Naval Meteorological Analysis Centre at Kochi

Indian Naval Meteorological Analysis Centre (INMAC) inaugurated at Kochi

Weather prediction, a vital factor in Naval operations planning, received a fillip on 06 Sep 13 with the inauguration of Indian Naval Meteorological Analysis Centre (INMAC) at the Naval Base Kochi on 06 Sep 13. Vice Admiral Pradip Kumar Chatterjee, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff inaugurated the modern facility in the presence of Vice Admiral Satish Soni, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Naval Command. 

INMAC will synergise the advantages of different methodologies of forecasting – synoptic, climatology-persistence and Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) techniques, with advanced satellite data processing techniques, to ensure speed and objectivity in forecasts. 

INMAC at Kochi on reception of meteorological data from Indian Meteorological Department disseminates this to meteorological offices of the Navy across the country through intranet, after due analysis, plotting and processing. The distribution and dissemination of data is facilitated through a propriety software provided M/s. Wipro- the executor of the project, through M/s. Corobor MESSIR systems. The forecasts, for any location across the globe would be thus be available to Navy’s operation rooms, platforms and aircraft.

Indian Air Force inducts C-17 heavy-lift transport plane

The Indian Air Force (IAF) Monday formally inducted the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy-lift transport aircraft at a function held here. Of the 10 C-17 aircrafts, three have been delivered to the IAF while two more will be delivered this year and the remaining five in 2014. The squadron will be based at Hindon station of the air force in Ghaziabad. "This is a giant stride for the air force," said Defence Minister A.K. Antony who called it a "defining moment". The C-17 will boost the IAF's capability to transport troops and equipment such as tanks to battlefronts, thanks to its ability to carry around 80 tonnes of load.                                             

India’s first defence satellite all set for launch

India’s maritime security will get a fresh impetus as the stage is now set for the launch of an exclusive home-built satellite for the Navy by European space consortium Arianespace from Kourou spaceport in French Guiana on Friday.

The GSAT-7 is India’s first dedicated spacecraft for Defence applications.

“It has frequency bands that will help marine communications”, an official of the Bangalore-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation, which built the satellite, told PTI in Bangalore.

“It has coverage over India landmass as well as surrounding seas. It’s important from security and surveillance points of view,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

A senior space scientist in the know said, “So far, Navy had limitation from line of sight and ionospheric effects etc.

It was thought essential to have an integrated platform for their exclusive use. Earlier, satellite communication in ships was through Inmarsat (a major provider of global mobile satellite communications services). Now, India will have its own set up”

ISRO shies away from calling it an exclusive satellite for the Navy on record, but privately admits exactly that.

The Rs. 185 crore state-of-the-art satellite carries payloads operating in UHF, S, C and Ku bands.

GSAT-7 has a lift-off mass of 2,625 kg and is based on ISRO’s 2,500 kg satellite bus with some new technological elements, including the antennae. Its solar arrays generate 2,900 W of electrical power.

The satellite’s A108 Ampere-Hour Lithium-Ion battery enables it to function during the eclipse period. The propulsion subsystem has a 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) and thrusters.

GSAT-7 is scheduled to be launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) by Ariane-5 VA 215 during the 50-minute launch window starting from 2 a.m. on Friday.

The launch cost for ISRO is around Rs. 470 crore, including insurance. ISRO can’t launch heavy satellites like GSAT-7 as its home-grown GSLV rocket, with indigenous cryogenic stage, is still in works and needs two successful flights before it’s declared operational.

Source: PTI

A momentous occasion for CSL

Kochi: The launch of the first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on August 12 will be a momentous occasion for Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) which achieved the feat in four years of laying the keel under trying conditions. The warship is expected to join the Navy fleet by 2018.Ms Elizabeth Antony, wife of Defence Minister A.K. Antony will launch the ship at a function to be attended among others by Antony, Navy chief Admiral D.K. Joshi and Union minister for shipping G.K. Vasan. The design of the indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) is the result of a collaborative effort of Indian Navy’s design organization and the design team of CSL. The special steel for the ship was supplied by the Steel Authority of India Ltd. CSL in association with National Metallurgical Research Laboratory developed the weld process and consumables for this special grade steel.  The 263-metre-long IAC can displace about 38,000 tonnes and is propelled by four gas turbines. It can achieve a speed of about 30 knots. It will operate a combination of Russian MiG-29K, Ka31 and the indigenous light combat aircraft, sources in the Navy and CSL said. The flight deck of IAC will feature two take-off runways and a landing strip equipped with three arrester wires. 

Vikramaditya Passes Engine Tests in Russian Sea Trials

A Russian-built aircraft carrier due to be delivered to the Indian Navy following a much-delayed refit has successfully passed engine tests during the first stage of final sea trials in the White Sea, shipbuilder Sevmash said Tuesday. The current trials focused on the ship's propulsion system and its ability to perform as required. The carrier, named Vikramaditya, “showed excellent performance while being tested at various speeds,” a Sevmash spokesman said. “On Sunday, the ship attained a maximum speed of 29.2 knots.” 

The Vikramaditya, which is already years past its original 2008 delivery date, was supposed to have been handed over to India on December 4, 2012, but initial sea trials in September revealed that the ship's boilers were not fully functional. The source of the problem, which reduced the ship's maximum speed, was due to use of low-grade Chinese-made firebricks in the boiler insulation instead of asbestos, Russian shipbuilders said. The boiler problems were fixed by Russian shipbuilders in February, Sevmash reported previously. 

The Vikramaditya will now sail to the Barents Sea, where the ship will undertake working-up procedures including aircraft deck operations. Several MiG-29K fighters and two helicopters will be used in the flight trials. A report on the results of the final trials must be given to the Indians on October 15, the Sevmash official said. The Vikramaditya was originally built as the Soviet Project 1143.4 class aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. In its original incarnation, the Gorshkov also had a history of boiler problems and suffered a boiler explosion in 1994. The refit of the ship has lurched from one crisis to another since India and Russia signed a $947 million deal in 2005 for its purchase and refit. Delivery has already been delayed three times, pushing up the cost of refurbishing the vessel to $2.3 billion, causing acrimony between Moscow and New Delhi.

Source: MOSCOW, July 30 (RIA Novosti)

INS Trikand, a Stealth Frigate joins Indian Navy

INS Trikand, the last of the three “Follow On Talwar Class” frigates built in the Russian Federation, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 29 Jun 13 at Kaliningrad, Russia by Vice Admiral R K Dhowan, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, in a glittering ceremony marked by traditional military fervour that included the Indian and the Russian navies.

      The commissioning of INS Trikand marks the culmination of a three ship contract for “Follow On Talwar Class” ships built in Russia, and is therefore a milestone in the Indo-Russian military-technological cooperation. The other ships of the class viz, INS Teg and INS Tarkash were commissioned last year and are now undertaking operations as part of the Western Fleet. The keel of INS Trikand was laid on 11 June 2008 and the ship was launched on 25 May 2011.  Extensive Acceptance trials were conducted in the Baltic Sea in April and May 2013.

INS Trikand carries a  state-of-the-art combat suite which includes the supersonic BRAHMOS missile system, advanced Surface to Air missiles Shtil, upgraded A190 medium range gun, Electro-optical 30 mm Close-in Weapon System, Anti-Submarine weapons such as torpedoes and rockets and an advanced Electronic Warfare system. The weapons and sensors are integrated through a Combat Management System ‘Trebovanie-M’, which enables the ship to simultaneously neutralise multiple surface, sub-surface and air threats. The ship also incorporates innovative features to reduce radar, magnetic and acoustic signatures, which have earned this class of ships the sobriquet of ‘Stealth’ frigates. The ship is powered by four gas turbines and is capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots. The ship can carry an integrated Kamov 31 helicopter which is best suited for airborne early warning roles.

INS Trikand is commanded by Captain Ajay Kochhar, a Gunnery and Missile Warfare specialist, who was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1988. The ship has a complement of about 300 personnel including officers. The ship will soon undertake her maiden passage to India to join the Western Fleet of Indian Navy

The ceremony was also attended by HE Shri Ajai Malhotra, the Indian Ambassador to the Russian Federation, the Mayor of Kaliningrad and representatives of various Russian agencies involved in the project and senior Naval officers of both the Indian and the Russian Navies.

First Indian C-17 Arrives Today, June 17

The Indian Air Force's first Boeing C-17 Globemaster III (Tail no. CB-8001) departs Long Beach on its journey to the Hindon Air Force Station outside Delhi, where the squadron will be based. Boeing and Indian Air Force officials will conduct a short ceremony at Long Beach before the aircraft departs. After a ferry flight that will make a list of stops along the way, the C-17 will touch down at Hindon on June 17. 

The first airframe will get a welcome ceremony when it arrives, but a formal induction ceremony is expected to happen in August, by which time two more C-17s will have arrived. The first Indian C-17 arrives in India almost exactly two years after the deal was signed in June 2011. The $4.116-billion deal for 10 aircraft doesn't have a formal options clause, but the IAF is likely to formalise a follow-on order by the end of this year (even with the original order for 10,

India will be the largest operator of the aircraft outside the U.S. Boeing delivered the first Indian C-17 to flight test at Edward's in January this year, and will deliver four more this year, and five next. Indian pilots and loadmasters were trained at Altus, Oklahoma.