DEFENCE ISSUES-2

INS VIKRAMADITYA
It is India’s third aircraft carrier. First was INS Vikrant which has been decommissioned .The second Aircraft carrier
INS Virat is now decommissioned .Both these carries were purchased from Britain
INS Vikramaditya is the refabricated old aircraft carrier “ Admiral Gorskhov “ .This project was proposed in 2000
when the Russians offered it free of cost and asked only for the cost of refitting it . The deal was signed in 2004
and the cost of refitting was US $ 970 million .It was to be delivered in 2008. The delivery was delayed to 2014.
Russians asked for higher price and the deal was finally at US $ 3. 2 billion. Another $ 2.4 billion was the cost of
Mig 29 K based on these aircraft carrier.
But aircraft carriers are of great strategic value .It fulfils India’s dream of having a blue water navy. The Indian
ocean region has become the main trade route or Sea lane of communication (SLOC) .With two aircraft carrier
Indian navy would be equally strong in Bay of Bengal and Arabian sea .It fulfills the India dream of having a blue
water navy.
BARAK-8 has been successfully tested and it will be integrated into INS Vikramaditya and other ships of Indian
navy.
With two aircraft carrier, Indian navy would be equally strong in Bay of Bengal and Arabian sea . Horn of Africa and
Starit of Mallaca are two important area affected by sea piracy . Strong navy and strategic location is the reason
why ASEAN and other countries and East Asia want to have good relation with India .Strong Indian navy is needed
to deal with the string of Pearl theory of China and the maritime silk route concept of China .
South china sea is becoming a zone of conflict between china and other countries in the region. USA has eleven
aircraft carrier groups . This has helps the US in expanding its military presence across the globe.
INDEGENOUS AIRCRAFT CARRIER /AIR DEFENCE SHIP
The Air Defence ship was been built at Kochi and has been floated out . The construction of the Air Defence ship
began in 2005 . One of the major challenge was to develop high grade steel for the aircraft carrier so that it could
tolerate the force of landing fighter aircraft .DRDO developed two new steel varieties –DMR 249 A and DMR 249
B. The special grade steel was manufactured at Rourkela steel plant .
The warship is equipped with a 80 Mw gas turbine engine .Indegenous component of the vessel is :- a) 90 % in
Float category b) 60 % in move category (turbines ,steering , control system) c) 30 % in flight category
The ship is presently undergoing sea trial . Various system and armaments will be fitted into it. It is expected to be
handed over to Indian navy by 2018.
STEALH TECHNOLOGY
Stealth is achieved in aircraft and ships by reconfiguring their shapes to reflect RADAR impulse /waves away from
the radar. In stealth defence equipment the surface of the vehicle is made of many reflecting surface connected at
odd angle. This configuration serves to deflect radiowaves in a manner that they do not bounce back to the radar
station but bounce off at tangential angle in another direction .
Stealth aircraft also absorb radar signatures by usage of RAM or Radar Absorbent Material. Although most Radar
Absorbent Material are classified, the most common type of Radar Absorbent Material that was used in early
stealth aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin F-117 Nighthawk and the Lockheed SRTlBlackbird was "Iron Ball
Paint". In this process, the aircraft's surface is painted with tiny metallic spheres coated with ferrite. When radar
waves fall on this surface, they cause molecular oscillations in these spheres thus turning the incident .
The design of a stealth aircraft has also to deal with protrusions that can compromise its stealth. Thus, all modern
stealth atrcraft mostly store their entire payload inside their wing or fuselage which is only compromised when it
discharges its weapon to attack its target. Aircraft engines are often set within the fuselage which reduces radar
signature.
Stealth aircraft have aerial advantage over conventional aircraft as they can penetrate deep into enemy territory
without being detected and thus reduce life risk factor for the pilots. Also with the major involvement of
computersystems in the cockpits of modern arcraft,a lot of work can be done easier andquicker thus making it
possible for as little as four people to successfully complete a mission which would previously requiremore crew
and support aircraft.

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Aircraft have been designed with specific features to avoid heat seeking missile . It includes exhaust port that
serves to mix hot gases with cold surrounding air . The exhaust port may be repositioned on the upper side of the
airframe .
Ships need to be demagnetized by a process known as Degaussing by rubbing the hull with electrically charged
cables .Degaussing helps in preventing attack by magnetic mines and torpedos . India has managed to assimilate
the technology in shaping the indigenously built shivalik class of warship.
DRONE OR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE
Drone or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is a aircraftwithout a human operator on board. It is cheaper than the
conventional fighter planes and it can be deployed in regions with high attack risks. It is believed that with further
advancement of the technology UAVs will reduce the roles of traditional aircraft.The word drone is a military slang
for UAVs as drones do the work that would be dulland dangerous for soldiers. An UAV can be large enough to
resemble a small plane while the smallest can be even carried in backpack.
One of the first major use of camera fitted unmanned aircrafts for spying over enemy territories was during the
Vietnam War. The modern UAVs however evolved in the early 70s when the US and Israel started experimenting
with smaller and cheaper air craft. In 1982 Israel became the first nation to use these mini-UAVs in combat when
its UAVs revealed the Syrian air defence helping the air force in planning an accurate air attack. Israel designed
Pioneer UAVs were used in the 1991 Gulf War. The use of UAVs for surveillance became widespread after the 1999
Kosovo war.Till recently UAVs were primarily used for spying and surveillance.
The use of MQ-1 predator for direct attack on targets started since 2001. These unmanned aircraft are fitted with
two Hell fire missiles. The predator is small aircraft and it is believed that these missiles were designed to pierce
tank armour.Since 2007 the predator was joined by MQ-9 Reaper a much larger drone with the payload capacity
of 1.5 tons. The reaper could carry combination of Hellfire missiles and bombs.United States has carried drone
attacks in Pa kistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and Libya.
Apart from military use the UAVs play numerous roles in civil aviation. They find use in surveillance, forest fire
detection, crop surveys, aerial footage in filmmaking, delivering medical supplies to remote areas, wildlife
counting and so on.
Using drone for commercial purpose is a legal grey zone in many countries.
India has purchased searcher and Heron drones from Israel.  Defense Research and Development Organization
(DRDO) has been developing a UCAV for some time now as well. The Rustom is a medium-altitude long-endurance
UCAV which was first tested in late 2009 and is designed for use by the Indian Air Force, Army, and Navy. 
The U.S. Air Force Research Lab is moving ahead with an initiative to turn aging F-16 fighter jets into unmanned,
autonomous combat aircraft. The pilotless planes will fly alongside the newer aircraft like the F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter.
Director General of Civil Aviation is planning to register all civilian unmanned aircraft and issue permits for
operating them .
GUARDIAN DRONES
The United States has cleared the sale of Guardian drones to India after the Modi-Trump meeting in Washington.
Here are top facts about this predatory machine:
1. The Predatory Guardian drones became operational on 1 May 2007.
2. The drone was first inducted as part of the US Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programme.
3. India to purchase 22 naval variants of the unarmed surveillance aircraft. The Indian version of the drone is only
for reconnaissance missions.
4. Abraham Karem is the designer of the drone while General Atomics is the company that produces it.
5. The Guardian drone can remain in the air for over 27 hours and it can reach a maximum altitude of 50000 feet.
6. The drone's maximum speed limit is 240 KTAS (True airspeed, in knots).
7. Its maximum payload carrying capacity is 1,746 kg.
8. India will be the first country to purchase such a drone by a non-NATO member.
9. Guardian drones can hunt targets and scan terrain by using multiple sensors that are
equipped with thermographic camera

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AGNI-V
Agni-5 is India’s first Intercontinental Ballistic missile .India is the 6 th nation to develop such a missile system .
Agni-5 is of great strategic significance .It covers entire of China , Pakistan, South Asia and parts of Africa . Only
USA and Australia are beyond its range .
DRDO has said that Agni-5 is an intermediate range ballistic missile with arrange of about 5500 km . But china and
many other foreign countries say that Agni-5 has a range of 8000 km and hence it qualifies for range of ICBM .
Chinese strategist say that India has showed a low range of this missile so that other countries are not alarmed .
It is an important milestone in the India’s effort to become a world power .Agni-5 is China centric missile . The
missile travelsupto a height of 600 km .It travels in the outer space and then reenters into the earths atmoshphere
to hit a particular target .
Agni-5 carries warhead upto 1500 kg . The Agni-V is a three-stage solid fuelled missile with composite motor casing
in the second and third stage. Agni can be launched using a special canister means that it could even be launched
from the roadside.
Agni-V is the most advanced system so far, which has various new technologies incorporated in it in terms of
navigation and guidance, warhead and engine. The very high accuracy Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation
System (RINS) and the most modern and accurate Micro Navigation System (MINS) ensures that the missile
reaches the target point within few metres of accuracy designated.
Agni-5 can be equipped with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) in the future . MIRVs
enable the use of multiple warheads, each having capacity to strike different targets.
Agni 5 can nuclear warhead upto 1500 kg .Agni 5 reaches upto an altitude of 600 km . Therefore it can also be
used as anti-satellite weapon .It can also be used in emergency to carry satellite to the low earth orbit.
Advanced Agni-6 missile with multiple warheads
Agni-6 will carry a massive three-tonne warhead, thrice the weight of the one-tonne warhead that Agni missiles
have carried so far. This will allow each Agni-6 missile to launch several nuclear warheads -Multiple Independently
Targetable Re-entry Warheads (MIRVs) - with each warhead striking a different target. Each warhead - called
Maneuverable Reentry Vehicle (MARV) - performs evasive maneuvers while hurtling down towards its
target,confusing enemy air defence missiles that are trying todestroy them mid-air.
The DRDO is at an advanced stage of developing these warhead technologies. But the difficult challenge is building
a booster rocket that can propel a three-tonne payload to targets 5000 kilometres away. This weighs almost as
much as the satellite payload carried by the Indian Space Research Organisation's much larger and heavier Global
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).
The road mobile Agni-6 would also have stringent limits on its length. It will be carried on a standard size trailer
that can move from one part of the country to another, turn on our roads, cross our bridges and climb our heights.
INS ARIHANT
INS Arihant is India’s first indigenous nuclear submarine. India got its first nuclear submarine on lease from Russia
in the 90’s and it was named ‘INS Chakra’ .India got considerable experience in operating nuclear submarine from
INS Chakra .
INS Arihant was built at Vishakhapatnam .Its nuclear rector attained criticality in 2013. Critical means self
sustaining nuclear reaction which is the first step towards stable power production . Arihant is powered by
Pressurised light water reactor .it generates 85 MW of power . The other name of the project was ‘Advance
technology Vessel’.
It uses High enriched uranium ( 25 % enrichment) .It uses light water as coolant and moderator . Pressurized
heavey water reactor cannot be miniaturized .therefore India had to develop light water rector programme . The
light water reactor built for the nuclear reactor can be scaled up for building bigger reactor for civilian power
production programme .
The ATV Project is a perfect example of cooperation between DRDO , BARC , Navy , Private and Public sector .
BARC played a key role in designing and developing the Pressurised light water reactor . High grade steel was
supplied by Heavey Engineering corporation , Ranchi. The steam generators were supplied by Bharat heavey

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electrical limited .It required multidisciplinary effort like fuel development , thermal and mechanical system ,
control rod mechanism and instrumentation .
An identical light water reactor was built at Kalpakkam in 2004 .BARC scientist played a critical role designing the
reactor . The next few were spend experimenting with this light water reactor . Russia helped India in designing
the nuclear submarine .
Nuclear submarine can remain under water for long period .Therefore it is difficult to detect and target by the
enemy . Disel submarined need to surface every few days and at this time are most vulnerable to enemy attack .
Arihant is critical for India’s declared ‘No first Use ‘ nuclear weapon doctrine .Submarine based nuclear weapon
are least vulnerable to surprise enemy attack .
INS Arihant is equipped with K-15 and K-4 missiles . K-15 has a range of 700 km whereas K-4 has a range of 3500
km . K-4 is capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warhead . It will complete India’s nuclear triad consisting of
land based , sea based and air based nuclear weapons .
The second indigenous nuclear submarine is INS Aridhman and is nearing its construction at Visakhapatnam .
Meanwhile India has taken one nuclear submarine on lease from the Russia . It is akula class submarine and it has
been named INS Chakra . India is negotiating for a second nuclear submarine on lease from Russia .
India joins Missile Technology Control Regime
MTCR chair at The Hague said India would enjoy participation in the activities of the club
In a boost to its non-proliferation credentials, India on Monday joined the Missile Technology Control Regime
(MTCR) at a ceremony in South Block, attended by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and diplomats from the
Netherlands, France and Luxembourg missions.
The Ministry of External Affairs said India’s MTCR membership would help in “furtherance of international non-
proliferation objectives,” even as a statement from the MTCR chair at The Hague said India would enjoy “full
participation in organisational activities, including the October 2016 plenary of the regime in South Korea.”
India had intensified efforts at gaining membership of the MTCR, the NSG, the Australia Group and Wassenaar
Arrangement since getting a waiver at the NSG in 2008.
Membership of these groups would help India trade more effectively in critical high tech areas.
MTCR: Top five things to know
» MTCR membership will enable India to buy high-end missile technology and also enhance its
joint ventures with Russia.

» MTCR aims at restricting the proliferation of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air
vehicles and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kilogramme payload
for at least 300 kilometres, as well as systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass
destruction (WMD).

» India’s efforts to get into the MTCR also got a boost after it agreed to join the Hague Code of
Conduct, dealing with the ballistic missile non-proliferation arrangement, earlier this month.

» India’s membership had been blocked in 2015 by Italy, which seemed to link it to the standoff
over the detention of the Italian marines. With the return of the second marine, Salvatore
Girone, to Rome on May 29, the sources said, “Italy is no longer blocking the consensus.”

» China, which stonewalled India’s entry into the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) at the
just-concluded Seoul plenary, is not a member of 34-nation MTCR.

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