India Inducted its first MiG 29K in 2009 after a deal with Russia for the supply of naval version of a multi-role Fighter. The Indian Fleet of Sea Harrier was aging and needed an immediate replacement. The initial lot of 12 MiG 29K were delivered in 2009-10. Subsequently, India ordered more, and currently holding about 45 of these flying machines. India is the only country operating these aircrafts outside Russia.

&nbsp;

The aircrafts operate from two bases; &ldquo;INS Vikramaditya&rdquo; which got inducted into the Indian Navy in 2013 and INS Hansa which is a naval air base at Goa. Goa Airport is one of the many stations in India where civilian and military aircrafts use the same runway strip. The INS Hansa is an important naval base which holds 8 of the major naval air squadrons of India. It includes two squadrons of Mig 29K, few Mig 29KUB which are twin-seater trainer version of MiG 29K, one squadron of IL-38 anti-submarine aircraft, one each for HAL Chetak and Kamov 31AEW helicopters and two trainer squadrons. It is the base where navy pilots are trained in handling advanced naval aircrafts.

&nbsp;

Recent accident of MiG 29K at Goa is significant because it is the first accident of this aircraft since it was inducted 8 years back. Not only this, the twin-engine aircraft is considered extremely safe and, till date, only two accidents have been recorded in Russia. One was in 2011 when the aircraft was under testing and these kinds of crashes are not uncommon. The second one crashed into the Mediterranean Sea at the time of landing over Russian aircraft carrier &ldquo;Admiral Kuznetsov&rdquo;. This was when the aircraft was returning after successfully completing a mission over Syria and the primary reason was tearing off of the landing cable due to which the aircraft had to be in the air for more than the desired time frame.

&nbsp;

The single-seat variant made for India is different from the existing MiG 29 operated by the Indian Air Force and is, especially, developed for carrier-based operations. This supersonic fighter has a wing folding mechanism due to which it can be stored at an aircraft carrier in lesser space, resulting in the deployment of more number of aircrafts. This is a fourth generation aircraft and can operate in a range of about 1500 kilometres from the carrier. Hence, it can dominate the seas in a better way. It has advanced radars, advanced fly by wire avionics, electro-optical targeting system and can carry a load of over 5.5 tonnes to include a variety of armaments and equipment, making it an undisputed king of the high seas.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

So, what caused the accident of this machine which is considered quite safe?&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Indian Navy has already launched a Court of Inquiry into the case and the exact reason will be known later but as of now the prima facia reason is that the aircraft skidded off the runway due to some technical error, caught the fire and, most importantly, a trainee pilot was flying the same.

&nbsp;

In my opinion, this accident happened because of human error. First, the aircraft was piloted by a trainee pilot with less experience in handling this machine. Second, the aircraft skidded off the runway in the initial takeoff effort, and this may be due to steering failure. Thus, there is a higher possibility of human failure than a mechanical one. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

India has lost over 70 military aircrafts, including helicopters and precious lives of 80 people in accidents since 2014, which is quite serious. While human error cannot be ignored in some of these cases, the mechanical failure constituted the reason of more than half of the failures.

&nbsp;

India operates a large inventory of aircrafts from various sources and, in some cases, integrated the technologies of different countries to make its own system. While spares and services are an issue, the aging fleet needs a complete revamp which the government should focus on.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The SU-30MKI, considered the most advanced fighter aircraft of the Indian airforce, was also inducted in 2002. 15 years have gone by but, as of now, we don&rsquo;t even have a replacement of our aging fleets of Jaguar, MiG 21s, MiG 29s and Mirage 2000. Buying expensive systems like Rafael will only give temporary relief. We have still not advanced enough in the direction of our indigenous multirole aircraft.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Surprisingly, India inducted its first indigenous supersonic aircraft (HAL HF-24 Marut) in 1967 and, since then, our own aircraft programme had been experiencing delays. At the time when Pakistan has already started exporting its J-17, HAL Tejas is not even fully operational and there are a lot of dark areas in its performance. Though DRDO tried to Indianise most of its parts, however, we are still looking at other countries, particularly, Israel and the USA for its critical parts like radar, avionics and engine. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

It will be shocking to you that the LCA program was conceived and approved by the government in 1983. Even after 35 years and an expenditure of over 11,000 crores, we don&rsquo;t have the operational aircraft in our hands.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The future of Indo-Russian Project of Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft is still not clear. While Russia already started inducting the system at its end, we have not moved ahead even an inch. The project is significantly delayed and gone into the abyss of uncertainty.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It is high time that the government takes this matter seriously. Not only the indigenisation of our aircrafts but the training of pilots need special attention. India cannot afford to lose precious lives and war machines just like that.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India has lost over 70 military aircrafts, including helicopters and precious lives of 80 people in accidents since 2014, which is quite serious.

India Inducted its first MiG 29K in 2009 after a deal with Russia for the supply of naval version of a multi-role Fighter. The Indian Fleet of Sea Harrier was aging and needed an immediate replacement. The initial lot of 12 MiG 29K were delivered in 2009-10. Subsequently, India ordered more, and currently holding about 45 of these flying machines. India is the only country operating these aircrafts outside Russia. The aircrafts operate from two bases; “INS Vikramaditya” which got inducted into the Indian Navy in 2013 and INS Hansa which is a naval air base at Goa. Goa Airport is one of the many stations in India where civilian and military aircrafts use the same runway strip. The INS Hansa is an important naval base which holds 8 of the major naval air squadrons of India. It includes two squadrons of Mig 29K, few Mig 29KUB which are twin-seater trainer version of MiG 29K, one squadron of IL-38 anti-submarine aircraft, one each for HAL Chetak and Kamov 31AEW helicopters and two trainer squadrons. It is the base where navy pilots are trained in handling advanced naval aircrafts. Recent accident of MiG 29K at Goa is significant because it is the first accident of this aircraft since it was inducted 8 years back. Not only this, the twin-engine aircraft is considered extremely safe and, till date, only two accidents have been recorded in Russia. One was in 2011 when the aircraft was under testing and these kinds of crashes are not uncommon. The second one crashed into the Mediterranean Sea at the time of landing over Russian aircraft carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov”. This was when the aircraft was returning after successfully completing a mission over Syria and the primary reason was tearing off of the landing cable due to which the aircraft had to be in the air for more than the desired time frame. The single-seat variant made for India is different from the existing MiG 29 operated by the Indian Air Force and is, especially, developed for carrier-based operations. This supersonic fighter has a wing folding mechanism due to which it can be stored at an aircraft carrier in lesser space, resulting in the deployment of more number of aircrafts. This is a fourth generation aircraft and can operate in a range of about 1500 kilometres from the carrier. Hence, it can dominate the seas in a better way. It has advanced radars, advanced fly by wire avionics, electro-optical targeting system and can carry a load of over 5.5 tonnes to include a variety of armaments and equipment, making it an undisputed king of the high seas. So, what caused the accident of this machine which is considered quite safe? The Indian Navy has already launched a Court of Inquiry into the case and the exact reason will be known later but as of now the prima facia reason is that the aircraft skidded off the runway due to some technical error, caught the fire and, most importantly, a trainee pilot was flying the same. In my opinion, this accident happened because of human error. First, the aircraft was piloted by a trainee pilot with less experience in handling this machine. Second, the aircraft skidded off the runway in the initial takeoff effort, and this may be due to steering failure. Thus, there is a higher possibility of human failure than a mechanical one. India has lost over 70 military aircrafts, including helicopters and precious lives of 80 people in accidents since 2014, which is quite serious. While human error cannot be ignored in some of these cases, the mechanical failure constituted the reason of more than half of the failures. India operates a large inventory of aircrafts from various sources and, in some cases, integrated the technologies of different countries to make its own system. While spares and services are an issue, the aging fleet needs a complete revamp which the government should focus on. The SU-30MKI, considered the most advanced fighter aircraft of the Indian airforce, was also inducted in 2002. 15 years have gone by but, as of now, we don’t even have a replacement of our aging fleets of Jaguar, MiG 21s, MiG 29s and Mirage 2000. Buying expensive systems like Rafael will only give temporary relief. We have still not advanced enough in the direction of our indigenous multirole aircraft. Surprisingly, India inducted its first indigenous supersonic aircraft (HAL HF-24 Marut) in 1967 and, since then, our own aircraft programme had been experiencing delays. At the time when Pakistan has already started exporting its J-17, HAL Tejas is not even fully operational and there are a lot of dark areas in its performance. Though DRDO tried to Indianise most of its parts, however, we are still looking at other countries, particularly, Israel and the USA for its critical parts like radar, avionics and engine. It will be shocking to you that the LCA program was conceived and approved by the government in 1983. Even after 35 years and an expenditure of over 11,000 crores, we don’t have the operational aircraft in our hands. The future of Indo-Russian Project of Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft is still not clear. While Russia already started inducting the system at its end, we have not moved ahead even an inch. The project is significantly delayed and gone into the abyss of uncertainty. It is high time that the government takes this matter seriously. Not only the indigenisation of our aircrafts but the training of pilots need special attention. India cannot afford to lose precious lives and war machines just like that. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: 'Made in India' aircrafts and better-trained pilots are crucial to avoid crashes

A second generation Defence Officer, Commander (later Commodore) Babru Bhan Yadav was from Utter Pradesh and was commissioned into Indian Navy in 1951. He attended training in UK and Russia over various equipment and ships.

During the 1971 War, he was commanding Indian Navy&rsquo;s 25th Missile Boat Squadron which consisted of three Vidyut Class Missile Boats (INS Nipat, INS Nirghat and INS Veer), two Anti-Submarine Corvettes (INS Kiltan and INS Katchali) and a tanker ship called INS Poshak.

Since Karachi was the headquarters of Pakistan Navy and it was essential to target this to achieve a naval supremacy over our neighbour. The then Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral SM Nanda and the Western Fleet Commander Vice Admiral GK Hiranandani decided to give this task to Commander Babru Bhan Yadav whose missile ships were armed with SSN-2B Styx Missiles with a range of up to 40 Kms. Indian Navy launched two back to back operations called Operation Trident and Operation Python to destroy Karachi Naval Facilities.

Operation Trident

In the daytime of 4th December, the strike group reached 250 Nautical Miles away from Karachi port and stayed there to avoid any kind of surveillance by Pak Air Force. Since Pakistani Aircrafts did not have night attack capabilities, it was decided to launch the attack from dusk to dawn. On the Night of 4/5 December 1971, the strike group moved and fired its first missile from a close distance.

Commander of PNS Khaibar at Karachi port saw some light in the sky and thought of it as some flair fired from a boat in distress but as the fireball kept coming closer to him, he realised what it is. The first missile hit PNS Khaibar&rsquo;s boiler room and soon after the second missile also hit him, sinking the ship along with 222 sailors.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/opinion-indian-armys-out-of-the-box-thinking-won-1971-war-26805">Opinion: Indian Army&#39;s out of the box thinking won 1971 war</a>

Another minesweeper ship called PNS Muhafiz and a large cargo ship of US which was carrying ammunition for Pakistani Forces (MV Challenger) were also hit and sunk. The Operation was not over yet. Another Pakistani ship PNS Shah Jahan was also hit and was damaged beyond repair. Karachi part had a large oil storage and one missile from INS Veer hit this target too but could not damage this completely.

Operation Python

It was essential for India to destroy the oil storage facilities at Karachi port but the problem was that Pakistan Navy and Air Force had enhanced the security of the Karachi port and were totally waiting in pursuit of Indian Forces, anticipating that they will attack again. Commander BB Yadav decided to send a small and highly manoeuvrable force to target this. On the night of 8/9 December 1971, a small strike group with a single missile boat and two multipurpose ships with just 4 Styx missiles moved towards Karachi Port in rough seas.

Because of the increased surveillance of the Pak Navy, the group was detected by the radars at Karachi port and now it had very less time to react. Anticipating the situation, Commander BB Yadav ordered INS Vinash to fire all its missiles immediately and return to safety. Out of the four missiles fired by INS Vinash, one hit the oil storage facilities which burned with a loud explosion.

The explosion took the nearby ammunition depot in its coverage and a Diwali like situation started at Karachi port with explosions audible even at 10 Nautical Miles. The second missile hit a Panama based fuel tanker and sunk it. The third one hit another Pakistan Navy ship called PNS Dacca and damaged it beyond repair and fourth one hit and sank a merchant vessel, MV Harmattan which was carrying war stores for Pakistan forces.

Because of these two operations, nearly 50 per cent of the fuel reserves of Karachi Zone and 70&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;of ammunition were destroyed. It caused a heavy blow on Pakistan Economy because the resultant loss was almost US $ 3 Billion.

Indian Navy Celebrates its Navy day on 4th December in the memory of Operation Trident and Python as well to commemorate the leader of the operation- Commander Babru Bhan Yadav, Mahavir Chakra. Because of him, 25th Missile Boat Squadron of Indian Navy is still called as &ldquo;The Killer Squadron&rdquo;.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Commander Babru Bhan Yadav, Mahavir Chakra led India's attack on the Karachi port, which destroyed nearly 50 per cent of the fuel reserves of Karachi Zone and 70?per cent?of ammunition.

A second generation Defence Officer, Commander (later Commodore) Babru Bhan Yadav was from Utter Pradesh and was commissioned into Indian Navy in 1951. He attended training in UK and Russia over various equipment and ships. During the 1971 War, he was commanding Indian Navy’s 25th Missile Boat Squadron which consisted of three Vidyut Class Missile Boats (INS Nipat, INS Nirghat and INS Veer), two Anti-Submarine Corvettes (INS Kiltan and INS Katchali) and a tanker ship called INS Poshak. Since Karachi was the headquarters of Pakistan Navy and it was essential to target this to achieve a naval supremacy over our neighbour. The then Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral SM Nanda and the Western Fleet Commander Vice Admiral GK Hiranandani decided to give this task to Commander Babru Bhan Yadav whose missile ships were armed with SSN-2B Styx Missiles with a range of up to 40 Kms. Indian Navy launched two back to back operations called Operation Trident and Operation Python to destroy Karachi Naval Facilities. Operation Trident In the daytime of 4th December, the strike group reached 250 Nautical Miles away from Karachi port and stayed there to avoid any kind of surveillance by Pak Air Force. Since Pakistani Aircrafts did not have night attack capabilities, it was decided to launch the attack from dusk to dawn. On the Night of 4/5 December 1971, the strike group moved and fired its first missile from a close distance. Commander of PNS Khaibar at Karachi port saw some light in the sky and thought of it as some flair fired from a boat in distress but as the fireball kept coming closer to him, he realised what it is. The first missile hit PNS Khaibar’s boiler room and soon after the second missile also hit him, sinking the ship along with 222 sailors. Also read: Opinion: Indian Army's out of the box thinking won 1971 war Another minesweeper ship called PNS Muhafiz and a large cargo ship of US which was carrying ammunition for Pakistani Forces (MV Challenger) were also hit and sunk. The Operation was not over yet. Another Pakistani ship PNS Shah Jahan was also hit and was damaged beyond repair. Karachi part had a large oil storage and one missile from INS Veer hit this target too but could not damage this completely. Operation Python It was essential for India to destroy the oil storage facilities at Karachi port but the problem was that Pakistan Navy and Air Force had enhanced the security of the Karachi port and were totally waiting in pursuit of Indian Forces, anticipating that they will attack again. Commander BB Yadav decided to send a small and highly manoeuvrable force to target this. On the night of 8/9 December 1971, a small strike group with a single missile boat and two multipurpose ships with just 4 Styx missiles moved towards Karachi Port in rough seas. Because of the increased surveillance of the Pak Navy, the group was detected by the radars at Karachi port and now it had very less time to react. Anticipating the situation, Commander BB Yadav ordered INS Vinash to fire all its missiles immediately and return to safety. Out of the four missiles fired by INS Vinash, one hit the oil storage facilities which burned with a loud explosion. The explosion took the nearby ammunition depot in its coverage and a Diwali like situation started at Karachi port with explosions audible even at 10 Nautical Miles. The second missile hit a Panama based fuel tanker and sunk it. The third one hit another Pakistan Navy ship called PNS Dacca and damaged it beyond repair and fourth one hit and sank a merchant vessel, MV Harmattan which was carrying war stores for Pakistan forces. Because of these two operations, nearly 50 per cent of the fuel reserves of Karachi Zone and 70 per cent of ammunition were destroyed. It caused a heavy blow on Pakistan Economy because the resultant loss was almost US $ 3 Billion. Indian Navy Celebrates its Navy day on 4th December in the memory of Operation Trident and Python as well to commemorate the leader of the operation- Commander Babru Bhan Yadav, Mahavir Chakra. Because of him, 25th Missile Boat Squadron of Indian Navy is still called as “The Killer Squadron”. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: How the fall of Karachi port was brought by India's 'Killer Squadron' in 1971

The INS Kalavari will change the dynamics of warfare in the south and south-east Asia. The reasons why it will have such a profound impact on Indian defense strategy is because of the new features that the DRDO is adding to it.&nbsp;

INS Kalvari happens to be the first submarine of Indian Navy to be equipped with Air Independent Propulsion which is currently supplied by DCNS. DCNS is a French industrial group which specialises in&nbsp;naval defence and marine renewable energy. But to develop INS Kalavari more in the tune of Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39; Make in India campaign, the AIP of the last two submarines under this category will be developed indigenously by the DRDO. Under the new technology, involving the use of an Air Independent Propulsion system, the submarines will not&nbsp;need atmospheric oxygen to run its propulsion system. This means that the submarine can remain underwater for more time and can remain undetected.

The INS has been developed as an attack submarine which can carry 18 heavyweight torpedoes. To serve the purpose of the Indian Navy, the DRDO is developing a specialised torpedo called Varunastra, which is a 1500kg, 8-meter-long guided torpedo. The torpedo has a range of 40 kms and can destroy even aircraft carriers with its 250 kg warhead. It&nbsp;gets even locked on to the acoustics generated by the components of any ship.

INS Kalavari is here to change the how war is fought on land and sea. INS Kalavari has the capacity to carry&nbsp;30 mines for protective laying in any of the waters. The 18 Exocet Anti- Ship Missile which the submarine carries can destroy any enemy ship within a range of 180km. This means it can destroy any enemy ship without coming in its detection range. Incidentally, Exocet is a state of the art anti-ship missile made by French company MBDA. The MBDA works with over 90 armed forces worldwide and is highly reputed as a manufacturer of missiles. The Exocet missile, carried by the INS Kalavari, is a missile which when launched, goes in a sea-skimming way to attack its target and, hence, remain totally undetected till its final target. With a small change, it can also be used to attack&nbsp;the land-based targets. Thus, equipped with this technology, INS Kalavari with subsequent development can play a crucial role in land warfare too.

<div class="ui-state-default">
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INSKalvari?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INSKalvari</a>, first made-in-India Scorpene class submarine commissioned into the Navy <a href="https://t.co/ODggsc31wh">pic.twitter.com/ODggsc31wh</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/941164016314884096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#">&times;</a></div>

The INS Kalvari, unlike other nuclear-powered&nbsp;submarines, does not&nbsp;generate any noise. The Air Independent propulsion can keep the submarine silent for over 21 days at a stretch. In case of other nuclear-powered submarines, there is some noise because they need to constantly pump coolant in their reactor and, therefore, generate some kind of noise.&nbsp;

INS Kalvari is one of the six submarines built under this program. Two of the rest five are also under manufacturing and are expected to commission in next 1-2 years. These are INS Khanderi and INS Karanj. INS Karanj is the name of the submarine which remained underwater for 18 days to track the famous Paki Submarine PNS Ghazi in 1971 war and played an important role in the sinking of the same.

<div class="ui-state-default">
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
A big day for us as we get first of our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Project75?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Project75</a> submarines Kalvari. To be commissioned by Hon&#39;ble Prime Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> in a few hours. Tune in to <a href="https://twitter.com/DDNewsLive?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DDNewsLive</a> from 0830 AM onwards <a href="https://twitter.com/nsitharaman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nsitharaman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DefenceMinIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DefenceMinIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SpokespersonMoD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpokespersonMoD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/makeinindia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@makeinindia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Cmdmdl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cmdmdl</a> <a href="https://t.co/FVRIYkB3tC">pic.twitter.com/FVRIYkB3tC</a>
&mdash; SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/941112247996125184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#">&times;</a></div>

The submarine has a range of over 12000 km&nbsp;when surfaced and over 1000 km&nbsp;when totally submerged. Which means it can play a vital role in entire south-east Asia. INS Kalvari is one of the fastest submarine available in the region with a speed of over 37 Km per hour in totally submerged position. Most interestingly, the submarine can go up to a depth of 350 meters which keeps it undetected from most of the commonly available submarine detection systems.

<div class="ui-state-default">
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Hon&#39;ble Prime Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> addressing the gathering on Commissioning of INS Kalvari <a href="https://twitter.com/DefenceMinIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DefenceMinIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nsitharaman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nsitharaman</a> <a href="https://t.co/pPrz7aC5OG">pic.twitter.com/pPrz7aC5OG</a>
&mdash; SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/941149045376016384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#">&times;</a></div>

The submarine is designed with a special steel alloy which not only reduces its weight but also enhances its load and stress bearing capabilities. The structure is made of two layers of steel making it absolutely safe from enemy attacks.

Some of the systems like Sonar and internal communication system were also developed by the DRDO. Which means we can say that this submarine is not totally French built but the first step towards indigenisation of Indian defence equipment.

Surrounded by water on three sides, submarines such as the INS Kalavari will play a crucial role in India&#39;s defense. It will not only protect the country but take the war to the enemy ships and, with some developments, to hostile territories too. In years ahead, with sufficient path-breaking research from the DRDO, INS Kalavari will serve as India&#39;s badge of honour.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

The submarine has a range of over 12000 km when surfaced and over 1000 km when totally submerged. Which means it can play a vital role in entire south-east Asia.

The INS Kalavari will change the dynamics of warfare in the south and south-east Asia. The reasons why it will have such a profound impact on Indian defense strategy is because of the new features that the DRDO is adding to it. INS Kalvari happens to be the first submarine of Indian Navy to be equipped with Air Independent Propulsion which is currently supplied by DCNS. DCNS is a French industrial group which specialises in naval defence and marine renewable energy. But to develop INS Kalavari more in the tune of Prime Minister Narendra Modi' Make in India campaign, the AIP of the last two submarines under this category will be developed indigenously by the DRDO. Under the new technology, involving the use of an Air Independent Propulsion system, the submarines will not need atmospheric oxygen to run its propulsion system. This means that the submarine can remain underwater for more time and can remain undetected. The INS has been developed as an attack submarine which can carry 18 heavyweight torpedoes. To serve the purpose of the Indian Navy, the DRDO is developing a specialised torpedo called Varunastra, which is a 1500kg, 8-meter-long guided torpedo. The torpedo has a range of 40 kms and can destroy even aircraft carriers with its 250 kg warhead. It gets even locked on to the acoustics generated by the components of any ship. INS Kalavari is here to change the how war is fought on land and sea. INS Kalavari has the capacity to carry 30 mines for protective laying in any of the waters. The 18 Exocet Anti- Ship Missile which the submarine carries can destroy any enemy ship within a range of 180km. This means it can destroy any enemy ship without coming in its detection range. Incidentally, Exocet is a state of the art anti-ship missile made by French company MBDA. The MBDA works with over 90 armed forces worldwide and is highly reputed as a manufacturer of missiles. The Exocet missile, carried by the INS Kalavari, is a missile which when launched, goes in a sea-skimming way to attack its target and, hence, remain totally undetected till its final target. With a small change, it can also be used to attack the land-based targets. Thus, equipped with this technology, INS Kalavari with subsequent development can play a crucial role in land warfare too. #INSKalvari, first made-in-India Scorpene class submarine commissioned into the Navy pic.twitter.com/ODggsc31wh — ANI (@ANI) December 14, 2017 × The INS Kalvari, unlike other nuclear-powered submarines, does not generate any noise. The Air Independent propulsion can keep the submarine silent for over 21 days at a stretch. In case of other nuclear-powered submarines, there is some noise because they need to constantly pump coolant in their reactor and, therefore, generate some kind of noise. INS Kalvari is one of the six submarines built under this program. Two of the rest five are also under manufacturing and are expected to commission in next 1-2 years. These are INS Khanderi and INS Karanj. INS Karanj is the name of the submarine which remained underwater for 18 days to track the famous Paki Submarine PNS Ghazi in 1971 war and played an important role in the sinking of the same. A big day for us as we get first of our #Project75 submarines Kalvari. To be commissioned by Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi in a few hours. Tune in to @DDNewsLive from 0830 AM onwards @nsitharaman @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD @makeinindia @Cmdmdl pic.twitter.com/FVRIYkB3tC — SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 14, 2017 × The submarine has a range of over 12000 km when surfaced and over 1000 km when totally submerged. Which means it can play a vital role in entire south-east Asia. INS Kalvari is one of the fastest submarine available in the region with a speed of over 37 Km per hour in totally submerged position. Most interestingly, the submarine can go up to a depth of 350 meters which keeps it undetected from most of the commonly available submarine detection systems. Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi addressing the gathering on Commissioning of INS Kalvari @DefenceMinIndia @nsitharaman pic.twitter.com/pPrz7aC5OG — SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 14, 2017 × The submarine is designed with a special steel alloy which not only reduces its weight but also enhances its load and stress bearing capabilities. The structure is made of two layers of steel making it absolutely safe from enemy attacks. Some of the systems like Sonar and internal communication system were also developed by the DRDO. Which means we can say that this submarine is not totally French built but the first step towards indigenisation of Indian defence equipment. Surrounded by water on three sides, submarines such as the INS Kalavari will play a crucial role in India's defense. It will not only protect the country but take the war to the enemy ships and, with some developments, to hostile territories too. In years ahead, with sufficient path-breaking research from the DRDO, INS Kalavari will serve as India's badge of honour. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: INS Kalvari will change the face of war in South Asia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday commissioned Scorpene-class submarine Kalvari into the Indian Navy.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and top defence officials were present at the commissioning ceremony here.

On the occasion, Modi said Kalvari is an excellent example of &#39;Make in India&#39; and will boost the Navy&#39;s might.

Kalvari is named after the dreaded tiger shark, a deadly deep sea predator of the Indian Ocean.

It underwent around 120 days of extensive sea trials and tests for various equipment, an official earlier said, adding the vessel is expected to bolster India&#39;s maritime prowess.

The submarines, designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS, are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai as part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy.

The first Kalvari, commissioned on December 8, 1967, was also the first submarine of the Indian Navy. It was decommissioned on May 31, 1996 after nearly three decades of service.&nbsp;

On the occasion, Modi said Kalvari is an excellent example of 'Make in India' and will boost the Navy's might.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday commissioned Scorpene-class submarine Kalvari into the Indian Navy. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and top defence officials were present at the commissioning ceremony here. On the occasion, Modi said Kalvari is an excellent example of 'Make in India' and will boost the Navy's might. Kalvari is named after the dreaded tiger shark, a deadly deep sea predator of the Indian Ocean. It underwent around 120 days of extensive sea trials and tests for various equipment, an official earlier said, adding the vessel is expected to bolster India's maritime prowess. The submarines, designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS, are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai as part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy. The first Kalvari, commissioned on December 8, 1967, was also the first submarine of the Indian Navy. It was decommissioned on May 31, 1996 after nearly three decades of service.

Modi commissions Scorpene-class submarine Kalvari into Indian Navy

On the Navy Day, it is appropriate to review the role technology is playing in the Indian Navy&rsquo;s (IN) operational transformation. In recent years, the IN&#39;s efforts to acquire advanced weapons and sensors technology have attained critical momentum, resulting in the inducting of autonomous unmanned platforms, high-definition radars, advanced sonars and electronic warfare suites.

India&#39;s premier defence research agency, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been at the centre of the navy&rsquo;s tech-revolution. The thrust of the research agency&rsquo;s efforts has been to develop disruptive technologies and &lsquo;smart&rsquo; weapons, such as precision munitions, drone-launched guided missiles, loitering missiles and lethal autonomous systems. Informational systems and network-centricity too have received a significant share of R&amp;D investment, in particular, the development of a dedicated naval communications satellite, GSAT-7 (Rukmini) that has enabled the operational integration of naval units in widely dispersed formations.

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<h5>The thrust of the research agency&rsquo;s efforts has been to develop disruptive technologies and &lsquo;smart&rsquo; weapons.</h5>
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With the emergence of space as a new theatre of inter-state conflict, there is renewed interest in satellite-enabled warfare. Indian space scientists are exploring the possibility of launching &lsquo;mini-satellites on demand&rsquo; for military purposes, even as existing satellites and sensors are being hardened for protection against anti-satellite weapons. Similarly, growing concern over the Navy&rsquo;s rising dependent on data processing and network centricity has led to the search for reliable cyber protection measures.

It is automation and &lsquo;artificial intelligence&rsquo; (AI) that are being seen as the real &lsquo;game-changers&rsquo; in future naval operations. Onboard autonomous systems today are able to self-regulate and self-actuate, using new computing and automated decision-making capabilities. A combination of analytics and cloud computing in combat systems has created greater awareness among naval professionals of the need for automated weapons systems with AI enabled decision-cycles.

Meanwhile, efforts are also on to rid Indian naval ships off gunpowder through the induction of directed energy weapons (DEWs). The DRDO, which has been developing small DEW systems for the Indian Army is known to have started work on a naval laser weapon and the electromagnetic rail gun. The ability to precisely hit an enemy target without collateral damage makes DEWs a very attractive proposition.

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<h5>The ability to precisely hit an enemy target without collateral damage makes DEWs a very attractive proposition.</h5>
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In keeping with the Indian Navy&rsquo;s penchant for big platform development, aircraft carrier and submarine technology continue to attract attention and investment. The Navy is attempting to assimilate and integrate several advanced technologies such as the Electro-Magnetic Launch System (EMALs), Advanced Arrester Gear (AAG) and Integrated Full Electrical Propulsion (IFEP) / Nuclear Propulsion, as also to construct advanced nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).

Much of the Indian Navy&rsquo;s technological focus presently is on developing unmanned autonomous systems. With the US announcing the sale of predator Guardian drones, India will soon have a credible sea-based surveillance capability. The Indian Navy, however, is also keen to acquire strategic unmanned systems, including a fleet of high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) maritime UAVs as well as rotary-wing tactical drones for intelligence gathering and strike missions in the far littorals. In the undersea domain, the DRDO is working on a prototype for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUVs), but progress has been slow. What is needed is AUVs for conventional submarine search and strike missions in the distant littorals.

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Many of the aforementioned technologies find mention in the &lsquo;Indian Naval Indigenization Plan (INIP) 2015-2030&rsquo;, a road-map for technological self-sufficiency which envisions the development of advanced naval systems under the &lsquo;Make in India&rsquo; initiative. The Navy&rsquo;s move towards self-reliance, it notes, will only be possible through investments in R&amp;D, and a public-private partnership to make processes self-sustaining.

It is the Strategic Partnership model, involving the Indian private sector in defence manufacturing that has generated the most hope. The Navy&#39;s leadership is confident the model would take India a long way in defence manufacturing, with international partnerships triggering a paradigm shift in technology induction. But the Navy is also clear that building a sustainable model of growth will be a slow process, requiring long-term investment in niche technologies.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

'Make in India' initiative is all set to Indianise and empower Indian Navy.

On the Navy Day, it is appropriate to review the role technology is playing in the Indian Navy’s (IN) operational transformation. In recent years, the IN's efforts to acquire advanced weapons and sensors technology have attained critical momentum, resulting in the inducting of autonomous unmanned platforms, high-definition radars, advanced sonars and electronic warfare suites. India's premier defence research agency, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been at the centre of the navy’s tech-revolution. The thrust of the research agency’s efforts has been to develop disruptive technologies and ‘smart’ weapons, such as precision munitions, drone-launched guided missiles, loitering missiles and lethal autonomous systems. Informational systems and network-centricity too have received a significant share of R&D investment, in particular, the development of a dedicated naval communications satellite, GSAT-7 (Rukmini) that has enabled the operational integration of naval units in widely dispersed formations. The thrust of the research agency’s efforts has been to develop disruptive technologies and ‘smart’ weapons. × With the emergence of space as a new theatre of inter-state conflict, there is renewed interest in satellite-enabled warfare. Indian space scientists are exploring the possibility of launching ‘mini-satellites on demand’ for military purposes, even as existing satellites and sensors are being hardened for protection against anti-satellite weapons. Similarly, growing concern over the Navy’s rising dependent on data processing and network centricity has led to the search for reliable cyber protection measures. It is automation and ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI) that are being seen as the real ‘game-changers’ in future naval operations. Onboard autonomous systems today are able to self-regulate and self-actuate, using new computing and automated decision-making capabilities. A combination of analytics and cloud computing in combat systems has created greater awareness among naval professionals of the need for automated weapons systems with AI enabled decision-cycles. Meanwhile, efforts are also on to rid Indian naval ships off gunpowder through the induction of directed energy weapons (DEWs). The DRDO, which has been developing small DEW systems for the Indian Army is known to have started work on a naval laser weapon and the electromagnetic rail gun. The ability to precisely hit an enemy target without collateral damage makes DEWs a very attractive proposition. The ability to precisely hit an enemy target without collateral damage makes DEWs a very attractive proposition. × In keeping with the Indian Navy’s penchant for big platform development, aircraft carrier and submarine technology continue to attract attention and investment. The Navy is attempting to assimilate and integrate several advanced technologies such as the Electro-Magnetic Launch System (EMALs), Advanced Arrester Gear (AAG) and Integrated Full Electrical Propulsion (IFEP) / Nuclear Propulsion, as also to construct advanced nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). Much of the Indian Navy’s technological focus presently is on developing unmanned autonomous systems. With the US announcing the sale of predator Guardian drones, India will soon have a credible sea-based surveillance capability. The Indian Navy, however, is also keen to acquire strategic unmanned systems, including a fleet of high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) maritime UAVs as well as rotary-wing tactical drones for intelligence gathering and strike missions in the far littorals. In the undersea domain, the DRDO is working on a prototype for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUVs), but progress has been slow. What is needed is AUVs for conventional submarine search and strike missions in the distant littorals. The Navy’s move towards self-reliance, it notes, will only be possible through investments in R&D, and a public-private partnership to make processes self-sustaining. × Many of the aforementioned technologies find mention in the ‘Indian Naval Indigenization Plan (INIP) 2015-2030’, a road-map for technological self-sufficiency which envisions the development of advanced naval systems under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The Navy’s move towards self-reliance, it notes, will only be possible through investments in R&D, and a public-private partnership to make processes self-sustaining. It is the Strategic Partnership model, involving the Indian private sector in defence manufacturing that has generated the most hope. The Navy's leadership is confident the model would take India a long way in defence manufacturing, with international partnerships triggering a paradigm shift in technology induction. But the Navy is also clear that building a sustainable model of growth will be a slow process, requiring long-term investment in niche technologies. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Indian Navy is all set for a weapon revolution

India has started a project to build six nuclear-powered submarines, Indian Navy Chief Sunil Lanba said today. The move is being viewed as India&#39;s bid to counter the growing influence of Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean under the pretext of anti-privacy patrols.&nbsp;

On being asked about the Chinese threat, Admiral Lanba noted that it was odd for a submarine to be deployed on anti patrol. India had also carried out a threat assessment of the Chinese submarines, he further added.&nbsp;

Nuclear powered submarines have greater endurance under the sea. At present, as many as 34 ships are under construction. An indigenous aircraft carrier is being worked upon and is expected to join the Indian Navy by the end of the year 2020, the Navy Cheif added.&nbsp;

Mr Lanba declined to disclose further details on the project.&nbsp;

Earlier today, Admiral Lanba was quoted expressing concern over Chinese naval ships in Gwadar. &quot;In future, if People&#39;s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships are at Gwadar, it will be a matter of concern, we will have to have think of ways to mitigate,&quot; he noted.

&quot;In the month of August, there was a unique situation as there were 14 ships in the area,&quot; the Navy Chief added.

&quot;PLA Navy Submarine started its deployment in 2013, these are twice by two submarine for three months. One conventional submarine is followed by a. SSN. No change in this pattern. This pattern is being followed since 2013. We monitor their deployment. Once in 24&nbsp;or 48 hours, a surveillance aircraft goes for surveillance,&quot; the Navy Chief said.

India&#39;s has only one nuclear-powered submarine - INS Chakra, which was obtained from Russia on a ten-year lease.&nbsp;

Nuclear powered submarines have greater endurance under sea

India has started a project to build six nuclear-powered submarines, Indian Navy Chief Sunil Lanba said today. The move is being viewed as India's bid to counter the growing influence of Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean under the pretext of anti-privacy patrols. On being asked about the Chinese threat, Admiral Lanba noted that it was odd for a submarine to be deployed on anti patrol. India had also carried out a threat assessment of the Chinese submarines, he further added. Nuclear powered submarines have greater endurance under the sea. At present, as many as 34 ships are under construction. An indigenous aircraft carrier is being worked upon and is expected to join the Indian Navy by the end of the year 2020, the Navy Cheif added. Mr Lanba declined to disclose further details on the project. Earlier today, Admiral Lanba was quoted expressing concern over Chinese naval ships in Gwadar. "In future, if People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships are at Gwadar, it will be a matter of concern, we will have to have think of ways to mitigate," he noted. "In the month of August, there was a unique situation as there were 14 ships in the area," the Navy Chief added. "PLA Navy Submarine started its deployment in 2013, these are twice by two submarine for three months. One conventional submarine is followed by a. SSN. No change in this pattern. This pattern is being followed since 2013. We monitor their deployment. Once in 24 or 48 hours, a surveillance aircraft goes for surveillance," the Navy Chief said. India's has only one nuclear-powered submarine - INS Chakra, which was obtained from Russia on a ten-year lease.

India to build 6 nuclear-powered submarines: Navy chief Sunil Lanba

In a first, a woman has been inducted as a pilot in the Indian Navy. Shubhangi Swaroop, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, will soon be flying Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft.

Three other women cadets, Astha Segal from New Delhi, Roopa A from Puducherry and Sakthi Maya S from Kerala, marked history&nbsp;by becoming the country&#39;s first women officers of the Naval Armament Inspectorate (NAI) branch of the Navy.

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Cadet Shubhangi Swaroop (Maritime Reconnaissance Stream as Pilot), Cadet Aastha Segal (NAI Branch), Cadet Roopa A (NAI Branch) and Cadet Sakthimaya S (NAI Branch) during the Passing out Parade Autumn Term 2017 at India (Others)
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After their Naval Orientation course, all the four in their early 20s, had passed out&nbsp;in a spectacular Passing out Parade (POP) held at Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala on Wednesday attended by Naval chief Admiral Sunil Lanba.

It is like a dream come true for the daughter of Naval commander, Shubhangi who expressed her joy on being selected as a pilot.

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Jubilant cadet of the passing out course during the Passing out Parade Autumn Term 2017 at Indian Naval Academy. (Others)
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Though Shubhangi is the first Naval woman pilot, the Navy&#39;s Aviation branch has had women officers operating as air traffic control officers and as observers in the aircraft who are responsible for communication and weapons, Southern Naval spokesperson Commander Sreedhar Warrier told PTI.

328 cadets of Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard including two International cadets one each from Tanzania and Maldives also passed out of the hallowed portals of INA on successful completion of their training.&nbsp;

On completion of the parade, the &lsquo;Shipping of Stripes&rsquo; ceremony was conducted.

The proud parents and guardians of the Passing Out courses shipped the Naval and Coast Guard epaulets, popularly known as &lsquo;Stripes&rsquo; on the shoulders of their wards, thus symbolizing their transformation from &lsquo;cadets&rsquo; into full-fledged Navy and Coast Guard Officers.

The Reviewing Officer and other dignitaries shipped the stripes of the medal winners and congratulated all the trainees for their successful completion of the rigorous training.

On completion of the training at the Indian Naval Academy, these officers will proceed to various Naval and Coast Guard ships/establishments, to further consolidate their training in specialized fields.

(With inputs from PTI)

Shubhangi Swaroop, from Uttar Pradesh, will be flying maritime reconnaissance aircraft

In a first, a woman has been inducted as a pilot in the Indian Navy. Shubhangi Swaroop, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, will soon be flying Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft. Three other women cadets, Astha Segal from New Delhi, Roopa A from Puducherry and Sakthi Maya S from Kerala, marked history by becoming the country's first women officers of the Naval Armament Inspectorate (NAI) branch of the Navy. Cadet Shubhangi Swaroop (Maritime Reconnaissance Stream as Pilot), Cadet Aastha Segal (NAI Branch), Cadet Roopa A (NAI Branch) and Cadet Sakthimaya S (NAI Branch) during the Passing out Parade Autumn Term 2017 at India (Others) × After their Naval Orientation course, all the four in their early 20s, had passed out in a spectacular Passing out Parade (POP) held at Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala on Wednesday attended by Naval chief Admiral Sunil Lanba. It is like a dream come true for the daughter of Naval commander, Shubhangi who expressed her joy on being selected as a pilot. Jubilant cadet of the passing out course during the Passing out Parade Autumn Term 2017 at Indian Naval Academy. (Others) × Though Shubhangi is the first Naval woman pilot, the Navy's Aviation branch has had women officers operating as air traffic control officers and as observers in the aircraft who are responsible for communication and weapons, Southern Naval spokesperson Commander Sreedhar Warrier told PTI. 328 cadets of Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard including two International cadets one each from Tanzania and Maldives also passed out of the hallowed portals of INA on successful completion of their training. On completion of the parade, the ‘Shipping of Stripes’ ceremony was conducted. The proud parents and guardians of the Passing Out courses shipped the Naval and Coast Guard epaulets, popularly known as ‘Stripes’ on the shoulders of their wards, thus symbolizing their transformation from ‘cadets’ into full-fledged Navy and Coast Guard Officers. The Reviewing Officer and other dignitaries shipped the stripes of the medal winners and congratulated all the trainees for their successful completion of the rigorous training. On completion of the training at the Indian Naval Academy, these officers will proceed to various Naval and Coast Guard ships/establishments, to further consolidate their training in specialized fields. (With inputs from PTI)

Watch: Indian Navy gets its first woman pilot

A transgender sailor of the Indian Navy approached the Delhi High Court to challenge an&nbsp;order of the Navy removing her from service because she underwent&nbsp;a sex change operation. The&nbsp;Navy considers Manish Giri (now known as Sabi) guilty of breaching service rules and eligibility criteria for his employment as a Sailor in the Indian Navy.

The Navy, in its press release, stated, &ldquo;The Indian Navy has discharged Manish Giri, a naval sailor evoking the clause of Service No Longer Required under the Navy Regulations. The serving sailor who underwent sex reassignment surgery at a private facility whilst on leave was administratively discharged from the Service.&quot;&nbsp;

On Monday, the high court&nbsp;said&nbsp;that Navy can punish her for indiscipline, but at the same time, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/high-court-asks-navy-to-consider-transgender-for-alternate-job-23204">it needs to accommodate her</a>. &quot;The petitioner can give up a claim for the job of a sailor and may accept a clerical position so that the family, comprising aged parents, the individual&#39;s wife, and child, need not suffer,&quot; the court said.

Sabi Giri, born&nbsp;Manish Kumar Giri, was enrolled as a young sailor in the Indian navy in 2010 at the age of 18 years. Giri&nbsp;always wanted to change into a woman&#39;s body since &quot;she was old enough to understand gender&quot;. A few years into service, Manish decided&nbsp;to undergo Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and became a woman named Sabi.

Sabi had initially approached&nbsp;the doctors within the Navy at Visakhapatnam where she was posted, but they refused to help her. She then&nbsp;decided to consult a private psychiatrist and psychologist who diagnosed her with Gender Identity Disorder.&nbsp;But Sabi took a leave without informing the Navy and undewent the&nbsp;sex change operation in Delhi. She reported on duty after 15 days, but did not tell anyne about her surgery.&nbsp;

Sabi&#39;s condition came to light when she developed a unirnary infection. As Navy&#39;s doctors&nbsp;didn&#39;t know&nbsp;how to handle this case, Sabi was admitted to the psychiatric ward.

After several rounds of psychiatric and other medical examinations, Sabi did join back, this time as&nbsp;a woman, but the Navy had by now sent her case file&nbsp;to the Defence&nbsp;Ministry&nbsp;seeking their comments and action that needed to be taken in the case. The action was necessitated by the fact&nbsp;that females are not allowed to work as soldiers per the Navy rules and regulations.&nbsp;

Sabi&nbsp;claimed that she was suffering from gender identity issues since 2011 and when she told her parents about it, they forced her to marry a woman. She also claimed that she was absent from service without leave several times as she suffered bouts of depression, owing to her gender identity issues.

Now her case is listed for further hearing on November 23 as the court said that &quot;Here is a person struggling with gender identity. Had she suppressed the condition and continued, it would have been dangerous. It could have been fatal. Think about it and come back.&quot;&nbsp;

A transgender sailor of the Indian Navy approached the high court to challenge the order of the Navy removing her from service because she went through sex operation.?

A transgender sailor of the Indian Navy approached the Delhi High Court to challenge an order of the Navy removing her from service because she underwent a sex change operation. The Navy considers Manish Giri (now known as Sabi) guilty of breaching service rules and eligibility criteria for his employment as a Sailor in the Indian Navy. The Navy, in its press release, stated, “The Indian Navy has discharged Manish Giri, a naval sailor evoking the clause of Service No Longer Required under the Navy Regulations. The serving sailor who underwent sex reassignment surgery at a private facility whilst on leave was administratively discharged from the Service." On Monday, the high court said that Navy can punish her for indiscipline, but at the same time, it needs to accommodate her. "The petitioner can give up a claim for the job of a sailor and may accept a clerical position so that the family, comprising aged parents, the individual's wife, and child, need not suffer," the court said. Sabi Giri, born Manish Kumar Giri, was enrolled as a young sailor in the Indian navy in 2010 at the age of 18 years. Giri always wanted to change into a woman's body since "she was old enough to understand gender". A few years into service, Manish decided to undergo Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and became a woman named Sabi. Sabi had initially approached the doctors within the Navy at Visakhapatnam where she was posted, but they refused to help her. She then decided to consult a private psychiatrist and psychologist who diagnosed her with Gender Identity Disorder. But Sabi took a leave without informing the Navy and undewent the sex change operation in Delhi. She reported on duty after 15 days, but did not tell anyne about her surgery. Sabi's condition came to light when she developed a unirnary infection. As Navy's doctors didn't know how to handle this case, Sabi was admitted to the psychiatric ward. After several rounds of psychiatric and other medical examinations, Sabi did join back, this time as a woman, but the Navy had by now sent her case file to the Defence Ministry seeking their comments and action that needed to be taken in the case. The action was necessitated by the fact that females are not allowed to work as soldiers per the Navy rules and regulations. Sabi claimed that she was suffering from gender identity issues since 2011 and when she told her parents about it, they forced her to marry a woman. She also claimed that she was absent from service without leave several times as she suffered bouts of depression, owing to her gender identity issues. Now her case is listed for further hearing on November 23 as the court said that "Here is a person struggling with gender identity. Had she suppressed the condition and continued, it would have been dangerous. It could have been fatal. Think about it and come back."

Meet Sabi Giri, Indian Navy's first transgender sailor

The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre to consider giving an alternate job to a transgender sailor who was removed from service after a sex change, terming it an &quot;out of the box situation&quot;.

&quot;You can punish her for indiscipline, but at the same time, you can accommodate her,&quot; a bench of Justices G S Sistani and V K Rao suggested to Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, who appeared for the Centre and Navy.

Calling for a change in mindset, the bench said the instant case was probably the only one of its kind in the armed forces and asked the Navy to consider the transgender for some other job.

&quot;Here is an opportunity to look at it from a different perspective. It is an out of the box situation. It may be a first of its kind situation.

&quot;Here is a person struggling with gender identity. Had she suppressed the condition and continued, it would have been dangerous. It could have been fatal. Think about it and come back,&quot; the bench said and listed the matter for further hearing on November 23.

The court said that while the person deserved to be punished for indiscipline for being absent without leave, but where there was a medical condition of this sort, it may be seen from a different perspective.

During the course of the hearing, the bench said, &quot;the mindset should change. In today&#39;s situation, a medical condition like this cannot be suppressed.&quot;

The court was of the view that the petitioner, who was posted onboard INS Eksila at Visakhapatnam, can give up a claim for the job of a sailor and may accept a clerical position so that the family, comprising aged parents, the individual&#39;s wife and child, need not suffer.

ASG Jain and central government standing counsel Anil Soni, who also appeared for the Navy, told the court that the individual in question &quot;had a chequered history of indiscipline&quot; for being absent without leave several times.

However, they agreed to take instructions on whether the instant matter can be taken up as a special case.

They also told the bench that the individual had got badly infected after undergoing sex reassignment surgery and it was the Navy which treated her humanely and provided treatment and counseling to her.

The lawyers said that one seat in another branch or department of the force cannot be blocked for such an individual who also suffered from psychiatric and gender identity problems.

They further argued that since the petitioner was a female now, she cannot be employed as a sailor in the Navy as that position is not open for women.

The ASG said the simple question before the bench was whether a woman and not a transgender, can be appointed as a sailor on a ship as the petitioner was now a female.

The petitioner had challenged the October 6 order of the Navy removing her from service.

She had claimed that she was suffering from gender identity issues since 2011 and when she told her parents, they forced her to marry a woman.

She further claimed that she was absent from service without leave several times as she suffered bouts of depression, owing to her gender identity issues.

The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre to consider giving an alternate job to a transgender sailor who was removed from service after a sex change, terming it an "out of the box situation".

The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre to consider giving an alternate job to a transgender sailor who was removed from service after a sex change, terming it an "out of the box situation". "You can punish her for indiscipline, but at the same time, you can accommodate her," a bench of Justices G S Sistani and V K Rao suggested to Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, who appeared for the Centre and Navy. Calling for a change in mindset, the bench said the instant case was probably the only one of its kind in the armed forces and asked the Navy to consider the transgender for some other job. "Here is an opportunity to look at it from a different perspective. It is an out of the box situation. It may be a first of its kind situation. "Here is a person struggling with gender identity. Had she suppressed the condition and continued, it would have been dangerous. It could have been fatal. Think about it and come back," the bench said and listed the matter for further hearing on November 23. The court said that while the person deserved to be punished for indiscipline for being absent without leave, but where there was a medical condition of this sort, it may be seen from a different perspective. During the course of the hearing, the bench said, "the mindset should change. In today's situation, a medical condition like this cannot be suppressed." The court was of the view that the petitioner, who was posted onboard INS Eksila at Visakhapatnam, can give up a claim for the job of a sailor and may accept a clerical position so that the family, comprising aged parents, the individual's wife and child, need not suffer. ASG Jain and central government standing counsel Anil Soni, who also appeared for the Navy, told the court that the individual in question "had a chequered history of indiscipline" for being absent without leave several times. However, they agreed to take instructions on whether the instant matter can be taken up as a special case. They also told the bench that the individual had got badly infected after undergoing sex reassignment surgery and it was the Navy which treated her humanely and provided treatment and counseling to her. The lawyers said that one seat in another branch or department of the force cannot be blocked for such an individual who also suffered from psychiatric and gender identity problems. They further argued that since the petitioner was a female now, she cannot be employed as a sailor in the Navy as that position is not open for women. The ASG said the simple question before the bench was whether a woman and not a transgender, can be appointed as a sailor on a ship as the petitioner was now a female. The petitioner had challenged the October 6 order of the Navy removing her from service. She had claimed that she was suffering from gender identity issues since 2011 and when she told her parents, they forced her to marry a woman. She further claimed that she was absent from service without leave several times as she suffered bouts of depression, owing to her gender identity issues.

Delhi High Court asks Navy to consider transgender for alternate job

Commissioned into the Indian Navy by <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indian-navy-joins-rescue-operations-in-sri-lanka-bangladesh-16265">defense</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indian-navy-joins-rescue-operations-in-sri-lanka-bangladesh-16265"> minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Visakhapatnam</a> today, INS Kiltan - an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvette - is India&rsquo;s first major warship to have a superstructure of carbon fibre composite material which provides improved stealth features, lower top weight and maintenance costs.

More importantly,<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indian-navy-and-army-prepared-for-cyclone-vardah-10045"> about 81 </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indian-navy-and-army-prepared-for-cyclone-vardah-10045">per cent</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indian-navy-and-army-prepared-for-cyclone-vardah-10045"> of the ship is indigenous</a> and is well-equipped to fight in nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.

With the changing power dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region, INS Kiltan is expected to augment Indian Navy&rsquo;s mobility, reach and flexibility.

The commissioning of Kiltan will add a new dimension to the ASW capability of the Indian Navy and the Eastern Fleet in particular.

The multifarious missions that can be undertaken by the ship truly reflect the enhanced multi-dimensional capability of the Indian Navy. &nbsp;The ship is manned by a team comprising 13 officers and 178 sailors with Commander Naushad Ali Khan at the helm as her first Commanding Officer.&nbsp;

Deriving its name from one of the islands in Aminidivi group of the strategically located Lakshadweep and Minicoy group of islands, INS Kiltan hosts a predominantly indigenous cutting-edge weapons and sensors suite which includes heavyweight torpedoes, ASW rockets, 76 mm caliber Medium Range gun &amp; two multi-barrel 30 mm guns as Close-in-Weapon System (CIWS) with dedicated fire control systems, missile decoy rockets (Chaff), advanced ESM (Electronic Support Measure) system, most advanced bow-mounted sonar and air surveillance radar Revathi.

The ship in the future would also be installed with short-range SAM system and carry an integral ASW Helicopter.

It is also the first major warship to have undertaken Sea Trials of all major weapons and sensors as a pilot project prior delivery by shipyard to Indian Navy and is ready to be operationally deployed on the day of joining the Indian Navy.

&ldquo;The ship&rsquo;s weapons and sensors suite is predominantly indigenous and showcases the nation&rsquo;s growing capability in this niche area,&rdquo; the Indian Navy said in a statement.

INS Kiltan has been Indigenously designed by the Indian Navy&#39;s in-house organization, Directorate of Naval Design and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders &amp; Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata and is the latest indigenous warship after Shivalik class, Kolkata class and sister Ships INS Kamorta and INS Kadmatt to have joined the Indian Navy&rsquo;s arsenal where in a plethora of weapons and sensors have been integrated to provide a &lsquo;Common Operational Picture (COP)&rsquo;.

The ship also boasts of the proud legacy of the erstwhile Petya Class ship of same name &lsquo;Kiltan (P79)&rsquo; built in USSR, which had actively participated as Task Force Commander in &lsquo;Operation Trident&rsquo; during 1971 Indo-Pak war and had served the nation with distinction throughout her illustrious service life from October 30,1969 to June 30, 1987.

About 81 per cent of the ship is indigenous and is well-equipped to fight in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare conditions

Commissioned into the Indian Navy by defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Visakhapatnam today, INS Kiltan - an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvette - is India’s first major warship to have a superstructure of carbon fibre composite material which provides improved stealth features, lower top weight and maintenance costs. More importantly, about 81 per cent of the ship is indigenous and is well-equipped to fight in nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare conditions. With the changing power dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region, INS Kiltan is expected to augment Indian Navy’s mobility, reach and flexibility. The commissioning of Kiltan will add a new dimension to the ASW capability of the Indian Navy and the Eastern Fleet in particular. The multifarious missions that can be undertaken by the ship truly reflect the enhanced multi-dimensional capability of the Indian Navy. The ship is manned by a team comprising 13 officers and 178 sailors with Commander Naushad Ali Khan at the helm as her first Commanding Officer. Deriving its name from one of the islands in Aminidivi group of the strategically located Lakshadweep and Minicoy group of islands, INS Kiltan hosts a predominantly indigenous cutting-edge weapons and sensors suite which includes heavyweight torpedoes, ASW rockets, 76 mm caliber Medium Range gun & two multi-barrel 30 mm guns as Close-in-Weapon System (CIWS) with dedicated fire control systems, missile decoy rockets (Chaff), advanced ESM (Electronic Support Measure) system, most advanced bow-mounted sonar and air surveillance radar Revathi. The ship in the future would also be installed with short-range SAM system and carry an integral ASW Helicopter. It is also the first major warship to have undertaken Sea Trials of all major weapons and sensors as a pilot project prior delivery by shipyard to Indian Navy and is ready to be operationally deployed on the day of joining the Indian Navy. “The ship’s weapons and sensors suite is predominantly indigenous and showcases the nation’s growing capability in this niche area,” the Indian Navy said in a statement. INS Kiltan has been Indigenously designed by the Indian Navy's in-house organization, Directorate of Naval Design and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata and is the latest indigenous warship after Shivalik class, Kolkata class and sister Ships INS Kamorta and INS Kadmatt to have joined the Indian Navy’s arsenal where in a plethora of weapons and sensors have been integrated to provide a ‘Common Operational Picture (COP)’. The ship also boasts of the proud legacy of the erstwhile Petya Class ship of same name ‘Kiltan (P79)’ built in USSR, which had actively participated as Task Force Commander in ‘Operation Trident’ during 1971 Indo-Pak war and had served the nation with distinction throughout her illustrious service life from October 30,1969 to June 30, 1987.

Navy commissions INS Kiltan as India's stealth capability in the Indian Ocean gets major boost

INS Kiltan - an <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/navy-commissions-ins-kiltan-as-indias-stealth-capability-in-the-indian-ocean-gets-major-boost-22494">Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvette</a>, was commissioned into the Indian navy by defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman today.

The ship will greatly boost India&#39;s ASW capability in Indian Navy and the Eastern Fleet in particular.

INS Kiltan&nbsp;Factsheet:

<ul>
	<li>About 81 per cent of the ship is indigenous and is well-equipped to fight in nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>The ship has been constructed using high-grade steel (DMR 249A) produced in state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>With a displacement of 3500 tonnes, the sleek and magnificent ship spans 109 meters in length and 14 meters at the beam and is propelled by four diesel engines to achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots with an endurance of 3450 nautical miles.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>The installed propulsion and auxiliary systems provides very low radiated underwater noise feature, required for anti-submarine warfare.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Enhanced stealth features have been achieved by &lsquo;X&rsquo; form of Hull, full beam superstructure, inclined ship sides and use of Infra Red Signature Suppression (IRSS) system designed by NSTL for cooling the Engine and Generator exhausts.</li>
</ul>

About 81 per cent of the ship is indigenous

INS Kiltan - an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvette, was commissioned into the Indian navy by defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman today. The ship will greatly boost India's ASW capability in Indian Navy and the Eastern Fleet in particular. INS Kiltan Factsheet: About 81 per cent of the ship is indigenous and is well-equipped to fight in nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare conditions. The ship has been constructed using high-grade steel (DMR 249A) produced in state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). With a displacement of 3500 tonnes, the sleek and magnificent ship spans 109 meters in length and 14 meters at the beam and is propelled by four diesel engines to achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots with an endurance of 3450 nautical miles. The installed propulsion and auxiliary systems provides very low radiated underwater noise feature, required for anti-submarine warfare. Enhanced stealth features have been achieved by ‘X’ form of Hull, full beam superstructure, inclined ship sides and use of Infra Red Signature Suppression (IRSS) system designed by NSTL for cooling the Engine and Generator exhausts.

INS Kiltan factsheet: Ship with high-grade steel produced by SAIL

Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) said it has emerged as the lowest bidder for a project of the Indian Navy and the Rs 5,400 crore contract for eight vessels is likely to be concluded after due process.

&ldquo;CSL has received communication from the Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) that the Company has emerged as the L1 bidder for 16 X ASW SWC Project for the Indian Navy,&rdquo; the company said in a filing to BSE.

The contract for eight vessels at a cost of about Rs 5,400 crore is expected to be concluded with the Ministry of Defence after due process, it said. The company said the order was bagged against a competitive tender issued by the ministry in which both private and public sector yards had participated.

CSL is the only shipyard in India that can build up to 1,10,000 DWT (deadweight tonnes) with a track record of making tankers, bulk carriers, port crafts and passenger vessels, among others.

The company is into constructing platform supply vessels for exports and aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy.

According to CSL, it is the only shipyard in the country which can fix vessels up to 1,25,000 DWT, and repair an air defence ship.

India&rsquo;s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, is in its final stage of construction at CSL.

CSL completed its landmark IPO in August, attracting more than Rs 1.11 lakh crore as against the offer size of Rs 1,442 crore. The company, which is under the shipping ministry, was listed on BSE and NSE on August 11 this year. The CSL stock gained nearly 11 per cent to close at 572.40 on BSE.

The contract for eight vessels at a cost of about Rs 5,400 crore is expected to be concluded with the Ministry of Defence after due process

Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) said it has emerged as the lowest bidder for a project of the Indian Navy and the Rs 5,400 crore contract for eight vessels is likely to be concluded after due process. “CSL has received communication from the Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) that the Company has emerged as the L1 bidder for 16 X ASW SWC Project for the Indian Navy,” the company said in a filing to BSE. The contract for eight vessels at a cost of about Rs 5,400 crore is expected to be concluded with the Ministry of Defence after due process, it said. The company said the order was bagged against a competitive tender issued by the ministry in which both private and public sector yards had participated. CSL is the only shipyard in India that can build up to 1,10,000 DWT (deadweight tonnes) with a track record of making tankers, bulk carriers, port crafts and passenger vessels, among others. The company is into constructing platform supply vessels for exports and aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy. According to CSL, it is the only shipyard in the country which can fix vessels up to 1,25,000 DWT, and repair an air defence ship. India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, is in its final stage of construction at CSL. CSL completed its landmark IPO in August, attracting more than Rs 1.11 lakh crore as against the offer size of Rs 1,442 crore. The company, which is under the shipping ministry, was listed on BSE and NSE on August 11 this year. The CSL stock gained nearly 11 per cent to close at 572.40 on BSE.

Cochin Shipyard lowest bidder for Navy contract

The Indian Navy has thwarted a pirate attempt on an Indian ship in the Gulf of Aden.&nbsp;

&quot;INS Trishul thwarted piracy attempt on Indian ship MV Jag Amar at 1230 hrs in the Gulf of Aden,&quot; the Indian Navy said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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INS Trishul thwarted piracy attempt on Indian ship MV Jag Amar at 1230 hrs in Gulf of Aden: Indian Navy
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/916270533393575937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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News reports said the Jag Amar was an 85,000-tonne bulk carrier.&nbsp;

The ministry of defence released a series of pictures of the operation.&nbsp;

The pictures show a Navy team deboarding the INS Trishul, speeding towards it, and cutting off any escape route.&nbsp;

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The Navy team deboards the INS Trishul. (Image source: Ministry of Defence) (Others)
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INS Trishul bears down on the pirate ship. (Image source: Ministry of defence) (Others)
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The Navy team cuts off the pirate ship, while the INS Trishul keeps an eye on proceedings. (Image source: Ministry of Defence) (Others)
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A chopper keeps watch. (Image source: Ministry of Defence) (Others)
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The Navy team stops the pirate ship from going anywhere. (Image source: Ministry of Defence) (Others)
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'INS Trishul thwarted piracy attempt on Indian ship MV Jag Amar at 1230 hrs in the Gulf of Aden,' the Indian Navy said

The Indian Navy has thwarted a pirate attempt on an Indian ship in the Gulf of Aden. "INS Trishul thwarted piracy attempt on Indian ship MV Jag Amar at 1230 hrs in the Gulf of Aden," the Indian Navy said. INS Trishul thwarted piracy attempt on Indian ship MV Jag Amar at 1230 hrs in Gulf of Aden: Indian Navy — ANI (@ANI) October 6, 2017 × News reports said the Jag Amar was an 85,000-tonne bulk carrier. The ministry of defence released a series of pictures of the operation. The pictures show a Navy team deboarding the INS Trishul, speeding towards it, and cutting off any escape route. The Navy team deboards the INS Trishul. (Image source: Ministry of Defence) (Others) × INS Trishul bears down on the pirate ship. (Image source: Ministry of defence) (Others) × The Navy team cuts off the pirate ship, while the INS Trishul keeps an eye on proceedings. (Image source: Ministry of Defence) (Others) × A chopper keeps watch. (Image source: Ministry of Defence) (Others) × The Navy team stops the pirate ship from going anywhere. (Image source: Ministry of Defence) (Others) ×

Navy thwarts pirate attempt on Indian ship in Gulf of Aden

The Indian Navy today court-martialled and dismissed two naval sailors after finding them guilty of sexual offences against minor girls.

The two sailors were found guilty and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of 15 years and 12 years respectively. The sailors were dismissed with grace.

The naval trial ensured safeguards including protection of the identity of victims as per POCSO Act of 2012. The court did not disclose other details of the act, in accordance with the act.

The two sailors were found guilty of molesting minor girls

The Indian Navy today court-martialled and dismissed two naval sailors after finding them guilty of sexual offences against minor girls. The two sailors were found guilty and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of 15 years and 12 years respectively. The sailors were dismissed with grace. The naval trial ensured safeguards including protection of the identity of victims as per POCSO Act of 2012. The court did not disclose other details of the act, in accordance with the act.

Indian Navy court-martials two sailors over sexual offence

The Indian Navy has joined rescue operations in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 
&nbsp; 
Indian Navy diving and medical teams joined rescue efforts of Sri Lankan authorities in flood-hit regions as the death toll in the country&#39;s worst torrential rains since 2003 climbed today to 193. 
&nbsp; 
The Indian contingent of more than 300 navy personnel was assisting in the relief, with divers searching the brackish waters and medical teams seeing patients in makeshift tents set up at shelters.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HADRSriLanka?src=hash">#HADRSriLanka</a> <a href="https://t.co/zQsmlCQyxX">pic.twitter.com/zQsmlCQyxX</a>
&mdash; SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/869552516035362817">May 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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INS Shardul has nearly 200 personnel on board, including specialised rescue, diving and medical teams, as well as a large amount of relief material and Gemini inflatable boats. 
&nbsp; 
INS &#39;Kirch&#39; was carrying 125 personnel. It had diving teams, relief supplies, inflatable gemini boats and a mobile medical team. 
&nbsp; 
A third Indian naval ship arrived yesterday, bringing relief supplies including rice, lentils, sugar, milk and blankets for the displaced. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;Secy to President of SL and SL Navy chief receiving symbolically the relief material on board the 3rd relief and rescue ship INS Jalashwa,&quot; the High Commission of India in Colombo tweeted. 
&nbsp; 
The disaster is described as one of the worst-ever calamities since the 2003 floods. 
&nbsp; 
The official death toll was at 193, with another 94 people listed as missing, the Colombo Gazette reported. 
&nbsp; 
Following India&#39;s lead in sending out emergency relief to Sri Lanka, more countries have started pledging assistance to provide relief to the flood victims. 
&nbsp; 
INS Sumitra is involved in a major Search and Rescue (SAR) operation 90 miles south of Bangladesh&#39;s Chittagong. 
&nbsp; 
18 people have been rescued till now and the operation is still in progress. 
&nbsp; 
The people trapped had been blown away from shore and coastal dwelling units due to Cyclone Mora. 
&nbsp; 
Massive evacuation is underway in Bangladesh as severe cyclonic storm &#39;Mora&#39; hit Chittagong yesterday. 
&nbsp; 
The severe cyclonic storm MORA over northeast&nbsp;and adjoining east central Bay of Bengal moved further north-northeastward with a speed of 28 kmph, and lay centred at 0230 hrs IST yesterday. 
&nbsp; 
The Indian Navy on Monday had said that it has kept its Eastern Fleet ships at the highest level of readiness to render assistance to Bangladesh if required.&nbsp;

(Agencies) 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The Indian contingent of more than 300 navy personnel was assisting in the relief in Sri Lanka

The Indian Navy has joined rescue operations in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Indian Navy diving and medical teams joined rescue efforts of Sri Lankan authorities in flood-hit regions as the death toll in the country's worst torrential rains since 2003 climbed today to 193. The Indian contingent of more than 300 navy personnel was assisting in the relief, with divers searching the brackish waters and medical teams seeing patients in makeshift tents set up at shelters. #HADRSriLanka pic.twitter.com/zQsmlCQyxX — SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) May 30, 2017 × INS Shardul has nearly 200 personnel on board, including specialised rescue, diving and medical teams, as well as a large amount of relief material and Gemini inflatable boats. INS 'Kirch' was carrying 125 personnel. It had diving teams, relief supplies, inflatable gemini boats and a mobile medical team. A third Indian naval ship arrived yesterday, bringing relief supplies including rice, lentils, sugar, milk and blankets for the displaced. "Secy to President of SL and SL Navy chief receiving symbolically the relief material on board the 3rd relief and rescue ship INS Jalashwa," the High Commission of India in Colombo tweeted. The disaster is described as one of the worst-ever calamities since the 2003 floods. The official death toll was at 193, with another 94 people listed as missing, the Colombo Gazette reported. Following India's lead in sending out emergency relief to Sri Lanka, more countries have started pledging assistance to provide relief to the flood victims. INS Sumitra is involved in a major Search and Rescue (SAR) operation 90 miles south of Bangladesh's Chittagong. 18 people have been rescued till now and the operation is still in progress. The people trapped had been blown away from shore and coastal dwelling units due to Cyclone Mora. Massive evacuation is underway in Bangladesh as severe cyclonic storm 'Mora' hit Chittagong yesterday. The severe cyclonic storm MORA over northeast and adjoining east central Bay of Bengal moved further north-northeastward with a speed of 28 kmph, and lay centred at 0230 hrs IST yesterday. The Indian Navy on Monday had said that it has kept its Eastern Fleet ships at the highest level of readiness to render assistance to Bangladesh if required. (Agencies)

Indian Navy joins rescue operations in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

India has sent navy ships with rescue and relief material to Sri Lanka, where torrential rains and landslides have resulted in several deaths and massive devastation over the last two days.

INS Kirch operating in South Bay of Bengal has been diverted to Colombo in Sri Lanka to render immediate assistance in flood relief operations.

According to reports, the ship will enter Colombo anytime soon.

Additionally, INS Jalashwan shall sail out from Visakhapatnam today with HADR (Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief) stores which include victualling, clothing, medicines and water.

The ship will also carry medical and diving teams along with Gemini crafts and helicopters to assist in relief operations at Colombo.

She is likely to reach late morning or by noon tomorrow.

On the other hand, INS Shardul with relief material medical and diving teams leaves Kochi at 7 am.

It will arrive in Colombo tonight.

Other assets standing by at short notice to render assistance as required.

Heavy rains in the southern and western parts of the country have destroyed hundreds of homes and cut off several roads.

Landslides and floods killed at least 91 people in Sri Lanka on Friday, the Disaster Management Centre said.

Nearly 50,000 people across 13 districts in the southern parts of the island were affected and about 8,000 of them had to be evacuated from

Kalutara, a coastal city some 40 km south of Colombo, among the worst hit.

Last May, Sri Lanka experienced severe floods in which at least a 100 people died.&nbsp;

(ANI)

Additionally, INS Jalashwan shall sail out from Visakhapatnam today with HADR (Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief) stores

India has sent navy ships with rescue and relief material to Sri Lanka, where torrential rains and landslides have resulted in several deaths and massive devastation over the last two days. INS Kirch operating in South Bay of Bengal has been diverted to Colombo in Sri Lanka to render immediate assistance in flood relief operations. According to reports, the ship will enter Colombo anytime soon. Additionally, INS Jalashwan shall sail out from Visakhapatnam today with HADR (Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief) stores which include victualling, clothing, medicines and water. The ship will also carry medical and diving teams along with Gemini crafts and helicopters to assist in relief operations at Colombo. She is likely to reach late morning or by noon tomorrow. On the other hand, INS Shardul with relief material medical and diving teams leaves Kochi at 7 am. It will arrive in Colombo tonight. Other assets standing by at short notice to render assistance as required. Heavy rains in the southern and western parts of the country have destroyed hundreds of homes and cut off several roads. Landslides and floods killed at least 91 people in Sri Lanka on Friday, the Disaster Management Centre said. Nearly 50,000 people across 13 districts in the southern parts of the island were affected and about 8,000 of them had to be evacuated from Kalutara, a coastal city some 40 km south of Colombo, among the worst hit. Last May, Sri Lanka experienced severe floods in which at least a 100 people died. (ANI)

Indian Navy joins flood relief operations in Sri Lanka

A Chinese navy ship supported by an Indian navy helicopter thwarted an attack by suspected Somali pirates on a Tuvalu-flagged merchant ship, India&#39;s defence ministry said on Sunday.

The ship, known as OS 35, was reported to be under attack on Saturday.

The Indian defence ministry said four of its navy ships in the vicinity responded to a distress signal from the ship and reached the bulk carrier early on Sunday.

It said the crew had taken refuge in the ship&#39;s strong room, know as the citadel, once they learnt they were under attack in line with established safe shipping operating procedures.

&quot;An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night, and at sunrise ... (to) ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board,&quot; the defence ministry said in a statement.

&quot;Subsequently ... a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation.&quot;

China&#39;s defence ministry said in a statement a Chinese navy frigate on patrol in the area responded to the distress call from the ship, which it said had been hijacked by pirates. A helicopter conducted surveillance of the ship before 16 navy special forces soldiers were sent aboard to rescue the sailors.

It did not mention the Indian involvement.

The Indian defence ministry said all the 19 Filipino crew of the ship were safe and the captain of the ship thanked the Indian navy for their response and for providing air cover.

John Steed of aid group Oceans Beyond Piracy told Reuters the ship was sailing under navy escort to its next port.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which coordinates shipping in the Gulf of Aden area, said on its website the pirates had used a skiff to approach the vessel.

The attempted hijacking comes days after pirates seized an Indian dhow that was on route to Bossaso from Dubai.

Experts said some ship owners were becoming lax after a long period of calm, and that some were using a route known as the Socotra Gap, between Somalia and Socotra Island, to save time and cost regardless of the piracy risks.

At their peak in 2011, pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau, and took hundreds of hostages.

Their actions cost the world economy $7 billion and earned the pirates some $160 million in ransoms, according to the bureau.

China&#39;s defence ministry said Chinese navy ships had helped patrol the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters since 2008, responding to several pirate attacks and conducting a small number of rescues.

(Reuters)

The Indian defence ministry said all the 19 Filipino crew of the ship were safe and the captain thanked the Indian navy for their response

A Chinese navy ship supported by an Indian navy helicopter thwarted an attack by suspected Somali pirates on a Tuvalu-flagged merchant ship, India's defence ministry said on Sunday. The ship, known as OS 35, was reported to be under attack on Saturday. The Indian defence ministry said four of its navy ships in the vicinity responded to a distress signal from the ship and reached the bulk carrier early on Sunday. It said the crew had taken refuge in the ship's strong room, know as the citadel, once they learnt they were under attack in line with established safe shipping operating procedures. "An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night, and at sunrise ... (to) ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board," the defence ministry said in a statement. "Subsequently ... a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation." China's defence ministry said in a statement a Chinese navy frigate on patrol in the area responded to the distress call from the ship, which it said had been hijacked by pirates. A helicopter conducted surveillance of the ship before 16 navy special forces soldiers were sent aboard to rescue the sailors. It did not mention the Indian involvement. The Indian defence ministry said all the 19 Filipino crew of the ship were safe and the captain of the ship thanked the Indian navy for their response and for providing air cover. John Steed of aid group Oceans Beyond Piracy told Reuters the ship was sailing under navy escort to its next port. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which coordinates shipping in the Gulf of Aden area, said on its website the pirates had used a skiff to approach the vessel. The attempted hijacking comes days after pirates seized an Indian dhow that was on route to Bossaso from Dubai. Experts said some ship owners were becoming lax after a long period of calm, and that some were using a route known as the Socotra Gap, between Somalia and Socotra Island, to save time and cost regardless of the piracy risks. At their peak in 2011, pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau, and took hundreds of hostages. Their actions cost the world economy $7 billion and earned the pirates some $160 million in ransoms, according to the bureau. China's defence ministry said Chinese navy ships had helped patrol the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters since 2008, responding to several pirate attacks and conducting a small number of rescues. (Reuters)

India, China navies stop suspected Somali pirate attack on merchant vessel

Every day, young girls are forced into commercial sexual enterprises all over the world, leaving them physically and emotionally anguished. In the red light district of Kolkata, there are approximately 10,000 sex workers, 40 per cent of these children. Just like many metropolitan areas across India, Kolkata is crowded and noisy, with millions wandering the streets. In the backdrop of the constant clamour of the city, among these ordinary people, are the screams of young girls, some of whom are thousands of miles from their homes, alienated, alone and afraid.

&nbsp;

A Growing Business

Sex trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises, with approximately 20.9 million adults and children sold into sexual servitude globally. Moreover, children make up a significant portion of those exploited&mdash;approximately 2 million&mdash;predominantly young girls, sold into the commercial sex trade. This practice transcends international borders and stretches all the way from the United States to South and East Asia.

There have been significant efforts to combat sex trafficking, but while the motives are well intentioned, there needs to be more collaboration. A novel task force, bringing together many aspects of the healing process, is necessary to help bring these children to safety, ensuring they continue to receive the medical and psychological help they need.

Sex trafficking violates human rights on all levels. The Convention of the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), an international human rights treaty, labels sex trafficking as a human rights violation and form of sexual discrimination. To many, it is often unimaginable that millions of actors, globally, fuel this criminal industry. Even more disheartening is the fact that these actors oppress, through sexual assault and abuse, millions of young girls worldwide for their own vile fulfillment.

The commercial sex trade relies on a lack of education on the part of children and their families. Throughout Asia, many poor families are deceived into sending their daughters away with strangers promising employment, believing they will return with money and job prospects.

In other instances, local village communities will knowingly sell orphaned girls directly into the sex trade, and tell them they are sending girls to work for a certain amount of years in the city, after which time they are permitted to return home. Even more saddening is the fact that most of these girls do not even know, let alone comprehend, the nature of the work they will be doing until it is too late.

What truly makes the global commercial sex trade difficult to thwart is its ability to transcend international borders, specifically in Asia and the Middle East. Because of a growing presence of South Asian migrant workers in countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), many women find themselves originally working in situations of forced labor, including debt bondage. High debts leave many vulnerable to exploitation by foreigners. This is further exasperated by the policies of Gulf nations that allow for the withholding of migrant laborers&rsquo; passports, restrictions on movement and religious justification for some forms of physical or sexual abuse.

&nbsp;

Combatting the Sex Trade

Attempts to combat commercial sex trade are multifaceted and rely on intergovernmental collaboration, as well as actions by local law enforcement. Current efforts against sex trafficking work to eliminate gender discrimination that fuels the industry. Women, particularly in the Middle East and Asia, lack access to resources such as housing and land. In addition, they are not included in familial inheritance, forcing them to either rely on a husband or fend for themselves. In a system that does not prioritize the education of women, they are often left vulnerable with little to no job prospects.

A lack of sanitation systems in many rural areas of the world also accounts for instances of rape and sexual violence. It risks the safety of women who must go outside, often times alone in the dark. Nongovernmental organisations, as well as local health clinics, are currently working to institute adequate sanitation systems in Indian villages, with an obvious intention of curbing sexual violence.&nbsp;

In addition, the Indian government aims to make India open-defecation free (ODF) in the coming years. Since 2014, Narendra Modi&rsquo;s administration has constructed 33.4 million toilets, with the aim of increasing this to 119 million by 2019. This has left over 158,000 Indian villages ODF, and given 60 per cent of households access to toilets.

India, as well as countries such as Norway, Sweden and Iceland, have also experimented with decriminalising sex work. Instead, authorities have begun placing the crime burden on those who purchase sex, specifically sex with minors. This prevents transferring legal blame to the women who are already being exploited.

&nbsp;

The Hope House

Even more than government policy, the efforts of ordinary citizens in cities across the world are essential to combat the psychological and physical abuse inflicted on these young girls. There is a growing movement dedicated to alleviating the aftermath of sexual abuse and discrimination, which relies on a collaboration between law enforcement, medical professionals, and educators.

In downtown Kolkata, amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, there is a small compound known as the Hope House. The purpose of it is to serve as a safe and nurturing environment where girls who are born in the red light district can grow up to achieve bright futures. The Hope House partners with local law enforcement agencies to investigate and raid brothels throughout the city, taking in the afflicted children for treatment, as well as well as a vocational and self-defense education.

Situating law enforcement, education, and health care under the same roof provides these young girls with comprehensive support, allowing them to grow up in a safe and productive environment.

These efforts have reconciled hope with tragedy in response to the abhorrent practice of sex trafficking. Nevertheless, more work still needs to be done. Not just to put an end to the sex trade, but to provide a new beginning for these brave young girls&mdash;the beating heart of India and the rest of the world.

The future of the ship after decommissioning remains uncertain

Every day, young girls are forced into commercial sexual enterprises all over the world, leaving them physically and emotionally anguished. In the red light district of Kolkata, there are approximately 10,000 sex workers, 40 per cent of these children. Just like many metropolitan areas across India, Kolkata is crowded and noisy, with millions wandering the streets. In the backdrop of the constant clamour of the city, among these ordinary people, are the screams of young girls, some of whom are thousands of miles from their homes, alienated, alone and afraid. A Growing Business Sex trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises, with approximately 20.9 million adults and children sold into sexual servitude globally. Moreover, children make up a significant portion of those exploited—approximately 2 million—predominantly young girls, sold into the commercial sex trade. This practice transcends international borders and stretches all the way from the United States to South and East Asia. There have been significant efforts to combat sex trafficking, but while the motives are well intentioned, there needs to be more collaboration. A novel task force, bringing together many aspects of the healing process, is necessary to help bring these children to safety, ensuring they continue to receive the medical and psychological help they need. Sex trafficking violates human rights on all levels. The Convention of the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), an international human rights treaty, labels sex trafficking as a human rights violation and form of sexual discrimination. To many, it is often unimaginable that millions of actors, globally, fuel this criminal industry. Even more disheartening is the fact that these actors oppress, through sexual assault and abuse, millions of young girls worldwide for their own vile fulfillment. The commercial sex trade relies on a lack of education on the part of children and their families. Throughout Asia, many poor families are deceived into sending their daughters away with strangers promising employment, believing they will return with money and job prospects. In other instances, local village communities will knowingly sell orphaned girls directly into the sex trade, and tell them they are sending girls to work for a certain amount of years in the city, after which time they are permitted to return home. Even more saddening is the fact that most of these girls do not even know, let alone comprehend, the nature of the work they will be doing until it is too late. What truly makes the global commercial sex trade difficult to thwart is its ability to transcend international borders, specifically in Asia and the Middle East. Because of a growing presence of South Asian migrant workers in countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), many women find themselves originally working in situations of forced labor, including debt bondage. High debts leave many vulnerable to exploitation by foreigners. This is further exasperated by the policies of Gulf nations that allow for the withholding of migrant laborers’ passports, restrictions on movement and religious justification for some forms of physical or sexual abuse. Combatting the Sex Trade Attempts to combat commercial sex trade are multifaceted and rely on intergovernmental collaboration, as well as actions by local law enforcement. Current efforts against sex trafficking work to eliminate gender discrimination that fuels the industry. Women, particularly in the Middle East and Asia, lack access to resources such as housing and land. In addition, they are not included in familial inheritance, forcing them to either rely on a husband or fend for themselves. In a system that does not prioritize the education of women, they are often left vulnerable with little to no job prospects. A lack of sanitation systems in many rural areas of the world also accounts for instances of rape and sexual violence. It risks the safety of women who must go outside, often times alone in the dark. Nongovernmental organisations, as well as local health clinics, are currently working to institute adequate sanitation systems in Indian villages, with an obvious intention of curbing sexual violence. In addition, the Indian government aims to make India open-defecation free (ODF) in the coming years. Since 2014, Narendra Modi’s administration has constructed 33.4 million toilets, with the aim of increasing this to 119 million by 2019. This has left over 158,000 Indian villages ODF, and given 60 per cent of households access to toilets. India, as well as countries such as Norway, Sweden and Iceland, have also experimented with decriminalising sex work. Instead, authorities have begun placing the crime burden on those who purchase sex, specifically sex with minors. This prevents transferring legal blame to the women who are already being exploited. The Hope House Even more than government policy, the efforts of ordinary citizens in cities across the world are essential to combat the psychological and physical abuse inflicted on these young girls. There is a growing movement dedicated to alleviating the aftermath of sexual abuse and discrimination, which relies on a collaboration between law enforcement, medical professionals, and educators. In downtown Kolkata, amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, there is a small compound known as the Hope House. The purpose of it is to serve as a safe and nurturing environment where girls who are born in the red light district can grow up to achieve bright futures. The Hope House partners with local law enforcement agencies to investigate and raid brothels throughout the city, taking in the afflicted children for treatment, as well as well as a vocational and self-defense education. Situating law enforcement, education, and health care under the same roof provides these young girls with comprehensive support, allowing them to grow up in a safe and productive environment. These efforts have reconciled hope with tragedy in response to the abhorrent practice of sex trafficking. Nevertheless, more work still needs to be done. Not just to put an end to the sex trade, but to provide a new beginning for these brave young girls—the beating heart of India and the rest of the world.

INS Viraat, world's oldest aircraft carrier, to be decommissioned on March 6

Khanderi, the second Scorpene class submarine that has&nbsp;stealth technology and the ability to&nbsp;attack with torpedoes as well as tube-launched anti-ship missiles while&nbsp;underwater or on the surface, was launched at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).

The state of the art features of this Scorpene class submarine include superior stealth and the ability to launch an attack on the enemy using precision guided weapon. The submarine is designed to operate in all theatres, including the tropics. All means and communications are provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a Naval task force.

Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre presided over the function to initiate the launch of Khanderi. The submarine was launched by the Union minister&#39;s wife, Bina Bhamre.&nbsp;Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba was also present on the occasion when the submarine was separated from the pontoon on which it was assembled. 
 
Khanderi&nbsp;can undertake multifarious types of missions typically undertaken by any modern submarine, from anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare to&nbsp;intelligence gathering, mine laying and&nbsp;area surveillance. Khanderi is named after the Island fort of Maratha forces, which played a vital role in ensuring their supremacy at sea in the late 17th century. Khanderi is also the name for Tiger Shark.&nbsp;

Khanderi is the second of the six submarines being built at MDL in collaboration with M/s DCNS of France, as part of Project 75 of Indian Navy. The first one, Kalvari, is completing sea trials and will be commissioned shortly into the Indian Navy.&nbsp;

The Indian Navy&#39;s submarine arm will complete 50 years on December 8 this year.&nbsp;The Submarine Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the birth of the submarine arm with induction of the first submarine, erstwhile INS Kalvari, into the Indian Navy on December 8, 1967.

India joined the exclusive group of submarine constructing nations on February 7, 1992, with the commissioning of the first Indian-built submarine, INS Shalki.

The MDL built this submarine and went on to commission another submarine, INS Shankul, on May 28, 1994. These submarines are still in service today.

&nbsp;(PTI)

India's new Scorpene class submarine, Khanderi, has superior stealth ability to launch an attack with torpedoes

Khanderi, the second Scorpene class submarine that has stealth technology and the ability to attack with torpedoes as well as tube-launched anti-ship missiles while underwater or on the surface, was launched at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). The state of the art features of this Scorpene class submarine include superior stealth and the ability to launch an attack on the enemy using precision guided weapon. The submarine is designed to operate in all theatres, including the tropics. All means and communications are provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a Naval task force. Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre presided over the function to initiate the launch of Khanderi. The submarine was launched by the Union minister's wife, Bina Bhamre. Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba was also present on the occasion when the submarine was separated from the pontoon on which it was assembled. Khanderi can undertake multifarious types of missions typically undertaken by any modern submarine, from anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare to intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance. Khanderi is named after the Island fort of Maratha forces, which played a vital role in ensuring their supremacy at sea in the late 17th century. Khanderi is also the name for Tiger Shark. Khanderi is the second of the six submarines being built at MDL in collaboration with M/s DCNS of France, as part of Project 75 of Indian Navy. The first one, Kalvari, is completing sea trials and will be commissioned shortly into the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy's submarine arm will complete 50 years on December 8 this year. The Submarine Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the birth of the submarine arm with induction of the first submarine, erstwhile INS Kalvari, into the Indian Navy on December 8, 1967. India joined the exclusive group of submarine constructing nations on February 7, 1992, with the commissioning of the first Indian-built submarine, INS Shalki. The MDL built this submarine and went on to commission another submarine, INS Shankul, on May 28, 1994. These submarines are still in service today. (PTI)

Khanderi: India launches second Scorpene class submarine

The Malabar naval exercise involving the Indian, US and Japanese navies is designed to &quot;target&quot; China&#39;s submarines in the East and South China Seas and to back America&#39;s Asia-Pacific rebalance strategy, a Chinese media report claimed today.

&quot;Such a large-scale military exercise was obviously designed to target China&#39;s submarine activities in the East and South China Seas in recent years, promote the US rebalance to the Asia-Pacific and cement the US presence in the region,&quot; an article in state-run Global Times said.

&quot;Washington brought New Delhi and Tokyo into the exercise to relieve its pressure due to overstretched military presence around the globe and tighten its grip on the Asia-Pacific region,&quot; the article said.

Highlighting comments by Vice Admiral Joseph P Aucoin, commander of the US Seventh Fleet stating that India, Japan and the US are set to focus their next round of Malabar exercise on anti-submarine warfare, it said the drills aimed at jeopardising peace in the East China Sea region &quot;so as to distract China&#39;s attention from the South China Sea and disturb the political landscape in the Asia-Pacific&quot;.

The Malabar exercise started in 1992 with the navies of US and India in the Indian Ocean. Since Japan joined in 2007, it has alternated between the West Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

In June, the three countries held their largest-ever joint exercise which involved 11 vessels and 8,000 personnel. The article said Japan wants to become a permanent member of the exercise to enhance its military cooperation with the US and find a solution to its dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea.

&quot;India hoped to enhance the anti-submarine capability of its navy that has tracked at least six Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean region,&quot; it said quoting reports, adding &quot;India also wants to disrupt China&#39;s military deployment in the East China Sea through these exercises&quot;.

Japan, which has participated in the exercise five times, also attached great importance to the Malabar 2016. It used the exercise to enhance the anti-submarine capability of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force and spy on China&#39;s military deployment in the waters, it said.

&quot;However, the anti-submarine warfare of the US, Japan and India won&#39;t make them succeed in countering China as China has significantly improved its technologies in ballistic missile submarines and attack submarines. And with the development of multi-dimensional operations, merely elevating anti-submarine capability won&#39;t enable these countries to contain China,&quot; the article said.

&quot;The Malabar exercise has always been led by the US, with Japan and India being just partners with varied purposes. This will cripple the actual effects of the exercise. In fact, this kind of exercise is unlikely to impair China&#39;s presence in the East China Sea, except for flaring up tensions in the waters and producing frictions,&quot; it said.

(PTI)

'Washington brought New Delhi and Tokyo into the exercise to relieve its pressure due to overstretched military presence around the globe'

The Malabar naval exercise involving the Indian, US and Japanese navies is designed to "target" China's submarines in the East and South China Seas and to back America's Asia-Pacific rebalance strategy, a Chinese media report claimed today. "Such a large-scale military exercise was obviously designed to target China's submarine activities in the East and South China Seas in recent years, promote the US rebalance to the Asia-Pacific and cement the US presence in the region," an article in state-run Global Times said. "Washington brought New Delhi and Tokyo into the exercise to relieve its pressure due to overstretched military presence around the globe and tighten its grip on the Asia-Pacific region," the article said. Highlighting comments by Vice Admiral Joseph P Aucoin, commander of the US Seventh Fleet stating that India, Japan and the US are set to focus their next round of Malabar exercise on anti-submarine warfare, it said the drills aimed at jeopardising peace in the East China Sea region "so as to distract China's attention from the South China Sea and disturb the political landscape in the Asia-Pacific". The Malabar exercise started in 1992 with the navies of US and India in the Indian Ocean. Since Japan joined in 2007, it has alternated between the West Pacific and the Indian Ocean. In June, the three countries held their largest-ever joint exercise which involved 11 vessels and 8,000 personnel. The article said Japan wants to become a permanent member of the exercise to enhance its military cooperation with the US and find a solution to its dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea. "India hoped to enhance the anti-submarine capability of its navy that has tracked at least six Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean region," it said quoting reports, adding "India also wants to disrupt China's military deployment in the East China Sea through these exercises". Japan, which has participated in the exercise five times, also attached great importance to the Malabar 2016. It used the exercise to enhance the anti-submarine capability of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force and spy on China's military deployment in the waters, it said. "However, the anti-submarine warfare of the US, Japan and India won't make them succeed in countering China as China has significantly improved its technologies in ballistic missile submarines and attack submarines. And with the development of multi-dimensional operations, merely elevating anti-submarine capability won't enable these countries to contain China," the article said. "The Malabar exercise has always been led by the US, with Japan and India being just partners with varied purposes. This will cripple the actual effects of the exercise. In fact, this kind of exercise is unlikely to impair China's presence in the East China Sea, except for flaring up tensions in the waters and producing frictions," it said. (PTI)

Indian, US and Japanese naval exercise designed to 'target' Chinese submarines: Chinese media

As heavy rains and strong winds hit Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh ahead of&nbsp;cyclone Vardah making a landfall around 2pm, Indian Navy and Army have their teams on standby.&nbsp;

The Indian Navy has stationed two ships, INS Shivalik and INS Kadmatt, around the north of Chennai to provide immediate assistance. Both the ships are equipped with adequate bricks of HADR material. The ships also have additional divers, doctors, food, water, blanket inflatable rubber boats, integral helicopters and other relief material in quantities sufficient to sustain over 5,000 people.

&nbsp;&ldquo;In preparation for the relief efforts of very severe cyclone Vardah, the Eastern Naval Command has assumed high degree of readiness to render necessary assistance. All operational ships have been readied and kept on standby to undertake humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations, including evacuation, should the situation demand,&rdquo; said a statement from the Indian Navy.

Additionally, 30 diving teams with Gemini boats and four platoons with additional relief material have been pressed into action.

Cyclone Vardah&rsquo;s severe cycle is around 450 km east-north-east of Chennai.

Besides the Indian Navy, the Army has put as many as seven columns on standby for rescue and relief operation.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

The Indian Navy has stationed two ships, INS Shivalik and INS Kadmatt, around the north of Chennai to provide immediate assistance

As heavy rains and strong winds hit Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh ahead of cyclone Vardah making a landfall around 2pm, Indian Navy and Army have their teams on standby. The Indian Navy has stationed two ships, INS Shivalik and INS Kadmatt, around the north of Chennai to provide immediate assistance. Both the ships are equipped with adequate bricks of HADR material. The ships also have additional divers, doctors, food, water, blanket inflatable rubber boats, integral helicopters and other relief material in quantities sufficient to sustain over 5,000 people. “In preparation for the relief efforts of very severe cyclone Vardah, the Eastern Naval Command has assumed high degree of readiness to render necessary assistance. All operational ships have been readied and kept on standby to undertake humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations, including evacuation, should the situation demand,” said a statement from the Indian Navy. Additionally, 30 diving teams with Gemini boats and four platoons with additional relief material have been pressed into action. Cyclone Vardah’s severe cycle is around 450 km east-north-east of Chennai. Besides the Indian Navy, the Army has put as many as seven columns on standby for rescue and relief operation. (WION)

Indian Navy and Army prepared for Cyclone Vardah

The Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jagdish Mukhi, said on Friday that approximately 1,000 tourists are stranded on Havelock Island due to bad weather. He added that 320 of them are foreign nationals.

The Indian navy said six ships and two Indian Coast Guard ships had sailed out from Port Blair for rescue operations Friday. Three Indian air force choppers were also part of the&nbsp;operation.

Mukhi had on Thursday assured that the tourists stranded on Havelock Island are safe and that there has been no damage to property or loss of life. Mukhi said, &quot;In Andaman and Nicobar deep depression continues to prevail, but we are hoping the situation will be normal by the evening. In this week, there has been no damage to property or loss of life.&quot; He further said that only tourists have been asked to stay inside their hotels because of the bad weather and the rough sea.

On Thursday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had assured that the government will launch the rescue operations immediately after the intensity of the cyclone reduces and evacuate the tourists stuck in Andaman&#39;s Havelock island. &quot;Spoke to Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dr. Jagdish Mukhi who apprised me of the situation in Havelock Islands. All the tourists who are stranded in Havelock Island are safe. The government has made all the preparations to evacuate them,&quot; Singh tweeted.

The Indian Navy on Wednesday informed about their ships reaching Havelock Island and the evacuation of tourists from there to Port Blair to start as soon as the weather gets normal. Tourists were stranded at Havelock Island after heavy rains lashed the region.

The Andaman and Nicobar Disaster Management, which speculated cyclonic storm to hit the area, contacted Indian Navy and requested for an evacuation process be initiated. Havelock Island is the largest chain of Islands and is a famous tourist destination.

(This report first appeared in DNA)

The Andaman LG said the stranded tourists were safe and that there had been no loss of life or damage to property

The Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jagdish Mukhi, said on Friday that approximately 1,000 tourists are stranded on Havelock Island due to bad weather. He added that 320 of them are foreign nationals. The Indian navy said six ships and two Indian Coast Guard ships had sailed out from Port Blair for rescue operations Friday. Three Indian air force choppers were also part of the operation. Mukhi had on Thursday assured that the tourists stranded on Havelock Island are safe and that there has been no damage to property or loss of life. Mukhi said, "In Andaman and Nicobar deep depression continues to prevail, but we are hoping the situation will be normal by the evening. In this week, there has been no damage to property or loss of life." He further said that only tourists have been asked to stay inside their hotels because of the bad weather and the rough sea. On Thursday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had assured that the government will launch the rescue operations immediately after the intensity of the cyclone reduces and evacuate the tourists stuck in Andaman's Havelock island. "Spoke to Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dr. Jagdish Mukhi who apprised me of the situation in Havelock Islands. All the tourists who are stranded in Havelock Island are safe. The government has made all the preparations to evacuate them," Singh tweeted. The Indian Navy on Wednesday informed about their ships reaching Havelock Island and the evacuation of tourists from there to Port Blair to start as soon as the weather gets normal. Tourists were stranded at Havelock Island after heavy rains lashed the region. The Andaman and Nicobar Disaster Management, which speculated cyclonic storm to hit the area, contacted Indian Navy and requested for an evacuation process be initiated. Havelock Island is the largest chain of Islands and is a famous tourist destination. (This report first appeared in DNA)

Andaman crisis: Navy, IAF, Coast Guard deployed to rescue 1,000 tourists stranded on Havelock Island

India&rsquo;s peninsular salience and extreme dependence on the sea borne trade have given rise to the need for a truly capable navy with blue water capabilities. Over 90 per cent of India&rsquo;s international trade in terms of volume and 70 per cent in terms of value are carried by the seas. The simultaneous growth of state and non-state actors in the strategically significant Indian Ocean Region (IOR) have made an efficient navy necessary. This is despite India&rsquo;s overwhelming continental focus till recently which meant that maritime forces were largely ignored in the overall security calculus.

The change in the power equations in the IOR with the emergence of an increasingly assertive China and its attempt at forward basing in Djibouti,&nbsp; Gwadar and other ports (often termed as String of Pearls) have increased India&rsquo;s apprehensions about a possible security challenge. Significantly, it has also led to a subterraneous jostle for power and primacy in the area, particularly, in the background of the perceived erosion of US leveraging capability. &nbsp;

As a result of the evolving&nbsp; geo-strategy and a more confident New Delhi with Prime Minster Modi at the helm, India is now willing to assume greater maritime security responsibilities. The country is keen on projecting its aspirational role&nbsp;of being a &ldquo;balancer of power&rdquo;&nbsp; and a &ldquo;security provider &rdquo; in an increasingly turbulent region. This is in sharp contrast to the general reluctance displayed earlier in assuming any form of overt leadership in the IOR. &nbsp;

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<h5>The country is keen on projecting its aspirational role&nbsp;of being a &ldquo;balancer of power&rdquo;&nbsp; and a &ldquo;security provider &rdquo; in an increasingly turbulent region</h5>
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These aspects were publicly enunciated in the latest Maritime strategy document of the Indian Navy &ldquo;Ensuring Secure Seas: Indian Maritime Security Strategy&rdquo; (2015). The modified strategy has increased its focus &ldquo;...in undertaking cooperation and coordination between various navies, to counter common threats at seas&rdquo;. &nbsp;

Thus, one of the aims of this strategy has been to shape a favourable and positive maritime environment for enhancing net security in India&rsquo;s areas of maritime interest, while building up engagements with friendly nations&nbsp; at&nbsp; multiple levels of their&nbsp; maritime forces. &nbsp;

As per the strategy, the Indian Navy will operate freely to safeguard its &ldquo;diplomatic, security and economic interests&rdquo;. Assisting in capacity building and ensuring interoperability with other littoral navies would form the essence of the current focus. This will not only enhance the strategic reach of the navy but, in addition, provide the desired sustainability in distant seas and into the farthest reaches of the Indian Ocean.&nbsp;

Undoubtedly, this&nbsp; steady shift in India&rsquo;s strategic evolution has been partly due&nbsp; the result of the growing&nbsp; self confidence of the Indian State and partly due to a growth in its national maritime capacity. &nbsp;

It must be remembered that during Mrs Indira Gandhi&rsquo;s period at the helm,&nbsp;India was always in pursuit of &ldquo;strategic autonomy&rdquo; and &ldquo;self reliance&rdquo;&nbsp; which formed the basis of its foreign policy. However, with a globalising and an interdependent world &ndash; the current discourse for India has changed.&nbsp; &nbsp;

No longer is it in India&rsquo;s interest to follow the mantra of Indira regime as&nbsp; &ldquo;autonomy is for weak powers trying to insulate themselves&hellip;&rdquo; &nbsp;Admittedly, the other need, namely to indigenise, continues with renewed vigour in its manifestation of &ldquo;Make in India&rdquo;. Thus, there exists a change in the thought processes from being a mere rule follower to that of a more assertive maker of guidelines.&nbsp;

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<h5>There exists a change in the thought processes from being a mere rule follower to that of a more assertive maker of guidelines.&nbsp;</h5>
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Another significant change in the Indian strategic thought process has been that&nbsp; of projecting its power over the maritime territory. The earlier naval strategy was centered on India&rsquo;s ability to defend territorial waters, including the Exclusive Economic Zone along its vast coast line of nearly 7500 kms. But with the expansion of India&rsquo;s maritime interests, there has seen&nbsp; considerable increase in the geographical ambit, ranging from the earlier&nbsp; &ldquo;Aden to Malacca&rsquo;s &ldquo; to the current&nbsp; &ldquo;Suez to South China seas&rdquo;.

These aspects have been witnessed on ground by flag-showing visits of Indian warships to various ports in these regions and beyond. Additionally, multinational activities in the form of&nbsp; anti-piracy patrols off the Gulf of Aden , SLOC patrols, diaspora repatriation, undertaking Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) tasks&nbsp; are all subtle&nbsp; indicators of the power projection capability&nbsp; and a growth in the maritime capacity.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Given the expanding national interests, India is deeply committed to the concepts of freedom of navigation and an obligation to secure the global commons. This aspect however stands in contrast to the expansive territorial claims of the Chinese in the South China Seas (SCS). In defiance of a ruling by an International Arbitral Court, China is claiming&nbsp; nearly 80 per cent of the seas, giving rise to serious sovereignty and navigational&nbsp; issues. This is one of the main factors, along with the rising instability of the region, that has prompted India to take interest in the SCS region.

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<h5>Shedding its Cold War isolationist profile, the Indian Navy has come a long way since it &ldquo;evolved in isolation&rdquo;.</h5>
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Shedding its Cold War isolationist profile, the Indian Navy has come a long way since it &ldquo;evolved in isolation&rdquo;. The Indian Navy now holds regular joint exercises with all major maritime nations in the region. In addition, it had with the help of the National Maritime Foundation, initiated the major pan Indian Ocean maritime initiative &ndash; Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in 2008. &nbsp;

A strategic overtone of this effort has been that earlier India was required to &ldquo;join&rdquo; in the bandwagon of superpowers&nbsp; and its numerous initiatives. Now, it is keen that other littorals join its bandwagon &ndash; for the benefit of common good.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;The Indian Navy has also stepped up its efforts to engage with its friendly neighbours in the IOR as a stepping&nbsp; stone to maritime security multilateralism. Thus, the focus is to evolve a symbiotic relation that finds a common maritime security grid with India being the focal point. The initiation of this move was&nbsp; evidenced with the March 2015 visit of Prime Minister Modi to the three island-nations of Sri Lanka, Seychelles and Mauritius.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Despite these advancements and the obvious strategic benefits, the real&nbsp; potential for projecting the Indian Navy as a tool for national power and military diplomacy are concepts that have not been fully understood or exercised by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of External Affairs .&nbsp; However the flip side of the argument is that, mindsets are changing&nbsp; in an incremental fashion- for the better because as the old adage goes &ndash; the land divides while the seas unite. &nbsp;

Focus of the Indian Navy is to evolve a symbiotic relation that finds a common maritime security grid with India being the focal point

India’s peninsular salience and extreme dependence on the sea borne trade have given rise to the need for a truly capable navy with blue water capabilities. Over 90 per cent of India’s international trade in terms of volume and 70 per cent in terms of value are carried by the seas. The simultaneous growth of state and non-state actors in the strategically significant Indian Ocean Region (IOR) have made an efficient navy necessary. This is despite India’s overwhelming continental focus till recently which meant that maritime forces were largely ignored in the overall security calculus. The change in the power equations in the IOR with the emergence of an increasingly assertive China and its attempt at forward basing in Djibouti, Gwadar and other ports (often termed as String of Pearls) have increased India’s apprehensions about a possible security challenge. Significantly, it has also led to a subterraneous jostle for power and primacy in the area, particularly, in the background of the perceived erosion of US leveraging capability. As a result of the evolving geo-strategy and a more confident New Delhi with Prime Minster Modi at the helm, India is now willing to assume greater maritime security responsibilities. The country is keen on projecting its aspirational role of being a “balancer of power” and a “security provider ” in an increasingly turbulent region. This is in sharp contrast to the general reluctance displayed earlier in assuming any form of overt leadership in the IOR. The country is keen on projecting its aspirational role of being a “balancer of power” and a “security provider ” in an increasingly turbulent region × These aspects were publicly enunciated in the latest Maritime strategy document of the Indian Navy “Ensuring Secure Seas: Indian Maritime Security Strategy” (2015). The modified strategy has increased its focus “...in undertaking cooperation and coordination between various navies, to counter common threats at seas”. Thus, one of the aims of this strategy has been to shape a favourable and positive maritime environment for enhancing net security in India’s areas of maritime interest, while building up engagements with friendly nations at multiple levels of their maritime forces. As per the strategy, the Indian Navy will operate freely to safeguard its “diplomatic, security and economic interests”. Assisting in capacity building and ensuring interoperability with other littoral navies would form the essence of the current focus. This will not only enhance the strategic reach of the navy but, in addition, provide the desired sustainability in distant seas and into the farthest reaches of the Indian Ocean. Undoubtedly, this steady shift in India’s strategic evolution has been partly due the result of the growing self confidence of the Indian State and partly due to a growth in its national maritime capacity. It must be remembered that during Mrs Indira Gandhi’s period at the helm, India was always in pursuit of “strategic autonomy” and “self reliance” which formed the basis of its foreign policy. However, with a globalising and an interdependent world – the current discourse for India has changed. No longer is it in India’s interest to follow the mantra of Indira regime as “autonomy is for weak powers trying to insulate themselves…” Admittedly, the other need, namely to indigenise, continues with renewed vigour in its manifestation of “Make in India”. Thus, there exists a change in the thought processes from being a mere rule follower to that of a more assertive maker of guidelines. There exists a change in the thought processes from being a mere rule follower to that of a more assertive maker of guidelines. × Another significant change in the Indian strategic thought process has been that of projecting its power over the maritime territory. The earlier naval strategy was centered on India’s ability to defend territorial waters, including the Exclusive Economic Zone along its vast coast line of nearly 7500 kms. But with the expansion of India’s maritime interests, there has seen considerable increase in the geographical ambit, ranging from the earlier “Aden to Malacca’s “ to the current “Suez to South China seas”. These aspects have been witnessed on ground by flag-showing visits of Indian warships to various ports in these regions and beyond. Additionally, multinational activities in the form of anti-piracy patrols off the Gulf of Aden , SLOC patrols, diaspora repatriation, undertaking Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) tasks are all subtle indicators of the power projection capability and a growth in the maritime capacity. Given the expanding national interests, India is deeply committed to the concepts of freedom of navigation and an obligation to secure the global commons. This aspect however stands in contrast to the expansive territorial claims of the Chinese in the South China Seas (SCS). In defiance of a ruling by an International Arbitral Court, China is claiming nearly 80 per cent of the seas, giving rise to serious sovereignty and navigational issues. This is one of the main factors, along with the rising instability of the region, that has prompted India to take interest in the SCS region. Shedding its Cold War isolationist profile, the Indian Navy has come a long way since it “evolved in isolation”. × Shedding its Cold War isolationist profile, the Indian Navy has come a long way since it “evolved in isolation”. The Indian Navy now holds regular joint exercises with all major maritime nations in the region. In addition, it had with the help of the National Maritime Foundation, initiated the major pan Indian Ocean maritime initiative – Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in 2008. A strategic overtone of this effort has been that earlier India was required to “join” in the bandwagon of superpowers and its numerous initiatives. Now, it is keen that other littorals join its bandwagon – for the benefit of common good. The Indian Navy has also stepped up its efforts to engage with its friendly neighbours in the IOR as a stepping stone to maritime security multilateralism. Thus, the focus is to evolve a symbiotic relation that finds a common maritime security grid with India being the focal point. The initiation of this move was evidenced with the March 2015 visit of Prime Minister Modi to the three island-nations of Sri Lanka, Seychelles and Mauritius. Despite these advancements and the obvious strategic benefits, the real potential for projecting the Indian Navy as a tool for national power and military diplomacy are concepts that have not been fully understood or exercised by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of External Affairs . However the flip side of the argument is that, mindsets are changing in an incremental fashion- for the better because as the old adage goes – the land divides while the seas unite.

Indian Navy and India?s strategic transition

Indian Navy&#39;s evacuation operations at Havelock Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been stalled due to bad weather.&nbsp;

All four ships of the Indian Navy, which are to carry out the evacuation of&nbsp;800 stranded tourists are still waiting outside the harbour due to rough sea and torrential rains.&nbsp;

&quot;Evacuation process not commenced due to unfavourable conditions. Ships waiting outside harbour. Adequate food, fresh water, medicines, doctors, divers and A&amp;N administration personnel being ferried on board to provide succour and relief,&quot; a statement from the Indian Navy said.&nbsp;

The Indian Navy was asked for assistance by the Andaman and Nicobar Island administration to carry out the&nbsp;evacuation, following which, four ships were deployed.&nbsp;

&quot;Civil administration requested the Indian Navy to assist them in evacuating 800 tourists stranded due to torrential rains and rough sea,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp;

Four Indian Navy ships -- INS Bitra, Bangaram, Kumbhir and LCU 38 -- have been deployed at the Havelock Island to undertake evacuation of the stranded tourists, which is being delayed due to bad weather.&nbsp;

Many tourists have been stranded with no flights and ships due to rough weather. In several areas, there is no mobile or internet connectivity.&nbsp;

A deep depression over the&nbsp;Bay of Bengal is bringing heavy rains to the Havelock Island since the last two days. According to the Met office, this deep depression will turn into a cyclonic storm over the next 48 hours over Andaman Nicobar.&nbsp;

(WION)

All four ships, which are to carry out the evacuation of 800 stranded tourists, are still waiting outside the harbour due to rough sea

Indian Navy's evacuation operations at Havelock Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been stalled due to bad weather. All four ships of the Indian Navy, which are to carry out the evacuation of 800 stranded tourists are still waiting outside the harbour due to rough sea and torrential rains. "Evacuation process not commenced due to unfavourable conditions. Ships waiting outside harbour. Adequate food, fresh water, medicines, doctors, divers and A&N administration personnel being ferried on board to provide succour and relief," a statement from the Indian Navy said. The Indian Navy was asked for assistance by the Andaman and Nicobar Island administration to carry out the evacuation, following which, four ships were deployed. "Civil administration requested the Indian Navy to assist them in evacuating 800 tourists stranded due to torrential rains and rough sea," the statement said. Four Indian Navy ships -- INS Bitra, Bangaram, Kumbhir and LCU 38 -- have been deployed at the Havelock Island to undertake evacuation of the stranded tourists, which is being delayed due to bad weather. Many tourists have been stranded with no flights and ships due to rough weather. In several areas, there is no mobile or internet connectivity. A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is bringing heavy rains to the Havelock Island since the last two days. According to the Met office, this deep depression will turn into a cyclonic storm over the next 48 hours over Andaman Nicobar. (WION)

Indian Navy's evacuation operations stalled due to bad weather

The Indian Navy has deployed four ships to evacuate as many as 800 tourists stranded at Havelock Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to torrential rains.&nbsp;

&quot;Civil administration requested the Indian Navy to assist them in evacuating 800 tourists stranded due to torrential rains and rough sea,&quot; a statement from the Indian Navy said .&nbsp;

Four Indian Navy ships -- INS Bitra, Bangaram, Kumbhir and LCU 38 -- have been deployed at the Havelock Island to undertake the evacuation of stranded tourists.&nbsp;

Many tourists have been stranded with no flights and ships due to rough weather. In several areas, there is no mobile phone or internet connectivity.&nbsp;

Some tourists even sought help from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter.&nbsp;One such stranded tourist&nbsp;wrote, &quot;@PMOIndia Sir! We are stuck in Havelock Island due to cyclone effect from last 2 days. Please help us to reach Port Blair.&quot;

A deep depression over the&nbsp;Bay of Bengal is bringing heavy rains to the Havelock Island since the last two days. According to the Met office, this deep depression will turn into a cyclonic storm over the next 48 hours.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the deep sea following the rough weather.&nbsp;

Additionally, ferry services from Port Blair to Havelock Island and Neil Island have been stalled till the weather improves.&nbsp;

(WION)

 
&nbsp;

Four Indian Navy ships -- INS Bitra, Bangaram, Kumbhir and LCU 38 -- have been sent to rescue the tourists stuck amid torrential rains

The Indian Navy has deployed four ships to evacuate as many as 800 tourists stranded at Havelock Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to torrential rains. "Civil administration requested the Indian Navy to assist them in evacuating 800 tourists stranded due to torrential rains and rough sea," a statement from the Indian Navy said . Four Indian Navy ships -- INS Bitra, Bangaram, Kumbhir and LCU 38 -- have been deployed at the Havelock Island to undertake the evacuation of stranded tourists. Many tourists have been stranded with no flights and ships due to rough weather. In several areas, there is no mobile phone or internet connectivity. Some tourists even sought help from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter. One such stranded tourist wrote, "@PMOIndia Sir! We are stuck in Havelock Island due to cyclone effect from last 2 days. Please help us to reach Port Blair." A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is bringing heavy rains to the Havelock Island since the last two days. According to the Met office, this deep depression will turn into a cyclonic storm over the next 48 hours. Meanwhile, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the deep sea following the rough weather. Additionally, ferry services from Port Blair to Havelock Island and Neil Island have been stalled till the weather improves. (WION)

Indian Navy deploys ships to evacuate 800 stranded tourists

Indian Navy chief Sunil Lanba said the Navy &quot;kept a close eye&quot; on People&#39;s Liberation Army (PLA)&nbsp;Navy ships and submarines in the Indian Ocean region, PTI reported. &nbsp;

Chinese People&#39;s Liberation Army is the armed forces of the Communist Party of China and the armed forces of the People&#39;s Republic of China.&nbsp;

The Chief of Naval staff&#39;s comments came while addressing the annual &#39;Naval Day&#39; news conference where he said a PLA submarine was present in&nbsp;the Indian Ocean and made a port call at Pakistan&#39;s Karachi harbour, PTI reported.&nbsp;

&quot;As far as People&#39;s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships and submarines are concerned, the Indian Navy keeps a close eye and monitor their movements. We have maritime domain awareness of the deployment of PLA naval forces in the Indian Ocean region (IOR).

&quot;We launch surveillance missions in the form of aircraft and ships to keep a track of them. They had started deployment of their submarines from 2012,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

Lanba also labelled Pakistan&#39;s claims that an Indian submarine had entered its territorial waters last month as &quot;bogus&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;There was no Indian submarine deployed in the area where the Pakistani Navy is claiming it to be. As far as repelling a submarine of any nation goes, it is not an easy task and the claim made by Pakistani Navy is totally bogus. We deploy submarines where there is an operational necessity and we will continue to deploy them,&quot; PTI reported Lanba as saying.

The Indian Navy&#39;s focus is in the Indian Ocean region followed by Strait of Bab el Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz.

The chief also answered questions regarding the Navy&#39;s prowess in the Pacific region saying &quot;The Navy is well within its capabilities to operate in the region.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;India has a plan in place that takes into account what is happening in the neighborhood,&quot; Lanba told PTI, in reference to Bangladesh acquiring its first submarines from China.&nbsp;

The chief also added that Kalavari Class Scorpene submarine has &quot;successfully finished dry trials and further trials are in progress&quot;.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI)

He said they were aware of the deployment and movement of Chinese naval ships and submarines in the region

Indian Navy chief Sunil Lanba said the Navy "kept a close eye" on People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships and submarines in the Indian Ocean region, PTI reported. Chinese People's Liberation Army is the armed forces of the Communist Party of China and the armed forces of the People's Republic of China. The Chief of Naval staff's comments came while addressing the annual 'Naval Day' news conference where he said a PLA submarine was present in the Indian Ocean and made a port call at Pakistan's Karachi harbour, PTI reported. "As far as People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships and submarines are concerned, the Indian Navy keeps a close eye and monitor their movements. We have maritime domain awareness of the deployment of PLA naval forces in the Indian Ocean region (IOR). "We launch surveillance missions in the form of aircraft and ships to keep a track of them. They had started deployment of their submarines from 2012," he added. Lanba also labelled Pakistan's claims that an Indian submarine had entered its territorial waters last month as "bogus". "There was no Indian submarine deployed in the area where the Pakistani Navy is claiming it to be. As far as repelling a submarine of any nation goes, it is not an easy task and the claim made by Pakistani Navy is totally bogus. We deploy submarines where there is an operational necessity and we will continue to deploy them," PTI reported Lanba as saying. The Indian Navy's focus is in the Indian Ocean region followed by Strait of Bab el Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz. The chief also answered questions regarding the Navy's prowess in the Pacific region saying "The Navy is well within its capabilities to operate in the region." "India has a plan in place that takes into account what is happening in the neighborhood," Lanba told PTI, in reference to Bangladesh acquiring its first submarines from China. The chief also added that Kalavari Class Scorpene submarine has "successfully finished dry trials and further trials are in progress". (WION with inputs from PTI)

Indian naval chief: Navy keeping close eye on Chinese ships in Indian ocean region

Garden Reach Shipbuilders &amp; Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata is India&rsquo;s first shipyard to produce 100 warships. While GRSE has successfully delivered 98 warships to India&rsquo;s Defence Wing, two more ships are almost ready for delivery, which will take the count to the production of warships to 100.&nbsp;

&ldquo;The 98th ship is a Landing Craft Utility and the 100th ship is a Fast Attack Craft which will be handed over to the Indian Navy by the end of this year. While the trial on the 98th ship is done, the trial on the 100th ship is due in the month of December,&rdquo; said Chairman and Managing Director, GRSE, Rear Admiral, Anil Kumar Verma, VSM, IN (Retired)

GRSE is one of the major shipyards in India, besides the Mumbai, Goa, Cochin and Vizag that produce warships for the Indian Navy, however, they are yet to reach the count of 100.&nbsp;

&ldquo;GRSE is one of the most important PSUs of the Defence Wing and has delivered first two anti-submarine warfare corvettes INS &lsquo;Kamorta&rsquo; and INS &lsquo;Kadmatt&rsquo; to the Indian Navy. We have produced a first-ever export warship CGS &lsquo;Barracuda&rsquo; for the Republic of Mauritius,&rdquo; added Verma.&nbsp;

GRSE since 1960, has built several ships like - Frigate, Anti Submarine Warfare Corvette, Missile Corvette, Landing Ship Tank, Landing Craft Utility, Survey Vessel, Fleet Replenishment Tanker, Fast Patrol Vessel, Offshore Patrol Vessel, Inshore Patrol Vessel, Fast Attack Craft, Hover Craft, Fast Interceptor Boat and several others.&nbsp;

Besides shipbuilding, it also carries out ship repairs.

On Wednesday, GRSE paid dividend to the government for the 23rd consecutive year. A cheque for Rs 53.22 crore towards dividend for the financial year 2015-16 was handed over to Defence Minister, Government of India, Manohar Parrikar by Verma.&nbsp;

(WION)

This West Bengal shipyard is one of the major producers of warships for the Indian Navy

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata is India’s first shipyard to produce 100 warships. While GRSE has successfully delivered 98 warships to India’s Defence Wing, two more ships are almost ready for delivery, which will take the count to the production of warships to 100. “The 98th ship is a Landing Craft Utility and the 100th ship is a Fast Attack Craft which will be handed over to the Indian Navy by the end of this year. While the trial on the 98th ship is done, the trial on the 100th ship is due in the month of December,” said Chairman and Managing Director, GRSE, Rear Admiral, Anil Kumar Verma, VSM, IN (Retired) GRSE is one of the major shipyards in India, besides the Mumbai, Goa, Cochin and Vizag that produce warships for the Indian Navy, however, they are yet to reach the count of 100. “GRSE is one of the most important PSUs of the Defence Wing and has delivered first two anti-submarine warfare corvettes INS ‘Kamorta’ and INS ‘Kadmatt’ to the Indian Navy. We have produced a first-ever export warship CGS ‘Barracuda’ for the Republic of Mauritius,” added Verma. GRSE since 1960, has built several ships like - Frigate, Anti Submarine Warfare Corvette, Missile Corvette, Landing Ship Tank, Landing Craft Utility, Survey Vessel, Fleet Replenishment Tanker, Fast Patrol Vessel, Offshore Patrol Vessel, Inshore Patrol Vessel, Fast Attack Craft, Hover Craft, Fast Interceptor Boat and several others. Besides shipbuilding, it also carries out ship repairs. On Wednesday, GRSE paid dividend to the government for the 23rd consecutive year. A cheque for Rs 53.22 crore towards dividend for the financial year 2015-16 was handed over to Defence Minister, Government of India, Manohar Parrikar by Verma. (WION)

Garden Reach shipyard to become India?s first to produce 100 warships

The Indian Navy on Friday strongly denied media reports in Pakistan of one of its submarines being detected and blocked from entering the latter nation&#39;s waters, sources told news agency ANI.

Some media organisations had earlier run &#39;footage&#39;&nbsp;and photographs of &quot;a submarine trying to enter Pakistan waters&quot;.

The Pakistan Navy&#39;s statement said that the submarine was detected &quot;south of the Pakistani coast&quot;.

&quot;Thereafter, despite the submarine&#39;s desperate efforts to escape detection, it was continuously tracked by the Pakistan Navy and pushed well clear of our waters,&quot; the press release said.

&quot;This is all blatant lies,&quot; Indian Navy spokesman D&nbsp;K&nbsp;Sharma told Reuters.

Relations between the two neighbours have been strained for the past several months, with cross-border firing leading to deaths of civilians and soldiers on both sides.

The countries have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, with two being over the disputed Kashmir region.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The Pakistan Navy's said that the Indian submarine was detected 'south of the Pakistani coast' and was 'pushed clear' of its waters

The Indian Navy on Friday strongly denied media reports in Pakistan of one of its submarines being detected and blocked from entering the latter nation's waters, sources told news agency ANI. Some media organisations had earlier run 'footage' and photographs of "a submarine trying to enter Pakistan waters". The Pakistan Navy's statement said that the submarine was detected "south of the Pakistani coast". "Thereafter, despite the submarine's desperate efforts to escape detection, it was continuously tracked by the Pakistan Navy and pushed well clear of our waters," the press release said. "This is all blatant lies," Indian Navy spokesman D K Sharma told Reuters. Relations between the two neighbours have been strained for the past several months, with cross-border firing leading to deaths of civilians and soldiers on both sides. The countries have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, with two being over the disputed Kashmir region. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Indian Navy denies reports of its submarine being blocked by Pakistan

India unveiled its latest instalment of modern warship named &#39;Mormugao&#39; in Mumbai on Saturday. 
 
The 60 per cent indigenised-warship, which is equipped with range of hi-tech missiles, is the second ship of Project 15B. Visakhapatnam was the first such destroyer to be launched by India in April 2015. 
 
Mormugao is a destroyer designed to launch precision-guided missiles. 
 
Project 15B is a class of stealth guided missile destroyers which feature better stealth characterisitics and accommodate Barak 8 surface-to-air missile. The Barak 8 enables India to defend itself from any type of airborne threat such as aircraft, anti-ship missiles and helicopters. 
 
The warship also incorporates anti-submarine rocket launchers and surface-to-surface missiles. 
 
The latest warship, which weighs 7,300 tonne and is 163.2 metres long, has been named after Mormugao port in Goa, the home state of Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar. 
 
Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said the new warship could be compared with the best in the world. 
 
Two other Project 15B destroyers will get launched any time between 2022 and 2024. Paradip is expected to be launched in 2022 and Porbandar is expected to be rolled out two years after that. 
 
In 2011, the government had sanctioned the four ships at a cost of Rs 29,700 crores (roughly $44 billion).&nbsp; 
 
Vice Admiral G S Pabby, Controller Warship Production and Acquisition, said the navy is aiming to add 212 ships in its fleet by 2027. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
 
&nbsp;

Part of Project 15B, the destroyer is equipped with a range of hi-tech missiles

India unveiled its latest instalment of modern warship named 'Mormugao' in Mumbai on Saturday. The 60 per cent indigenised-warship, which is equipped with range of hi-tech missiles, is the second ship of Project 15B. Visakhapatnam was the first such destroyer to be launched by India in April 2015. Mormugao is a destroyer designed to launch precision-guided missiles. Project 15B is a class of stealth guided missile destroyers which feature better stealth characterisitics and accommodate Barak 8 surface-to-air missile. The Barak 8 enables India to defend itself from any type of airborne threat such as aircraft, anti-ship missiles and helicopters. The warship also incorporates anti-submarine rocket launchers and surface-to-surface missiles. The latest warship, which weighs 7,300 tonne and is 163.2 metres long, has been named after Mormugao port in Goa, the home state of Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar. Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said the new warship could be compared with the best in the world. Two other Project 15B destroyers will get launched any time between 2022 and 2024. Paradip is expected to be launched in 2022 and Porbandar is expected to be rolled out two years after that. In 2011, the government had sanctioned the four ships at a cost of Rs 29,700 crores (roughly $44 billion). Vice Admiral G S Pabby, Controller Warship Production and Acquisition, said the navy is aiming to add 212 ships in its fleet by 2027. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India launches 'world-class' stealth guided missile destroyer Mormugao

Documents relating to Indian submarines were stolen from French naval contractor DCNS and not leaked, a French government source said yesterday, adding that the information published so far showed only operational aspects of the submarines. 
 
India and France have opened investigations after The Australian newspaper published on Wednesday documents about its Scorpene submarines being built in India. 
 
&quot;It is not a leak, it is theft,&quot; the source said. &quot;We have not found any DCNS negligence, but we have identified some dishonesty by an individual.&quot; 
 
The source said the documents looked to have been stolen in 2011 by a former French employee who had been fired while providing training in India on the use of the submarines. 
 
The documents were not classified and at this stage appeared to only focus on the operational elements of the submarines, the source said. 
 
(Reuters)

A former French employee who was fired while providing training on use of the submarines might have stolen the papers, he added

Documents relating to Indian submarines were stolen from French naval contractor DCNS and not leaked, a French government source said yesterday, adding that the information published so far showed only operational aspects of the submarines. India and France have opened investigations after The Australian newspaper published on Wednesday documents about its Scorpene submarines being built in India. "It is not a leak, it is theft," the source said. "We have not found any DCNS negligence, but we have identified some dishonesty by an individual." The source said the documents looked to have been stolen in 2011 by a former French employee who had been fired while providing training in India on the use of the submarines. The documents were not classified and at this stage appeared to only focus on the operational elements of the submarines, the source said. (Reuters)

Scorpene documents stolen, not leaked: French govt source

Australia&rsquo;s &lsquo;The Australian&rsquo; newspaper today uploaded a fresh tranche of leaked documents relating to information about operating instructions of underwater warfare system of the six Scorpene submarines which are being built in India by French firm DCNS. 
 
However, a top defence analyst allayed fears that it could compromise the security of the strategically important combat vessels. Like in the previous case, the newspaper has blacked out all details which it felt would compromise India&rsquo;s security interests. 
 
However, the new set of documents, with Indian Navy insignia on it and marked &ldquo;Restricted Scorpene India&rdquo;, gives details about the sonar system of the submarines which is used to gather intelligence underwater. 
 
It talks about a wide range of technical specifications of the sonars and at what degree and frequency it will function. The documents detail the &ldquo;Operating Instruction Manual&rdquo;, which talks about how to select a target for weapon firing, weapon configuration selection, among others. 
 
Though the Navy has not yet officially reacted to the release of new documents, sources maintained that it does not compromise national security. They said the same information about a submarine was on &ldquo;many naval defence websites&rdquo;. 
 
&ldquo;On the face of it, these documents are basic operating manual. You buy any goods from the market, it will come with an operating manual,&rdquo; defence analyst commodore Uday Bhaskar (Retd), director of Society of Policy Studies told PTI. 
 
If the question is if tonight&rsquo;s revelation has made our submarines vulnerable, &ldquo;then the answer is no&rdquo;, he said. &ldquo;It is more like basic operating instructions for the user,&rdquo; he said. 
 
The paper said it has been told that the secret data was removed from DCNS by a former sub-contractor in 2011 and taken to a private company in Southeast Asia before being passed on to a branch of that company in a second Southeast Asian nation. 
 
A disk containing the data filed was then posted in regular mail to a company in Australia. DCNS is focusing its investigation on former employees and sub-contractors involved in the project. At this stage it is not thought that the leak came from India.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

The new documents detail operating instructions of the submarine's underwater warfare system

Australia’s ‘The Australian’ newspaper today uploaded a fresh tranche of leaked documents relating to information about operating instructions of underwater warfare system of the six Scorpene submarines which are being built in India by French firm DCNS. However, a top defence analyst allayed fears that it could compromise the security of the strategically important combat vessels. Like in the previous case, the newspaper has blacked out all details which it felt would compromise India’s security interests. However, the new set of documents, with Indian Navy insignia on it and marked “Restricted Scorpene India”, gives details about the sonar system of the submarines which is used to gather intelligence underwater. It talks about a wide range of technical specifications of the sonars and at what degree and frequency it will function. The documents detail the “Operating Instruction Manual”, which talks about how to select a target for weapon firing, weapon configuration selection, among others. Though the Navy has not yet officially reacted to the release of new documents, sources maintained that it does not compromise national security. They said the same information about a submarine was on “many naval defence websites”. “On the face of it, these documents are basic operating manual. You buy any goods from the market, it will come with an operating manual,” defence analyst commodore Uday Bhaskar (Retd), director of Society of Policy Studies told PTI. If the question is if tonight’s revelation has made our submarines vulnerable, “then the answer is no”, he said. “It is more like basic operating instructions for the user,” he said. The paper said it has been told that the secret data was removed from DCNS by a former sub-contractor in 2011 and taken to a private company in Southeast Asia before being passed on to a branch of that company in a second Southeast Asian nation. A disk containing the data filed was then posted in regular mail to a company in Australia. DCNS is focusing its investigation on former employees and sub-contractors involved in the project. At this stage it is not thought that the leak came from India. (PTI)

The Australian publishes new set of leaked Scorpene documents

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