PLA incursion into India foiled by Modi's beefed-up border police

Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army recently made a two-pronged simultaneous incursion into the Indian-controlled region of Ladakh, according a report in the Times of India on Nov. 3.

A source from the Indian government said these incursions were launched by the PLA simultaneously along the road built beside Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh and on the northern bank of the lake in an area 168 kilometers from Leh on Oct. 22.

The Indian-Tibetan Border Police responded to the PLA intrusions immediately, first intercepting the Chinese troops aboard their boats at the line of actual control, the demarcation line between Indian and Chinese territory agreed upon in a 1993 agreement between the two nations.

Two high-speed interceptor boats bought from the United States, equipped with radar, infra-red and GPS systems, played an important role in the operation. Both boats can carry nearly 15 soldiers and are as good as their Chinese counterparts, according to the paper. PLA soldiers on mountain terrain vehicles were also blocked by the Indian-Tibetan Border Police before they were able to cross the line of actual control by road.

Fu Xiaoqiang from the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations told the Communist Party-run Global Times that Pangong Lake is a disputed territory claimed by both Beijing and New Delhi located in the Ngari prefecture of Tibet. Currently, two thirds of the lake is under Chinese administration and the other third is controlled by India, according to Fu. He said Pangong Lake is relatively peaceful compared to other disputed territories along the border.

Fu told the Global Times that Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, is trying to use Chinese incursions across the Indian line of actual control to hide his true ambitions in southern Tibet. With assistance from Japan, India is constructing a 2,000-kilometer strategic highway along the border region. At the same time, an additional 10,000 troops have been deployed to the eastern part of the line of actual control to boost the numbers of the border police.

China and India have butted heads over border issues for over a century, in particular Arunachal Pradesh, which officially became an Indian state in February 1987. China continues to claim the state, including its strategically important Tawang district, as a part of Tibet.

PLA visits to Sri Lanka port present an issue for India

Chinese vessels' frequent visits to the port of Colombo in Sri Lanka are causing concern for India as it engages with Sri Lanka in a joint military action called Exercise-Mithra Shakthi in the later country's Uva-Kudaoya training school, reports Huanqiu, website of China's nationalistic tabloid Global Times, which translated the original report from the Times of India.

The visits included one on Sunday when a Chinese submarine docked at the port after conducting an escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and waters near Somalia and another in mid-August when a Chinese amphibious landing ship and a frigate visited the port after another anti-piracy mission off Somalia.

Although Kosala Warnakulasuriya, spokesperson for the Sri Lankan navy, said the visits were no different from the 230 warships around the world that have visited the port since 2010 for refueling and restocking, Indian geo-strategist and thinker Brahma Chellaney said it suggests India's influence in the region has been weakened and called the frequent visits "a grave miscalculation," the Indian paper said.

Around 42 Indian special force troops have joined the three-week joint exercise that began Nov. 2. The exercise aims to enhance the interoperability of the two countries' militaries, according to News.LK, the official government news portal of Sri Lanka. It was the second time the two countries held such drills since December 2012 which took place in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh, India, said the Times of India.

Over the past few years, India has been regularly helping to train the Sri Lanka military and providing military equipment to resist China's influence over south Asian countries.

India to test missiles including long-range Agni-V

      India's Defence Research and Development Organization under the country's defense ministry is preparing to test various intercontinental ballistic missiles with the ability to attack targets in the Far East, Africa and even Europe according to the official website of the People's Liberation Army's China Defense Science and Technology Information Center.

A source from the Indian military said that the country is ready to test three types of Agni intercontinental missiles after the launch of the Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile in November. The missiles include the Agni-II, with a range 2,000 kilometers, and perhaps even the Agni-IV, with a range of 4,000 km, the source said, while the Defence Research and Development Organization said the Agni-V, estimated to have a range of 5,000-8,000 kilometers, will be tested as well.

The Agni-V's first test was in April 2012. On Sept. 15, the Agni-V completed its second test. Both tests were launched from road-mobile launchers. Its latest test took place on Wheeler island in the Indian Ocean. The Defense Science and Technology Information Center believes, the road-mobile launcher allows the Agni-V more mobility against a potential enemy attack. Like Russia's Topol road-mobile missile, it is hard for satellites to detect.

China has developed DF-21 missiles to enable it to confront all of its potential enemies in Asia, including India. When launched from bases in Liaoning, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Fujian and Qinghai, the DF-21 can reach all major targets in Japan, South Korea, Okinawa, Taiwan, Vietnam, India and Central Asia. The DF-31B road-mobile launcher, with an attacking range of 9,000 km and the ability to carry multiple warheads, is another weapon in China's arsenal which could be used to counter the Agni-V.

New Indian Missile Can Strike Deep Into Chinese Territory

     India has successfully completed the test of a new long-range subsonic cruise missile capable of hitting Chinese territory.

On Oct. 17, the surface version of the Nirbhay — meaning "dauntless" or "fearless" — missile was tested at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in the Balasore district of Odisha, meeting all parameters and completing all 15 way-points. The missile reportedly traveled more than an hour and accurately hit its target.

"The missile maintained an accuracy better than 10 meters throughout its path and covered more than 1,000 kilometers," said Avinash Chander, head of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Nirbhay's developer.

The Nirbhay was test fired for the first time in March 2013 but the missile veered away from its trajectory, forcing the command center to detach the engine and destroy the missile mid-flight.

Referred to as India's answer to America's Battleaxe subsonic cruise missile, the Nirbhay is an all-weather low-cost long-range cruise missile with stealth and high accuracy. It weighs about a tonne and has a length of six meters. The missile has its own wings and tail and has a range of more than 1,000 km, meaning it has the ability to strike deep into Chinese territory.

Notably, the Nirbhay can fly at very low altitudes to avoid the detection of enemy radars and can be launched from the land, sea and air. It can also carry 24 types of warheads — including nuclear — depending on mission requirements and uses an inertial navigation system for guidance.

Once the Nirbhay is inducted into the Indian Navy, Army and Air Force, currently expected around 2016, New Delhi will begin to stop importing new missiles.

"Our target is to make India missile-import free by the year 2022. This means that we need not import any missile in terms of air-to-ground, surface-to-air or the air-to-air missiles," Chander said.

Eye On China, India And US Set To Ramp Up Joint Naval Drills

     India and the US are set to deepen and broaden their bilateral military exercises to include more warfare components involving nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. They would also invite more countries to join the Malabar exercises as the two nations share concerns about the growing Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean.


Both the Indian and US navies have been warily watching the growing Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean, especially its submarine manoeuvres. In the recent weeks, India conveyed its displeasure to the Sri Lankan government at least twice over its decision to permit Chinese submarines to dock in its ports.

According to dependable sources, India and US officials have had detailed discussions, including at the Defence Policy Group meeting in Washington DC, on stepping up the bilateral naval exercises. The decision involves a series of steps, starting with increasing the nuclear submarine and aircraft carrier warfare components.

The two sides are also looking at adding both army and air force components to the traditionally naval exercise.

Sources said the two sides are looking at inviting more countries, thus expanding them mostly into trilateral exercises. In July 2014, India and the US invited Japan to the exercises held in north-western Pacific. Malabar has featured Australia and Singapore, besides Japan, in 2007.

Through most of the UPA tenure, especially under defence minister AK Antony, Malabar exercises off Indian coast have mostly been bilateral affairs, in an effort not to raises Chinese hackles.

However, under the new regime in New Delhi there is a noticeable shift in the strategic posturing, especially vis-a-vis China. In Washington DC in October, the joint statement issued by Narendra Modi and Barack Obama had referred to the situation in South China Sea. It was the first time that the two sides had so explicitly referred to the issue in an Indo-US joint statement.

The move to deepen and broaden the Malabar exercises flow from Modi's declared strategic vision, especially reflected in the joint statement.

The move comes even as the government is warily looking at the growing Chinese submarine activities in the region. It has for sometimes been uncomfortable about Chinese sending its submarines as part of their anti-piracy patrols. When INS Vikramaditya was sailing from Russia starting November 2013, a Chinese submarine was in Indian Ocean observing the carrier. At one point of time, the Chinese officially informed New Delhi about the presence of its submarine in Indian Ocean, though it said it was for anti-piracy operations.

Bangladesh Turns To Russia For Submarines

When it became known to India that Bangladesh is on the hunt for two submarines for its navy, there was some consternation. More so when it came to be known that Bangladesh is negotiating with China for the Ming-class submarines. Something that India can do without at the moment is a spurt in military ties between China and Bangladesh. The level of anxiety has come down somewhat in recent times after information was received that Bangladesh is planning to procure the submarines from Russia. 

"From reliable sources, we have come to know that Bangladesh is making efforts to move away from the China-centric approach where it comes to defence procurement. Nearly half of Bangladesh's military hardware is sourced from either China or Pakistan. This provided an excuse for Chinese and Pakistani military presence along India's east coast. Russia is different. India enjoys good relations with Russia and also uses military hardware built there. Better ties between Russia and Bangladesh are encouraging. We don't believe that Russia will not do anything to harm India's interests," a highly placed source in Delhi said. 

For years now, India has been attempting to keep the 'dragon's presence' away from Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. In certain cases, India has even offered products and services at rates that would be convenient for these countries. By the end of this year, India hopes to deliver the 'Barracuda', a Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel for the Mauritian Navy. The 'Barracuda', being fitted-out at Kolkata's Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) will be India's first such export. 

"This is more of a diplomatic move rather than a financial deal. One can also call this a confidence building measure. Once Mauritius is satisfied with the NOPV, India may get more orders from this region. This is good diplomacy," the source added. 

According to sources in Dhaka, Bangladesh proposes to purchase two diesel-electric submarines from Russia. Plans are also afoot to procure aircraft for the navy. Bangladesh already uses Russian hardware in the form of Mig-29 fighters and military helicopters. In 2013, Russia allegedly offered a $1.5 billion loan to Bangladesh that would be used to purchase military hardware. The Bangladesh government wants the submarines to join its navy by 2019. 

Bangaldesh air force's fleet of eight MiG-29s is due for upgradation. So is its fleet of Russian made Mi-17 helicopters. HAL has maintenance facilities in India for both aircraft as they are used by the IAF as well. India has offered to upgrade and maintain the Mig-29s and helicopters at HAL facilities to bolster ties with Bangladesh.

MBDA Naval Cruise Missile Conducts Final Qualification Flight

The Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) conducted a successful final qualification flight of the MBDA naval cruise missile, with a launch from a ground-based site at the Biscarosse test center, the procurement office said in a statement.

The missile is designed to strike high-value protected sites from long range, a DGA spokesman told journalists. Additional test firings will be conducted from the French Navy’s FREMM frigate after the missile is fitted to the warship next year.


The final qualification firing Monday was similar to a launch from a frigate and met requirements for the weapon’s range, the DGA said. The missile is a naval version of the air-launched Scalp-Storm Shadow weapon and will arm the FREMM multimission frigate in 2015 and the Barracuda attack submarine in 2018. The DGA awarded MBDA the contract for the naval missile in 2006.