British Royal Navy’s Type 26 Global Combat Ship

Images have been released of the Royal Navy's next-generation frigate - the Type 26 GCS (Global Combat Ship).
Set to replace the Royal Navy's Type 23 Frigates from 2020 onwards, the Type 26s will be tasked with a number of roles, primarily combat and anti-piracy work but also disaster relief and humanitarian operations.
The Type 23 Frigates were pressed into Royal Navy service between 1989 and 2002, with 16 built in all. Following the sale of three examples to the Chilean Navy, 13 Type 23s now remain with the Royal Navy.

Type 26 Global Combat Ship

The Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme represents a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems and these new images give some indication of this highly advanced frigate's specifications.
Approximately 148 metres long, it will displace something like 5,400 metric tons of water and feature an array of armament. It will cruise at around 28 knots and have a 7,000 mile range and an endurance of 60 days, with 36 troops on board.
Vertically-positioned missile silos will be used to house a range of weapons including Sea Ceptor air-defence missiles, while there'll also be a medium-calibre gun and space on board to accommodate one AW159 Wildcat or Merlin HM2 helicopter and numerous unmanned vehicles including UUVs.

Royal Navy Type 26

"The Type 26 Global Combat Ship will be the backbone of the Royal Navy for decades to come", the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Peter Luff, explained in an MoD press release on the Royal Navy Type 26 GCS's launch. "It is designed to be adaptable and easily upgraded, reacting to threats as they change."
"The Type 26 Global Combat Ship will be a multi-mission warship designed for joint and multinational operations across the full spectrum of warfare, including complex combat operations, maritime security operations such as counter piracy, as well as humanitarian and disaster relief work around the world", added the Royal Navy's First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope.
"It will be capable of operating independently for significant periods or as part of a task group and will play a major role in the defence of this country for many years."

India Plans Robots To Replace Soldiers

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NEW DELHI — Indian scientists are in the process of developing robots to replace human soldiers in the near future as part of the country’s unmanned warfare system.
A new research facility has been set up by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and BEML Ltd., the state-run heavy engineering and defense equipment major, in Avadi, a suburb of Chennai in south India, to make robot soldiers and cargo-transporting robots for the country’s army.

“Whatever a soldier will do in warfare, a robot soldier should be able to do. If the human is doing a search in warfare, the robot soldier will also do that. If a human is doing firefighting, the robot soldier will do that,” says V.K. Saraswat, DRDO’s director general and scientific adviser to India’s defense minister. “The DRDO is working on the project to have robot soldiers by 2020 or 2030,” he says.
The robot soldiers will be able to perform duties including carrying loads of ammunition and payloads for mine detection and surveillance. Saraswat says they can be controlled from remote locations, which would help the country’s armed forces by not having to deploy people in areas which are difficult to access. “Such a robot needs a database and artificial intelligence to carry out its activities,” Saraswat says. “A lot of effort and coordination among various agencies in the defense sector [will be] needed to develop these robots.”

The new robot soldiers are likely to replace at least some of India’s 100,000 soldiers.
In a separate project, DRDO is planning to design robotic mules that can replace the animals used by Indian soldiers to carry heavy loads in mountainous terrain.

Royal Malaysian Air Force - Sukhoi 30 MKM and Mig 29s

                                                                                 Mig 29

India gears up to order 22 Apache helicopters for $1.4 bn

 NEW DELHI: India is getting ready to order 22 heavy-duty Apache helicopters for around $1.4 billion, in what will be yet another big defence deal to be bagged by the US.

The US has already made military sales worth over $8 billion to India over the last few years, despite it having lost out to France in the almost $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project to supply 126 fighters to IAF, which is in the final commercial negotiations stage.

 In the battle for the attack helicopters, Boeing's AH-64 D Apache Longbow met all air staff qualitative requirements during the field trials conducted by the IAF, while the Russian Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant's Mi-28 Havoc failed to pass muster.

"It's just a matter of time before the contract is inked for the Apaches after final commercial negotiations. Most of the hurdles have been cleared,'' a defence ministry official said. The US and Russia are also locked in battle to supply 15 heavy-lift helicopters to IAF, with the Boeing-manufactured Chinooks pitted against the Russian Mi-26 choppers.

Indian armed forces are looking to induct as many as 900 helicopters in the coming decade, including 384 light-utility and observation, 90 naval multirole, 65 light combat, 22 heavy-duty attack, 139 medium-lift and 15 heavy-lift, among others, many of them from abroad.

The impending $1.4 billion deal for the 22 Apaches will also include the supply of 812 AGM-114 L-3 Hellfire Longbow missiles, 542 AGM-114 R-3 Hellfire-II missiles, 245 Stinger Block I-92 H missiles and 12 AN/APG-78 fire-control radars.

Among the other military aviation deals already bagged by the US are the $4.1 bn contract for 10 C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft, $2.1 billion for eight P-8 I maritime patrol aircraft and $962 million for six C-130 J 'Super Hercules'' planes.

Indian Coast Guard get new Hovercrafts

Indian Coast Guard Hovercraft H-187, the first of the series of 12 Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs) designed and built by Griffon Hoverwork Limited

The 21 meters long Air Cushion Vehicle displaces 31 tonnes and can achieve a maximum speed of 45 knots. The ACV is capable of undertaking multi-farious tasks such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and rendering assistance to small boats/craft in distress at sea.

Serving Aircraft carriers of the world

The French navy has one nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which is named after the country's late president, Charles de Gaulle

U.S. aircratf carrier Carl Vinson

U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman

U.S. aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower

U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln

India's only aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat, is a warship that was purchased from the United Kingdom. It was formerly known as the HMS Hermes before being refitted by India

The 17,000-metric ton Principe de Asturias is the aircraft carriers used by the Spanish Navy

The 14,000-metric ton aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi of Italy

Receiving most of its military heritage from the former Soviet Union, Russia now operates the Admiral Kuznetsov, with a displacement of more than 67,000 metric tons

Indian Army gets battle-ready on Jaisalmer border with Pakistan with model modern military station

Move seen part of the cold start doctrine in which Indian armored column will move in to occupy Pakistan in case Pakistan government abdicates or collapses to Taliban militants

South Punjab - Multan, Quetta in Balochistan and Karachi will be the main thrust using the Indus valley for transportation

 

Jaisalmer is set to house the first “model modern military station” of the country with reduced response time to emergencies, battle-ready capabilities in modern warfare and a set up critical to the supply chain for army rationing.

According to highly placed sources, the Indian Army has decided to develop a modern army base in the border district to cut down on the response time to an emergency, including a reduction in travel time in case of a disturbance along the border. It’s proximity to the international border of India and Pakistan, has got the army to reap the benefits of this strategic location for securing the nation against any foreign aggression in future. At present, the army base at Jodhpur is trained to respond to a situation across the border, but to expedite heavy military movement, a station close to the border is being put up, sources said. The distance from Jodhpur to the border is around 300 km. Having a base at Jaisalmer would save at least 6-7 hours for the troops. “In case of disturbance or war-like situation, when every minute counts, such a response time can turn the situation around,” a reliably placed official said, adding, “Because of its location Jaisalmer is being developed as a defence hub; the defence department has identified some places where the latest technology would be installed as a tactical ploy in modern warfare; Jaisalmer is one of them.”

The assault of a 9-men PLA infantry squad - PLA tactics

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