DEFENCE

Focus on a modernised force
Antony will have to plough through controversies and concentrate on equipment upgradation
Dinesh Kumar

India is in the midst of its most ambitious defence modernisation programme. From equipping the Infantry’s foot soldier for 21st century warfare to purchasing a wide range of artillery and inducting high-end weapon technology such as submarines and fighter aircraft for the Navy and Air Force, the list is long, if not endless.

On the flip side, this also exposes the antiquity of the Indian armed forces. It is also a reminder of the dark period of the 1990s during which the country was unable to effect any major purchase of significance barring the import of Sukhoi-30 multi-role fighters.

It was only after the 1999 Kargil War and the 2001-2002 Operation Parakram, during which India came close to a war with Pakistan, that the government embarked on a major plan to modernise the armed forces. This was also made possible by India’s economic growth.

For a variety of reasons, the modernisation process has been slow. The year ahead, however, is not expected to witness any major inductions or changes of significance. It is only expected to see a limited number of acquisitions for which contracts have already been signed. But major acquisitions of significance, such as the Russian made aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, the indigenously built nuclear submarine, INS Arihant, and the French Scorpene submarine are expected to inducted only in 2012.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is expected to be the main beneficiary of acquisitions — the first of a total six US-made C-130J Hercules aircraft meant exclusively for the Army’s Special Forces is expected this year. The IAF is also expected to receive the first batch of six upgraded Antonov-32 transport aircraft from Ukraine. The most significant development with respect to the IAF, however, is the much-delayed indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) receiving operational clearance. However, induction of these fighter aircraft, built with the help of the US and designed to replace the antiquated Soviet-origin MiG-21 fighters, will still remain a year or two away.

But overall, 2011 will carry forward the legacy of the past, much of it negative. The Army is expected to grapple with two major scams that have regrettably rocked the organisation — Adarsh and Sukna — and involves Lieut-Gen rank officers. In addition, a number of other officers, including, again, Lieut-Generals and Major-Generals, are facing a general court martial in cases which are expected to be decided this year. The Army will continue to grapple with its officer shortfall that has been averaging 12,000 for the past two decades. More than 8,000 Army men, mostly officers, are in court, which again does not reflect well on the internal health of the Army. No major modernisation is expected in the Army. For example, the Army has not inducted a single new artillery gun for more than two decades (the last being the 155 mm Bofors Howitzer in the late 1980s). Even so, most of the Army’s artillery guns are more than three decades old.

The IAF will be looking forward to the government short-listing a medium range combat aircraft. But of considerable significance is the expectation that the government will restructure the Defence Research Development Organisation, which is central to India’s quest for self-reliance.

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