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| India-Pakistan |
| India mass produces anti-radiation suits |
| 2006-04-24 |
| NEW DELHI - India has begun the mass production of anti- nuclear radiation suits for its armed forces, a news agency reported on Sunday. Nuclear and biological war command centres were also being built on a top-priority basis, PTI news agency reported, quoting army sources. “The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), along with some key private-sector players, have indigenously developed the nuclear warfare gear,” Indian army chief General JJ Singh said. “The gear is being inducted in a phased manner with formations likely to be prone to these kind of attacks getting it first,” he said. The Indian armed forces’ preparedness to fight in a nuclear and biological war was assessed at a recently concluded army commanders’ conference, PTI reported, quoting army sources. The country’s top nuclear and biological scientists addressed the commanders at the conference. They were also briefed about the induction of nuclear protection gear and nuclear command centres. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #16 This is to prepare for Judgement Day with the PLA and hopefully forestall it. Pakistan isn't enough of a threat to justify the expense. |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-04-24 22:38 |
| #15 In a last-minute dash before the financial year ended on Friday, the Centre has cleared defence procurements worth anestimated Rs 7,000 crore. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by PM Manmohan Singh met on successive days on Thursday and Friday to clear procurements for the armed forces basically from defence public sector units. The CCS approved 20 single-seater Jaguars (Rs 2,442 crore) and 20 'Tejas' Light Combat Aircraft (Rs 2,438 crore) for IAF from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). IAF inducted 40 Jaguars from UK in the early 1980s, which was followed by indigenous manufacture of another 108 such fighters by HAL under licence. Now, the first six of the 20 new Jaguars, equipped with "Darin-II" systems, will be inducted in May-June, said defence minister Pranab Mukherjee. The much-delayed indigenous 'Tejas' LCA, however, is slated to become fully operational only by 2010. The government, incidentally, has also asked HAL to "speed up" delivery schedules of the 140 Russian-origin "air superiority" Sukhoi-30MKI fighters to be manufactured at Nashik over the next 15 years, apart from the 50 imported from Russia directly or in semi-knocked down condition. The CCS also approved the procurement of another 20 'Dhruvs' for the Army from HAL at a cost of Rs 955 crore. The armed forces have already inducted 46 of these twin-engined multi-role helicopters till now. The other decisions include acquisition of seven Central Acquisition Radars (Rs 275-crore) from Bharat Electronics Ltd; vehicles (Rs 535 crore) for the recently "upgunned" 130-mm field artillery gun; and five inshore patrol vessels (Rs 431 crore) for the Coast Guard from Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. |
| Posted by: john 2006-04-24 21:35 |
| #14 Make way for the Atomic Division! |
| Posted by: 6 2006-04-24 17:26 |
| #13 I can see barium sulfate impregnated fabric being more flexible than lead, but it isn't better at stopping photons. The result would still have to be heavy, and bulkier to make up for lower density. |
| Posted by: James 2006-04-24 16:01 |
| #12 Moose, Interesting site. However, if you look at the Lawrence Livermore report, it states, "Demron shields similar to lead by weight, yet poses none of lead's environmental or biological dangers." So, this Demron product may have benefits, but it's not the equivalent of switching from plate steel to Kevlar. |
| Posted by: Dreadnought 2006-04-24 14:47 |
| #11 disaster response, too |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-04-24 14:16 |
| #10 They're already marketing it for military, as well as civilian use. http://www.radshieldstore.com/ The other apps I've heard it suggested for are emergency anti-radiation blankets that can be wrapped around you or hung against walls; tents; box liners for large radioactive items; and inner-hull shielding for high-altitude and space craft. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-04-24 14:14 |
| #9 Actually, Moose, in all likelihood, they mean anti-contamination. The MOPP gear used by the U.S. military is meant for chemical, biological and radiological attacks. Keep the crap off your skin and out of you lungs. As to the quote from Demran, count me as skeptical. The product is probably meant for the dental patient and the X-ray tech. |
| Posted by: Dreadnought 2006-04-24 12:06 |
| #8 When they say "anti-nuclear radiation suits" they probably mean heavy, lead-lined material. However, within the last ten years, a new, light fabric material has been invented that can stop as much radiation as an inch or more of lead. "Demron is revolutionary material because it is lead-free, toxin-free, and PVC-free nuclear blocking material. It also has the unique ability to allow for heat dissipation and resist chemical permeation. Additionally, Demron is crack resistant. Its ability to block radiation has been confirmed by a number of prominent universities and government labs. Demron is an advanced radiopaque nano-polymeric compound that is fused between layers of fabric and manufactured into a number of lightweight nuclear blocking garments." |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-04-24 11:17 |
| #7 What is India doing on the communications front? This seems to be where the Brits are making the biggest mistake in going Euro. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-04-24 11:03 |
| #6 Not that the Indians aren't welcome as allies ... I just wish the Brits weren't drifting away. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-04-24 10:39 |
| #5 Pretty soon it will be easier for our troops to do joint ops with the Indians than with the Brits, I fear. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-04-24 10:38 |
| #4 John, thanks for the great info. It's like the Indians have been paying close attention to who's the best in the world, and trying to figure out how to be just like the best. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2006-04-24 00:38 |
| #3 The army spokesman, meanwhile, said the commanders would also hold talks on “future infantry soldiers as a system” — in line with an ambitious military blueprint. The blueprint aims to include radar, sensor-guided helmets, night vision devices and global positioning systems in the battle gear of Indian troops. ”Training of army personnel on information technology for organizational adaption and meeting future requirements will be another important topic that will be deliberated,” he said. The conference is to be followed next month by military exercises involving 60,000 frontline troops and war jets along Pakistan’s borders in northern Punjab state. |
| Posted by: john 2006-04-24 00:27 |
| #2 India’s Network Upgrade Begins With Army By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI The Indian Army intends to use unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites in a $1 billion, three- to five-year plan to network its units from corps level down to individual platoons. The new network will connect sensors, weapons and decision-support systems with secure communications in a bid to multiply combat effectiveness, a senior Indian Army official said. “We are in the process of finalizing General Staff requirements for a flexible, robust, reliable and secure infrastructure in the tactical battle area,” Indian Army chief Gen. Joginder Jaswant Singh explained. Singh said the Army would seek foreign firms to build the system after its electronic warfare experts finish writing the requirements. The system will provide beyond-line-of-sight tactical communications through satellites and airborne relays, said Lt. Gen. Davinder Singh, Army signal officer-in-chief. The $1 billion effort is just the start to a 10- to 15-year program to build a network-centric Army, the senior Indian Army official said. The Army also intends to buy mobile and static electronic warfare systems; high- and low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles; electronic intelligence systems on ground vehicles, helicopters, aerostats and low-Earth-orbit satellites; optical imaging systems on helicopters and aerostats; military intelligence communications, surveillance satellites with synthetic aperture radar and signals intelligence systems. The Army will have two dedicated satellites for network-centric operations. Part of the network, the Tactical Communication System, will be a large-bandwidth, high-speed voice, video and data network based on asynchronous transfer mode, Internet protocol and Integrated Services Digital Network standards. The Tactical Communication System will be implemented for about $500 million in five years by state-owned, Bangalore-based Bharat Electronics, Army officials said. |
| Posted by: john 2006-04-24 00:26 |
| #1 The Army commanders’ conference, which will kick off here on Monday under the chairmanship of General J J Singh, will take up the relatively new concept of the Future Infantry Soldier As a System (F-INSAS). Towards this end, the Indian Army is also in touch with the US Army about its futuristic ‘‘land warrior’’ and ‘‘objective force warrior’’ programmes for its infantry soldiers. Similar programmes being run by Israel, France, Britain and Russia, among other countries, are also being studied. So, in the coming years, the Army wants its infantry soldiers to be equipped with ballistic helmets mounted with visual, chemical and biological sensors; hand-held computer displays and video links; ‘‘smart’’ vests with miniaturised communication and GPS systems; and of course lethal firepower with laserguided weapons. The Army, incidentally, has already embarked on a project to reduce the ‘‘battle-load’’ carried by infantry soldiers, which certainly needs some doing. The present ‘‘battle-load’’ comes to around 27 kg, which includes the 3.6-kg 5.56 mm INSAS rifle. This goes up to almost 35 kg in high-altitude areas. ‘‘It’s a gradual progress. The aim is to have a battle-load of 24-25 kg and then reduce it to around 20 kg,’’ said another officer. The commanders’ conference will, of course, also review the progress of the Rs 3,500-crore plan to modernise the around 350 infantry battalions, including the special forces, which was approved in September 2003. It includes equipping every battalion with 84 mm rocket launcher MKIII, automatic grenade launcher AGS-30, anti-material ‘‘bunkerbursting’’ rifles, flame-throwers, hand-held thermal imagers, advanced frequency-hopping radio sets and the like. Lethal weapons • 84-mm rocket launcher MK-III, • Automatic grenade launcher AGS-30 • Anti-material ‘‘bunker bursting’’ rifles • Flame-throwers • Hand-held thermal imagers |
| Posted by: john 2006-04-24 00:25 |