A well equipped, ground based tracking infrastructure is vital to constantly monitor the position of an orbiting satellite and detect its ground track with precision. The satellite pass prediction and real time satellite tracking constitutes the mainstay of the tracking activities. In the ultimate analysis, tracking is also a fundamental step towards determining the operational efficiency of a satellite for harnessing its potentials. In the Indian context, the telemetry, tracking and command network of the… Read More »War in orbit: Satellite tracking and threat of hostile satellites

The Indian aerospace industry is all set to follow the auto sector way which started its foray into the international auto market almost two decades ago as spare parts and equipments supplier for auto giants worldwide. Indian auto sector is now posing a big challenge to the international auto majors. Similarly, the Indian aerospace sector has all the potentials to emerge as a hub for supplying equipments and systems to the international aviation giants. In… Read More »Expanding footprint: Prospects of Indian aerospace industry

When the Pakistani forces, in the guise of Jehadis, had intruded along the Line of Control in the Kargil region of Jammu and Kashmir in 1999, Indian Army strongly felt the absence of a 70 km long range weapon system which could have destroyed the operational headquarters of the Northern Light Infantry in Skardu. India till that year had only the Bofors Howitzer guns which were rendered ineffective and counterproductive as it invited retaliation from… Read More »Lethal attack: Push to India’s Cold Start doctrine

It appears US troop withdrawal in Afghanistan is going to be accelerated faster than some would have thought as the money spent on an unwinnable war could be better used to save American jobs and boost US economy. On several occasions, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said he is confident the 100,000 troops still in Afghanistan under the NATO umbrella can hand over responsibility of Afghan security forces by the end of 2014.… Read More »Palpable worries: Obama second term could end Afghan war

As with everything else in its effort to achieve self-reliance in military equipment, India’s first stealth warship very nearly floundered on the shoals of an American embargo on the delivery of the General Electric LM-2800+ marine gas turbines. Fortunately the embargo was short-lived and the engines were delivered and the Shivalik joined the Indian Navy just a couple of months behind schedule. As with every other military platform the engine is the heart of its… Read More »Reach new heights: Naval engines and marine propulsion system

To be able to keep a sharp eye on every Chinese maneuver not just along the Line of Actual Control from Arunachal Pradesh to Aksai Chin but also along the Karakoram Highway where Chinese troops have been deployed under guise of engineers and technicians, India will have to use every means of detection, surveillance and reconnaissance it can muster. This is because we appear to become aware of Chinese activities long after they have become… Read More »Constant vigil: Monitoring Chinese activities along borders

Given the emerging geopolitics wherein China and Pakistan will collude in both encircling India as well as forcing it to relinquish claims to Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh, India will need to optimize the use of its air force fleet to be able to keep more aircraft and helicopters operationally aloft than is currently possible with the available midair refueling tankers. Given also that the Government of India scrapped the deal signed with the… Read More »Refueling range: Midair refueling needs of IAF

Military dogs are more protective towards their territory than the military itself. It is all over the history as how military dogs performed in the battlefield. It started with legendary Mongol warlord Zhengis Khan who deployed more than 30,000 Tibetan dogs in his quest to conquer Europe. Indeed, US military may not have survived in Afghanistan without military dogs as Taliban used to launch attacks in the night. It is the dogs who used to… Read More »Real sentinels: Indian military should deploy more dogs in war zone

India is all set to order a fresh batch of 42 Sukhoi fighter aircraft from Russia in a bid to placate Russian anger flared over being purged from the ongoing MMRCA deal evaluation process. The whole deal could go beyond USD 3.5 billion as the prices have already been increased by the Russian side and Indian Ministry of Defence officials are still asking Moscow to reduce. Citing currency volatility, Russian Defence Ministry has said it… Read More »Pacifying dolce: India to buy 42 more SU-30 to appease Russian anger

Year 2013 may prove to be the landmark year for Indian armed forces as the K-15 submarine based cruise missile, which has been named as B05 by Defence Research And Development Organisation, completed its test trials and has been declared ready for integration with the Arihant, India’s first indigenous nuclear powered submarine. The scientists of DRDO will thus take India to newer heights in strategic deterrence after its final induction in Indian Navy. After overcoming… Read More »Undersea punch: India’s K-15 SLBM completes development tests