Indian Defence: My Review For The Army - I

I do not know if I can classify 2013 as a good or a bad year for the Indian Defence, but for one thing, It sure has been an extreme year. One on hand lie the magnificent achievements like activation of the miniature nuclear reactor of INS Arihant, launch of the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and approval or the all new Mountain Strike Corps, and on the other hand there were unfortunate events like blast and subsequent sinking of INS Sindhurakshak and crashing of Mi 17 V5 chopper during Uttaranchal flood relief operation. All these developments combined with the increased incursions and aggressions at the LAC and LOC make this a good time for a solid review of the Indian security scenario. 

M777 ultralight Howitzer

What's happened, has happened. It's time to look into the future. Army is getting the brand new Mountain Strike corps,going to get its critically low tank fired munitions replenished with the BDL making Invar missiles for T 90, testing the mk 2 version of Arjun tanks and Naag missiles, all set to receive the 145 ultra light howitzers and...well, this is quite a list. It looks all good to go but if you were to take a closer look, its not all that rosy. To start with, 145 M777s will not really give us any edge. LAC is 4000 Kilo meters long and the Chinese have a massive build up near the border both in terms or men and infrastructure. How much area can 145 howitzers protect with a range of 40-45 Kilo meters? Army ordered these guns just to fill the most crucial pockets the LAC. They will merely be tactical deterrents, and by no means will be able to add teeth to the offensive capabilities. Next, the decision to procure Invar ammunition for the T 90 tanks also doesn't seem to be very impressive. Invar is a 2nd generation missile and its range is limited. It may not b

e very effective against enemy tanks like the Al-Khalid from a long distance. I'm no expert, and correct me if you must, but something on the lines of LAHAT missile would have been a better choice.  And once again, we are only filling the gaps which should have not been there anyway, by buying these missiles. They are nothing new, nothing extra. They don't improve the army over what it was in any way. 

          LAHAT                                                Invar

Arjun, I must say is a very commendable tank as far as the theory goes, and the story of improved Naag anti tank missiles also looks good, but then they are merely in the testing phase. With every defence project being entangled in the red tape and clearances, who knows when they will actually reach the production line, and history tells us better than to have faith in DRDO deadlines. Same goes the story with the cherished new Mountain strike corps. What should have been done a decade ago is being done now and much has changed in these ten years. Although it is a welcomed move and will surely make the Indian presence on LAC underscored, let it be known that even after the formation of the corps, the Indian men will still be outnumbered in the ratio of 1:3 by the Chinese side in the event of an aggression. The Chinese have rail networks very close to the LAC, and we hardly have anything in the name of roads. And things in India take a long time to change. In a nutshell, most of the procurements are not enhancing the Army further, but simply filling gaps left in the past.

The new meaner look of the MARCOS in 2013 (Left).
Right: Old Look. Note the difference in the guns.

Not all is bad though, there are indeed a few things we can be happy about. Not very highlighted, but not any less important has been the quick induction of the Israeli Tavor 21 rifles with the special forces. And this brings the focus on how the Indian special forces have been modernized in recent years. With NSG and Marcos already taking the lead in adopting more sophisticated weapons, outfit and warfare techniques, it sure looks that at least the covert operations capability will be in place. Another positive development has been the nod from defence ministry to the army to raise its own air strike corps and just at the right time as the HAL Rudra is already set to join the Army now. Agni 5's second test launch is only days away now. One may criticize DRDO for any other project but when it comes to missiles, they are simply unmatched. Akash SAM, Prithvi air defence, Astra AAM - they are all doing amazingly well. 

So as with any road to development, there have been ups and down, some decisions have been delayed, while some have turned out to be just fine. Numbers aside, in war you never know if one man will take down five or if even ten men will be able take down one.