. It is about three and half times faster than the USA’s subsonic Harpoon cruise missile. Although BrahMos is primarily an anti-ship missile. it can also engage land based targets.

It can be launched either in vertical or inclined position and is capable of covering targets over a 360 degree horizon. The BrahMos missile has an identical configuration for land, sea, and sub-sea platform.

Nirbhay

Nirbhay is a long range, subsonic cruise missile being developed in India. The missile will have a range of 1000 km and will arm three services, the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.

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Shaurya

Shaurya missile is a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile developed by DRDO of India for use by the Indian Army. It has a range f 750 to 1200 km and is capable of carrying a payload of one-tonne conventional or nuclear warhead. Shaurya Missile is considered a land version of the Sagarika.

Sagarika

Sagarika is a nuclear capable submarine-launched ballistic missile with a range of 750 km. This missile has a lenght of 8.5 meters, weighs seven tonnes and can carry a pay load of up to 500 kg.

Trishul

The Trishul (Trident) is a short range, quick reaction, all weahter surface-t-air missile designed to counter a low-level attack. It has been flight tested in the sea-skimming role and also against moving targets. It has a range of 9 km and is fitted with a 5.5 kg HE-fragmented warhead. It’s detection of target to missile launch is round 6 seconds.

Maitri

The missile project is a next-generation Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM). with a lethal hundred per cent kill probability under development by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is a short range 15 km, surface-to-air point defence missile system.

The missile will fill the gap created by the Indian government’s decision to wind up development of Trishul point defence missile system. It is believed to be a blend of the French Mica and DRDO.

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What is DRDO?

Defence Research and Development Organisation or DRDO is a premier research facility under Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It undertakes design & development leading to production of world class weapon systems for Indian forces and security agencies.

It was established in 1958 after merging Technical Development Establishment and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production with the Defence Science Organisation.

DRDO has a network of 52 laboratories in which total 5000 scientists and 25,000 other technical staffs are working across India.

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Paramilitary Forces of India

August 19, 2018 by Syskool

Paramilitary forces of India comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Following is brief information regarding all the paramilitary forces in India.

The Border Security Force (BSF)

BSF is a border patrol agency of Indian Government. It is the only paramilitary force which has its own air wing, water wing, and artillery regiments which extend support to the general duty battalions in their operations during peace/war.

The Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP)

This Indian paramilitary force conceived on October 24, 1962, for security along the Indo-Tibet border. It was established on December 1, 1965. It is one of the Central Armed Police forces. The border with Tibet autonomous region of China, border covering 2115 kilometers. The border posts manned by ITBP are exposed to high-velocity storms, snow blizzards, avalanches, and landslides, besides the hazards of high altitude and extreme cold, where the temperature dips up to – 40 degree Celsius.

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The Assam Rifles

Assam Rifles are one of the paramilitary forces of India. The unit can trace its lineage back to the paramilitary police force that was formed under British in 1835 called Cackar levy. The name Assam Rifles was adopted in 1917. In times of war, they can also be used as a combat force to secure rear areas if needed.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)

Like all other Central Armed Police Forces, CRPF is a paramilitary security agency functioning under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Govt of India. CRPF’s primary role lies in assisting the state/union territory in police operations to maintain law and order and contain the insurgency. It came into existence as the crown representative’s police on 27^th July 1936. After Indian independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on enactment of CRPF act on 28^th December 1949.

The National Security Guard (NSG)

NSG is a special response unit in India that has primarily being utilized or counter terrorism activities. It was created by Cabinet Secretariat under the National Security Guard Act of Indian Parliament in 1986. The NSG has a total personnel strength of about 14,500.

The Central Industrial Security Force

Established in its present form on 15^th June 1983. CISF is another paramilitary security force in India. It was setup by an Act of parliament on 10^th March 1969 with the strength of 2800. CISF was subsequently made an armed force of the Union of India by another Act of Parliament passed on 15^th June 1983. Its current strength is about 145,000. CISF is the largest industrial security force in the World. It is directly under the Central Ministry of Home Affairs and its Head Quarters are in New Delhi. The CIS provides Security cover to 308 industrial units located all over India.

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The Indian Home Guard

Indian Home Guard is an Indian paramilitary force which is tasked as an auxiliary to the Indian Police. The Home Guards Organisation was reorganized in India in 1962 after the Sino-Indian war with the People’s Republic of China, though it existed in smaller unit individually in some places.

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

SSB is one the India’s paramilitary forces and is currently under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI. SSB was set up in early 1963 in the wake of the Sino-Indian war. It was formerly known as the Special Service Bureau.

The Rashtriya Rifles

It is a counter-insurgency force in India. It is a paramilitary force deployed in Jammu and Kashmir.

Rapid Action Force (RAF)

The Rapid Action Force is a specialized wing of CRPF established on 11^th December 1991 and became fully operational in October 1992. It was constituted to deal with riots and strife. Currently, it has 10 battalions.

The force has made its impact against troublemakers and rejuvenated the confidence in people.

Fighter Planes of Indian Air Force

July 30, 2018 by Syskool

Indian Air Force has started upgrading its combat aircraft fleet since the last few years in order to enhance its operational capability and maintain fighter plane of Indian Air Force as modern weapon platforms, capable of meeting the present challenges posed by the security scenario in our region.

List of Fighter Planes of Indian Air Force

Sukhoi Su-30MKI

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a twinjet multirole air superiority fighter plane of Indian Air Force (IAF) designed by Russia’s Sukhoi Corporation beginning in 1995 and built under licence by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) IAF. Development of the variant started after India signed a deal with Russia in 2000 to manufacture 140 Su-30 fighter jets. The first Russian-made Su-30MKI variant was accepted into the Indian Air Force in 2002, while the first indigenously assembled Su-30MKI entered service with the IAF in 2004.

The Su-30MKI is a highly integrated twin-finned fighter plane of Indian Air Force. The aircraft is tailor-made for Indian specifications and integrates Indian systems and avionics as well as French and Israeli sub-systems.The airframe is constructed of titanium and high-strength aluminium alloys. The Su-30MKI is expected to form the backbone of the Indian Air Force’s fighter fleet to 2020 and beyond. The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is the most potent fighter plane of Indian Air Force in service in the late 2000s. The MKIs are often fielded by the IAF in bilateral and multilateral air exercises.

Su-30MKI is a two seat long range, multi role interceptor and uses an aerodynamic configuration. India Today reported that Russia had won a contract to upgrade 40 Su-30MKIs with new radars, onboard computers, electronic warfare systems and the ability to carry the BrahMos cruise missile. The Brahmos missiles integrated on the Su-30s will provide the capability to attack enemy formations from stand-off ranges of around 300 km.

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HAL Tejas

The HAL Tejas is an Indian fighter plane of Indian Air Force with single-seat, single-jet engine, multi-role, lightweight, high-agility supersonic, tactical fighter aircraft. The aircraft’s design and development programme is being led by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of the Indian Department of Defence, with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as the prime industrial contractor.

Tejas is being developed as a single-seat fighter plane of Indian Air Force (IAF).The first Tejas squadron for the fighter plane of Indian Air Force is expected to be formed in July, 2016. Tejas has a pure double delta wing configuration with no tailplanes or canard, and a single dorsal fin. It integrates technologies such as relaxed static stability, fly-by-wire flight control system, multi-mode radar, integrated digital avionics system, composite material structures, and a flat rated engine. It is the smallest and lightest in its class of contemporary supersonic combat aircraft.

The HAL Tejas, fighter plane of Indian Air Force is fitted with the fly-by-wire (FBW), flight control system (FCS), multi-mode pulse-doppler radar, and afterburning turbofan engine. The aircraft can be armed with air-to-air, air-to-ground and anti-ship missiles, precision-guided munitions, rockets and bombs. Electronic warfare, targeting, surveillance, reconnaissance or training pods can be carried on the hardpoints. Drop tanks can also be carried.

It can fly at a maximum speed of 2,205km/h and at maximum altitude of 15,200m. The range of the HCL Tejas, fighter plane of Indian Air Force is 3,000km. Its service ceiling is 16,500m and weighs approximately 5,450kg, with a maximum take-off weight of 13,500kg.

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Mikoyan MiG-29

The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a twin-engine jet fighter plane of Indian Air Force designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG-29, along with the larger Sukhoi Su-27, was developed to counter new American fighters such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. The MiG-29 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1982. The MiG-29 was first publicly seen in the West when the Soviet Union displayed the aircraft in Finland on 2 July 1986.

The MiG-29 has a mid-mounted swept wing with blended leading-edge root extensions (LERXs) swept at around 40°; there are swept tailplanes and two vertical fins, mounted on booms outboard of the engines. Automatic slats are mounted on the leading edges of the wings; they are four-segment on early models and five-segment on some later variants. On the trailing edge, there are maneuvering flaps and wingtip ailerons.

The baseline MiG-29B has a Phazotron RLPK-29 radar fire control system which includes the N019 Sapfir 29 look-down/shoot-down coherent pulse-Doppler radar and the Ts100.02-02 digital computer. The MiG-29, fighter plane of Indian Air Force has two widely spaced poweplant ie, Klimov RD-33 turbofan engines and in afterburner.

Dassault Mirage 2000

The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single engine combat fighter from Dassault Aviation of France. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter based on the Mirage III for the French Air Force. It has been operational since 1984, and has been selected by Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Greece, India, Peru, Qatar, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. The Mirage 2000 evolved into a multirole fighter plane of Indian Air Force with several variants which include the Mirage 2000N and 2000D strike variants, the improved Mirage 2000-5 and several export variants.

Mirage 2000 fighters in operation with the French Air Force are: Mirage 2000C/B single seater and two seater for air defence; Mirage 2000N, two seater, designed for all weather nuclear penetration at low altitude and very high speed; Mirage 2000D, an upgraded version of the Mirage 2000N, for automated bombing using conventional and laser guided munitions; and Mirage 2000-5, incorporating advanced avionics, new multiple target air-to-ground and air-to-air firing procedures using the RDY radar and new sensor and control systems.

Mirage 2000 has nine hardpoints for carrying weapon system payloads: five on the fuselage and two on each wing. The single-seat version is also armed with two internally mounted, high-firing-rate 30mm guns. Aircraft can carry four MICA missiles, two Magic missiles and three drop tanks simultaneously. Mirage 2000 is also equipped to carry a range of air-to-surface missiles and weapons including laser-guided bombs.

Mirage 2000 has an upgraded digital weapon delivery and navigation system (WDNS). The Mirage 2000, fighter plane of Indian Air Force is fitted with a TV/CT CLDP laser designation pod from Thales Optronics, which provides the capability to fire laser-guided weapons by day and night. Mirage 2000 is equipped with an SNECMA M53-P2 turbofan engine, which provides 64kN thrust and 98kN with afterburn.

The Mirage 2000 can climb at the rate of 285m/s. The maximum and approach speeds of the aircraft are 2,530km/h and 259km/h respectively. The ferry range is 3,335km. The range and service ceiling are 1,550km and 17,060m respectively.

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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter plane of Indian Air Force, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed “Balalaika”, from the aircraft’s planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument by Polish pilots due to the shape of its fuselage.

The MiG-21 jet fighter plane of Indian Air Force was a continuation of Soviet jet fighters, starting with the subsonic MiG-15 and MiG-17, and the supersonic MiG-19. The MiG-21 was the first successful Soviet aircraft combining fighter and interceptor characteristics in a single aircraft. It was a lightweight fighter, achieving Mach 2 with a relatively low-powered afterburning turbojet.

Mikoyan-Gurevich was formed in the relatively early stages of World War 2 by the Soviet government. The firm’s initial production offerings became the modestly successful MiG1 and MiG3 piston engined fighters that helped to stave off the German advance into Russia. By the end of World War 2, the firm had produced their first production jet powered aircraft in the MiG9 “Fargo”.

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SEPECAT Jaguar

The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet fighter plane of Indian Air Force originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role, and still in service with the Indian Air Force.

Jaguar is a twin-engine, ground attack fighter plane of Indian Air Force designed and developed jointly by Breguet of France and the UK-based British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). The two companies formed a joint venture called SEPECAT to develop the aircraft.

Breguet and BAC joined in 1966 to develop the Jaguar. The fighter plane of Indian Air Force was initially developed as a jet trainer with light low level attack capability but later its missions were upgraded to include supersonic, reconnaissance and tactical nuclear strike roles. Construction of the Jaguar was equally shared between the two companies, with BAC developing the wings, intakes, rear fuselage and tail, and Dassault building the nose, centre fuselage and landing gear. Dassault became a partner in the project by acquiring Breguet in 1971. The maiden flight took place in September 1968 and the aircraft entered service with France in 1973.

The Jaguar has 23 variants. The Jaguar is powered by two Adour Mk 102 turbofan engines rated at 22.75kN of dry thrust each. The engine is designed and built jointly by Rolls-Royce of UK and Turbomeca of France in 1968. It is a two-shaft engine which generates 32.5kN of thrust after burner.

The Jaguar, fighter plane of Indian Air Force is of monoplane design with an aluminium airframe. The aircraft is equipped with an in-flight refuelling probe at the starboard side of the front fuselage to execute air refuelling missions even under the worst weather conditions. It is equipped with spoilers, air brakes, rudder, double slotted flaps, slats, critical systems and bulletproof windscreen.

The Jaguar, fighter plane of Indian Air Force can fly at a maximum speed of 1,699km/h. The combat radius and ferry range of the aircraft are 908km and 3,524km respectively. The service ceiling is 14,000m.

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MiG-27 Bahadur

The Mikoyan MiG-27 is a variable-geometry ground-attack fighter plane of Indian Air Force, originally built by the Mikoyan design bureau in the Soviet Union and later license-produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics as the Bahadur (“Valiant”). It is based on the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 fighter aircraft, but optimized for air-to-ground attack.

They are designed to carry heavy armament load to the tune of six tons and fly over long distances. Flown by a single pilot they have accurate navigation and weapon delivery systems.

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C-17 Globemaster

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. It was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previous piston-engined military cargo aircraft, the Douglas C-74 Globemaster and the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II. The C-17 commonly performs strategic airlift missions, transporting troops and cargo throughout the world; additional roles include tactical airlift, medical evacuation and airdrop duties. It was designed to replace the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, and also fulfill some of the duties of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, freeing the C-5 fleet for outsize cargo.

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military airlift aircraft is a high-wing, four-engine, T-tailed military transport vehicle capable of carrying payloads up to 169,000lb (76,657kg).

It has an international range and the ability to land on small airfields. A fully integrated electronic cockpit and advanced cargo system allows a crew of three (the pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster) to operate all systems on any type of mission.

A propulsive lift system allows the C-17 to achieve safe landings on short runways. The C-17 is capable of landing a full payload in less than 3,000ft. The propulsive lift system uses engine exhaust to generate lift.The engine exhaust is directed onto large flaps, which extend into the exhaust stream, allowing the aircraft to fly a steep approach at a relatively low landing speed.

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Indian Missiles Development

July 6, 2018 by Syskool

Indian missiles are placing India proudly into an elite league of defence forces having such technologies. Although India’s defence policy was promoting the world peace, it decided to be ready against any type of aggression. For this reason, India had to become self- reliant in modern war technology such as missiles. Thus, the Defence Ministry of India constituted Integrated Guided Missile Development programme (IGMDP) in 1983.

The main aim of this programme was to develop comprehensive missiles in between 1983 and 2007, thereby adding great weight to the Indian Defence capabilities. DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) started working with many other research centres to build strong Indian missiles technology.

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Finally, it became successful in developing, designing and operationalizing five different categories of missile systems. They are as follows:

SHORT-RANGE SURFACE TO SURFACE MISSILE- PRITHVI
INTERMEDIATE-RANGE SURFACE TO SURFACE MISSILE- AGNI
SHORT-RANGE SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE- TRISHUL
MEDIUM-RANGE SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE- AKASH
THIRD-GENERATION ANTI-TANK GUIDED MISSILE-NAG

PRITHVI MISSILE SYSTEM:

Among all Indian missiles, PRITHVI (means earth) was the India’s first indigenously developed ballistic missile. It is a short range surface to surface ballistic missile which was successfully test-fired in 1988 from Sriharikota Rocket launching centre. Its range is between 150 km to 300 km. The different variants in PRITHVI are as follows:

PRITHVI I, with a range of 150 km and payload capability of 1000 kg , was inducted into the Indian Army in 1994.
PRITHVI II, with a range of 250 km and payload capability of 300 kg, was test fired in 1996 and inducted into Indian Army in 2004.
PRITHVI III, with a range of 350 km and payload capability of 1000 kg, was test fired in 2004.
SAGARIKA, a sub-marine variant of PRITHVI, is capable of firing the missile from underwater. This was completed in 2004.
DHANUSH, a ship-launched the variant of PRITHVI, with a range of 150 km is capable of firing from offshore.

AGNI MISSILE SYSTEM:

AGNI (means fire) is the intermediate range ballistic missile system with a range up to 5000 km. It is capable of piercing the atmosphere with high speed when fired. Among Indian missiles programs, Agni is most successful. The variants of AGNI are as follows:

AGNI-I, with a range of 700 km to 900 km and a payload capability of 1000 kg, was test fired in 1989.
AGNI-II, with a range of 2000 km to 3000 km and a payload capability of 1000 kg, was test fired in 1999 and inducted into an army in 2002.
AGNI-III, with a range of 3500 km to 5000 km and a payload capability of 1500 kg, was test fired in 2006 and inducted into an army in 2011.
AGNI-IV, with a range of 3000 km and a payload capability of 1 tonne uses solid propellant and was test fired in 2011.
AGNI-V, with a range of 5000 km and a payload capability of 1000 kg, was test fired in 2012.
AGNI-VI is an inter-continental ballistic missile which is being developed now and it will have a range of 6000 km.

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TRISHUL MISSILE SYSTEM:

TRISHUL is a surface to air missile system which can hit the target in the air, with a range of 9 km and payload of 5.5 kg. This project was shut down by IGMDP in 2008.

AKASH MISSILE SYSTEM:

AKASH (means sky) is a medium range surface to air missile which can hit a moving target in the air with a range of 30 km and a payload capability of 720 kg. The missile was successfully test fired in 1997 and was taken by Indian Air Force in 2007.

NAG MISSILE SYSTEM:

NAG missile system is India’s third generation anti-tank missile with a range of 3km to 7km. It can align itself to the target without external help. It was successfully test fired several times and is ready to be inducted in the Indian Army.

In addition to these missile systems, BRAHMOS cruise missile which is capable of delivering a large warhead to distant locations with great accuracy was also successfully test fired in 2004.

Indian Missiles

Besides, these missile systems many more advanced weaponry’s are being invented by our scientists. These not only show our defence strength but also technological brilliance.

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