• UAV is an aerial vehicle without a pilot on board.  
• UAVs can be remote-controlled aircraft (e.g. flown by a pilot on the ground) or fly autonomously based on the program. 

Applications of UAVs

• UAVs can be remotely controlled. Therefore, it saves any loss of soldiers. 
• In modern warfare, Armies use them in operations to have a view from above and coordinate the movement of Soldiers. 
• Police are using them during rioting and monitoring people’s assembly during Strikes. E.g., Chandigarh Police  
• UAVs can be used for real-time surveillance of rugged terrain.
• Companies like Facebook plan to use it for internet delivery (Aquila).
• Logistic companies are making drones to deliver products. E.g., Zomato is working on a hybrid drone for food delivery. Earlier, Amazon too tested such drones. 
• Healthcare: Drones can be used for improving the delivery of medicines. E.g., the Telangana government’s ‘Medicine from the Sky’ project under which medicines (especially vaccines) will be transported from district headquarters to PHCs using a drone named Marut.
• Agriculture: Drones have application in agro-management, especially in spraying pesticides, crop nutrients etc. In an experiment conducted in Brazil, the use of drones helped in reducing the use of pesticides.

Challenges

• Regulatory loopholes: There are policy and legal loopholes wrt the regulation of drones in India.
• Quality Control: Most of the drones are imported in India.
• Privacy Issues: Drones can collect images and data of common citizens infringing their right to privacy.
• Use by Terrorists: These drones can be easily procured and used by terrorists for carrying out their nefarious activities. For example, drones are to drop weapons and drugs along the Punjab border. 
• Issue with Air Traffic Management: Drones cant be detected by conventional radars and puts conventional air traffic in danger.

Drones have changed the ways wars are fought and have posed new challenges to security agencies.

Recent developments in this regard include

1. In 2021, Kashmiri terrorists dropped IEDs over Indian Airforce Base using UAVs.
2. Pakistan use drones to smuggle drugs to India.
3. In 2021, Azerbaijan defeated Armenia’s much more potent force using drones, which have completely changed the ways warfare is fought.
4. Iran supported Shia Houthi rebels attacked oil facilities of Saudi Aramco and oil refinery in UAE, bypassing sophisticated missile defence systems.
5. The US killed Iranian General Qasim Soleimani in a drone attack.

Ways to defend drone attacks 

The best way to defend is the installation of Anti-Drone systems. These includes

1. Foreign Anti-Drone systems such as Iron Dome (of Israel), S-400 (of Russia), DroneHunter (of USA) etc.
2. India is also making indigenous anti-drone systems. These include
   • DRDO’s ‘Anti-Drone System” can neutralize detecting the drones in the range of 3 km and destroy using laser technology.
   • Grene Robotics of Hyderabad has developed Anti-Drone System named ‘Indrajaal’. 
   • Naval Anti Drone System (NADS): First indigenously developed comprehensive anti-drone system developed by DRDO.  It has capabilities for both hard kill (attacking vital drone components) and soft kill (misguiding, signal jamming etc.). 
   • Israel’s SMASH 2000 Plus System: Being used by Indian Navy, this system is installed mainly on assault rifles providing hard kill option.

• Guidelines by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for use of civil drones.
• Places restrictions on operating drones in certain areas (Red Zones). 
• Provides for registration and licensing of drones and training of operators. 
• It follows the principle of No Permission – No Take-off (NPNT) and permission is required before every operation of a drone.

• Indian Airforce with 1.27 active personnel defends the Indian airspace.
• At present, the Indian Airforce (IAF) has 34 fighter squadrons. But to be effective against China and Pakistan, India needs at-least 45 squadrons.

Combat Aircraft

Reconnaissance Aircraft

Tanker Aircraft

Il-78 : 6

Transport Aircraft

Helicopters

UAVs

Rafale is 4.5 generation Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) aircraft made by Dassault Aviation of France.

Main features of Rafale

• 4.5 generation Multirole combat aircraft, i.e. can be used for ground support, in-depth strike, and anti-ship strike.
• Rafale is capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
• Equipped with precision air to air and air to surface missiles.
• Range: 3,700 Km
• Max Speed: 1,389 Km/hr
• Load Carrying Capacity: 9,500 Kg

Rafale Acquisition: Chronology of Events

Issues

• The stealth system of Rafale is outdated compared to other competitors in the same class.
• Rafale doesn’t have STOVL (Short take-off and vertical landing) capability, present in other competitors.
• Brazilian Airforce was earlier interested in buying Rafale but later changed to Swedish Gripen jet.

• HAL Tejas or Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is a 4th Generation fighter aircraft made by India.
• It is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL).
• The program to build indigenous Indian combat aircraft started way back in the 1980s. After long delays, the first Tejas was delivered to the Indian Airforce in 2015. In 2021, the Indian government announced to procure 83 Tejas.
• Tejas is going to replace India’s ageing MiG 21 aircraft.
• Features of HAL Tejas
  1. It has ~60% indigenous content.
  2. Maximum Speed: 1,350 Kmph.
  3. Its radius of action is 400 Km without refuelling.
  4. It can carry a weight of up to 12 tonnes. 
  5. Delta wing configuration 
  6. Numerous integrated technologies like Fly by wire flight control system, advanced digital cockpit, digital avionics, advanced composite material structure etc.
  7. It is equipped with operational capabilities like Beyond Visual Range Missile and Air to Air Refueling.
  8. It has STOBAR (Short Takeoff But Arrested Recovery) capability.

Side Topic: (LCA) Kaveri

• Kaveri is the name of Tejas’s engine that was to be used, but India couldn’t make it on time to be used in the plane.
• It would have been India’s first indigenous gas turbine engine.

Sukhoi T-50 is an Indo-Russian collaborative project to make 5th generation fighter aircraft. It is a joint venture of Russia’s Sukhoi and India’s HAL.

It will have the following characteristics

1. Stealth features like specially designed airframes, engines intakes, and radar absorbing material
2. Thrust vectoring nozzles
3. One or two seated
4. 30 mm cannon
5. Eight weapon internal points and eight external points.
6. Max speed of 2 Mach.
7. Fuel capacity of 10,300 kg.

But in 2018, India has conveyed its unwillingness to Russia to go ahead with this project due to the high costs involved. 

1. Dhruv (ALH)

Dhruv features of this helicopter

• Dhruv was designed for the military as well as civilian purposes.
• It is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• It can play multiple roles: logistics, rescue and attack for Army, Navy, Airforce and Coast Guard.

History

• The project was first announced in 1984 & was designed in assistance with MBB of Germany.
• First flew in 1992 but developments prolonged due to budget restrictions and various restrictions placed on India after Pokhran 2 in 1998.
• Entered into service in 2002. 
• First exported to Nepal & Israel & is on order by several other countries.

2. LCH Prachand

• LCH Prachand is indigenously developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
• It is a multi-role combat helicopter. With this, India has become the seventh country to make attack helicopters. 
• Features of LCH Prachand
  1. Range: 550 Km
  2. Endurance: 3 hours
  3. Maximum height at which it can fly: 6.5 Km
  4. It is the only combat helicopter in the world which can land and takeoff at an altitude of 5,000 m.
  5. Equipped with a ‘COUNTERMEASURE DISPENSE SYSTEM‘ to protect it from enemy radars and missiles.

1. Chinook

• Chinooks are the heavy-lift helicopters used by the US Army. 
• India decided to buy 15 Chinook helicopters from the USA in 2016, and the first batch was delivered in 2019.
•  Features of Chinook Helicopters
  1. Twin Engine with Tandem Rotor.
  2. Can carry up to 35 troops or 24 stretchers with 3 attendants or 10,500 kg payload.
  3. Advanced Avionics. 
  4. Advanced M240 Machine Gun

2. Apache

• Apache is USA’s most advanced ‘attack helicopter’. 
• India has bought 22 Apache Helicopters.
• Features of Apache Helicopters
  1. Twin Turboshaft Engines
  2. Armed with missiles like Hellfire, Spike and Stinger missiles
  3. Armed with advanced M230 Chain Guns
  4. Night vision systems
  5. Advanced avionics

3. Mi-17

• Mi-17 is a Russian origin transport helicopter manufactured by Kazan Helicopters.
• It is one of the most advanced transport helicopters equipped with advanced features such as 
  1. Advanced self-defence system equipped with 23 mm cannon and heat-seeking missiles
  2. Twin-engine single rotor
  3. Highly sophisticated navigation and avionics system
  4. Maximum speed of 250 km/hr
  5. Range of 675 Km
  6. Payload capacity of 4,000Kg
  7. Capacity to transport up to 36 troops.
• It is used for the transportation of VVIPs, including PM and army chiefs.

• Indian Navy protects the territorial waters, coast and Indian geopolitical interests.
• It has 58,000 active personnel.
• It has 3 operational commands 
  1. Eastern Command – Vishakhapatnam
  2. Western Command – Mumbai
  3. Southern Command – Kochi

• It is a mighty navy that can operate across the deep waters in open oceans. E.g. US Navy.
• Indian Navy also wants to be a Bluewater navy. The purchase/induction of Vikramaditya, nuclear submarines, fifth-generation air crafts etc., are part of that strategy.

• India has a vast and long coastline of 7,500 km that needs to be defended by a strong and modernized navy.
• The majority of India’s international trade is carried through the Indian ocean. Hence, a strong and modernized navy is necessary to protect Indian interests.
• A modernized navy is the need of the hour to counter the Chinese String of Pearls strategy against India.

Different countries follow different conventions

Corvettes

• Corvette is the smallest class of ships that can be considered a proper warship.
• Their main use includes
  1. Coastal Patrol
  2. Fast Attack
• In India, Corvettes are named after personal arms. Eg : INS Khukri, INS Kirpan and INS Khanjar. 

Frigates

• Frigates are warships with mixed armaments.
• In India, they are named after mountains or rivers or weapons. E.g., INS Sahaydri, INS Shivalik, INS Satpura, INS Talwar, INS Teg etc.

Cruise or Destroyer

• Destroyer is a fast, highly manoeuvrable ship with long -endurance. Generally, it escorts a fleet of vessels intending to protect them.
• In India, they are named after a state capital, a large city, or a great king or warrior from India’s history. E.g., INS Delhi, INS Kolkata, INS Mysore, INS Mumbai, INS Rana and INS Ranjit.

Submarines

• In India, Submarines are named after a predatory fish or an abstract name associated with the ocean. 
• INS Arihant and INS Chakra are nuclear submarines; the conventional ones have had names from INS Sindhughosh and INS Sindhukirti to INS Shalki and INS Shankul.

Aircraft Carriers

• Aircraft Carrier is the highest class of warships whose presence can provide strategic advantage. They are used to carry aircraft to carry operations away from home shores.
• These are very expensive and generally escorted by destroyers, frigates, submarines etc.
• There is a special procedure to name such special ships. A committee is formed that invites the name and decides to name it. For Example, 
  1. INS Vikramaditya: It is named after Vikramaditya meaning Sun of Prowess, a name taken after many Indian sovereigns.
  2. INS Vikrant: It is named after India’s first Aircraft Carrier, which India bought from the UK in 1957.
• Importance of Aircraft Carriers for India
  1. It enhances the Navy’s capabilities to carry operations away from its shores.
  2. It is essential to convert the Indian Navy to Blue Water Navy.

Side Topic: Nations and Number of their Aircraft Carriers

1. Kolkata Class (Project 15-A)

• Kolkata class is a group of destroyers made under Project 15A. These are a class of guided-missile destroyers constructed for the Indian Navy. 
• There are three ships built under the Kolkata class.  
  1. INS Kolkata
  2. INS Kochi 
  3. INS Chennai
• These are built at Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL) in India and are the largest destroyers to be operated by the Indian Navy. 

2. Vishakhapatnam Class (Project 15-B) 

• The destroyers of this class are more advanced than the Vishakhapatnam class and have stealth capabilities.
• There are four ships built under this Vishakhapatnam Class
  1. INS Vishakhapatnam (undertrials)
  2. INS Mormugao (commissioned)
  3. INS Imphal (construction)
  4. INS Surat (construction)

3. Nilgiri Class (Project 17-A)

• Nilgiri Class is a group of frigates made under Project 17A. 
• There are seven frigates made under Nilgiri Class (all named after hills)
  1. INS Nilgiri
  2. INS Himgiri
  3. INS Udaygiri 
  4. INS Dunagiri
  5. INS Taragiri
  6. INS Vindhyagiri
  7. INS Mahendragiri 
• These are built at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in India.

4. Talwar or Krivak Class

• It is a class of Indian Stealth Frigates being built in Russia.
• Total four frigates are to be built under the project, two of which have already been built
  1. INS Tushil
  2. INS Tamala 
  3. 2 more are under construction.
• Features of this class include 
  • Stealth features with low radar and underwater noise signatures
  • Installed with Surface to Surface Missiles
  • Equipped with Surface Surveillance Radar and Sonars

5. Kamorta Class (Project 28)

• Kamorta class is a group of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes built under Project 28 by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.
• There are four corvettes built under Kamorta Class. 
  1. INS Kamorta
  2. INS Kadmatt 
  3. INS Kiltan
  4. INS Kavaratti
      

6. INS Astradharini

• India’s first indigenously designed (95%) and built torpedo launch and recovery vessel (TLRV). 
• It is an advanced replacement for Astravahini. 

INS Vikrant

• The warship was decommissioned in 2014.
• Initially known as HMS Hercules, India purchased it from Britain in 1961. It played a strategic role in the 1971 war with Pakistan.
• Now Bajaj is using its steel in making motorcycles.

• These are powered by nuclear reactors (but they can’t launch Ballistic Missiles). As a result, they can remain submerged for months.
• Given the security needs of India, the Indian Navy needs 6 SSNs. 
• MoU was signed with Russia to provide 2 Akula Class SSNs on lease for 10 years. India got one in 2012 (INS Chakra)  & the other one has still not reached India.

• They are nuclear-powered submarines along with the capability to launch Ballistic Missiles with nuclear warheads.  
• These Submarines act as the third leg of the nuclear triad. 
• India needs 3 to 5 SSBN but don’t have any. 
• India is building an SSBN class submarine known as INS Arihant indigenously. The submarine is almost ready.

• INS Aridhaman is the next in line after Arihant and is still in the development stage.

Nuclear Triad means the 3-pronged capability to launch a nuclear strike

1. Land-launched nuclear missiles (e.g., Agni Missiles of India).
2. Nuclear-missile-armed submarines (INS Arihant is SSBN).
3. Strategic aircraft with nuclear bombs and missiles (Su 30 MKI can be integrated with Brahmos).

Torpedoes are underwater weapons fitted in warships and submarines with the aim to destroy enemy ships.

List of Indian Torpedoes

Indian Navy has aircraft for reconnaissance and attack purposes.

List of Naval Aircrafts

1. Reconnaissance Naval Aircrafts

2. Attack Naval Aircrafts

MiG 29: Russian origin attack planes posted on INS Vikramaditya    

Side Topic: P-8I

• P-8I is the maritime surveillance, coastline defence, search and rescue and anti-submarine aircraft.
• Manufacturer: Boeing
• India has been using these since the delivery of the first aircraft in 2013. Presently, India has two squadrons of P-8I.

• Arjun or MK-1A is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured tank.
• Manufacturers: DRDO & CVRDE (Combat vehicle research & development establishment).
• The latest batch of Arjun tanks, delivered to the Indian Army in 2021, has ~55% indigenous content. 

Timeline

Features of Arjun Tank

• All-terrain mobility.
• 120 mm calibre gun.
• Computer-controlled integrated fire control system with 360 degrees and day and night view.
• Machine gun and an anti-aircraft gun.
• Missile firing capability.

• T-90 is the ‘third generation’ Russian main battle tank. Bhishma is the Indian version of Soviet T-90 tanks.
• India has 310 Bhishma tanks, of which almost half are Russian made, and half were manufactured in India. 
• They are the improved version of T-72 and have been used by the Indian Army since 2001.
• Features of Bhishma tank
  1. 125 mm gun
  2. Range of 6 km
  3. Automatic loader
  4. Day and night sighting system
  5. Thermal imaging device.

• Ajeya or T-72 are the Soviet main battle tanks.
• India has ~2,000 Ajeya Tanks in the Indian Army, and they are the backbone of the armoured division of the Indian Army.
• Initially, they were ordered from the Soviet Union, but since 1980, India has been manufacturing it at Avadi (Tamil Nadu).

• The earlier version of Pinaka was an unguided rocket system. It has now been transformed into a guided version- Pinaka Mark-II, with a navigation, guidance and control kit. 
• Pinaka-II has a range of more than 70 km (compared with Pinaka-I, which has a range of 40 km). 
• It can fire 12 rockets within 40 seconds. 

• It is a 155mm Howitzer gun.  
• India has bought it from Sweden.
• Bofors has played an essential role in Indian victory during Kargil War.
• Note: Howitzers are important in hilly terrain because Tanks can’t be used there. 

• It is an indigenous Howitzer of India with 81% local components. In 2019, Ordnance Factory Board made the first delivery of Dhanush to the Army.
• It is an upgraded version of Bofors with a maximum range of 38 km.
• It is also a 155 mm calibre gun.
• It can fire 15 rounds in 3 minutes.

• It is a Korean made Howitzer.
• It was inducted into the Indian army in November 2018.

Following rifles are used by the Indian forces

1. INSAS

• INSAS=Indian Small Arm System.
• It is a 5.56 mm Self Loading Rifle (SLR). 
• It is the main rifle used by the Indian Army.
• It was designed and developed by DRDO.
• It has been decided that INSAS Rifle will be decommissioned shortly. 

2. Dragunov

• Russian origin sniper rifle used by Indian forces.

3. AK-203

• India is importing 70,000 AK 203 Assault Rifles from Russia. Later, these will also be manufactured indigenously at Korwa Defence Factory (UP) by a joint venture between India and Russia named Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited. The total requirement of the Indian Army is 7.7 lakh. 
• These are very advanced versions of famed AK-47 or Kalashnikovs.
• AK 203 will replace INSAS Assault Rifles. 
• Main Characteristics of AK 203 
  1. Highly reliable, durable and easy to maintain.
  2.  Weighs 3.8 Kg.
  3. Range: 800 m
  4. 30 round standard magazine.

Legally, the President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Defence Forces. 

Ministry of Defence

• Ministry of Defence controls the administration of the Indian Armed Forces.
• It is headquartered at Cabinet Secretariat, Raisina Hill (in New Delhi).
• Ministry of Defence has the following child agencies. 
  1. Department of Defence
  2. Department of Defence Production
  3. Defence Finance
  4. Department of Defence Research and Development
  5. Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare
  6. Indian Armed Forces
  7. Inter-Services Organisations

Three services of Indian Armed Forces

Indian Defence System has been divided into 3 services, i.e. Army, Navy and Air Force.

1. Army

• Indian Army defends the territorial sovereignty of India.
• India has the third-largest army with 13 lakh active personnel.
• It has 7 commands (6 operational and 1 training)
  1. Northern Command – Udhampur
  2. Western Command – Chandigarh
  3. Central Command – Lucknow
  4. Eastern Command – Kolkata
  5. South Command – Pune
  6. South – Western Command – Jaipur
  7. Training Command – Shimla

2. Air Force

• Indian Air Force defends the Indian airspace.
• There are 1.27 lakh active personnel in Indian Air Force.
• It has 7 commands (5 operational + 1 training + 1 maintenance)
  1. Eastern Command – Shillong
  2. Western Command – New Delhi
  3. Central Command – Allahabad
  4. Southern Command – Thiruvananthapuram
  5. South – Western Command – Gandhi Nagar
  6. Training Command – Bangalore
  7. Maintenance Command – Nagpur

3. Navy

• Indian navy protects the territorial waters, coast and Indian geopolitical interests.
• It has 58,000 active personnel.
• It has 3 operational commands. 
  1. Eastern Command – Vishakhapatnam
  2. Western Command – Mumbai
  3. Southern Command – Kochi

4. Joint Commands

• There are two joint commands of the Indian Armed Forces, and these include 
  1. Tri-Service Command is headquartered at Andaman and Nicobar
  2. Strategic Force Command (It looks after India’s nuclear weapons)

Side Topic: DRDO

• DRDO = Defence Research and Development Organisation. 
• It was formed in 1958 by the merger of the Directorate of Technical Development and Production & Defence Science Organisation.
• DRDO is headquartered in New Delhi, India.
• It works under the administrative control of the Defence Ministry.
• Its primary function includes developing defence technologies. Earlier, it has spearheaded important projects, including Integrated Guided Missile Program (IGMP). 
• But DRDO is often criticized for delayed projects and cost overruns.

Defence Acquisition Council

• It was established in 2001 to tackle corruption and accelerate military weapon procurement.
• It is headed by Defence Minister.

Defence budget for 2023 is  Rs.5.94 lakh crore  constituting around 14% of total government expenditure and 3% of India’s GDP.

Side Topic:  SIPRI Report 2023

• India is the 3rd largest spender on defence globally (behind USA and China).
• India is the largest importer of arms globally, followed by Saudi Arabia and Australia. 

• This term has its origin in ‘theatre warfare’, which means ‘the entire land, sea and air areas are involved directly in the war operations. 
• Theatre Command refers to the unified command under which all the Army, Navy and Air Force resources are pooled, depending upon the threat perception.
• The present plan includes bringing all 17 service commands into 5 unified Theatre Commands.
  1. Northern Land Theatre
  2. Western Land Theatre
  3. Eastern Land Theatre
  4. Maritime Theatre Command
  5. Air Defence Command

Need of Integrated Theatre Command

• Various committees constituted in the wake of the Kargil War opined for the enhanced coordination between armed forces for a prompt and effective military response.
• It will bring down the cost for procurement as the use of resources can be rationalized, and duplicity in resource procurement can be tackled. 
• It will help India fight any future war, especially with countries like China using a unified approach. 

Challenges in the creation of Theatre Command

• There is a lack of consensus over the basic structure of Theatre Command. 
• The Indian Air Force has already expressed reservation about the idea of the formation of Integrated Theatre Command because it is already short of assets. The formation of Integrated Theatre Command will spread its resources thinly over all the Theatre Commands.
• There is a feeling that Theatre Command will lead to army superiority over the other forces. 
• There is concern regarding the method that will be used to integrate the other security forces such as BSF, ITBP, Assam Rifles and CRPF into Theatre Commands. 
• The Theatre Commands have been based on the idea of conventional security threats. However, in the age of cyber and nuclear warfare, the possibility of conventional attacks is very low. But, Theatre Command can’t tackle such challenges.

Under the present rules, 100 % FDI in the defence sector is allowed. 

FDI in defence is good?

• Public sector companies have consistently failed to meet the requirements of the armed forces. 
• Superior management culture of the private sector will come in India.
• It will help India in saving foreign reserves.
• It will help Indian companies to set up a base in the defence sector. E.g., Boeing’s contract with Tata will help Tata to develop expertise in the defence sector.
• It will help in the generation of jobs.

FDI in Defence is not a good model for India

• Foreign subsidiaries will always put pressure on India for repeat orders. 
• Would dependence on a Lockheed Martin (India) or a Bharat Boeing differ from relying on U.S. principles?
• FDI will not ensure that R&D will happen in India. It just means that the Indian subsidiary of that company will produce hardware in India. In strategic sectors like defence, it is important to achieve the ability to create our fighters & tanks.  
• It will increase the danger of creating a powerful lobby of the armament industry which will aim to protect its interest in future even by promoting insurgencies and terrorism in India.
• A better option is to invest in HAL, DRDO etc. If ISRO can perform well with the provision of autonomy and financial resources, other PSUs can perform as well.