Indian Army
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The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of India and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The Indian Army maintains the second[1] largest active military force in the world.
The Indian Army has a total troop strength of around 3.8 million (1.3 million active, 1.2 million reserve and 1.3 million para-military). It is a completely voluntary service - the military draft never having been imposed in India. The army has rich combat experience in diverse terrains, considering India's diversity on this front, and also has a distinguished history of serving in United Nations peacekeeping operations.
The force is headed by the Chief of Army Staff, currently General J.J. Singh. The highest rank in the Indian Army is Field Marshal, but it is an honorary rank[2] and appointments are made by the President of India - on the advice of the Union Cabinet of Ministers - only in exceptional circumstances. (See Field Marshal (India)). General S.H.F.J. Manekshaw and the late General K.M. Cariappa are the only two officers to have attained this rank.
[edit] Role
The Indian Army doctrine defines the role of the Indian Army as
"The Indian Army is the land component of the Indian Armed Forces which exist to uphold the ideals of the Constitution of India. As a major component of national power, along with the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, the roles of the Indian Army are as follows :-
- Primary Role: Preserve national interests and safeguard sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of India against any external threats by deterrence or by waging war.
- Secondary Role: Assist Government agencies to cope with ‘proxy war’ and other internal threats and provide aid to civil authority when requisitioned for the purpose." [3]
[edit] History
 Emblem |
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| Military Man Power | |
|---|---|
| Total armed forces | 2,414,700 (Ranked 3rd) |
| Active troops | 1,414,000 (Ranked 3rd) |
| Total troops | 3,773,300 (Ranked 6th) |
| Paramilitary forces | 1,089,700 |
| Components | |
| Indian Army |  |
| Indian Air Force |  |
| Indian Navy |  |
| Indian Coast Guard |  |
| Indian Paramilitary Forces | |
| Strategic Nuclear Command | |
| History | |
| Military history of India | |
| Ranks | |
| Air Force ranks and insignia of India | |
| Army ranks and insignia of India | |
| Naval ranks and insignia of India | |
- This article deals with the modern day Indian Army. For the army before Independence in 1947, please see British Indian Army, Indian National Army.
Upon India gaining independence in 1947, the British Indian Army was divided into two parts to serve the newly created nations of Union of India and Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Most units went to India, and the rest to Pakistan. Some Gurkha units from the force were also retained in the British Army.
[edit] The First Kashmir War
Almost immediately after independence, tensions between India and Pakistan began to boil over. And the first of three full-scale wars between the two nations broke out over the then princely state of Kashmir. Upon the Maharaja of Kashmir's reluctance to accede to either India or Pakistan, an impatient Pakistan sponsored a 'tribal' invasion of parts of Kashmir. The men are alleged by India to have also included Pakistan army regulars. Soon after, Pakistan sent in its troops to annex the state. The Maharaja, Hari Singh, appealed to India, and to Lord Mountbatten -- the Governor General -- for help, but it was pointed out to him that India saw no reason to do so. He signed the Instrument of Accession and Kashmir unilaterally acceded to India (a decision ratified by Britain but never accepted by Pakistan). Immediately after, Indian troops were airlifted into Srinagar and, in a famous operation, repelled the invaders. An intense war was waged across the state and former comrades found themselves fighting each other. Both sides made some territorial gains and also suffered significant losses
An uneasy UN sponsored peace returned by the end of 1948 with Indian and Pakistani soldiers facing each other directly on the Line of Control, which has since divided Indian from Pakistani-held Kashmir. Tensions between India and Pakistan, largely over Kashmir, have never since been entirely eliminated.
[edit] Indian Army participation in UN peace-keeping operations
Presently, the Indian army has dedicated one brigade of troops to the UN's standby arrangements. Through its large in numbers, sustained troop commitments India has come in for much praise for taking part in difficult operations for prolonged periods.
The Indian Army has participated in several UN peace-keeping operations, including the ones in Cyprus, Lebanon, Congo, Angola, Cambodia, Vietnam, Namibia, El Salvador, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda & Somalia. The army also provided a paramedical unit to facilitate the withdrawal of the sick and wounded in Korea.
[edit] Liberation of Hyderabad, 1948
After the partition of India, the State of Hyderabad, a princely-state under the rule of a Nizam, chose to remain independent. The Nizam, refused to accede his state to the Union of India. The following stand-off between the Government of India and the Nizam ended on 12 September 1948 when India's then deputy-Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel ordered Indian troops to secure the state. Within 5 days of intense fighting, the Indian Army, backed by the Indian Air Force, successfully defeated Hyderabad State forces. The following day, the State of Hyderabad was proclaimed as a part of the Union of India. Major General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri, who led the Operation Polo was appointed the Military Governor of Hyderabad (1948-1949) to restore law and order.
[edit] Goa, Daman and Diu Operation (1961)
Even though the British and French vacated all their colonial possessions in the Indian subcontinent, Goa, Daman and Diu remained under Portuguese control. In 1961, after repeated Portuguese refusals to negotiate towards leaving, New Delhi ordered a small contingent of its troops to invade the Portuguese territories and secure them. It was called Operation Vijay. Unable to withstand the assault, Portugal signed a truce with India and gave up its control over the small territories, which formally became part of the Indian Union.
[edit] The Indo-China Conflict- 1962
Since 1959 Indian Police posts had been pushed forward into territory claimed by the Chinese Government. Small scale clashes broke out as India insisted the border ran along the "traditional" watershed, in effect the McMahon Line, which China disputed. In 1962 Indian soldiers were ordered to move to the Thagla ridge near the border between Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, which formed part of the watershed, but was some three miles to the north of the McMahon line. Tensions rose further when New Delhi discovered that the Chinese had constructed a road through Aksai Chin which India claimed. In September 1962 Chinese troops made a surprising attack on the Indian soldiers from the ridge. On October 12, Nehru gave orders for the Chinese to be expelled from Aksai Chin. On October 20, Chinese soldiers attacked India in both the North-West and North-East parts of the border, entering the disputed Aksai Chin region along with Arunachal Pradesh in numbers. China then called on the Indian government to negotiate. With no peaceful agreement between the two counties, China unilaterally withdrew their troops from the territory they had occupied. The reasons for the withdrawal are disputed with India claiming logistical problems and diplomatic support from the US and China stating that it was returning to the borders that it had staked its diplomatic claim. The dividing line between the Indian and Chinese forces was christened the Line of Actual Control. A review committee was soon set up by the Indian government to determine the causes for India's defeat. The report apparently faulted much of India's armed forces command and especially the executive government for failures on several fronts.The major reason for defeat was that the executive didnt involve Indian Air Force to annihilate the chinese aggression and transport lines. As a result the chinese victory was due to sheer number rather than military superiority. The Ministry of Defence at the time of the war was headed by the then defence minister Krishna Menon. Despite frequent calls for its release this Henderson-Brooks Committee report still remains classified.
[edit] Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
A second confrontation with Pakistan took stand in 1965, largely over Kashmir. Pakistani dictator General Ayub Khan launched Operation Gibraltar in August 1965, believing an Indian leadership still recovering from the 1962 war with China would be unable to deal effectively with such a military thrust. It proved to be a serious miscalculation for Ayub, who had also banked on intelligence reports claiming that the people of Kashmir would aid the Pakistani war effort. No such rebellion occurred and India responded almost immediately with armoured regiments being deployed to both counter enemy intrusions and strike across the border.
Initially, the Indian Army met with considerable success in the northern sector. After launching prolonged artillery barrages against Pakistan, India was able to capture three important mountain positions in Kashmir.Indian Army had made considerable in road into Pakistan.
India had its largest haul of Pakistani tanks when the offensive of Pakistan's 1 Armoured Division was blunted at the Battle of Assal Uttar on September 10th. Six Pakistani Armoured Regiments took part in the battle, namely the 19 Lancers (Patton), 12 Cavalry (Chafee), 24 Cavalry (Patton) 4 Cavalry (Patton), 5 Horse (Patton) and 6 Lancers (Patton).
These were opposed by three Indian Armoured Regiments with inferior tanks, Deccan Horse (Sherman), 3 Cavalry (Centurion) and 8 Cavalry (AMX). The battle was so fierce and intense that at the end of the war, the Fourth Indian Division .a.k.a. "The Fighting Fourth" had captured about 97 tanks in destroyed / damaged or intact condition. This included 72 Patton tanks and 25 Chafees and Shermans. 32 of the 97 tanks, including 28 Pattons, were in running condition. Indian losses in Khem Karan were 32 tanks. Roughly about fifteen of them were captured by the Pakistan Army, mostly Sherman tanks.
Pakistan launched Operation Grand Slam on September 1, invading the Chamb-Jaurian sector. In retaliation, the Indian Army's 15th Infantry Division crossed the International Border on the Western Front on September 6. By the end of the war, it was estimated that Pakistan lost nearly 300 tanks destroyed. India had more than 150 tanks in its hands as war trophies and it is not unsafe to assume that more tanks were destroyed, that were in Pakistani territory, both by army as well as air action. Indian losses were less than half at 128 tanks destroyed. About 40 tanks would have fell into Pakistani hands, most of them vintage AMX-13s from Chamb and Shermans from Khem Karan.
Ceasefire was declared on September 23 was followed by talks in Tashkent (brokered by the Soviet Union), where Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Ayub Khan agreed to withdraw to virtually all pre-war positions.Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri died in mysterious circumstances in Tashkent, hours after signing the deal.This gives rise to conspiracy theories as India was in advatageous position after declaration of ceasefire.
[edit] Bangladesh Liberation War-1971
In 1971, rebellion broke out in East Pakistan, and India was forced to intervene as an estimated 10 million Bangladeshi refugees fled to India. Unlike the 1965 war, this time decisive change was effected. East Pakistan broke away with Indian intervention and became the independent state of Bangladesh. This was of great help to India, since it no longer had to worry about a two-front war and could concentrate its combat firepower against what had been West Pakistan and the PRC. Under the command of Lt General J.S Aurora, the Indian army achieved a decisive victory over Pakistan in 1971, taking over 90,000 prisoners of war (38,000 Armed forces personnel and 52,000 civilians of West Pakistani origin) in the Bangladesh liberation war. Even on the western front, the Indian Army was successful in blocking Pakistan's invasion attempts (see Battle of Longewala) and counter attacked by capturing more than 2,000 sq. miles of Pakistani-held territory.
After 1971, tensions between India and Pakistan simmered, periodically threatening to break out into full-scale war, most notably in 1999 and 2002 in recent years. The 1998 tests of Indian and Pakistani nuclear weapons are seen by many commentators as acting as a restraining influence on both sides. Now that each can destroy the other in a war, according to the theory of deterrence, they are less likely to let tensions escalate.
- See also: Battle of Longewala, Battle of Hilli, and Battle of Basantar
[edit] Counter-insurgency activities
The Indian Army has played a crucial role in the past in fighting insurgents and terrorists in the nation. The army launched Operation Bluestar and Operation Woodrose in the 1980s to combat Sikh insurgents. The army, along with Indian Paramilitary Forces, has the prime responsibility of maintaining law and order in the troubled Jammu and Kashmir region.
[edit] The Kargil Operation in 1999
In mid 1999, Kashmiri insurgents and Pakistan military personnel took control of some deserted, but strategic, Himalayan heights in Indian-administered Kashmir. These had either been vacated by the Indian army during the onset of inhospitable weather conditions, or not occupied on the presumption that it would be foolhardy, for either side, to risk men in such a manner. The 'Mujahideen' with the help of Pakistani army took control of several key areas such as the heights overlooking the vital Srinagar-Leh highway, Batalik, Dras and the strategic Tiger Hill.
Meanwhile, the Indian Navy also readied itself for an attempted blockade of Pakistani ports to cut off supply routes. Later, the-then Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif disclosed that Pakistan was left with just six days of fuel to sustain itself if a full-fledged war had broken out. Many believed that Pakistan would employ a nuclear strike. President Clinton asked for “a full and complete withdrawal without pre-conditions” from Kargil and also warned him that “there could be no quid pro quo, no hint that America was rewarding Pakistan for its aggression, nor for threatening its nuclear arsenal at India. Finding Pakistan isolated internationally Nawaz Sharif requested US President Bill Clinton to stop the Indian counter attack. Washington wanted Pakistan to admit its transgression and withdraw behind the LoC.[4]
Two months into the conflict, Indian troops had slowly regained virtually all lost territories, but at a very heavy price. However, it is believed that much heavier damages were inflicted on Pakistani's army, particulary its Northern light infantry.[5] Following the Washington accord on July 4, where Sharif agreed to withdraw the Pakistan-backed troops, most of the fighting came to a gradual halt. However, some of the militants still holed up did not wish to retreat, and the United Jihad Council - an umbrella for fifteen jihadi groups operating in Kashmir - rejected Nawaz Sharif's plan for a climb-down, instead deciding to fight on.[6] Following this, the Indian army launched its final attacks in the last week of July; as soon as the last of these "Jihadists" in the Drass subsector had been cleared, the fighting ceased on July 26. The day has since been marked as Kargil Vijay Diwas (Victory Day) in India. By the end of the war, India had resumed control of all territory south and east of the Line of Control, as was established in December 1972 as per the Shimla Accord.
[edit] Major Exercises
[edit] Operation Parakram
After the December 13, 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, Operation Parakram was launched in which tens of thousands of Indian troops were deployed along the Indo-Pakistan border. India blamed Pakistan for backing the attack. The operation was the largest military exercise carried out by any Asian country. It's prime objective is still unclear but appears to have been to prepare the army for any future nuclear conflict with Pakistan, which seemed increasingly possible after the December attack on the Indian parliament.
[edit] Operation Sanghe Shakti
It has since been stated that the main goal of this exercise was to validate mobilisation strategies of the Ambala-based II Strike Corps. Air support was a part of this exercise, and an entire battalion of paratroops was paradropped during the conduct of the war games, with allied equipment. Some 20,000 jawans took part in the exercise.
[edit] Structure of the Indian Army
Initially, the army's main objective was to defend the nation's frontiers. However, over the years, the army has also taken up the responsibility of providing internal security, especially in insurgent-hit Kashmir and north-east.
The army has a strength of about a million troops and fields 34 divisions. Its headquarters is located in the Indian capital New Delhi and it is under the overall command of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), currently General Joginder Jaswant Singh.
[edit] Commands
The army operates 6 tactical commands and one training command known as ARTRAC. Each command is headed by General Officer Commanding-in-Chief with the rank of Lieutenant General. Each command is directly affiliated to the Army HQ in New Delhi. These commands are given below in their correct order of raising, location (city) and their commanders.
| Command | Location | GOC-in-C |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Command | Pune | Lt Gen Aditya Singh |
| Eastern Command | Kolkata | Lt Gen K S Jamwal |
| Central Command | Lucknow | Lt Gen O P Nandrajog |
| Western Command | Chandimandir (Chandigarh) | Lt Gen Daulat Singh |
| Northern Command | Udhampur | Lt Gen H S Panag |
| ARTRAC | Shimla | Lt Gen Milan Naidu |
| South Western Command | Jaipur | Lt Gen P K Singh |
[edit] Corps
[edit] Field formation
A Corps is an army field formation responsible for a sector within a Command. There are 3 types of Corps in the Indian Army: Strike, Holding & Mixed. A Command generally consists of 2 or more Corps. A corps has Army Divisions under its command. The Corps HQ is the highest field formation in the army.
| Corps | Head Quarter | Command | General Officer Commanding (GOC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Corps | Mathura, Uttar Pradesh | Central Command | Lt. Gen. P.C. Katoch |
| 2 Corps | Ambala, Haryana | Western Command | Lt. Gen. Daulat Singh Shekhawat |
| 3 Corps | Rangapahar (Dimapur), Nagaland | Eastern Command | Lt. Gen. M S Dadwal |
| 4 Corps | Tezpur, Assam | Eastern Command | Lt. Gen. R K Chhabra |
| 9 Corps | Mamun (Pathankot), Punjab | Northern Command | Lt. Gen. P K Rampal |
| 10 Corps | Bhatinda, Punjab | Western Command | Lt. Gen. Narinder Singh Brar |
| 11 Corps | Jalandhar, Punjab | Western Command | Lt. Gen. Nobel Thamburaj |
| 12 Corps | Jodhpur, Rajasthan | Southern Command | |
| 14 Corps | Leh, Ladakh | Northern Command | Lt. Gen. Jayanta Kumar Mohanty |
| 15 Corps | Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir | Northern Command | Lt. Gen. Sarabjit Singh Dhillon |
| 16 Corps | Nagrota, Jammu & Kashmir | Northern Command | |
| 21 Corps | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh | Southern Command | |
| 33 Corps | Siliguri, West Bengal | Eastern Command | Lt. Gen. C K S Sabu |
[edit] Arms
In addition to this (not to be confused with the Field Corps mentioned above) are the Corps or Arms (Departmental) of the Indian Army. The corps mentioned below are the functional divisions entrusted with specific pan-Army tasks.
Combat and Support Arms
Services
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[edit] Quasi Army Arms
These arms comprises a sizable number of Army personals under deputation. The director generals for these arms reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs, rather than Ministry of Defence except for BRO where the DG reports to Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways.
- Rashtriya Rifles
- National Security Guards or NSG
- National Cadet Corps orNCC
- Assam Rifles
- Border Roads Organisation
[edit] Other Field Formations
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- Division: An Army Division is an intermediate between a Corps and a Brigade. It is the largest striking force in the army. Each Division is headed by [General Officer Commanding] (GOC) in the rank of Major General. It usually consists 15,000 combat troops and 8,000 support elements. Currently, the Indian Army has 34 Divisions including 4 Rapid (Re-organised Army Plains Infantry Divisions) Action Divisions, 18 Infantry Divisions, 10 Mountain Divisions, 3 Armoured Divisions and 2 Artillery Divisions. Each Division composes of several Brigades.
- Brigade: The Brigade is smaller than the Division and generally consists of 3 Infantry Battalions along with elements of various Combat & Support Arms & Services. It is headed by a Brigadier equivalent to a Brigadier General. The Indian Army also has 5 Independent Armoured Brigades, 15 Independent Artillery Brigades, 7 Independent Infantry Brigades, 1 Independent Parachute Brigade,3 Independent Air Defence Brigades, 2 Independent Air Defence Groups and 4 Independent Engineer Brigades. These Independent Brigades operate directly under the Corps Commander (GOC Corps).
- Battalion: A Battalion is commanded by a Colonel and is the Infantry's main fighting unit. It consists of more than 900 personnel.
- Company: Headed by the Major, a Company comprises 120 soldiers.
- Platoon: An intermediate between a Company and Section, a Platoon is headed by a Lieutenant or depending on the availability of Commissioned Officers, a Junior Commissioned Officer, with the rank of Subedar or Naik-Subedar. It has a total strength of about 32 troops.
- Section: Smallest military outfit with a strength of 10 personnel. Commanded by a Non-commissioned officer of the rank of Havaldar or Sergeant.
[edit] Regiments
[edit] Infantry Regiments
These are Several battalions or Units under the same formation in a Regiment. The Gurkha Regiment, for instance, has several battalions. All formations under a Regiment are battalions of the same arms or Corps (i.e., Infantry or Engineers). Regiments are not exactly field formations, in sense they mostly do not make a formation, all Regiments of the Gurkha's for instance would not fight together as one formation, but can be dispersed over various Brigades or Corps or even Commands. Regiments of the Indian Army (in order of seniority):-
- The Parachute Regiment
- Mechanised Infantry Regiment
- Punjab Regiment
- Madras Regiment
- The Grenadiers
- Maratha Light Infantry
- Rajputana Rifles
- Rajput Regiment
- Jat Regiment
- Sikh Regiment
- Sikh Light Infantry
- Dogra Regiment
- Garhwal Rifles
- Kumaon Regiment
- Assam Regiment
- Bihar Regiment
- Mahar Regiment
- Jammu & Kashmir Rifles
- Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry
- Naga Regiment
- 1 Gorkha Rifles
- 3 Gorkha Rifles
- 4 Gorkha Rifles
- 5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
- 8 Gorkha Rifles
- 9 Gorkha Rifles
- 11 Gorkha Rifles
- Ladakh Scouts
See List of regiments of the Indian Army
[edit] Artillery Regiments
Regiment of Artillery History
The Regiment of Artillery constitutes a formidable operational arm of Indian Army. Historically it takes its lineage from Moghul Emperor Babur who is popularly credited with introduction of Artillery in India, in the Battle of Panipat in 1526. However evidence of earlier use of gun by Bahmani Kings in the Battle of Adoni in 1368 and King Mohammed Shah of Gujrat in fifteenth century have been recorded.
[edit] Indian Army Staff
[edit] Strength
| Indian Army statistics | |
| Active Troops | 13,00,000 |
| Reserve Troops | 12,00,000 |
| Territorial Army | 200,000** |
| Main Battle Tanks | 7580 |
| Artillery | 12800 |
| Aircraft | 10 squadrons of helicopters |
| Surface-to-air missiles | 1000 |
* includes 300,000 1st line troops and 500,000 2nd line troops
** includes 40,000 1st line troops and 160,000 2nd line troops
[edit] Rank Structure
The various rank of the Indian Army are listed below in descending order:
Commissioned Officers
- Field Marshal* (Only two officers made Field Marshal so far)
- General (the rank held by Chief of Army Staff)
- Lieutenant-General
- Major-General
- Brigadier
- Colonel
- Lieutenant-Colonel
- Major
- Captain
- Lieutenant
- Second Lieutenant - This has now been discontinued
Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs)
- Honorary Captain- Given to Outstanding JCO's Rank and pay of a Captain, role continues to be of a JCO
- Honorary Lieutenant- Given to Outstanding JCO's Rank and pay of a Lieutenant, role continues to be of a JCO
- Subedar Major
- Subedar
- Naib Subedar
Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs)
- Regimental Havildar Major - This has now been discontinued
- Regimental Quarter Master Havildar - This has now been discontinued
- Company Havildar Major
- Company Quarter Master Havildar
- Havildar
- Naik
- Lance Naik
- Sepoy
Note:
•1. Junior Commissioned Officers in the rank of Subedar, Naib Subedar are eligible for Honorary ranks - like Honorary Captains and Honorary Lieutenants.
•2. Non-Commissioned Officers in the rank of Havaldar are elible for Honorary JCO ranks.
•3. So far, there have been only two officers conferred the rank: Field Marshal K M Cariappa – the first Indian Commander-in-Chief (a post since abolished) – and Field Marshal S H F J Manekshaw, the Chief of Army Staff during the Army in the 1971 war with Pakistan. (See Field Marshalls of India)
[edit] Combat Doctrine
The current combat doctrine of the Indian Army is based on effectively utilizing holding formations and strike formations. In the case of an attack, the holding formations would contain the enemy and strike formations would counterattack to neutralize enemy forces. In the case of an Indian attack, the holding formations would pin enemy forces down whilst the strike formations attack at a point of Indian choosing. The Indian Army is large enough to devote several corps to the strike role. Currently, the army is also looking at enhancing its special forces capabilities.
[edit] Equipment
Most of the army equipment is imported, but efforts are being made to manufacture indigenous equipment. All Indian Military Firearms guns are manufactured under the umbrella administration of the Ordnance Factory Board, with principal Firearm manufacturing facilities in Ishapore, Cossipore, Kanpur, Jabalpur and Tiruchirapalli. While ammunition is manufactured at Kirkee (Now Khadki) and possibly at Bolangir.
Light Weapons
Handguns
- FN Browning GP35 9mmx19mm
- SAF (Small Arms Factory) Pistol 1A 9mmx19mm, This is more or less a copy of the Canadian Inglis 9mm
- Glock 17 9mmx19mm, The Glock 19 along with the 17 is in use with the Special Protection Group (Prime Minister's Security)
Sub-Machine Guns and Carbines
- Heckler & Koch MP5A3 9mmx19mm SMG
- Heckler & Koch MP5K 9mmx19mm SMG
- SAF Carbine 1A 9mmx19mm, Indian made Sterling L2A1 SMG
- SAF Carbine 2A1 9mmx19mm, Silenced Carbine
- UZI 9mmx19mm SMG
Assault Rifles
- RFI (Rifle Factory,Ishapore) SLR1A 7.62mmx51mm NATO Assault Rifle, This old work horse has now more or less been retired from IA service, most going to the police after reconditioning. Some however, remain in use.
- RFI SLR1C 7.62mmx51mm, full Automatic variant of the SLR for use in APCs
- INSAS 5.56mmx45mm Assault Rifle
- TAVOR TAR-21 5.56mmx45mm, for special forces currently 3070 have been purchased from Israel 10
- KBK AKMS 7.62mmx39mm, Polish AKS47-3
- AK47M1 7.62mmx39mm, all black Bulgarian AK. Most of these have been imported for police and paramilitary forces
- Soviet AKM AKMS 7.62mmx39mm
- East German MPi-KM MPi-KMS72 7.62mmx39mm (Second hand)
- Romanian MPiKM series 7.62mmx39mm, these are Romanian clones of the earstwhile East German rifles. Only external difference is the marking, finish and wooden instead of synthetic fruniture.
- Czech Vz.58 and Vz.58P 7.62mmx39mm
Machine guns
- MG 1B 7.62mmx51mm, Indian made Bren- This is currently being retired. But may remain a while longer because of teething problems with its successor, the INSAS LMG
- MG 2A1 7.62mmx51mm, Indian made MAG 58
- MG 5A 7.62mmx51mm This is the Indian manufactured Co-axial MAG 58
- MG 6A 7.62mmx51mm Another Indian version of the MAG58 specifically designed as a tank commanders gun.
- INSAS 5.56mmx45mm LMG
- FN-Browning M1919 .30Cal, in very limited quantities
- Browning M2 machine gun .50cal, heavy machine gun in very limited numbers
Sniping Rifles
- Dragunov SVD59 7.62mmx54mmR Sniper Rifle
- Mauser SP66 7.62mmx51mm Sniper Rifle
- Heckler & Koch MSG-90 7.62mmx51mm Sniping Rifle. The H&K PSG-1 sniping rifle serves with the NSG anti-terrorist units while small numbers of the Steyr Mannlicher SSG69 serve with the para-military Border Security Force(BSF)
Projectile Launchers
- AGS-17 Plamya 30 mm automatic grenade launcher
- M40 RCL 106 mm
- Carl Gustav 84 mm recoilless rifles
- Igla-19K310 / SA-16 Gimlet replacing the Strela-2M /SA-7b Grail - portable SAM
[edit] Combat vehicles
- T-90S Bhishma - main battle tanks (310). Over 1000 more T-90S will be manufactured in India by 2010. It is rumored that India has signed a new contract for 330 additional T-90 tanks bought from Russia that will be assembled in India. [7].
- Arjun MBT Mk1 - main battle tanks (124). The Army has ordered production of this tank and the first batch has already rolled out of the Avadi factory and are currently being put through trials to check the quality control of the production process. The remaining tanks will follow thereafter.
- T-72 M1 Ajeya - main battle tanks (1,900+). 250 T72M1 are being upgraded by the DRDO, India's R&D organization. While requests for proposal for upgrading approximately 1000 other T-72's have been sent to various firms in Israel, Russia, Poland and France.
- Vijayanta (1,200) and T-55 (700) main battle tanks. Vijayanta have been phased out while the T-55 are in the process of being phased out. Some of these tanks will be attached to infantry brigades and battalions, as Tarmour AFV since despite their vintage, the 105mm L7 gun has substantial firepower.[2]
- PT-76 (amphibious) and AMX-13 light tanks have been phased out over 20 years ago.
- Ferret armoured cars
- BRDM-2 amphibious reconnaissance vehicles
- BMP-1 (700) and BMP-2 (900+)Sarath - mechanised infantry combat vehicles relegated the OT-62/64 to mortar carriers. The BMP-2 are now being modernized with TISAS (thermal imaging stand alone sights), better fire control, and more modern ATGM armament (Konkurs M). BMP-1 has been phased out and the upgraded BMP-2 is BMP-2 M with two thermobaric missiles and two tandem warhead Konkurs missiles. Its also has an integrated TI sight and an LRF. Has an AGL mounted on the turret which is also stablised in the horizontal plane.
- An indigenous AFV called Abhay is under development.
[edit] Artillery
- Agni medium-range ballistic missiles, it has a range of 700-800 km with a 2000 kg payload.
- SS-150/Prithvi-1 and SS-250/Prithvi-III - short-range ballistic missiles
- GRAD MBRL Smerch 9K58 - 300 mm multiple rocket launch system
- Pinaka MBRL - 214 mm multiple rocket launch system replacing the 122 mm BM-21
- Abbot (105 mm) and M-46 Catapult (130 mm) to be replaced by 4000 new 155 mm self-propelled howitzers. On the short list is the Denel LIW T6 turreted Arjun and the Celsius (Bofors) FH-77AD
- Bofors FH-77B, upgraded Soltam M-46 155 mm towed howitzers
- Bhim Initial reports that the Arjun hull might be used with a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer by fitting the South African T6 turret which has the G5 howitzer fitted, proved to be misfounded. The SPH would be integrated at Bharat Earth Movers Ltd, which would manufacture additional Arjun chassis & hulls for the purpose. At present, the Bhim SPH program is in limbo, since Denel has been temporarily blacklisted by the Indian Ministry of Defence, while corruption charges are being investigated.
- Soltam M-46 130 mm field guns replacing the 105 mm IFG Mk1/2/3
- D-30 122 mm towed howitzers
- Tunguska M1 - low level air defense system
- Upgraded ZSU-23-4M Shilka self-propelled air defence guns (48)
- Upgraded Bofors L40/70 40 mm AA guns replacing the L40/60
- ZSU-23-2 twin 23 mm AA guns
- Due to delays in the Akash missile program the ZRK-SD Kvadrat / SA-6a Gainful air defence systems is being upgraded (100)
- Due to delays in the Trishul missile program the OSA-AKM / SA-8b Gecko air defence systems is being upgraded (50)
- S-300V / SA-10 Grumble
- Strela-10M3 / SA-13 Gopher - short-range, low altitude SAM
[edit] Non-combat vehicles
- Bridge Layer Tank using a T-72 chassis and Kartik Armoured Bridgelayer on a Vijayanta chassis - armoured vehicle-launched bridges
- Multi-Hop and Extended Span Assault Bridges on T-72 chassis
- Sarvatra - 8x8 truck-mounted bridging system
- VT-72B ARV (200+) and WZT-3 ARV (124, 228 to be delivered by 2007) - armoured recovery vehicle replacing the Vijayanta ARV
- BMP-2 Armoured Amphibious Dozer and Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (ERV)
- Casspir - mine protected vehicles (165)
- Tata LPTA 1621 TC - 6x6 truck
- Mahindra - light multi-role 4x4
- Rampar - amphibious 4x4
[edit] Aircraft
- This is a list of aircraft of the Indian Army. For the list of aircraft of the Indian Air Force, see List of aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
The Indian Army operates more than 160 helicopters, plus additional unmanned aerial vehicles.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[8] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aérospatiale Alouette III |  India |
utility helicopter | SA 316B Chetak | 100 | built by HAL |
| Aérospatiale Lama | India |
utility helicopter | SA 315B Cheetah | 48 | built by HAL |
| DRDO Nishant | India |
reconnaissance UAV | delivery underway | ||
| HAL Dhruv | India |
utility helicopter | 16 |
The Indian army has projected a requirement for a helicopter that can carry loads of up to 75 kg heights of 23,000 feet on the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir. Flying at these heights poses unique challenges due to the rarefied atmosphere. The Indian Army is believed to have short-listed the Bell 407 and the Eurocopter AS 550 for a Rs 22 billion ($500 million) contract for 197 light helicopters to replace its ageing fleet of Chetaks and Cheetahs, some of which were inducted more than three decades ago.[9]
[edit] Missiles
- Agni 1, 2 and 3 — intermediate ballistic missile
- BrahMos — supersonic cruise missile
- Prithvi 1 and 3 (Prithvi 2 with the IAF) — short-range ballistic missile
- Akash — surface to air missile
- Astra — air to air missile
[edit] Procurement
In the aftermath of Operations Vijay and Safed Sagar in Kashmir in 1999, Indian defence planners went on a spending spree for conventional equipment purchases for the country’s three armed services.
MRBLs. –– One battery of BM 9A52 Smerch 300 mm multiple-barrel rocket launchers, which can land saturation fire up to 90km. It can decimate high-value targets in the rear of the battlefield, such as command and control centers, fuel dumps and vehicle concentrations. It is understood a trial unit is in India and will augment the GRAD M that were used with great effect in the Kargil war. The DRDO Pinaka is under trials and is still low powered and slow.
Howitzers –– Up to 200 Bofors-type FH-77B 155 mm towed howitzers worth $250 million or equivalent to add to the 310 units bought off-the-shelf in 1986. The Bofors contract has expired and the Government has been slow to support India’s Artillery. Gen Pervez Musharraf and Gen S Padmanabhan are both Artillery officers, so IDC recalls what India’s former Chief of the Army Staff Gen K V Krishna Rao had commented earlier, “In the 1971 war Pakistan had heavier caliber weapons and used these to considerable effect… As in the 1965 conflict, the infantry found it difficult to stand against the devastating fire of the US supplied Pakistani Artillery, in most cases. The need for heavy caliber long range weapons was much felt by the Indian Forces”. Yet the needs of the Artillery were neglected in favour of the Armoured units. It is against this backdrop we know that Indian Army took 12 years to carry out selection of a 155 mm Howitzer gun and finally got Government to sign the contract for 310 FH 77 155 mm Bofors in Mar 1986 for 700 million dollars. These guns saved the day in the Kargil War. The purchase however led to a scandal of pay offs involving the Bofors Agent Win Chaddha, involvement of the Hinduja brothers of UK and Italian businessman Ottavio Quatrochhi, now absconding in Malaysia. The matter is in Indian courts, but the gun has proved itself to be world class beyond doubt and IDC wonders why these were not co-manufactured especially as the Army is familiar with this good Howitzer. In fact the Army cannibalised so many pieces for Kargil and the need for more is evident. India also failed to get a weapon locating radar for counter bombardment and Pakistan caused most casualties by their counterfire on India’s artillery. India fired 250,000 155mm rounds in the Kargil war.
Ammo rounds of 120mm, 130mm, 155mm and 160mm caliber worth more than $7 million have been procured from Israel and South Africa. Some were destroyed in recent fires in ammunition depots.
10,000 Krasnopol-M 155 mm laser-guided artillery projectiles worth $ 15.5 million from Russia and 8 systems have been purchased and high altitude trials carried out.
Possibility of acquiring initial 120 self-propelled howitzers, each comprising a Denel/LIW-built T-6 turret containing a 155mm/520 calibre gun and mounted on the Arjun MBT’s armoured hull. The system, called Bhim had achieved a sustained rate of fire of 116 rounds at a desert firing range in Pokhran in western India. The cost of procuring 520 such howitzers eventually is estimated at $972 million. Much is not known of the progress.
310 T-90 MBTs with the Reflecks anti tank missile and B 31 diesel engine worth 700 million dollars. This deal for import of 120 has begun and local production has been finalized and special vehicles like the BREM 1 and 1MR 2 MA will come with them from Uralgrad Zavod. Some issues still to be resolved will be discussed at the Joint meet.
250 AGS-17 lightweight automatic grenade launchers from Russia at a cost of $3.5 million.
150 new landmine-resistant armoured vehicles worth $14 million to augment 90 such Cassipir trucks already imported from South Africa. IDC learned that the first lot have done well and although they were second hand but well reconditioned.
Four Zoopark 2 counter-battery S 300 PMU1 low to high altitude systems with radars from Russia and the Green Pine from Israel. Israeli media reported supplies have begun and could be for DRDO or up to 150 S-300 V anti – ballistic missile launchers and their related command and control systems worth $1.4 billion, along with the Israeli ‘Green Pine’ ballistic missile early warning radar system are under discussion
200 frequency-hopping radios worth $7 million
200 of the latest Gen-3 thermal-imaging devices worth $6 million
180 ELTA-built EL/M-2140 tripod-mounted battlefield surveillance radars worth $65 million that can detect enemy movement a least 5 km away.
Up to six IAI Malat built Searcher Mk II Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and their ground control units worth $46.5 million from Israel, for landing accurate fire on enemy gun positions in the battlefield. The Searcher MkII has a height ceiling of nearly 30,000 feet and the Artillery awaits their arrival.
Up to 45 2S6 Tunguska M-1 mobile gun / missile V-SHORAD type systems indicating importance of Air Defence, some of which have arrived.
155 VY-72 B ARVs from ZTS Tees Martin of Slovakia for $ 723,000 each and 42 WZT-3 ARVs, built by Bumar –Labedy, from CENZIN of Poland for $723,000 each State –owned Bharat Earth Movers Ltd will build another 400 such vehicles.
India has a contract with Soltam of Israel to upgrade an initial 35 Soviet-supplied M-46 130 mm field guns to 155 mm /45-calibre for about $238,095 each. A further 550 M –46s will be upgraded by India’s state-owned Ordnance Factory Board.
Up to 200 Novator 3M54E Klub Club supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles in the three Kilo class under going changes and refit in Admiralty Shipyard at St Petersburg, Krivacks and the Sindushastra and the Type 17. The Indian Navy is truly excited about this missile and calls it the Russian Tomahawk.
RAFAEL –built 7 Barak anti-missile defence systems for installation on the Indian Navy’s carrier INS Viraat and the INS Brahmaputra and some other ships.
DCN –– The Mazagoan Docks and the GOI are negotiating to build 3 Scorpene submarines in India as the Type 75. Cost could go up to $ 800 million and then Pakistan and India will have common builders of submarines.
Four Kamov Ka-31, air borne early warning helicopters worth $28 million, and six Ka-28 ASW helicopters worth $18 million all of which will be delivered soon.
The converted and refurbished aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov free but with a refit priced at $500 million, which will host a N-010 active phased array fire control and surveillance radar, a 13’ ski ramp and arrestor aircraft recovery system. The decision is far gone and chances of back tracking seem remote but Indian Defence has seen many dramas and media hypes it up. IDC adds: when a senior Air Force officer asked why the nation needs a carrier a young Naval officer said, “Sir you know where Hindon is.” He said of course. He politely asked, “Sir can it move.” and the senior IAF officer said, “don’t be stupid.” Then the junior officer asked, “Sir, do you know where INS Viraat is, and where it will be tomorrow.” The senior officer was furious so the junior said “ Sir, we need the carrier because it is the only airfield that can move and support the Navy,” and that in simple terms is the short answer.
Up to 66 ANPK MiG-295MK carrier-borne fighters armed with Vympel RVV-AE R-77 medium range, active radar-guided air-to-air missiles; the R-73 E infra-red guided dogfight missiles, Zvesda / Strella Kh-31A anti=ship and Kh-31P anti-radar missiles; and Kh-35 Uran E anti-ship missiles for the Gorshkov and the air defence ship to be built at Cochin. Only when Gorshkov is finalized can the design for the ADS be frozen.
IAI / MALAT’s Heron long-endurance UAVs are on offer as DRDO’s Nishant cannot climb above 10,000 feet and is not operational.
Six new-build Tu-142 Bear F maritime patrol / ASW aircraft armed with Alfa and Uran-E anti-ship cruise missiles to supplement the eight currently in service with the Indian Navy are on offer.
Six Tuploev TU –22M3 strategic bombers, which are at the Gorbunov-based plant in Kazan, southern Russia are on offer and ready to be delivered from Russia’s large excess stock.
Two IL-76 based A-50 AEW & C aircraft, and four IL-78 aerial refueling tankers worth $388 million are on offer. Air Chief ACM A Y Tipnis has witnessed trials as VCAS in October at the Kubinka air base near Moscow.
One squadron (18 aircraft) of Dassault Aviation Mirage 2000D tandem-seat fighter-bombers “hard wired” for carrying nuclear missiles as part of its minimum nuclear deterrent, are on offer. India is already buying French equipment for the IAF upgrades.
Ten additional Mirage 2000 TH to replace accident losses and as part of the war wastage reserves are due to arrive soon. The IAF has lost at least three/four of 49 single-seat Mirage 2000s inducted into service in the mid 1980s. France has reportedly received the major payment and a small scandal involves Keyser Corporation fighting for its commission in French courts.
Hectic efforts have also been launched by IAF to procure add-on chaff/flare countermeasures suites and missiles approach warning systems from ELISRA of Israel, which will be retrofitted on to the IAF’s Mi-8T and Mi-17 helicopters and Mi-25 helicopter gunships.
An avionics and self-protection suite upgrade worth $25 million for 20 Mi-35P and six Mi-25 helicopter gunships. This contract has gone to IAI / Tamam
A comprehensive upgrade of the IAF’s 20 Mi-35 P helicopter-gunships that includes a day /night imaging and target designation system supplied by Elbit Computers, ELISRA, EI Op and ELTA of Israel.
The IAF is also expected to procure additional laser-guidance kits for its 1,000 lb bombs from Elbit Computers of Israel.
The ELTA subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries is likely to supply pod-mounted EL/M-2060 synthetic aperture radars for the IAF’s Mirage 2000 H fighters.
The IAF has also sought permission to procure an initial 66 AJTs for the IAF and 11 AJTs for the India Navy worth $1.38 billion, as well as proceed with the mid–life avionics upgrade of its fleet of 120 SEPECAT /HAL-built Jaguar and 165 ANPK MIG / HAL-built MiG-27 M strike aircraft, and 65 MiG –29B-12 air superiority fighters. BAe was close to clinching the deal but India wishes to wear them down and sweat it out on the price as the IAF seems to be helpless and accommodating.
Satellite –– For enhancing round-the-clock satellite surveillance, India is fabricating a satellite, called Cartosat-1, with 2.5-metre resolution to monitor the Line of Control in Kashmir. It is believed that the vital photo imagery-gathering sensors for these satellites will be procured off-the-shelf from EI Op of Israel. Total cost of this satellite is estimated at US$ 27.9 million
[edit] Recipients of the Param Vir Chakra
Listed below are the most notable people to have received the Param Vir Chakra, the highest military decoration of the Indian Army.
[edit] Gallery
 Indian soldiers of the Madras Regiment during the annual Republic Day Parade in 2004. |
 Indian soldiers of the Jat Regiment during the annual Republic Day Parade in 2005. |
 Indian soldiers of the 1 Gorkha Rifles during the annual Republic Day Parade in 2006. |
 Indian soldiers of the Rajput Regiment during the annual Republic Day Parade in 2007. |
 Indian soldiers of the Assam Regiment during the Change of Guard ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2006. |
 Indian soldiers of the Sikh Light Infantry and Assam Regiment during the change of Guard ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. |
 The Amar Jawan Jyoti (The flame of the immortal warrior), India's most famous war memorial situated at India Gate. A black marble cenotaph with a rifle crested by a helmet forms the main shrine. |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ The Hindu
- ^ Bharat Rakshak
- ^ Indian Army doctrine
- ^ Clinton adviser: confusion gripped Islamabad during Kargil crisis
- ^ Kargil: where defence met diplomacy - India's then Chief of Army Staff VP Malik, expressing his views on Operation Vijay in an article in The Indian Express.
- ^ Pakistan and the Kashmir militants
- ^ [1]
- ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.
- ^ indiadaily
[edit] External links
- A repository of information on Defence Matters in India
- Official website
- Informative site
- Indian military guide
- Frontier India Journal - Indian Army Section
- Video:Liberation of Goa @ Youtube.com
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