The seminar was inaugurated by Gen VK Singh, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation. The Keynote Address was delivered by Dr VK Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog.

Session I – Inaugural Session

Welcome Address. Air Marshal Anil Chopra, Director General Centre for Air Power Studies, highlighted the wide range of applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) which includes surveillaance, security, logistics, civilian uses in areas of agriculture, transport and many more. He further discussed the increasing significance of the application of UAS in military services. Air Marshal Chopra also highlighted the lessons from the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the increasing usage of drones with proliferating defensive as well as offensive capabilities. He emphasized India’s excellent efforts in developing drone technologies and the development of an unmanned aerial ecosystem. He further underlined India’s potential to become a global drone industry in the coming years.

Inaugural Address. Delivering the Inaugural Address, Gen VK Singh, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, traced the history of drones and discussed the increasing efficacy of UAS. He further highlighted the significance of emerging technology along with the increasing role of artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) in the utilization of drone technology both in the civilian and military domains. He further emphasized on the role that India plays in building this ecosystem. Gen Singh threw light on the Indian government’s plans and initiatives which have been undertaken for making this a reality. Underlining the significance of this technology in the coming years, he elucidated that the government has been supportive of this and that an ecosystem is supportive of research and development in this domain. He also mentioned that the rules and regulations have been revamped with the new drone policy of 25thAugust 2021 which seeks to change the regulatory regime for drones. He stressed the ‘Make in India’ initiative and the increasing use of drones in all sectors, civilian and military alike.

Keynote Address. Delivering the Keynote Address, Dr VK Saraswat, Member NITI Aayog, emphasised the integration of drones into the existing aviation space. In his detailed presentation, Dr Saraswat focused on five main research areas of the UAS which included smart UAV, remote sensing payloads, Robotic UAV payloads, Multi-vehicle networking, Fault-tolerant and robust UAV navigation—i.e., enabling ship-based UAV operations in remote and harsh conditions. He mentioned that as the systems become more and more autonomous with the advancement in technology, it becomes necessary for India to engage in quality and indigenous R&D programs to be initiated in India’s premier higher education institutions such as IITs. Dr Saraswat also spoke about the UAV’s military applications which include strike missions, intelligence & situational awareness, electronic warfare, suppression, and destruction of enemy’s air defence, network node or communication delay, and combat search and rescue. He concluded by making three arguments- (1) Atmanirbharta is necessary in the UAS sector; (2) the necessity to develop extremely good designs and design capabilities with the need for deep R&D; and (3) the efforts in this sector must be qualitative and not just focused on numbers.

Special Talk. Air Marshal Radhakrishnan Radhish, SASO Western Air Command, gave a Special Talk and discussed changes in the UAS systems in the past few years. He mentioned the increasing demand in the civil sector for UAS highlighting the fact that various e-commerce giants also venturing into this domain. Highlighting the need to increase the role of UAS in the IAF, he discussed as to how UAS can play a major role in providing intelligence along with other military responsibilities. Drawing lessons from various conflicts around the world in the past few years, he opined that UAS would complement manned fighter aircraft. He also mentioned that the IAF is developing a road map for the UAS. He also spoke about the increasing use of niche drone technology and swarm drones pointing out that by 2026, India could potentially emerge as the world’s third largest drone market. This is along with the fact that 23per cent of the global drone start-ups are in India.

Special Talk. Lt Gen Ajai Kumar Suri, Director General, Army Aviation also gave a Special Talk and brought in a fresh perspective from the Indian Army. The Indian Army has been using drone technology for the last two decades. He further discussed the need to extrapolate how others are utilizing this surveillance mechanism. The induction of drones into the Services is now unavoidable. He underlined certain challenges, like genuine, indigenous technological development; airspace management; counter drone measures including matching capabilities with those in competition or developing better technology; and outsourcing the task of UAS to civil industry. He stressed that UAS could emerge as a formidable force multiplier and should be employed to its full extent.

Release of Knowledge Paper. Col KV Kuber, Director Defence & Aerospace, E & Y in the presence of the esteemed guests which included presented the EY-IMR Knowledge Paper on the Unmanned Aerial Systems, which was released by the guests.

Session 2—UAV Requirements

The theme of Session 2 was UAV Requirements of the Services, their efficacy, present technologies, and the way forward. The session was chaired by Air Vice Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, ACAS (Plans), Air HQ.

Sameer Joshi, CEO, Newspace Research and Technologies discussed the ‘Design and Development of the UAVs at Newspace for Penetration of Contested Airspace.’ He explained the notion of contested airspace as ‘layered defence’ further discussing the SWOT analysis where he touched upon manned platforms; stealth (manned/unmanned); Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs and drone swarms. He further discussed the feedback from SWOT analysis which included manned platforms highlighting that they will suffer attrition while penetrating the contested air space. He mentioned that the stealth/low radar cross-section (RCS)in unmanned or manned assets is most effective even though they come with technological or cost implications. He underlined that the significant increase in the number of UAVs will eventually increase the combat capacity and survivability in a contested environment. He discussed that the UAVs are complementary with force-multiplying capabilities, and not the replacement for 4th or 5th-generation manned assets. He further mentioned that the stand-alone non-stealth MALE UAVs will not be able to operate at will in the contested air space, and therefore, will suffer huge attrition. He mentioned that swarm drones offer the best return of investment towards saturation of targets. He further discussed that the requirements of stand-alone small-sized drones will increase exponentially to locate and fix targets right down to the squad level, provided they can survive baseline anti-drone measures. According to Mr. Joshi, Manned Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) will be an important component of collaborative autonomy as the need in terms of air warfare by the end of 2022.Mentioning that robots are the future warriors, autonomous robots extend military reach into well-defended battle space, operating with greater range and persistence. In the end, he mentioned the salience of AI, highlighting that through AI there is a guarantee to take on dangerous and suicidal missions with minimum possible casualty both in terms of providing greater success in the face of increased threat levels and penetration of well-defended airspace.

Gp Capt NK Chaubey, Director NBC, Air HQ explained the ‘IAF’s UAV Plans.’ He discussed in detail the UAS systems such as Searcher MK-II, Heron and Heron MK-II utilized by the IAF. While explaining their tasks, he explained about the Imaging EQ/IR and SAR, SIGINT gathering, COMINT gathering, laser designation, RPA assisted helicopter and fighter strike, battle damage, assessment, search & rescue, base-defence missions, HADR missions, live coverage of various tests and trials. While discussing the way forward, he discussed the MALE class remotely pilot aircraft with enhanced capabilities including uninhabited combat air vehicle (UCAV), loiter munitions, UAVs for Base Defence, indigenous productions for sustenance, and inter-service operations. Discussing the Manned Operation and Intelligence Centre (MOIC) section, he focused on the enhanced capabilities of the IAF to generate intelligence; centralize a hub for archival and analysis of all ISR data; and simultaneous control of UAVs through SATCOM.

Col Kumar Gaurav, Col Avn-10 (RPAs), Army Aviation Directorate, Army HQ, shared his views on ‘Army’s HALE and MALE UAV Requirements.’ He explained that HALE RPAs and MALE RPAs were the perfect examples of splitter-shooter platforms. They can engage with the target with onboard weapon systems which include laser-guided bombs, missiles, and anti-tank missiles. Similarly, MALE RPA can acquire the target, get precise data of the target, and transfer data to long-range vectors. Col. Gaurav also discussed that RPA AO/payload has the capacity to carry out overall damage assessment and re-engage the target by the HALE UAVs.

Lt Col Shubham Madan, GSO-1 (Equipment), Infantry Directorate, Army HQ spoke on ‘Army’s Tactical UAV Requirements.’ He identified four areas – logistics, surveillance, enemy threat, and counter-drone operations, where UAS were needed for infantry observation requirements. He mentioned that as part of logistics, the requirements criteria included 5500 metres AMSL, 1000m AGL, 20-50 kg, and 10-15 km. While mentioning the logistical challenges he discussed the road infrastructure in forwarding areas, winter cut-off of posts, and last mile connectivity. In terms of surveillance, the requirements were highlighted as 6000m, 1000m AGL, vertical take-off and landing and man-portable. He also highlighted the requirements by terrain, i.e., in the North-East region, J&K, plains and deserts. While discussing the main challenges for surveillance, he mentioned the forwarded areas, varied terrains and lack of landing grounds. For counter-drone operations, he raised the questions of range and cost-effectiveness. Further, he mentioned that counter drones should be able to detect, identify and destroy the target while identifying the enemy threat as – Armed and ULP GMs.

Cdr Hemant Shekar, Commander (AW)-RPA, Naval HQ focused on ‘Navy’s experience with drones and future plans.’ He highlighted the restricted speed, electromagnetic radiation and susceptibility to detection, RPA’s detectable by C/D radars of ships, range limited to line of sight, and operational capability in fair weather only. The key focus of the Navy has been to enhance the capabilities in the areas of long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW), surveillance and reconnaissance. During the discussion, he highlighted that currently, the Indian Navy had UAVs which have navigation/control features combined with specialised sensors, mainly aimed at achieving precise surveillance over the enemy territories. However, there is a need for the UCAVs to go beyond surveillance into a new dimension with their weaponised capability to engage in air-to-surface (land/water) and even air-to-air targets.

Nagendran Kandasamy, CEO Throttle Aerospace Systems (TAS) discussed ‘How Drone Defender enables safer airspace?’ The Drone Defender is loaded with 13 pre-programmed modes to lock, track and neutralize rogue drones. It can effectively neutralise threats without any human intervention. It aims to provide a first-of-a-kind capability to the Indian defence forces to discard rogue drones flying over unauthorised airspace. This is in context with the rising instances of drone-based aerial threats to restricted installations under defence and private airspace. According to Kandaswamy, this can be considered to be a key milestone in India’s journey of self-reliance in defence preparedness.

Session 3—Industry’s Potential and Capabilities

The theme of Session 3 was Industry’s Potential and Capabilities. It was chaired by Rear Adm AN Pramod, ACNS (Air), Naval HQ.

Gp Capt Sudhir Verma, Retd, Aerial IQ India discussed ‘Atmanirbharta in UAS Technology.’ He recounted the journey of Aerial IQ in the manufacture of drones. He mentioned that reaching the desired capability takes technology and time. So, significant effort and time have to be spent on the research and development of UAVs. He further discussed the support provided by the Government of India to drone startups mentioning that this will boost indigenous manufacturing, and the drone certification scheme to ensure safety and quality requirements are a few positive steps taken by the government in favour of the Indian drone industry. Gp Capt Verma discussed Aerial IQ’s initiative to develop tethered drones, which is unique and has had considerable sales due to its great potential. He highlighted that Aerial IQ is totally indigenous with the aim to make drones that fit into the requirements of the industry.

Ravi Hazarika, Sales Director, PBS India gave a talk on “PBS Engines for Unmanned Aerial Systems.” He explained the company’s focus on in-house development, production, testing and certification of turbojet, turboprop and turboshaft engines. He further elaborated that the company has expertise in engine testing. Discussing PBS TJ40-G1, he highlighted that it can be used with the hybrid electric motor. This is basically a turbojet engine that is meant for UAV systems, such as target drones and decoy drones, which also has low weight as one of its qualities. The company has also produced PBS TJ80, having the best thrust-to-diameter ratio. It is a turbojet engine designed for missiles, target drones and UAVs. The PBS TJ150 by the same company is a turbojet engine having higher thrust and a smaller diameter. It is light in weight with a powerful thrust of up to 1500 Newton along with low fuel consumption.

Col KV Kuber, Director Defence and Aerospace, E&Y gave the “Industry Perspective on UAS.” He mentioned that high economic growth in India has boosted the country’s entire UAV/Drone startup ecosystem. Further highlighting that co-production was the key for Atmanirbharta, he mentioned that this would help in reducing the input cost. So, there is a need to involve private industry in R&D. He highlighted that Atmanirbharta also meant that whatever indigenous products that any company produces should have the ability and confidence to improve on it on a much larger scale. He elaborated on ongoing drone initiatives in Indian firms like HAL and Adani Defence. He also spoke about India’s UAS exports like the Garuda drone which is exported to Malaysia. He stressed that while capability development can be done through technological developments, capacity building will be achieved through a robust industrial framework. He defined exports to be numerators, and production to be the denominator. According to him, a healthy balance between these two means a state of mutual interdependence, where a greater denominator reflects lacking abilities and the presence of vulnerabilities.

Session 4— Innovations and Research & Development

The theme of their session was Innovations, Research & Development. It was chaired by Cmde Vivek Dahiya, Cmde (SR), Naval HQ. The session focused on discussing the phenomenon of disruptive technologies taking over and becoming mainstream.

Chandreyi Suhas, Scientist F, ADE, DRDO gave a presentation on ‘Latest developments in UAVs.’ Briefly mentioning the future battlespace which will comprise manned, unmanned and hybrid aerial systems, she discussed in detail ADE’s product portfolio, including Pilotless Target Vehicles (Lakshay), Nishant SR-UAV, Panchi UAV and Rustom-1 (Short Range UAV for Reconnaissance). She also highlighted the aero materials, especially composites, strike aircraft variants, cruise missiles, aspects of stealth/ low observability technologies, RCS reduction technologies and radar absorbing paints.

Ashish Sharma, Director, WB Electronics, India, gave a brief overview of WB Electronics, India. He emphasized the company’s areas of activity which are crucial for the transfer of technology. He discussed in detail the Topaz Integrated Combat Management System, U-GATE Dismounted observation and unmanned system, and other systems offered by WB Electronics.

Wg Cdr Anand Pethia, Retd, Adani Defence and Ido Lichter, Vice President, UAS Engineering, Elbit Systems together gave a talk on ‘Evolution of Unmanned Aerial Systems from Segregated to Un-segregated Airspace.’ Pethia stressed on the importance of shifting focus from fighter operations to UAS, which will help to bridge the shortage of squadrons in a two-front war. Pethia elaborated on ‘the India Drone Rules 2021’ and explained how authorities are opening up the skies for drone testing in limited airspace. Ido underlined the importance of military certification, core standards of certification, the basis of certification, and why “certification is not enough and being ‘certified’ is now needed.” Further, Ido emphasized on the need for rigorous testing for building standards to reach a mature level of conformity.

Col Rajan Desai, Col Artillery & Aviation, Army Design Bureau, spoke on ‘Swarm Drones’ and brought out the enhanced significance of indigenous swarm drone technologies, highlighting the advantages of cost and operability, that have been observed in recent deployment scenarios. He underlined the design gaps of the drone industry which included the inability to test in high altitudes and extreme terrains. He elaborated that the Indian government is supporting the domestic start-up ecosystem through various policies, competitions and initiatives.

Wg Cdr Sarang Vashisht, Air HQ, discussed the ‘Meher Baba Swarm Drones Competition’ which began in October 2018, to honour Late Air Cdr Meher Singh, DSO.

Session 5—Counter UAVs

The theme of this session was “Counter UAVs”. It was chaired by Air Vice Marshal Rakesh Sinha, ACAS Operations (Offensive), Air HQ.

Brig Manish Kumar, Brig (Ops & C2), Army Air Defence Directorate, presented his views on ‘Countering the UAV Threat.’ He spoke on the significant targeting and destruction of drones in recent conflicts between Armenia-Azerbaijan and Russia-Ukraine. He emphasized the ‘urgent vs important’ aspects in the development of counter-drone capabilities and the key precepts of the UAS like the command-and-control systems, SATCOM, telemetry, navigation, positioning, and means of propulsion. He also explained the mitigation philosophy based on the threat environment and the importance of control through a centralized structure.

Azeez P, Scientist F, LRDE and V Kishore Kumar, Scientist D, DLRL, DRDO, together spoke on the DRDO developed ‘D-4 Anti-drone System.’ The speakers explained the Drone Detect, Deter and Destroy system (D4S) – the first indigenously developed anti-drone system to be inducted into the Indian Armed Forces. While highlighting the usage of counter-drone technology for surveillance to identify and mitigate through hard and soft-kills, the speakers also delved into the basic issues faced by the counter-drone systems, which included the size of drones and the importance of automatic classification between drones and other entities. Their discussion also highlighted challenges like detection effectiveness, false positives and false negatives, collateral damage and signal disruption.

Air Marshal Anil Chopra, Director General, CAPS gave the Closing Remarks and Maj Gen Ravi Arora, Chief Editor, Indian Military Review gave the vote of thanks.

Report prepared by: Dr. Anu Sharma, Dr. Ngangom Dhruba Tara Singh, Divyanshu Jindal, Prachi Lokhande and Jay Desai.

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These imported components, including alloys and special materials, and sub-assemblies for defence equipment and platform will be manufactured in India.

This is a part of the indigenisation policy laid out by the Department of Defence Production aiming to create an industry ecosystem to boost local production. The Defence Ministry has sought comments on the draft DPEPP 2020 by August 17.

An official statement said the DPEPP, 2020 aims to provide an impetus for self-reliance in defence manufacturing. It is envisaged as overarching guiding document of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide a focused, structured, and significant thrust to defence production capabilities of the country for self-reliance and exports.

Similar to the draft Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, a negative list of weapons or platforms for imports has also been proposed here. “This list would be updated periodically, without compromising on the operational requirements of the Services, to allow lead-time to industry to prepare itself for any such procurement which is likely to come up, subsequent to the indicated embargo date,” the policy said. The policy notes that the Department of Defence Production has laid out a target to achieve a turnover of ₹1,75,000 crore ($25 billion) in aerospace and defence goods and services by 2025. “The share of domestic procurement in overall defence procurement is about 60 per cent. In order to enhance procurement from domestic industry, it is incumbent that procurement is doubled from the current ₹70,000 crore to ₹1,40,000 crore by 2025,” the policy said.

Long-term orders

To support the domestic industry, critical products and materials, currently being imported, could be procured through long-term orders by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) to incentivise the domestic industry. In such cases, the resultant single vendor should also be acceptable with due price discovery and negotiations, the policy said.

Under the proposed policy, the DPSUs and Ordinance Factory Boards (OFBs) would be mandated to have at least 25 per cent of their revenue from exports, including success fee earned as target by 2025.

Owing design rights

The draft DPEPP 2020 says that the aim is to move away from licensed production to design, develop and produce. Under the proposed approach, the nation owns the design rights and intellectual property of the systems. To enable the same, a Technology Assessment Cell (TAC) would be created which would assess the Technology Readiness Levels available in the country. This Cell will also provide advice for initiation of All Acceptances of Necessity taking note of the time frames needed for development, trials, and induction of systems to avoid immediate procurement requests to the maximum extent.

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The IAF, in a statement, said that after the arrival on 29 July, “efforts will focus on operationalisation of aircraft at the earliest”. A formal induction ceremony will be held in Ambala in the second half of August.

The five Rafale jets will take off from Istres in France and fly to the French airbase in Al Dhafra near Abu Dhabi in the UAE. After a night halt, the jets will fly to Ambala in Haryana, where the IAF’s 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’ is based. The fighters will be flown by Indian pilots and will fly straight for 10 hours (Al Dhafra). It will have a halt for the night and next day fly to Ambala.

Two French mid-air re-fuellers will fly with the fighters. There would be at least two rounds of mid-air re-fuelling on the way to UAE. Indian mid-air refuellers will take charge the next day for the journey to Ambala. Indian Air Force pilots are now getting trained in France for re-fuelling. This was not part of the original training.

According to the contract signed in September 2016, 12 aircraft are supposed to be delivered every year. Four aircraft were to originally land in May, but got delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Once inducted, the Rafale with its cutting edge missiles will be the most modern and deadly fighter in this region. The IAF said that its aircrew and the ground crew have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft, including its highly advanced weapons systems and are fully operational now.

The weapons package
The main weapons package was supposed to arrive in October. However, following a request, France has diverted the missiles made for its own air force to India. These have started arriving already.

These missiles include the beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Meteor, which has the capability to hit targets over 120 km away, and the long range air-to-ground stand-off cruise missile, SCALP, which can strike targets 600 km away.

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The order for the HAMMER standoff missiles with the capability to take out any types of targets at the range of around 60-70 kms is being processed under the emergency powers for acquisition given to the armed forces by the Narendra Modi government.

In view of the urgent requirement for these missiles by the Air Force, the French authorities would be delivering the systems to India from the existing stock meant for some other customer.

HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) is a medium-range air-to-ground weapon designed and manufactured for the French Air Force and Navy initially.

The HAMMERs would give India the capability to take out any bunkers or hardened shelters in any type of terrain including the mountainous locations such as Eastern Ladakh.

When asked to comment, an IAF spokesperson refused to confirm or deny the developments related to the new acquisition.

Five Rafale would be arriving in India from France on July 29 and their advanced weaponry including the long-range SCALP and Meteor missiles would have reached India before their touchdown.

The first five Rafale fighter aircraft would start arriving in India by July 29 flown by pilots of the 17 Golden Arrows commanding officer.

The delivery of the aircraft was earlier supposed to have been done by May end but this was postponed by two months in view of the COVID-19 situation in both India and France.

The trainers will have the tail numbers of the RB series in honour of the Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria who played a pivotal role in finalising India’s largest-ever defence deal for 36 Rafale combat aircraft.

The aircraft on their way from France to India would be refuelled by a French Air Force tanker aircraft in the air around Israel or Greece before they make a stopover in the Middle East.

India had signed a deal worth over Rs 60,000 crore with France in September 2016 for 36 Rafales to meet the emergency requirements of the Indian Air Force.

Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria was the Deputy Chief of Air Staff at that time and headed the Indian negotiation team for the deal which is the biggest ever in monetary terms in India.

Armed with the long-range Meteor air to air missiles and SCALP, the Rafales would give India an edge over both Pakistan and China in terms of air strike capability.

The air to air and the air to ground strike capabilities of the Rafale cannot be matched by both China and Pakistan and the aircraft would give India an edge over both the rivals.

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In the coming weeks, Israel’s ministries of foreign affairs, defence and health will lead an unprecedented anti-COVID-19 cooperation operation between India and Israel, an Israel Embassy statement said.

A special planned flight from Tel Aviv to New Delhi is set to carry a high ranking Israeli defence ministry research and development team which has been working with India’s chief scientist K VijayRaghavan and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop rapid testing for COVID-19 in under 30 seconds, it said.

Merging Israeli technology with Indian development and production capabilities aims to allow a swift resumption of normal life alongside the virus, the Israeli Embassy said.

The flight will also bring breakthrough emerging Israeli technologies for combatting COVID-19, which have been donated by Israel’s foreign ministry and private sector meant to bolster India’s response to the outbreak.

“Finally, the plane will deliver mechanical ventilators which were given special permission by the Government of Israel for export to India,” the statement said.

Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have held three telephonic conversations in which they promised mutual assistance in dealing with the virus and committed to joint technological and scientific research between the countries, the statement said.

Noting that India is currently facing over one million COVID-19 positive cases, the Israeli side said India seeks to integrate advanced technologies in its hospitals as they prepare to treat massive waves of COVID-19 patients on an Indian scale.

The Israeli companies chosen by the three ministries to be sent to India are potentially given unique access to one of the largest economies in the world to provide monitoring and treatment technologies while significantly reducing contact between patients and medical staff, the statement said.

By opening the door to India’s market with its development and production capabilities, these Israeli technologies can be mass produced at a lower cost and could in future be jointly exported to third countries, it said.

At the outbreak of COVID-19 in Israel, India gave Israel special authorization to acquire medicine, masks and protective gear, the embassy noted.

Israeli Ambassador to India Ron Malka said, “I am proud to lead this Israeli delegation to India. It is at times like this that our friendship is tested, and the State of Israel is happy to lend a helping hand to India in this complicated and difficult time.”

India and Israel’s military R&D cooperation is well known for its success, he added.

“I have no doubt the same will be seen in the private sector joined by brilliant scientific minds from both countries to introduce a breakthrough in swift and simple testing procedures.” Malka said.

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Developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the anti-tank guided missile meant to be launched from a helicopter was flight-tested from a static launcher positioned at Integrated Test Range (ITR) under simulated conditions on July 15 and 16.

HeliNa has been named after the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, which will be equipped with the missile. Fitted with imaging Infra-Red seeker, Dhruvastra operates in ‘lock-on before launch mode’.

A defence official said the missile was test-fired from a ground-based launcher as a mandatory requirement with respect to safety. The missile would soon be tested from the ALH after a couple of more trials from the ground-based launcher.

Dhruvastra can be fired in two different modes – direct attack and top attack. Eight missiles can be integrated with the helicopter with four twin launchers specially designed for the weapon. Several trials of the third generation missile that operates on ‘fire and forget’ principle have been conducted from both the ITR and Pokhran firing ranges.

The missile can be launched from twin-tube stub wing-mounted launchers on board the armed light combat helicopters and advanced light helicopters. While Nag missile has a maximum range of 4 km, the HeliNa has an extended strike range of about 8 km.

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The Indian Navy MiG-29K fighter jets are deployed on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and carry out regular flying from the naval fighter base INS Hansa in Goa also.

The maritime fighter jets will complement the IAF efforts to significantly boost deep strikes and air dominance capabilities, they said,

At present, the Navy has a fleet of around 40 MiG-29K jets and at least 18 of them are deployed on board the country’s aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

The Russian-origin fighters were procured by the Indian Navy along with the aircraft carrier over a decade ago.

Poseidon 8I aircrafts of the Navy have been deployed for monitoring the movement of Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. The long-range anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft was deployed in Doklam along the Sikkim border too during the 73-day standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in 2017.

The P-8Is were also deployed to keep an eye on movement of Pakistani troops after the Pulwama terror attack last year.

The IAF’s Plan

In the ongoing dispute with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the Indian Navy has been playing an important role as its surveillance planes are being used for surveillance along the LAC for picking up Chinese activities and their positions. The surveillance aircraft were used extensively during the Doklam crisis as well.

The IAF has already positioned almost all its frontline fighter jets like Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft in the key frontier air bases in eastern Ladakh and elsewhere along the LAC, a move that came against the backdrop of the border row with China.

The IAF has been carrying out night time combat air patrols over the eastern Ladakh region in the last few weeks as part of its preparedness to deal with any eventualities in the mountainous region.

By the second half of August, the IAF is planning to deploy five Rafale fighter jets in the Ladakh sector which are expected to significantly enhance its combat capabilities. India is scheduled to receive the first batch of five Rafale jets on July 27.

As part of its high-level of alertness, the IAF has also deployed Apache attack choppers as well as Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to transport troops to various forward locations in eastern Ladakh.

The Indian Navy is also carrying out an exercise close to the Malacca Straits from where the Chinese Navy enters into the Indian Ocean Region.

Moreover, aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya has been out in the sea for missions with its carrier battle group.

The Indian Navy has been keeping a constant eye on the activities of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean region where they come regularly with their warships including Landing Platform Docks and long-range frigates and destroyers.
said.

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Myanmar and Thailand Police conducted a joint operation last month in June and seized a large consignment of Chinese weapons. Security agencies had arrested a total of 6 people in connection with this case. Those arrested revealed that the Chinese weapons were being transported to the Arakan Army operating in Rakhine state adjoining Bangladesh.

AK 47 assault rifles, anti-tank mines, grenades and machine guns were among the seized items from a house in Mae Sot District on the Thai side.

“They are not the weapons currently used by the Arakan Army. The weapons manufactured by the Wa (United Wa State Army) and the KIA (Kachin Independence Army) are not up to mark. They can’t fire on automatic. The seized weapons are original and Chinese-made,” The Irrawaddy reported citing a source.

Last year, Indian and Myanmar Armies had carried out a joint coordinated operation in their respective borders against Arakan Army and other rebel groups under the code name ‘Operation Sunrise’ to secure the Kaladan Project. The Arakan Army has set up several camps in areas across Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district, posing a threat to the Kaladan Project. This project is being viewed as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia.

In his interview given to Bangkok Post, the Deputy spokesman of Thailand Police Col Kissana Phattanacharoen, said, it is believed the seized weapons were intended to create havoc and the discovery comes amid intelligence reports about suspicious activities being planned by a certain group of people.

Pakistan’s ISI is eyeing to recruit Rohingya jihadis for terror activities in Bangladesh and the eastern part of India. There is a strong link available between Let and terror group Aqamul Mujahideen, which is a breakaway group from the Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami Arakan (HUJI-A), headed by Abdus Qadoos Burmi, a Pakistani national of Rohingya origin has called jihad in Myanmar. Abdus Qadoos Burmi has shared stages with LeT chief Hafiz Saeed.

Last year in the month of Nov, a huge cache of Chinese weapons was seized in Shan state by the Burmese Army including surface to air missiles.

Among the weapons seized were 39 M-22 assault rifles, 29 medium machine guns, 69 M-21 assault rifles, nine M-16 assault rifles, 21-RPG and one FN-6-man portable air defence system which is the shoulder-fired surface to air missile.

During the investigation, it was revealed that all the weapons were to be delivered to terror groups and were smuggled through China.

“There is a well-planned conspiracy to destabilized the Myanmar border adjoining to Bangladesh and India. Through the Kaladan Project, India will be able to reach its strong presence in Myanmar, which will help to counter Chinese presence. This could be a reason that Chinese weapons are transported to rebels groups like AA.” said an officer aware of these developments.

India entered into a framework agreement with Myanmar in April 2008, to facilitate the implementation of the project. On completion, the project will help connect Mizoram with the Sittwe Port in the Rakhine State of Myanmar. On the Indian side, work is on to extend the Aizawl-Saiha National Highway by 90 km to the international border at Zorinpui.

The Chinese made weapons are also available for the insurgent groups of North-Eastern states. As per Indian intelligence report, ULFA Chief Paresh Barua is currently residing in China and actively involved in supplying Chinese made weapons to various groups.

In 2004, ten truckloads of arms and ammunition smuggled from China were seized by the Bangladesh Army. In another incident in 2010 when northeast militant Anthony Shimray, who had returned from Nepal, was apprehended by Indian security agencies. During the interrogation, Shimray disclosed that he was tasked to send a large consignment of AK 47s, M16 rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, and rocket launchers among other arms and ammunition from China to India.

These weapons were to be sent from China’s Beihei through an agent from Bangkok to Bangladesh’s Cax Bazaar. From there, the weapons were to be made available to militant groups of northeast.

As per some reports, Beijing had also been taking help from Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI against India. China and Pakistan had jointly set up an operational hub against India in Bangladesh capital city Dhaka with the aim of contacting militant groups of northeast states.

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The details of their assets and nationalities have been put up on the website of the Cabinet Division. Information minister Shibli Faraz tweeted that the information had been made public on the instruction of Prime Minister Khan.

The move comes in response to growing criticism of the government and calls for declaring assets of the people close to the prime minister.
When Khan was in the Opposition, he had criticised foreign nationals holding public offices.

All dual nationals were non-elected and working as special assistants to the prime minister, also called as SAPM, a notification issued by the Cabinet Division showed.

The details of assets and dual nationalities of 20 advisers and special assistants to the prime minister were made public.

Those holding dual nationalities include SAPM on Political Affairs Shahbaz Gill (US), SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar (US), SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari (UK) and SAPM on National Security Moeed Yousuf (US).

The list also includes SAPM on Power Division Shahzad Qasim (US), SAPM on Parliamentary Coordination Nadeem Afzal Gondal (Canada) and SAPM on Digital Pakistan Tania S Aidrus (Canada and Singapore).

The Cabinet Division also published details of all non-elected advisors which showed that Babar had worth Rs 310 million properties in Pakistan and worth over Rs 310 million in the US. His business capitals amount to over Rs 2.15 billion.

Bukhari owns properties both in Pakistan and the UK. He also owns a Toyota Land Cruiser in Pakistan and four vehicles in the UK — Bentley (2017), Range Rover and two Mercedes. Aidrus owns properties in the US, Britain and Singapore.

SAPM on Information and Broadcast retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa owns eight properties, including a house, plots, commercial plots and agricultural land (65 acres), worth over Rs 1.4 billion.

Adviser on Finance Hafeez Shaikh has properties and assets worth around Rs 300 million. Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood owns assets worth over Rs 2 billion.

In Pakistan, a foreign national cannot contest an election.

All the people contesting an election declare their assets before the polls. But there is no such provision for non-elected members.

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