Building organizational structures within the Army is vital for doctrinal innovation. The US entered WW-II with the Army’s horse-bound 26th Cavalry Regiment engaging Japanese tanks during the Philippines campaign. By the end of the war, the Army had evolved into a competent and robust mechanized force. When the US entered the war, planners concluded that the U.S. would need over 200 infantry divisions and about 280 air combat groups to ultimately defeat the Axis powers. However, U.S. leadership knew that if they built so many infantry divisions, the manpower they would need to work the arsenal of democracy wouldn’t be there. They therefore made a conscious decision to hold the number of infantry divisions to no more than 90 while keeping the 280 air combat groups. The thinking was that a “heavy fisted air arm” would help make up for the lack of infantry parity with the Axis powers. The “90-division gamble” turned out to be a winner. As a result, throughout the Cold War, the U.S. never tried to match the Soviet Union tank for tank, plane for plane, or soldier for soldier. It instead sought joint maneuver to “offset” the potential adversary's advantages such as attrition (tactical operational design that causes the cumulative destruction of the enemy’s material strength). The US military evolved over time to meet new and disruptive challenges. The large WW2 battle network was the British home air defense network had a sustainment & regeneration, inter-connected radar grid and C3I grid; that allowed the British to continue fighting and restore combat losses. In contrast, the French Generals, who had years of combat experience, failed to defend France in 1940. They had more manpower, better equipment, and even more tanks than the invading Germans. Why did they fail so badly? The French War college doctrine became overly fixated with well-balanced static defense and lessons learned from WW-1. There were voices inside the French Army who advocated for a different approach. The system potentially allowed for the creation of incubators, yet no one was in a position to extract their ideas. Charles de Gaulle, for instance, pushed for the adoption of a professional Army organized into mechanized formations. Marshal Philippe Pétain, on the other hand, wanted a large military composed largely of light infantry designed to fight in a defense-in-depth. Both De Gaulle’s and Pétain’s proposals were ignored, largely since they would have put key industrial locations of France, centered on the Franco-German border, directly into the conflict zone. The French Army was stuck maintaining a “business as usual” approach. If the French High Command introduced too radical a change to the Army’s doctrine, the reserve units responsible for fleshing out standing divisions might arrive with a range of different training levels.-warontherocks In 1962, Indian Army was asking but were unable to get the Govt to allow 4 normal Brigades (at least 3 battalions under them, each with around 900 to 1,100 fighting men) for the defence of Ladakh; so the Chinese had got almost 10:1 superiority in Ladakh. Maybe 12:1 force ratio of troops is required for an attack, to dislodge a fortified, dug-in defending force. Located in Panagarh in West Bengal, Indian Army's XVII Mountain Strike Corps in the eastern theatre is built as a quick reaction force and as well as counter-offensive force against China. Two Infantry Divisions (and First Armoured Division) of Indian Army's First Strike Corps in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, which was earlier responsible only for the western theatre (bordering Pakistan), is now being re-aligned to also focus at the northern theatre (bordering China). While both existing, II Pivot Corps (called Kharga) in Ambala in Haryana and the XXI Pivot Corps in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, will retain all their offensive options against Pakistan. The Indian Army HQ is also planning to strengthening its offensive options in case of any protracted conflict with China by re-aligning another division from an existing Corps to focus exclusively on the Central sector with China. http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/lac-impasse-and-army-itbp-spat/ https://newindian.in/govt-to-deploy-9400-itbp-troops-along-lac-in-coming-years/ War is a blood sport. The military's purpose is not to kill people and break things but to break an adversary's spirit, the human will to fight (has no motivation), a very important factor that is routinely overlooked or misunderstood; and also cumulative destruction of the enemy's material strength and the critical support systems. The purpose of the military is to defend the country (also used to advance national interests). Wars are fought on three different levels: Tactical OPs, Operational environment level (bridging tactical actions & strategy) and Strategic level. The old US army's formula is METT-T: Mission objective, Enemy doctrines for peacetime & for wartime in order to understand enemy intention of their actions, Terrain to attack/defend, troops availability depending on the commander, and Time cycle for combat & for down-time. The purpose of defensive operations in forward areas is to deny enemy forces access to designated terrain, in order to buy specific time to create favourable conditions, for your forces to do counter-offensive operations. Offensive tactical operations have 4 types:
Attack tactic: The enemy MUST be pinned down. Small units MUST fire and move perfectly. This is Extremely important. If not conducted correctly, men will get cut-off and destroyed, and the problem is then compounded when other men stop firing to try to recover casualties. Then they also get killed in many cases and combat effectiveness of the entire unit is in danger of being lost. Counter-attack tactic: (Grab them by the belt buckle) We show very high determination. The closer we hug the enemy forces, the less effective the enemy artillery firepower becomes and make air support impracticable. We destroy combat strength and force them to withdraw. The operational art designed for the cumulative destruction of their enemy's material strength. Russian and Chinese push waves of infantry into selected locations on the front lines, concentrating their armour and artillery forces to saturate the enemy's defences. "Each group has its own route and determination of where each fighter in each of the assault groups should be…the leaders receive the programme of their attack, and how he and each of his fighters should move through the points. That is, you don't need to think, you need to check the movement of your group on a tablet or smartphone." To counter this, how does one change the equation of three-attacker-to-defender force ratio, when you don't have any non-organic indirect fire support? The solution has always been clear: Provide each squad (that has real-time ISR info and EW to locate & jam enemy tactical radio communications while protecting theirs by creating noise fog) with their own lethal weapons systems like "swarm" of loitering guided munitions to destroy in priority order: enemy light armoured vehicles, crew-served weapons, command and control locations, and then target groups of three or more combatants in trench line. EW and organic ISR are "essential on the modern battlefield." Attackers start with a disadvantage because they do not have internal knowledge of the organization’s infrastructure, technologies, security processes, etc. but they can quickly gain the advantage because they only need to find one gap in the wall to bring an organization to its knees. The attack surface is constantly changing with new technologies. In other words, the brick wall moves constantly, and gaps can open up anywhere at any time. Attackers have realized this advantage, that’s why they’ve developed a stack of crafty reconnaissance methods, in an attempt to uncover assets and shadow it. The good news is that defenders can gain back an advantage by simply borrowing attacker recon methods to identify their own attack surface, augmenting their own field of vision, and beating the attackers at their own game. No defender can be stronger than its likely foe for infinitely many points, so the edge goes to the attacker. The attacker simply masses combat power at some point along the line, overwhelms the defenders, and punches through. Clausewitz’s remedy is to keep defence perimeters short, while using artillery to offset the mismatch between ground forces at a particular place and time. Think about the Ryukyu defensive line as a series of short interlocking cordons overshadowed by missiles fired from shore, sea, or aloft. That’s a workable operational design. Modern warfare has increased mechanisation which itself has seen rapid developments over the last few decades. It hardly matters how precise new weapons are if the Army lacks the ISR reach to find targets. The US's DoD is moving away from airborne ISR assets (vulnerable to longer ranged air-to-air missiles), and moving into using unclassified data-links to control ISR satellite constellation which tracks moving targets in real-time, for better resiliency and sustainability. Israel learned that drones (and Army aero scout helicopters) as spotters before any advance, firepower of infantry and artillery combined arms, were the keys to the survival of armoured vehicles. Aero scout aircrews operated in a "head out of the hatch" manner with maximum peripheral vision – something UAS operators have not replicated with their "soda-straw" view of the battlefield. Linked to ground-control stations, Shadow, Gray Eagle and other similar UAS operators lack the ability to coordinate on the spot or achieve the feel for the situation as aero scout aircrews could. In Afghanistan, the US learned the hard way that road-side mines were deadly. The optics remain the Achilles heel of all main battle tanks. Tanks are also getting too heavy, due to added protections, to move quickly to cut across enemy lines, due to all the addition protection for survivability. The heavier the cannon, the heavier its chassis, and the more powerful engine is needed. Engine's Horse-Power loses as much as 25% power due to lighter atmosphere in high-altitude, and air-cooled engines have a tendency to seize when crossing water. Only long-range artillery mounted on vehicles (and aviation, which need time to deploy) will do any good against constantly moving tanks. Mobility and shoot-and-scoot tactics has become synonymous with survival. After Russian-backed invading forces shot down a Malaysian civilian airliner flying over Ukraine in 2014, CIA paramilitaries have run a secret training program for Ukrainian special operations personnel and other Ukrainian intelligence officials in the US. The US spent $2.7 billion on this effort and trained at least 27,000 Ukrainian soldiers. Many went on to train their countrymen, a force multiplier called "train the trainer." In 2017, approval was given for the largest post-2014 direct sales of sniper rifles worth $41 million to Ukraine. In 2018-19, the US decided to transfer 360 anti-tank missiles with 49 launchers for $86 million. Ukraine, in 2019, signed a contract to purchase 12 Turkish-made UAVs along with ammunition for $69 million. 60+40+50+20+59+50 million rounds of small arms ammunition, 1600+14,000+1000+1000+32,500+5500+7000 short-ranged anti-tank, 800+600+1400+1400+1400 advance shoulder-fired anti-aircraft weapons, (plus 2000+2600+5000 MANPADS), 600 Brimstone missiles, 705,100 light machine guns (LMGs), 1000s of thermal & night imagery vision, laser rangefinders, advanced tactical secure radios, AN/TPQ-36 Counter radars, counter mortar radars, 1,000 155mm Remote Anti-Armor Mines, AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM), 70 armored vehicles, ration packages and double-digit tons ($50 million worth) of medical supplies to support treatment and combat evacuation, (18+96+16+126+16) 155mm howitzers (M-777 ultra-light and M-198 howitzers) along with tow vehicles and 144,000 or 183,000 or 1,074,000 + 561,000 155mm artillery rounds (500+1,000 Excalibur GPS-guided precision shells) and 75,000+75,000+70,000+36,000 105mm artillery rounds, HIMARS battlefield missiles/rockets for 20+ HIMARS, 700+700 loitering drones, body armour gears, 100s of MRAPs & APCs, heavy equipment trucks & trailers, 20 Mi-17 helicopters, 2 NASAMs air-defence systems, 2 harpoon coastal defence systems, Unmanned naval vessels, tactical UAVs, anti-drone tracking radars, demolitions were delivered to Ukraine in 2022. Deliveries have been covered by the government-to-government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system and funded mostly either by the State Department’s Foreign Military Financing or the Defence Department’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Like, Amazon.com, US has AI-driven predictive algorithms for ammo and repair needs and shipments. Russia's doctrine calls for massive artillery barrages. This led to huge ammunition dumps being positioned close to the front for convenience. It also meant that those huge stocks of artillery shells were within range of rockets (MLRS). The adaptations Russia made in response to HIMARS "included displacing logistics hubs out of range, hardening command posts, and introducing decoys to make targeting more difficult". https://www.southwestledger.news/news/fort-sill-academy-train-soldiers-how-defeat-threats-drones%14%10
A new trend is that the troops were all on the Internet and, like never before, were in touch with each other via military related message boards, listservs, Facebook pages, and chat rooms. But before the Internet, each soldier's discovery spread slowly. Once the media got to the Special Forces guys, stories started coming out about the non-standard gear they were using. American infantrymen being sent to Afghanistan saw those stories, as did people in the Pentagon. Connections started to get made. Among other things, someone in the Pentagon realized that the army would not look too good if too many journalists interviewed too many troops who had bought civilian equipment with their own money, while the Special Forces were getting it paid for by the government.
PLA's ZBL-09 vehicles are protected by Type-105 light tanks and FM-90 air defence. China has huge production of munitions and drones. In Ladakh face-off in 2020, PLA quickly came with 20 ZBL-09 vehicles, 9 PCL161 artillery and 28 T-96/T-88c tanks. US mechanised infantry uses Bradley and, the replacement for the slower Stryker, the semi-autonomous 40-ton XM30 or OMFV (has 1000hp engine) with ISR drones and jammers. These are, specifically, for fire support to infantry where the enemy isn't expecting tanks, which is hard to do with modern ISR. We need over-the-horizon (OTH) radar capability, loitering munitions with larger explosives, 60-200 Pralay battlefield missiles/yr, 155mm long-range artillery mounted on wheeled vehicle and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) targetting anti-armour capability on attack helicopters. In the absence of a NSS or formal political directions, the armed forces themselves failed to seize the initiative to resolve inter-Service conflict for reforms, which empirically require political intervention. "It is hard enough to be joint, the difficulties in interoperability will be many times greater" ~ Indian Army Chief Gen MM Naravane in 2021. In sum, the Indian Army is divided into 6 regional commands and one training command. The Indian AirForce is divided into 5 regional commands and one training command. Indian Army and Indian AirForce have a separate training command. The Indian AirForce has a Maintenance command in addition. A Strategic Forces Command was also set up in 2003, which is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and nuclear weapons stockpile. The Indian Navy is divided into three regional or geographic commands to safeguard the western and eastern seaboards. The 17 single-service commands that currently exist would be reorganization into just four theater commands, each with elements from all three services: The first command will be the “western theatre command” looking at Pakistan; while the second command will be "northern theatre command" focused on the entire border in China. A third, navy-heavy theatre, called the “maritime command” will be responsible for the security of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and Andaman & Nicobar Command (ANC) island air-defense command, would project power into the eastern Indian Ocean. Since both Indian and Pakistani military institutions spring from the same parent, both nations continue to employ the pedagogy they inherited from the British Commonwealth model. Both nation's military institutions are army-centric in their focus and teach an outdated ground doctrine that virtually all Western students thought was more suited to World War II than a 21st century battlefield. Both nation's military institutions are highly deficient in inculcating an appreciation for the roles of intelligence + combined arms OP with immediate closed air-support. And that is ironical, for a tri-service institution, supposedly committed to inculcating "jointmanship" in all three services. Pakistan Army's XI Corps (called Army Reserve Center) located in Pashtun-majority Peshawar, is responsible for covering the Khyber Pass against Soviets. The XI Corps command was the primary support and logistic base for the Taliban. After 9/11, it was involved fighting Al-Qaida for U.S.'s war on terror in Waziristan and the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. With the end of the Cold War, 9 Infantry Division of XI Corps had been reorientated to Gulteri in the eastern border, opposite to Dras sector in Kargil district of Ladakh in India. Here, the 9 Infantry Division of XI Corps, is under the Pakistan Army's X Corps located in Rawalpindi, which has four mountain divisions near India-Pakistan LoC had been reinforced with the three brigades that have moved into Skardu. Two paradigms in military theory are attrition and maneuver, preventing effective cooperation between segments of the enemy force. Manoeuvre positions forces to inflict attrition on the enemy, while attrition disrupts the enemy to enable manoeuvre. The entire LAC is handled by the Western Theatre Command of the PLA. Since China has both bigger defence budget and military industrial base, the three Indian armed services must agree to adopt integrated operations plan for contingency scenarios. Combined arms is the employment of two or more arms together in complementary ways. This allows each arm to exploit the strengths and protect the weaknesses of the others with which it is combined. For the CDS to focus exclusively on doctrines and theaterisation, CDS will need Vice-CDS and a range of Deputy CDSs, with one Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff responsible for capital procurement projects. India needs to start training officers together from junior command courses onwards, and to combine the 3 higher command courses into a single curriculum, under an integrated Joint Training Command under which all training establishments function. India too needs to create a Joint Logistics Command. "We're going to fight an enemy that can pretty much see the whole battlefield space [and electromagnetic signals] and has a magazine depth and range to hit anything. There's no place you can relax, rest or let your guard down. That means ground commanders will have to factor in scenarios in which some supplies will be unavailable." Air power is the primary tool to achieve tactical gains in modern warfare. In the past, the Indian Army took the lead in any land battle with air-support, however, unlike China (which lacks modern fighter jet engines to carry out high-altitude, offensive ops), India's Air power arm is the most ready to play a decisive role in any offensive & defensive 'integrated' future conflict with China. The best defense is to destroy the launch vehicle before it can fire. Similar tactics can be used against artillery and missiles units. “Kill the archer” is the term the Pentagon uses. The importance of Indian Army is greater, only when one needs boots on the ground. Fire without manoeuvre is useless; movement without fire is suicide. Shaping all phases of the fight. Establishing pace that the enemy cannot maintain, forcing the enemy not just problems, but a no-win dilemma. Striking at unexpected time and place, while holding the flank and denying area. The practice of 10/10/10 cycle format through 10 offensive plays, 10 defensive plays and 10 minutes of getting the hell out. PLA's new 'rapid-mobility' Light Infantry Squad has 9 soldiers for active border (consists of 2 x asymmetrical fire teams): The 1 X Squad Leader's team has 1 X dedicated man-portable missile/rocket gunner (anti-armour), 1 x rifleman who is also deputy gunner, and 1 X rifleman for "close combat" defence. The 1 X Deputy Squad Leader's team (may have grenade launcher slung under his rifle) has 1 X dedicated Light Machine Gunner, 2 X riflemen (carrying extra ammos) and 1 X Operator/Driver (10-seater wheeled vehicle) who is also a rifleman. PLA's Motorized/Armoured Infantry Squad has 7 soldiers + 2 Operators/Drivers during peace time (consists of 2 x asymmetrical fire teams): The 1 X Squad Leader's team has 1 X designated Scout-Sniper carrying special penetrating ammos, 1 X dedicated Light Machine Gunner, 1 X rifleman (carrying extra ammos), and also a driver who typically doesn't dismount. The 1 X Deputy Squad Leader's team has 1 X dedicated high explosive (HE) Grenadier or dedicated man-portable missile/rocket gunner (anti-armour), 1 x rifleman who is also deputy grenadier/gunner, and also a driver who typically doesn't dismount. "The PLA ground forces now stand at some 975,000, a very small number for a country that has 13,743 miles of borders with 14 countries — including extreme high-mountain borders where internal combustion engines lose power, jungle-covered borders where remote observation is spoiled by foliage, Russian-river borders with endemic smuggling, and the border with India’s Ladakh where an accumulation of unresolved Chinese intrusions have forced each side to deploy substantial ground forces, with at least 80,000 on the Chinese side. China did in fact have a substantial dedicated border force, but it was abolished for the same reason that the PLA ground army is so small: a crippling shortage of physically fit Chinese men willing to serve in these regions. Cities and towns, by contrast, do not seem afflicted by such severe manpower shortages, leading to the weird phenomenon on Nepal’s main border crossing to Tibet where, according to an acquaintance, a group of freezing Cantonese city policemen were checking travellers and “guarding the border”. (They said they had been “volunteered” for two months.) These days air and naval forces need high skill levels across the board, and that is the PLA’s Achilles’ heel: bright young Chinese are possibly the planet’s most civilian-minded population, least inclined to serve under the command of a military hierarchy. Turkic, Manchurian and Mongol populations preferred to serve as soldiers rather than farmers, while with the Han Chinese it was the other way round. More money would only help to induce them to volunteer if there were a concurrent economic downturn. There is one right now, as it happens, with very high youth unemployment numbers declared to be around 20%."Edward Luttwak
The Great Powers marched confidently into battle in 1914 prepared for previous wars, resulting in horrific casualties. The cognitive evolution to Competition with China must proceed through three steps: (1) acknowledging the limitations of the historical conceptualization of operational art and re-define operational art for today's strategic environment; (2) embracing the different warfare perspectives, specifically how China understand warfare; and (3) the military application, in China's "instrument of national power (DIME)", in US-China competition. In 1999, two PLA colonels, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui wrote that, the "boundaries lying between the two worlds of war and non-war, of military and non-military, will be totally destroyed" so that even the "rules of war may need to be rewritten." Unlike the US Army, the USMC are short-term or stand-in commando (either entry shock-troops or amphibious re-enforced infantry integrated to provide brown-water maritime security for the Navy to carry out its combat operations) educated institutionally in seeking/exploiting gaps (using CI teams within degraded satcom) under fog (the enemy observing you has only limited visibility. It doesn't mean you are "not there") and trained in surprise maneuver at sea (magtf) using low-signature long-range high-end fire. A warfighting philosophy that counsels us to “orient on the enemy,” uncover their “surfaces and gaps,” to disrupt their decision-making cycle, gain dominance in operational tempo, and ultimately “penetrate the system, tear it apart, and … destroy the isolated components.” Shaping all phases of the fight, aiming to defeat enemies through a system-centric approach that focused the application of force at a decisive point at the correct time. Establishing pace, that the enemy cannot maintain, forcing the enemy not just problems, but a no-win dilemma. USMC helps the combined/joint forces in any operation; and counter-reconnaissance, disrupt or defeat the enemy sensors & signal networks (for long-range reconnaissance-strike capabilities) and targetting tasks from the ground, behind enemy lines, in the contact and blunt layers which will be useful to naval and joint commanders. Marine Corps roles and basic structure are codified in 10 U.S.C. § 5063 that prescribes a Marine Corps primarily focused on “seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and for the conduct of such land operations as may be essential to the prosecution of a naval campaign” and structured as “forces of combined arms”. USMC mantra is to be the only service that prepares to Embrace (rectify itself fast), Adapt and Overcome the constant uncertainty and tailor itself to the speed of the changes in any type of complex warfare. Striking at unexpected time and place, while holding the flank and denying area. Winning the hider-finder contest will be critical. Col. John Lynch, MARSOC deputy commander, points out, "It starts with being a problem solver, one that never becomes complacent but instead remains adaptable and forward-thinking." US Navy-Marine Corps integrated force are developing concepts for conducting nested Distributed, Littoral and Expeditionary operations to achieve sea control, sea denial and power projection in order to compete with China from 2023 to 2030 in the grey zone competition. The purpose of the Marine Corps’ evolution is to frustrate the adversary’s plans to mitigate Marine capabilities. The Navy and Marine Corps Team must be ready to compete, fight, and win whenever and wherever needed. Navy-Marine Corps team power rest in their ability to maneuver anytime, anywhere the seas reaches. However, the 3 Marine Littoral Regiment alone cannot fight a peer war with China. USMC can't out-armor the Army. It can't out-artillery the Army. Unlike the Marine Corps, the US Army can afford to add missiles (MLRs), without losing any of its legacy capabilities. In a peer-to-peer fight in the Pacific Ocean, USMC is supporting the Navy or Airforce to disrupt the Chinese long-range reconnaissance-strike capabilities; and the Army being the main ground force. USMC helps the combined/joint forces in any operation; and counter-reconnaissance, harass or defeat the enemy sensors & signal networks, and targetting tasks from the ground behind enemy lines, in the contact and blunt layers, will be useful to naval and joint commanders. Hence, USMC is reducing its frontline combat strength by decreasing its infantry battalions by 200 troops and elimination of only 3 infantry battalions (and 2 reserve-component infantry battalions). They still have a full-force of 21 infantry battalions (and 6 infantry battalions as reserve), but 4000 fewer marines. Let's remember, that the whole idea is distributed maritime operations for mass effects and not mass forces. During, peacetime, the adversary will know the location, but not disposition. The Marine squad now contains peacetime 13 Marines, instead of the wartime configured 15 Marines. Removal of the assistant squad leader and one rifleman from each squad. Each of the 3 rifle companies will contain signal, logistics, EW and medical. A Navy corps-man to each squad, added EW capabilities, water purification and organic electrical power generation, as well as work on unmanned tactical resupply. Added medical training and personnel for improved casualty care in austere locations where medical evacuation may not be available. Reorganized rifle company elements into a weapons platoon, manned with machine gunners, mortarmen, anti-tank missile gunners and organic precision-fire personnel. Marine Corps are trying to “get to decision-making at machine speed”. In its experiments, it is seeking to reduce the cognitive load or demands (e.g., attention and memory) of combat operations for company non-commissioned officers. In a peer-to-peer fight in the Pacific Ocean, USMC is supporting the Navy or Airforce to disrupt Chinese long-range reconnaissance-strike capabilities; and the Army being the main ground force. Hence, USMC is reducing its frontline combat strength by decreasing its infantry battalions by 200 troops and elimination of only 3 infantry battalions (and 2 reserve-component infantry battalions). The littoral regiment will be made up of roughly 2,000 Marines and contain 3 elements: the littoral combat team, the littoral anti-air battalion and the littoral logistics battalion. Let's remember, that the whole idea is distributed maritime operations for mass effects and not mass forces. For a long time, the US Navy Department has had 2 components; the Navy fleet and the marines, which is now a separate service that is still closely intertwined with the navy. When the USMC was created, marines were sailors trained and equipped to fight as infantry, and they were very much part of the navy and part of ship crews. This changed radically in the late 19th century, when all-metal steam ships replaced wooden sailing ships. The 1st Marine infantry Division is the oldest two division-sized unit of the USMC, and when it started bore the designation of 2nd Advanced Base Regiment. It was primarily employed in wars in the Caribbean. When WW-2 approached, the USMC really came into its own, when the US Navy realized that they would have to use amphibious assaults to take over the heavily fortified islands of Japanese garrisons (or at least disrupting or harassing them) in a future war in the Pacific Ocean. USMC jobs are those that are too tough or too distant for US Army. USMC primary job in South China Sea is sea denial to control of the maritime space. Once the US entered WW-2 the marines formed their first division size units and ended the war with 6 divisions, organized into 2 corps. Only 4 of those divisions survived the after WW-2 and one of them is now a reserve division. In 2006, the USMC basically lost 2 of their 4 Force Recon companies (one being a reserve unit) in order to build Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC). The marines consider themselves specialists, while the US Army are generalists who carry out more amphibious operations than the marines. Some USMC has found a home in SOCOM, since marine leaders want to shrink the Corps so that they become small enough to handle anticipated navy amphibious operations and not large enough to have troops available for large-scale support of army operations. Most marine commanders see their future as, even more elite and better equipped force that can harass, the heavily fortified islands of Chinese garrisons throughout the region. Infantry Marines to become well-versed in multiple weapons systems -- less specialized and more "commando-like." "Specialization is for insects."Robert A. Heinlein. To be able to impose asymmetric threats on the enemy and to enable the transit of a carrier strike group. The Carrier Strike Group remains the premier fighting unit of the US Navy. Soviet doctrine and operational art evolved from relatively predictable battle plans in the 1960s, to agile, dynamic operations in the 1970s that included an independent maneuver "shock" force to rapidly penetrate NATO territory. The largest Soviet shock-troop special force is called the VDV (Vozdushno-Desantnye Vojska) who spearheaded strategic peripheral operations. They are also used as elite force that provide security for regular troops to carry out their combat operations. Their training is much more rigorous than that in ordinary Soviet units, and is similar to US Marine. The divisions are smaller than regular motorized rifle divisions. They are a highly mobile, rapid-action, ground force who are often able to achieve surprise. These motor rife units fly in but do not parachute in. They also have titles like 'air-transportable' but that is simply because they carry air-droppable light armored vehicle with little mechanized equipment (trained to be mounted units if required) & have their own helicopters units (close air support / airpower). They have little capability to withstand direct mechanised attack. Their training is the best traditional sort - tough, demanding exercises with a focus on the basics of light infantry. In 1968 in Czechoslovakia, it was the VDV that took over the Prague airport and captured much of the Czech leadership. The Soviet leadership uses the VDV where the other tough guys fail. In Azerbaijan and Armenia in 1987, ethnic disputes got out of the control of the local police. The Interior Army was called in. They couldn't handle it. The VDV was called in. They are often mistaken for the GRU Spetsnaz. Admitting a costly error is important; preventing it from being repeated can save both lives and dollars. Ships, strategies, tactics are all secondary to people. The military's backbone is its personnel. It's insultingly bad policy to tell soldiers that they are not important enough to merit libraries or ping-pong tables.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI0qXPqufBY The Indian Army, till recently has been importing Extreme Cold Weather clothing and several Special Clothing and Mountaineering Equipment (SCME) items for the troops deployed in high altitude regions. The extreme ECWS is required by Indian Army for its sustained operations in glacier and Himalayan peaks. The DRDO designed ECWCS is an ergonomically designed modular technical clothing with improved thermal insulation and physiological comfort based on the insulation required at various ambient climatic conditions in Himalayan regions during different levels of physical activity. Considering the widely fluctuating weather conditions in the Himalayan peaks, the clothing provides an advantage of fewer combinations to meet the required insulation or IREQ for the prevailing climatic conditions, thereby providing a viable import alternative for the Indian Army. The Three-layered ECWCS embodies physiological concepts related to reduction in respiratory heat and water loss, unhindered range of motions and rapid absorption of sweat while providing water-proof, wind-proof features with adequate breathability and enhanced insulation as well as strength features required for high altitude operations. The three layered ECWCS is designed to suitably provide thermal insulation over a temperature range of +15 to -50° Celsius with different combinations of the layers and intensity of physical work. The WPMS is a crucial technology which is embedded in a vest worn in direct body contact. It is a product developed by the Defence Bioengineering & Electromedical Laboratory of the DRDO. It is embedded with an array of sensors, each connected to a central processing unit, to allow specialists based at a faraway station to remotely monitor the health and fitness aspects of each of the soldiers posted in remote border areas. Each soldier wears a smart vest so that specialists at the base station, hundreds of kilometres away, are able to monitor each one independently and simultaneously. The WPMS is designed using a microcontroller. It is interfaced with wireless communication and Global Positioning System (GPS) modules. The acquired signals are sent in real-time at a speed of 250 samples/second, digitised at 12-bit resolution and transmitted wirelessly along with the geo-location of the wearer. It monitors and issues real-time signals pertaining to electrocardiogram (ECG), photo-plethysmogram, body temperature, blood pressure, galvanic skin response and heart rate of each soldier. The galvanic skin response (GSR) detects a change in the electrical properties of the skin in response to stress or anxiety; and can be measured either by recording the electrical resistance of the skin or through weak currents generated by the body in such circumstances. The photo-plethysmogram (PPG) non-invasively screens and relays in real-time valuable information about the performance of each soldier's cardiovascular system. It detects anomalies by illuminating the skin with a light from a light-emitting diode (LED) and then measuring the amount of light either transmitted or reflected to a photodiode attached to the vest. Johannes Haller, a qualified master weaver from Europe, invented the new khaki dye from the bark of semicarpus tree at Basel Mission’s weaving establishment in Balmatta in 1851, reveals Jaiprakash Raghavaiah’s doctoral work (‘Basel Mission industries in Malabar and South Canara: 1834-1914’) and reports of German evangelical mission in the department of archives, Karnataka Theological College (KTC), Balmatta. Indian military's uniforms are numbered. Indian Navy has the biggest number of uniforms at 16 among the 3 wings, each for various events. The Army has 9 and the IAF has 15. The battle dress uniform (BDU) is generally camouflaged. For sea, there are existing fire retardant overalls, which would be used by the personnel. Naval force sources revealed that the camouflage uniform (small rectangular pixel shapes), endorsed in June 2019, will supplant Dress No. 10A, a light blue half-sleeve shirt and naval force blue pants. According to, Navy sources, it has been decided that Dress No. 4A & 4B will be in no use further. Dress number 5 and 6 will not be used for the time being. The U.S. Army tried both MARPAT and MultiCam in Afghanistan and found MultiCam more effective and popular. The fact that MultiCam was a favorite with SOCOM was a deciding factor. So, after over more than a decade of use, UCP gets replaced by its more expensive and, at least in Afghanistan, much more effective competitor, MultiCam, or, to be precise, a variant of MultiCam called Scorpion W2 but officially the army gave it another name; Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP). The Scorpion W2 is an updated version on the original Scorpion design, which was used a decade ago. The MultiCam pattern, which was used on most uniforms for soldiers deployed to Iraq in 2010, is privately owned by a company called Crye Precision and is said to be useful for concealment in a variety of environments and terrains, including urban, desert and green settings. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 2014 called on the Pentagon to put an end to the services branding their ranks with unique camouflage uniforms. In addition to Crye, the other finalists in the Army's Phase IV camouflage testing included ADS Inc., teamed with Hyperstealth, Inc.; Brookwood Companies Inc.; and Kryptek Inc. The objective of Weiqi or Weichi 围棋 is to surround one's opponent (punishing a nearby adversary or by adding resources), leading to decisive engagements to remove the other player's pieces and ultimately win by occupying more space on the board. The Border Area Development Programme (BADP) covers 111 border districts in 17 states to meet special development needs of border population with a focus on the people living within 50 kms of the International Border. The BADP schemes include construction of primary health centres, schools, supply of drinking water, community centres, connectivity, drainage, to enable sustainable living in border areas. Skill development training to farmers for the use of modern and scientific techniques in farming, organic farming are also part of the BADP now. If the Earth kills you because you cannot survive against the elements--you are not going to do much against the human enemy. Indian Army high-altitude troops train at 9,000 feet, compared with PLA troops training at 5,000 feet on the Tibet Plateau. The air is thin, and hence, the sunshine is far more intense. Radar performance is degraded by the dense clutter of the mountains. Solar power cannot be depended upon due to frequent cloud cover. The only source of power that sustains the armed forces is the cheap and readily available but noisy diesel generator sets. It is believed that the Indian Army, DRDO and mara-military have also been experimenting and trying out Fuel Cells as an alternate source of 24/7 power for their remote, high-altitude camps or posts for a few years now. It takes a colossal effort (by air, road, ponies & porters) to pre-stock and maintain these positions for the winter at an extremely high cost to men, machines and the exchequer. Heavier engineering and other related equipment will need to be ferried by the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) C-17 and C-130J transport aircraft that are hugely expensive to operate. Temperatures can drop to as low as -50 degrees centigrade. This poses serious challenges for machinery, lead-acid batteries stop working at -10 degrees, and the rubber pipes in engines that connect fuel tanks become brittle at -20 degrees. Along with the difficult and tricky terrains of snow-clad mountains, change in fuel flow sometimes can be the culprit for motor vehicles not working in crucial times. The Indian armed forces can now use winter diesel, a specialised fuel which contains additives to maintain lower viscosity, which is usable at for high altitude regions and temperatures as low as -30° celsius. Besides winter diesel has a higher cetane rating and compression needed for ignition; and a lower sulphur content, which means lower deposits in engines and better performance. Before the launch of winter diesel, people in these high altitude and low temperature were using kerosene to dilute diesel to make it usable. The 800 km journey to Ladakh is notorious for accidents: "In the land of the Lama, do not be a Gama (name of a famous wrestler)." PLA outposts has been equipped with oxygen stations and set-up high-pressure oxygen (for troops to recover stamina, reduce breathing difficulties and altitude stress), which are specially designed portable barracks for its troops stationed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to boost combat capability in the high-altitude ranges where oxygen levels are low. PLA has also been equipping Tibetan military bases with portable barracks, specifically designed for plateau areas. The barracks’ design and material make them sturdy, moisture-proof and cold-resistant, even keep the room temperature at 15 degrees Celsius even during bad snow storms. India will build 96 more temperature controlled integrated ITBP border outposts (BoPs) along the 3,488 km long India-China border bringing a total to 272. 42 roads out of 59, with a length 1,530.38 km has already been completed. The difference between China and India is that PLA has high-altitudes firing ranges, training grounds, SAM sites, underground logistics warehouses, heliports and garrison barracks. India still lacks high-altitude firing ranges & training facility, and underground logistics warehouses for Indian Army's longer-range systems and heavy mechanised units. Unless you have ranges for longer-range systems and fire them and test them, you will not know. If we don't test our rockets at high altitude, we are in trouble. Although few facilities are available, but you may have to wait for one year to test fire as there is always months long queue. There are not enough test facilities in Northern and Eastern areas in the mountains. Indian Army has decided to shelve all new raising for a China-specific Mountain Strike Corps due to financial constraints. ITBP will raise nine more battalions (around 9,000 men) for its new outposts. The new posts will also help reduce the time taken by the troops to travel on this arduous terrain, help in supplies of rations to the posts located at the altitude of 12,000 to 18,000 feet and also help in keeping a close watch over the Chinese army build-up in a tense situation. "We have a plan for 734 border outposts (BoPs) on the entire Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan border. At present, we have 635. Some of the new border outposts (BoPs) will come up in Sikkim." Rajni Kant Mishra. Indian Army is also raising 6 battalions of 800 fighting men optimised for capturing the Kartarpur Corridor, Nankana Sahib & Umerkot. Fiberglass reinforced polymers (GFRP) climate control camps or outposts developed in India. However, the 54 or 47 temperature-controlled 20-people border outposts (BOPs) project awarded to National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC) for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops in Ladakh has been declared as a "failure" since the temperatures could not be maintained despite several attempts. The temperature could best be maintained at 15 degrees in summer. As of now, the heating is done in BOPs by using gas heaters or bukharis to ensure warmth inside the extreme temperatures. Motivation and self-discipline are important in the military, where making mistakes can be fatal. Every division consists of a formation of around 12,000 troops. There are currently 34 million Americans of prime military age (17-24). But because of bad lifestyle choices, only 28% of them (9.5 million) are physically eligible for service. Over a third of the people of military age are considered obese. Most soldiers, especially those in jobs requiring a lot of physical activity, have closer to 15% body fat (22% for women). Each year, the armed forces have to recruit 150,000 new troops. Male recruits could not have a body fat percentage higher than 24% (it used to be 26%) and for females was 30% (it used to be 32%). Most men with 24% (and women with 30%) body fat would appear chubby. This is not just an American problem. All Western nations (including Japan and South Korea) have similar problems with recruiting and maintaining training standards after recruit training. Even China is having the problem.
The Defence Ministry of India has cleared a proposal to create 3 new military institutions involving the Army, Navy and Air Force for special tasks: (1) The Armed Forces Special Operations Division; (2) The Defence Cyber Agency; (3) The Defence Space Agency. Philippines will launch a new “Cyber Security Command” to work to mitigate the alarming rise of cyber assaults on government agencies. "Instead of recruiting soldiers for infantry battalions, this time we will recruit cyber warriors." China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), the world's largest active military of 2.26 million (India has 1.36 million), in its annual white paper disclosed its troops totalled 1.5 million, excluding the number of personnel in its Second Artillery Force (under Strategic Command Division) that handle nuclear and ballistic missiles unit of the Chinese military. However, China has only 1.4 million reserve soldiers while India has 2.8 million. India must also not forget that the PLARF is the world leader in terms of land-based precision missiles. Nations that have poor Strike aircraft capability often rely heavily on land-based missiles. China's defense spending (excluding R&D expenditures) for 2019, was at 1.66 trillion yuan. The latest budget increase to 1.35 trillion yuan ($208 billion) shows the defense spending for 2021 will rise to 6.8% or 6.9%. China spends the highest amount of money on data-driven war-gamed realistic precision-strike combat training, since many PLA officers are known to be unable to deal with unexpected situations. The PLA has had difficulty addressing the shortage of officers who can make decisions by themselves (when they are cut-off from their chain of command) and have a deep knowledge of joint combat operations. China's aims at developing an in-depth precision strike munitions system backed by integrated persistent surveillance and reconnaissance, and C2 capabilities to operate in Taiwan and Tibet. China's Central Base Depot, which stores warheads, is strategically located inside Mt. Taibai among the Qin Mountains in Central China. PLA believes cyber deterrence and reconnaissance should make up a single integrated effort, to achieving information (AI) superiority. Strategic cognitive overmatch (military-civil grey-zone multi-domain war) and tactical anti-satellite (space) warfare. In Chinese military, this is as important as space and nuclear deterrence. China is focusing on attrition warfare, not using troops, but using AI-based, all-domain 全域作战, mobile, warfare tech, to disaggregate adversary's ISR capabilities and affect its adversary's ability to make decisions & take critical actions in the early stages of conflict. All domains can be contested for control of resources or degrade the position of the adversary. China will also have a capability edge over India as they have integrated their land-based & space-based multi-Sensor grid for target navigation (and C2). The Pentagon report on China confirmed Indian intelligence reports that PLA had laid optical fibre cables along the contested 1597 km Ladakh LAC for faster war deployment and decision-making. PLA-SSF's Network Systems Department (NSD) is responsible for signals intelligence and information warfare, with the critical mission of operationalizing PLA's integrated network, cyber, EW operations, and psychological warfare. NSD also helms the PLA-SSF's corps leader training facility, called Information Engineering University. Technical Reconnaissance & Electronic countermeasures focused, General Staff Department (GSD) Third Department (also called GSD's 3PLA) constitutes the backbone of the NSD. The GSD's 4PLA deals with Information warfare. The Strategic guidelines direct the PLA to win in “Informatized Local Wars,” when the dominant mode of warfare is confrontation between “information-based systems-of-systems”. PLA's operational system-of-systems is composed of 5 sub-systems:
China saw the Sino-Vietnamese border conflict of 1979 to 1990 as a way to evolve the PLA by testing new doctrines and equipment on its border. China's bases near Indian northern border, possess sustain robust battlespace information awareness capabilities that are often dismissed by Indian Army and AirForce who believe the bases will be easily neutralized in a conflict. Indian Army's firepower and maneuver are certainly important, but equally important is the ability to preserve information for one's own weapon systems while simultaneously starving battlespace information to one's adversary critical operational systems. Chinese are not "ten feet tall" but Indian Army should not take such PLA information capabilities dominance for granted. China's integrated communications network capabilities include redundant ISR & EW drones, fiber-optic cable, multi-band satellite communications, high-frequency broadband arrays, tropospheric-scatter communications, frequency-diverse radar systems, electronic intelligence systems, and half a dozen microwave over-the-horizon radars, relocatable ESM and cell-phone communications towers. The suggestion that the Chinese outposts are vulnerable because of a lack of survivable, redundant systems misses the point. The Chinese bases collectively present a big "quality is quantity" threat. Chinese bases primarily act as "information hard-points," harbouring and enabling significant communications and reconnaissance capabilities, as well as counters to adversary information control. The element of surprise and remaining undetected to the enemy has been central to the success of military combat throughout history. Radio frequency detection is one of the most effective systems for detecting and tracking forces, bypassing traditional methods of camouflage. China has both bigger budget and military industrial base. China envisions further improving joint operations and towards application of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. AI-enabled machines can gather intelligence, identifying intent, and monitoring operations. It can aid target recognition and be expected to perform tasks and change tactics at speeds that human operators cannot. For example, event-based sensors can operate asynchronously, and only transmit data from pixels that have changed, so they produce 100 times fewer data in sparse scenes which leads to 100x lower latency at 100x lower power. An asynchronous read-out integrated circuit (ROIC) and the machine learning algorithm processing layer together will enable an integrated event-based camera that can operate on less power than 1.5 Watts. It can shrink the time radius of OODA loops: observe, orient, decide, and act. PLA’s theory of victory is based on using precision strikes by PLA rocket force, to permanently disrupt, misdirect or destroy India Air force and Army’s critical operational architecture essential nodes and sensors (C3, space and firepower navigation capabilities), and asymmetric information dominance to be able to manipulate the perceptions of India's top decision-makers which will affect decisions and critical actions in the early stages of conflict. Indian leadership may not be able to handle cognitive overload and confusing narratives, which will adversely affect at strategic level. Military dictatorships are immune to this, but democracies are highly susceptible to this type of warfare. At this level, the troops may win the battle, but the war is lost. Chinese Airforce's key strength is in SIGINT that backs its Army. Starting in 2011, the PLAAF began deploying KJ-500 AEW and BZK-05 UAVs (also fighters for protection) to various airfields, including Lhasa Gonggar and Shigatse Peace Airport, which is about 250 miles west of Lhasa, for a short-term rotational basis, usually from July to September, but some might be there all year. Both airfields are dual-use, so civil aircraft fly in all year long and the runway is built for civil aircraft. The PLAAF also has airfields in Hotan (Hetian) and Kashgar in western Xinjiang, where the PLAAF deployed two J-20s in August 2020. Since 2013 China's airforce main roles have been ISR for "maintaining battlefield transparency", AWACS, H-6K nuke bomber and strategic air transport & air-lift. Another increasingly important element is electronic warfare. Since UAV do not engage in terrain-masking, as that will lead to loss of data-link control, instead, anti-radar seeker sub-munitions and smart loiter munitions are going to extend the range of PLA artillery and its lethality, thus altering the deterrence correlation in the future. A known limitation on Indian Army’s capabilities is shortages of imported spares from major arms supplier nations. It is a regrettable fact that such last-minute panic purchases have now become standard crisis-response. The principal war-waging deficiencies of India are not about the availability or non-availability of arms and ammunition, but about institutional deficiencies like the standalone war-waging postures of the three armed services. High-intensity warfare often dictates that the industrial capabilities of warring states must be re-purposed to support the war effort in order to offset surging demand for replacement equipment or precision-guided munitions, once imported critical parts are expended. Developing nations are having to increase defence budgets to restore pre-war stockpiles, while even the US defence industry is having to re-assess its supply chain capacity to sustain wartime levels of production across an expansive range of weapons systems and platforms. The issue with the US defence industry is that the majority of R&D and manufacturing capabilities had been tailored to supply equipment for low-intensity warfare and counterinsurgency operations. European defence firms (France, Germany and the UK) have the expertise, but they face great difficulty in producing equipment at scale, with the slower tempo of European defence procurement having severely undermined the industry’s ability to ramp-up production to meet wartime needs. India’s dependence on imported platform is also the root of the Indian armed forces equipment shortages. India has been one of the world’s top arms importers and alone accounted for about 10% of global arms sales volumes. Indian Army has to prepare for the fact that it needs to focus more on capable command & control and to add more mobile artillery rocket firepower. Indian Army's Air-Defence systems also needs more support, but India is working on it. Unlike India, China also builds its electronic fuses. Another increasingly important element is Cognitive Reactive Electronic Warfare (also known as offensive jammers): It targets electronic emissions of all types, but EW system's effectiveness depends on surprise. Turkey stated early on that terrorists are good at defending a specific area using anti-tank missiles and air-defenses against low-flying aircrafts, helicopters, UAVs, but militants don't conduct electronic warfare operations or use UAVs for coordinating artillery units. However, UAV do not engage in terrain-masking, as that will lead to loss of data-link control. While Chinese drones are great for scanning huge swathes of area to look for potential targets of interest during 10 hours of flight time. They also rely entirely on satellite data-links that could be degraded during a time of war. Electronic warfare proved decisive in Vietnam, when USAF B-52 and F-4 carried jammer pods to minimise losses from SA-2 SAMs. US Army can become survivable within enemy territory with Modular Electromagnetic Spectrum Deception Suite (MEDS) to deal with Radar/communications (radio fingerprints), HF/VHF/UHF jamming interference and weaken enemy's heavy defenses. This surprise element is important when it comes to electronic gear in general, which is much more effective if the other side does not know much about how it works. Chinese military's "three defenses" are precision artillery strikes, jamming, and integrated ISR. India still doesn't have a dedicated Electronic Warfare Agency & needs to create a Unified Air-Defence Command led by IAF. Russia has employed drones and electronic warfare to find, fix, and attack important Ukrainian artillery systems, particularly HIMARS and counter-battery radars. Instead of exposing themselves, Russian commando teams use the Strelets, a small computer tablet connecting drones and sensors (like portable thermal IR and digital sights), to detect early build-ups of enemy troops before passing the information on to Russian artillery batteries in almost in real time. India ParaMilitary & Border SecurityInsurgency warfare for "liberation"—which the US attempted to counter at great cost in Vietnam and Afghanistan—is separate from Clausewitz’s conception of war. How could overwhelming firepower, numerical strength, financial power, and advanced technology fail to defeat enemies lacking airpower, heavy artillery, armor, superior logistics, and technology? A non-traditional war (insurgency) that follows from conflicting policies is very different from that which characterizes state-on-state war. It is a war primarily of political and psychological influence, often using nontraditional means such as strikes, boycotts, sabotage, assassination, political mobilization, and even terror—supported when needed by armed elements. In Afghanistan, a reactionary version of Islam coupled with the majority Pashtun population’s ingrained anti-foreign views fueled the Taliban’s ultimate victory. Insurgent groups rarely lose sight of the need to recruit supporters while cutting away loyalty to the target regime.
India shares borders with Pakistan (3,323 km), China (3,488 km), Nepal (1,751 km), Bhutan (699 km), Myanmar (1,643 km) and Bangladesh (4,096 km). 'Accordingly, borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan have been entrusted to the Border Security Force (BSF), China border to Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Nepal and Bhutan borders to Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Myanmar border to Assam Rifles'. How effective has Indian Army been against Pakistan-sponsored terrorists in the last three decades? How long will India Army continue doing CI ops? Can Indian Army's cold-start doctrine resolve the ongoing proxy war by Pakistan Army under a Nuclear umbrella? Many non-military citizens believe that India should have gone to war with Pakistan after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, similar to US that was on a war path after 9/11 attacks. They also support the open politicization of Indian Army, with the ownership by BJP of covert military attacks on terrorists camps inside LoC. This is misguided. Why has Indian leadership not been able to change the behaviour of Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi General Headquarters (GHQ)? Indian and Pakistan's politicians and bureaucrats (civilian leadership) have not realized that Pakistan Army's strategic use of state-sponsored proxies, started in Pakistan's inception in 1947 in J&K, and it only turned worse after the Indo-Pak War of 1971. Pakistan already occupies Gilgit-Baltistan (and Muzaffarabad, Bag, Poonch, Sudhnutti, Kotli, Mirpur, Bhimber), however if India lost the rest of Kashmir, it would not only clear the strategic positions for future invasions from the North but turn Pakistan as the most dominant power in the region due to its strategic location. The Assam Rifles is the oldest and sole paramilitary force of India (not to be confused with Central Armed Police Forces). It has 46 battalions and 12 sectors. Assam Rifles is commanded by the Indian Army and its operations are directed from Fort William, Kolkata. The unit can trace its lineage back to a paramilitary police force that was formed under the British in 1835 called Cachar Levy (Cachar is a district in Assam), it was renamed Assam Rifles in 1917. It says there has been little change in attitudes, since it was formed in colonial times with the aim to control the population (keeping watch on immigrants, and outsiders in general). Assam Rifles is the only force in the country responsible for both internal security and for securing an international border. They live and fight inside difficult conditions (jungles and hills) for weeks at a stretch, separated from their families for long stretches of time; until final retirement, and even then they never get treated equal to ex-serviceman. They cannot get benefits provided by the Army like Army hospitals etc. We are an 18th century force operating in the 21st century. Pakistan Army's strategic use of state-sponsored proxies means Indian Army has to focus on COIN-OPS which has slowly weakened the capabilities of Indian Army operation environment level by loss of brave Indian Army officers and generating intense interests in COIN-OPS. Moreover, the 3- and 4-star Indian Army Generals during peacetime, have better chance to rise in COIN-OPS, than strengthening the Indian Army's Air-Land Battle capabilities in operation environment level for future wars that they may never command. Atleast on the India-Myanmar border, a new impetus is being given to the border guarding role by the Assam Rifles, which is intended to progressively increase the number of Assam Rifles battalion deployed for border guarding. The security posture has significantly curtailed the operational space for terrorists, and in keeping with the improved situation there has been a graduated de-induction of Indian Army units. Indian Army has 3 Land Warfare Doctrine in 2018. A limited air superiority by the Indian Air Force (IAF) is essential for the Indian Army to operate successfully. This strategy requires regular and intense training.
Rashtriya (meaning: National) Rifles or RR is for military tactical CI or CT Ops (Counter-Insurgency/Counter-Terrorist Operations) made up of regular soldiers deputed from other parts of the Indian Army (50% troops from infantry, 40% from other arms and 10% from Army Service Corps), created by Chief of Army Staff General B.C. Joshi to be deployed in Punjab and State of Jammu & Kashmir (high altitude). Hence, it's not possible to join the RR directly, as personnel must first join a regiment before they can serve in the RR. They are sometimes misidentified as part of the Paramilitary, and furthermore were initially designated "paramilitary" to get around the Army manpower ceiling. The Army will get rid of the post of the Director General of Rashtriya Rifles who would now be shifted to Northern Command in Udhampur; and will now be looked after a Major General rather than a Lieutenant General. According to a data released on the 70th Army day, the Indian Army lost one brave-heart every third day in last 13-years between the period of January 2005 to December 2017, revealed that total 1,684 men lost their lives in ceasefire violation by Pakistan, anti-terrorist operations, counter-insurgency, offensive tactical missions and peacekeeping missions. The year 2005 reported the highest number of casualties, 342. Indian commanders report that there has been major progress against local terrorists since the February 14 attack in Kashmir that killed 44 soldiers and police. There were 17 rock-throwing incidents in March compared to 16 in February, 20 in January and 66 in August 2018. There were 18 Kashmiris joining Islamic terror groups during the first three months of 2019 compared to 32 in the same period of 2018 and 23 in 2017. The Indian Army is currently 1.1 million strong. About a third of its numbers retire every year. Indian military pensions cost is $16.4 billion, which is not part of the defence budget. Budget for pensions was more than approximately Rs 18,000 crore. The desired ideal between revenue and capital costs, according to successive parliament defence committees, is 60% and 40%, respectively. The Army was considering measures to reorganise its cadre for the first time in 35 years. One of the proposals being considered is to integrated brigades under major generals and eliminate the rank of Army brigadier. A normal brigade in the current structure has three battalions, each of between 900-1,100 troops. A normal infantry division will have between 9,000-12,000 troops. Currently, there will be about three brigades to a division and about three divisions to a Corps. The Army is contemplating eliminating the formation of a division altogether. Indian Army has about 53 cantonments and 9 army bases. In 2019, it cost the Indian Army Rs 5 crore a day to maintain a brigade of troops, over 3,000 soldiers, on the Siachen glacier. The Indian Army has an authorized strength of 50,028 officers but is 7,300 (or 7,476) short of that figure at present, with another big number seeking "premature retirement" every year. There are 3 routes to become commissioned officers through the Army Cadet College (ACC), Special Commission Officers (SCO) and Permanent Commission (special list) PC-SL. However, the success rate is only 8.46%. Hence, Army has set-up a wing called "Young Leaders training Course (YLC)" at the Officers' Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai to annually train 400 selected soldiers in officer-like qualities (OLQs) Indian Army and Indian Air Force have a separate training command. The Indian Air Force has a Maintenance command in addition. A Strategic Forces Command was also set up in 2003, which is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and nuclear weapons stockpile. Each US Corps comprising at least three divisions, which, in turn, have three brigades under them, are the largest operational field formations. The brigades, comprising at least three regiments, each with around 800 fighting soldiers, are the base units that are used to project force. An Indian Army corps is made up of around three divisions. In turn, each division has three infantry brigades under them. Every brigade consists of three platoon units. One platoon size has three companies and total of 1000 fighting soldiers.
The modern handgun is a precision weapon, modelled on military predecessors; it is light, easily hidden and capable of rapidly and accurately discharging up to 15 rounds without reloading. It is fearsomely effective at what it was designed to do: killing. Take the Glock 19, the 9mm pistol that trades on the gun website Armslist for $675. Its Austrian-based manufacturers boast that it has become a gun of choice of security services worldwide, which is certainly true of police forces across the US. What Glock doesn't say is that the firearm has also become a weapon of choice of criminals trafficking drugs and operating in gangs in the most dangerous inner cities of America, from Oakland to Detroit, St Louis and Memphis. Self-loading Assault riflesIn December 2011, the IA released a global tender for 66,000 multi-caliber assault rifles for around INR48.48 million (USD764 million). The Army decided to test a dual-calibre assault rifle, one that could fire both 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm ammunition. (There was also a OFB 7.62x39 mm prototype which was not developed). The army was looking for a 5.56mm rifle as its primary barrel and 7.62x39 mm (same as AK-56) as its secondary barrel. Trials for such a rifle were conducted till 2015, but none succeeded; but an unknown winner (either the Israeli ACE or the Italian Beretta ARX-160) was to be selected in 2015. While adopting the L85 rifle variant of the SA80 family (derived from AR-18), UK did extensive testing and intentionally deleted the auto-firing and kept it at "single shot" SLR. The reasons given is "single shot doctrine": Soldiers cannot fire such a powerful rifle off his shoulder on full automatic/burst fire. Also, to decrease the consumption of ammo on battlefield and to prevent firing off all the ammo in panic. Any rifle jumps around so much on auto fire that it cannot be aimed even roughly at short range also. Number of experts, determined that even for spray fire, it was almost impossible to pull an auto-firing rifle in rough arc. It would simply start rising and will be pointing at the sky apart from wobbling all over the place. Better and even quicker to fire single shots at distinct targets. Rifles firing a smaller round, and more of them, would have less recoil and therefore be more accurate. It being lighter and with a smaller bullet that a soldier can carry in larger numbers. The Indian Army had long subscribed to this western military wisdom that the 5.56 mm light ammo is better suited for war because it generally injures an enemy soldier, thereby tying down two of his mates who would carry him to safety. But realities of the modern battlefield is that terrorists are not picking up a fallen comrade. OFB Ishapore's new 7.62x39mm Ghaatak SLR (not to be confused with OFB Trichy's 7.62x51mm Ghaatak AR2 for the Indian Army). In February 2017, Indian Army had issued an RFI, for 5.5 lakh assault rifles of 7.62×51 mm calibre with a range of 500-550 metres and weighing less than 4 kg. The rifles were to be made in India. Indian Army previously had a requirement of more than 8 lakh units of 7.62mm rifles but due to the high cost of 2 lakh rupees per rifle, that plan was shelved. Now Indian Army wants 250,000 numbers of new assault rifles (7.62x39mm) with telescopic sights. The AK-203 project has not taken off because of the Russia-Ukraine war. The 3.8 kg AK-203, earlier called AK-103 (7.62x39mm) rifle version of the AK-100 series, designated for India has a fixed side-folding butt, is equipped with a Picatinny rail and has a barrel length of 415 mm. The AK-103 rifle has a rate of fire of 700 rounds per minute and an accuracy range of 800 m. The (Kalashnikov Concern: 42% and Rosoboronexport: 7.5%) Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt Limited (IRRPL) unit, a joint venture between India and Russia at the Korwa Ordnance Factory will manufacture the AK-203 rifles (a modified AK-74M but heavier), including the material sourced, and with 100% ToT. A phased increase in the extent of localization from 5% to 70%. The AK-103 total cost is 91,963 to 81,963 rupees per rifle. Russian side were haggling as they want 14,700 rupees extra as royalty for every AK-103 rifle built in India. India has agreed to pay Rs. 6,000 rupees ($55.39 - $80) extra as royalty for every AK-203 rifle (7.62x39mm) licensed produced in India. The total fee for AK-103 will be $730 million (not $130 million) USD for 601,427 to 671,427 units, excluding the cost of building the gun factory, the bulk of which would be borne by OFB. The first 70,000 rifles will have 30% Russian-made components. And 100,000 guns will be imported directly from Russia. 120,000 AK-203 rifles will be produced in India. The OFB Ishapore's new 7.62x39mm is Ghatak ‘shoot to kill’ SLR, an all-new design that benefits from all the experience gained from the INSAS Excalibur Mk-1, not to be confused with 7.62x51mm OFB Trichy Assault Rifle Ghaatak AR-2 assault rifle for the Indian Army. Both the Trichy Assault Rifle Ghaatak AR-2 and the OFB Ishapore new Ghatak SLR cost over Rs 50,000 each. The assault rifle Indian Army has chosen for the infantry is a weapon, with a longer range and a 7.62 bullet that kills or completely incapacitates the militant or enemy soldiers that it strikes. It is also equipped with a night vision sight. Moreover, a 7.62x51 mm rifle is ideal in counter-insurgency warfare because it is better to take out terrorists before they come close for suicide bombing. The Excalibur Project's 5.56x45mm Kalantak Micro-Assault rifle featuring lesser recoil and muzzle jump, an upgraded version of the DRDO’s 5.56x45mm INSAS EXCALIBUR Mark-I rifle with folding butt for easy carriage and a modern picatinny rail on the barrel, was rejected by the army in 2010 for being “operationally inadequate”. The Excalibur incorporates a “direct gas-tapping angle”, which reduces its recoil, or the “jump” when it is fired. The weapon uses the same ammunition (5.56x45mm) as used in Rifle/ LMG, thus reducing the logistic problems in having different kind of ammunitions for different role of weapons. The Excalibur priced at about Rs 60,000 each. The Indian Army soon re-issued a request for information for 7.62x51mm assault rifles & weighing less than 4 kg for Rs 5,000-crore. The army is also mulling re-tendering for 44,618 5.56mm close-quarter carbines (earlier IWI’s Galil ACE CQB had been rejected on specious grounds). If the carbine requirement is re-tendered, it will take atleast another 4 years to procure one. India had begun to develop the INSAS-1C (Indian National Small Arms System), which incorporated features from several popular foreign designs. The INSAS rifles are broadly based on the produce the cheap and rugged Kalashnikov AK-47 action (the Russians combined the best features of the StG-44 and 7.62x25 PPSh), but with many more modifications. The basic gas-operated action with long stroke gas piston and a rotating bolt, as well as the stamped steel receiver, are generally the same as in modern Kalashnikov rifles. However, the gas system is fitted with a manual gas regulator, similar in design to that found on Stg.58 (FN FAL) rifles (dust-sensitive), as well as a gas cutoff. The charging handle has been moved from the bolt carrier to the left side of the forearm; it is similar in position and design to German HK G3 rifle. The INSAS system was originally planned to have 3 components - a standard rifle, a carbine, and a squad automatic rifle (LMG), all chambered for 5.56 x 45 NATO ammunition. India also adopted this single shot doctrine in its variant of the rifle. The selector / safety switch is located at the left side of the receiver, above the pistol grip, and allows for single shots and three round bursts. The rifle is fitted with a side-folding carrying handle, and either a solid or side-folding metal butt-stock. AK-47 rifles racket in Madhya Pradesh identified by Police Intelligence Anti-terror squad (ATS): Since 2012, a Jabalpur defence establishment employee had allegedly carried out discarded AK-47 rifles and their various parts (meant for smelting) from the Army Base Workshop (for 1 lakh per rifle) to a retired armourer, who in turn re-assembled them into freshly functional assault rifles. The re-assembled rifles were transported by train to Bihar and sold for 5 lakh per rifle to an arms trafficker who sells them to small criminals (and perhaps even to terrorists). In 1980s, soldiers and paramilitary-police units were equipped with a mixture of old British Lee-Enfield bolt action (but still quite effective) rifles and newer Belgian FALs (sort of a semi-automatic Lee-Enfield) plus a growing number of Russian AK-47s. Small arms weapon systems don't share the same obsolescence cycles as some products like electronics or computers do. Age is not the yardstick, performance is. China M305 long battle rifle is a copy of Springfield M1A (civilian version M14) The Mad Minute was a pre-World War I bolt-rifle speed shooting exercise used by British Army riflemen, using the Lee–Enfield service rifle. The exercise (Practice number 22, Rapid Fire, ‘The Musketry Regulations, Part I, 1909) required the rifleman to fire 15 rounds at a “Second Class Figure” target at 300 yards. The practice was only one of the exercises from the annual classification shoot which was used to grade a soldier as a marksman, first-class or second-class shot, depending on the scores he had achieved. The practice was described as; “Lying. Rifle to be loaded and 4 rounds in the magazine before the target appears. Loading to be from the pouch or bandolier by 5 rounds afterwards. One minute allowed”. The rapid aimed fire of the ‘Mad Minute’ was accomplished by used a 'palming' method where the rifleman used the palm of his hand to work the bolt, and not his thumb and fore finger, while maintaining his cheek weld and line of sight. The “Second Class Figure Target” was 48" square (approx. 1.2 x 1.2 meters), with 61 cm and 92 cm circles. The aiming mark was a 12” x 12” (30 x 30 cm) silhouette figure that represented the outline of the head of a man aiming a rifle from a trench. Points were scored by a hit anywhere on the target. Although a 12” target is often mentioned in connection with the Mad Minute practice, this seems to have been an error originating in Ian Hogg’s book, ‘The Encyclopedia of Weaponry’. No other source mentions a 12" target. Thus according to the myth the target size would have been a 1.11 mil circle (3.82 moa), while in reality the target size was a 4.5 mil square (15.3 moa) making the area counting scoring hits over 15 times bigger. Over half a million Nepalis have served in the British army, with about 10% of them dying in combat (over 80% of those during the two world wars.) The SAS wanted Gurkhas because most speak Urdu (the most common language in Pakistan and widely used in Afghanistan) and Gurkhas, being from South Asia, can more easily pass as locals. There are currently 3,500 Gurkhas serving in the British army, and recruiting more is not a problem. Because of high unemployment in Nepal, a job in the British army is like winning the lottery. British military pay is more than 30 times what a good job in Nepal will get you. There are about 10 times as many Gurkhas in the Indian army, but the pay is only a few times what one could make in Nepal, and the fringe benefits are not nearly as good. The UK now pays retired Gurkha soldiers at the same rate as other British soldiers. That means a Gurkhas annual pension is nearly $12,000. The average income in Nepal is about $200 a year. Being a bodyguard is one of the more attractive second careers for retired Gurkhas in Britain. There are several companies in Britain that specialize in providing Gurkhas for security work. Many Gurkhas were hired for key security jobs in Iraq, and then Afghanistan. An increasing number of Gurkhas have been retiring in Britain, instead of returning to Nepal. Close-quarter battle (CQB) Carbines |
China’s Norinco QBZ-95 (export: Type 97) is bullpup design and fires China’s newly developed proprietary DBP87 5.8x42mm cartridge, which is a little wider than the standard 5.56x45mm NATO (SS109), but shorter in overall length. The Type 95 fires single shots or bursts. QBZ-95 longer barrel, gives it a slightly longer range and velocity for sustained firing, against the American M4 carbine, while at the same time having an overall length that's just under 30 inches, i.e. 3 inches shorter than the American gun. QBZ-95-1 is chambered for an improved bullet, the DBP-10. A carbine version has a shorter overall length of just 24 inches, giving it the compactness of a submachine gun with the stopping power of an assault rifle. A third weapon, the light-support-weapon variant, has an even longer barrel and is equipped with a 75 round drum for delivering suppression fire. In 2010 China introduced an upgraded version of the QBZ-95 called the QBZ-95G. There is now a thumb operated safety selector switch and small accessory mounting rails. The trigger guard has also been modified. The new rifle will replace the Type 81 (AK-47) rifles. The magazine is inserted front-first into the well so that the notch on the front of the magazine is retained in the well. The magazine is then "rocked" into place by rotating the rear of the magazine upwards into the well (in a manner similar to the AK-47 series) until the magazine release to the rear of the well is engaged. Sri Lanka Special Force uses it too. | MP 18 fired the standard 9mm pistol round at the rate of 6-7 bullets a second and used a 32 round drum magazine. The basic need was for a compact weapon that could quickly fire a lot of bullets. The Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) has developed the final version of the Modern Sub Machine Carbine (MSMC) or Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC) with the aid of Ordnance Factories. The sub-machine gun is intended for Indian Special Operation troops, MSMC is a replacement for aging second World War Sterling 9mm carbine. Kalashnikov AK-74s are more of a replacement for Sterling gun (sten gun) that, experts point out, have not been effective in striking targets beyond a range of just 50 metres. It is a gas operated weapon, utilizing rotary bolt locking and a gas piston (located above the barrel) and a unique semi-bull-pup weapon feed system behind the trigger mechanism. Buttstock is of telescoped type. However, the two-pin assembly, quick fitting suppressor and polymer magazines need some work. As far as machine guns (both light and heavy) are concerned, India still rely on decades old weapons like PKM’s, DhsK. The Government in 2018 has approved Rs 4,607 crore for 3.5 lakh CQB-effective carbines (out of which the immediate requirement is for nearly 83,000 CQB guns). One lakh close quarter carbines (for close combat scenarios with terrorists) through the fast track procurement route by the Army. CQB carbine guns of 5.56 calibre, with a minimum striking range of 200 metres. |
Indian has now decided to cancel the purchase of 94,000 or 185,000 CAR 816 close quarter battle or combat scenarios with terrorists (CQB) carbines at a cost of ($1200 per rifle) or around Rs 10,000 crore from the international market (UAE-based German Caracal), through the fast track procurement route and issue them only to combat infantrymen – the front-line counter-insurgency soldiers who are directly in contact with the enemy. It would replace OFB-built outdated 9 mm Sterling 1A1 sub-machine guns. The remaining personnel would be issued other weapons such as 5.56 mm carbines and rifles.
It is a selective-fire (SAFE, SEMI and AUTO) 5.56x45mm gas-operated via short stroke piston assault rifle. The standard barrel length is 14.5 inches. The barrel also has a bayonet lug. The overall length with the stock extended is 34.6 inches and with the stock collapsed is 31.37 inches. The weight without a magazine is 7.71 pounds. Caracal International had priced its CAR 817 rifle at 1,200 USD per unit. However, the civilian version CR-223 (CR stands for 'Competition Rifle') is sold under the German brand HAENEL.
However, the procurement of 93,895 CQB for the Indian Army had run into rough weather, when after stiff evaluations two companies — Caracal of the UAE and Reliance Armaments with S&T Motiv (formerly S&T Daewoo) of South Korea. UAE Company has failed to submit its response as per the format of the commercial bid. Officials confirmed that the UAE based company started its commercial production in 2014 and till date does not have a lot of orders to indicate that it has the capacity to produce 93,895 CQBs at the Tawazun Industrial Park in Al Ajban.
It is a selective-fire (SAFE, SEMI and AUTO) 5.56x45mm gas-operated via short stroke piston assault rifle. The standard barrel length is 14.5 inches. The barrel also has a bayonet lug. The overall length with the stock extended is 34.6 inches and with the stock collapsed is 31.37 inches. The weight without a magazine is 7.71 pounds. Caracal International had priced its CAR 817 rifle at 1,200 USD per unit. However, the civilian version CR-223 (CR stands for 'Competition Rifle') is sold under the German brand HAENEL.
However, the procurement of 93,895 CQB for the Indian Army had run into rough weather, when after stiff evaluations two companies — Caracal of the UAE and Reliance Armaments with S&T Motiv (formerly S&T Daewoo) of South Korea. UAE Company has failed to submit its response as per the format of the commercial bid. Officials confirmed that the UAE based company started its commercial production in 2014 and till date does not have a lot of orders to indicate that it has the capacity to produce 93,895 CQBs at the Tawazun Industrial Park in Al Ajban.
Automatic Light Carbines
The Indian Army has been operating without a carbine since 2010, after it retired the licence-built World War-II sterling sub-machine gun. Indian Army is currently using sub-machine guns of 9mm calibre that, experts point out, have not been effective in striking targets beyond a range of just 50 metres. Just to give an idea sterling gun (incorrectly called sten gun) fires 9x19 round and its recoil is only 1/5th of the aforesaid round but still it is not fired in full auto. Even double taps are only used in face to face situation at say 10m to 50m depending on firing posture. (But for instance Argentineans army used auto firing FNFAL). The cheap and rugged Kalashnikov AK-74s are more of a replacement for Sterling gun (sten gun) as it is very short ranged rather than a substitute for INSAS. Indian Army's plans to purchase 65,000 numbers of 7.62×51mm (at 500 metres & weighing less than 4 kg) rifles & 185,000 numbers of assault rifles with telescopic sights in future.
France's FN FAL or Fusil Automatique Léger (Light Automatic Rifle) was the first successful design for a semi-automatic rifle (sort of a semi-automatic Lee-Enfield) that appeared towards the latter half of World War 1. India's Ishapore Rifle Factory is the last place left that license manufactures FN-FAL's Commonwealth derivative, 7.62 1A1 Self-Loading Rifle (SLR).
Since late 1950s, Indian armed forces were equipped with 7.62mm NATO L1A1 self-loading rifles, which were licensed copies of the famous Belgian Stg.58 (FN FAL) rifle. As the 7.62mm self-loading rifles started to become obsolete by the 1980s.
Since late 1950s, Indian armed forces were equipped with 7.62mm NATO L1A1 self-loading rifles, which were licensed copies of the famous Belgian Stg.58 (FN FAL) rifle. As the 7.62mm self-loading rifles started to become obsolete by the 1980s.
QBZ-191 shoots a heavier bullet at greater energy.
The above video adds/fixes some details, as more information surfaced:
-The translucent magazine at 16:24 likely has 30 rounds, not 25 rounds, as stated. The shape of the magazine body closely matches that of other 30 round mags, and if the bottom edge of the follower is supposed to align with the round count markings instead, then there would indeed be enough space for 30 rounds.
-The vertical grip at 22:28 is a light/laser module, with the 4 buttons being laser, red light, white light, and green light, starting from the right button and going counter-clockwise.
-The mystery part in the FCG at 14:30 is most likely a disassembly lever.
-The hand guard on the DMR is very likely to be free-floated. This is because the pin connecting the hand guard to the gas block on the rifle/carbine is NOT present on the DMR, as seen in this new photo: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E6WlDaTVgAMaHUr?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
-The "PEQ15-style" module at 21:27 almost certainly has a laser aiming device. This is because elevation and windage turrets used to zero the laser are present on this module, as seen in this new photo: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E40beHfXEAIDcLv?format=jpg&name=large
Beretta MX-4 Storm semi-automatic carbine “The problem that we refer to as ‘barrel bulge’ occurs commonly due to defects in the ammunition, not in the weapons. Especially in an automatic rifle, which has micro grooves inside the barrel, a small defect in the cartridge can lead to the bullet getting stuck within. But as it is a machine gun, the following bullet rams into the stuck one at high velocity and displaces it. But this causes the barrel to bulge.”
India had procured Colt M-4 carbine rifles from the US, worth several crore rupees, for Indian Army's 8 Para Special Forces battalions. The standard M4 assault rifle costs $750. As part of the M4 component replacement, the U.S. army has also requested some other changes which included improved trigger pull characteristics, ambidextrous controls, and a round counter in the pistol grip in order to track the number of bullets fired over the lifetime of the rifle. These guns have been used extensively by the US Navy SEALS.
The basic infantry weapon, the M16, is over half a century old and the M4 is a short barrel version of that. Colt M4 is a family (Modular Weapon System) of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter version of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality with the M16A2. The M4 is a variant of the M16 that was widely adopted in the 1990s and there are still plenty of M16s in service.It fire 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition and are gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed, selective fire firearms with a 4-position telescoping stock. The army has been upgrading its older M4 assault rifles to the M4A1 standard since 2011 but the marines are not upgrading their M4s (which are mainly used by support troops). The M4 has selective fire options including semi-automatic and 3-round burst (like the M16A2), while the M4A1 has a "full auto" option in place of the 3-round burst.
M16 design has had several problems since it was introduced in the 1960s. The gas-tube system required more frequent cleaning to prevent fouling of the barrel and failure of the reloading system. Therefore main change was replacing the main portion of the rifle with a new component that contains a short stroke piston gas system to reduce buildup of carbon inside the rifle. A heavier barrel which reduces barrel failure from overheating , which happens when several hundred rounds are fired within a few minutes. The army was considering equipping it more effective magazines (27% of the M4 jams were magazine related). A new random misfire problem actually occurs very rarely, although it has existed for years.
The basic infantry weapon, the M16, is over half a century old and the M4 is a short barrel version of that. Colt M4 is a family (Modular Weapon System) of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter version of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality with the M16A2. The M4 is a variant of the M16 that was widely adopted in the 1990s and there are still plenty of M16s in service.It fire 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition and are gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed, selective fire firearms with a 4-position telescoping stock. The army has been upgrading its older M4 assault rifles to the M4A1 standard since 2011 but the marines are not upgrading their M4s (which are mainly used by support troops). The M4 has selective fire options including semi-automatic and 3-round burst (like the M16A2), while the M4A1 has a "full auto" option in place of the 3-round burst.
M16 design has had several problems since it was introduced in the 1960s. The gas-tube system required more frequent cleaning to prevent fouling of the barrel and failure of the reloading system. Therefore main change was replacing the main portion of the rifle with a new component that contains a short stroke piston gas system to reduce buildup of carbon inside the rifle. A heavier barrel which reduces barrel failure from overheating , which happens when several hundred rounds are fired within a few minutes. The army was considering equipping it more effective magazines (27% of the M4 jams were magazine related). A new random misfire problem actually occurs very rarely, although it has existed for years.
Russian Army uses 5.45 AK-12 and 7.62 AK-15 that are lighter but costlier rifles, has the gas-operated long stroke gas piston system and free floating barrels (like American rifles), meaning that the hand-guards do not touch the barrel for greater accuracy. But they have a slower hand-guard disassembly process. The gas tube is fixed in the receiver, and cannot be removed during disassembly. They have a two-round burst mode, as per the request of the Russian MoD. The rear iron sight has been made more compact, in the upgraded Type-II or Gen-II version on both the rifles. There is a 5.56×45mm version for export called AK-19.
In February 2017, Indian Army had issued an RFI, for 5.5 lakh assault rifles of 7.62×51 mm calibre with a range of 500-550 metres and weighing less than 4 kg. The rifles were to be made in India. Indian Army previously had a requirement of more than 8 lakh units of 7.62 mm rifles but due to the high cost of 2 lakh rupees per rifle, that plan was shelved.
As an emergency purchase, the Indian military has fast-tracked the process of importing, from US-based SIG-ARMS, 65,000 or 72,400 units of 4.2kg 7.62×51mm calibre Sauer SiG-716-G2 (Gen-II) assault rifles with 16-inch barrels from to replace OFB manufactured INSAS-1B1 worth an estimated 72 million USD. Indian Army uses the 7.62 x 51mm ammunitions, made for the 7.62 light machine gun (LMG), from Bulgaria. The Indian made 7.62mm rounds, however, are not as efficient as the imported ammunition and tended to spawn "barrel bulges" that rendered many rifles inoperable. The total cost for the SiG-716 Gen-2 rifles is 148 million USD. This means that each rifle costs about $900 or 73,000 to 89,000 rupees. It's besting rival, Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) quote for 1,18,000 rupees or $1600 for each ACE-1 rifle.
The SIG-716 is effective without a scope, but extremely accurate with one. The majority will be for the Indian Army and the remaining will be divided between the Indian Navy (2,000) and the Indian Air Force (4,000). The delivery of the new SIG Sauer 716 G2 (Gen-II) rifles is expected to be within one year, which sounds challenging to say the least. If true, it means they have to produce about 1 400 rifles per week. The first 10,000 of these arrived in late 2019.
Illuminated reticle pattern and adjustable objective with bullet drop compensator. The thermal imaging-based sights intensifiers should allow accurate engagement of targets at a range of 500 metres. The sights should also be able to detect a moving human target at minimum 600 to 800 metres. Another key army requirement is that the sights should have a minimum service life of 10,000 hours of operation or 10 to 12 years, whichever is earlier.
India has also issued a fresh RFI to buy 6.5 lakh assault rifles with the lower specification caliber of 7.62 x 39 mm with a minimum range of 300 metres. This is a fraction of the 1 million rifles that is needed to re-equip the entire 1.3 million strong Indian army. This is the fourth change in 7 years.
Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) had rejected Beretta because a safety measure on its laser visible and invisible sight was found unsuitable. The ‘sight’ on offer by Beretta, widely used in the US and other armies across the world, was fitted with a small screw, which needed to be opened before use. This screw, sources said, added purely as a safety measure, dropped off during the trials, resulting in the DGQA rejecting the ARX 160 and leaving only IWI in the reckoning.
As an emergency purchase, the Indian military has fast-tracked the process of importing, from US-based SIG-ARMS, 65,000 or 72,400 units of 4.2kg 7.62×51mm calibre Sauer SiG-716-G2 (Gen-II) assault rifles with 16-inch barrels from to replace OFB manufactured INSAS-1B1 worth an estimated 72 million USD. Indian Army uses the 7.62 x 51mm ammunitions, made for the 7.62 light machine gun (LMG), from Bulgaria. The Indian made 7.62mm rounds, however, are not as efficient as the imported ammunition and tended to spawn "barrel bulges" that rendered many rifles inoperable. The total cost for the SiG-716 Gen-2 rifles is 148 million USD. This means that each rifle costs about $900 or 73,000 to 89,000 rupees. It's besting rival, Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) quote for 1,18,000 rupees or $1600 for each ACE-1 rifle.
The SIG-716 is effective without a scope, but extremely accurate with one. The majority will be for the Indian Army and the remaining will be divided between the Indian Navy (2,000) and the Indian Air Force (4,000). The delivery of the new SIG Sauer 716 G2 (Gen-II) rifles is expected to be within one year, which sounds challenging to say the least. If true, it means they have to produce about 1 400 rifles per week. The first 10,000 of these arrived in late 2019.
Illuminated reticle pattern and adjustable objective with bullet drop compensator. The thermal imaging-based sights intensifiers should allow accurate engagement of targets at a range of 500 metres. The sights should also be able to detect a moving human target at minimum 600 to 800 metres. Another key army requirement is that the sights should have a minimum service life of 10,000 hours of operation or 10 to 12 years, whichever is earlier.
India has also issued a fresh RFI to buy 6.5 lakh assault rifles with the lower specification caliber of 7.62 x 39 mm with a minimum range of 300 metres. This is a fraction of the 1 million rifles that is needed to re-equip the entire 1.3 million strong Indian army. This is the fourth change in 7 years.
Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) had rejected Beretta because a safety measure on its laser visible and invisible sight was found unsuitable. The ‘sight’ on offer by Beretta, widely used in the US and other armies across the world, was fitted with a small screw, which needed to be opened before use. This screw, sources said, added purely as a safety measure, dropped off during the trials, resulting in the DGQA rejecting the ARX 160 and leaving only IWI in the reckoning.
M26 12 Gauge Modular Accessory Shotgun Systems (MASS) is a version of the Lightweight Shotgun System, developed by C-More Systems and manufactured by Vertu Corporation.
The original idea was based on the Knight's Armament Masterkey system, which dates back to the 1980s and originally comprised a shortened, tube-fed Remington 870 shotgun mounted under an M16 rifle or M4 carbine.
The M26 has been in development at the U.S. Army's Soldier Battle Lab since the late 1990s.
The original idea was based on the Knight's Armament Masterkey system, which dates back to the 1980s and originally comprised a shortened, tube-fed Remington 870 shotgun mounted under an M16 rifle or M4 carbine.
The M26 has been in development at the U.S. Army's Soldier Battle Lab since the late 1990s.
In 2018, the Israel Defense Forces became the first publicly known user of the SMASH 2000 electro-optic rifle scopes. The US SOCOM also started using it in southern Syria to counter drones threats. India has also bought it to counter drones transporting weapons from across the border. However, computer security experts exposed major vulnerabilities with the rifle's WiFi-enabled targeting system.
In 2013, TrackingPoint unveiled the XS1 sniper rifle and its electronic scope, which has many similar features to Smart Shooter's product, but is intended for long-range precision-guided shooting.
In 2013, TrackingPoint unveiled the XS1 sniper rifle and its electronic scope, which has many similar features to Smart Shooter's product, but is intended for long-range precision-guided shooting.
Machine Guns
3.4 kg ARES-16 is a modified M16 high-volume light machine gun or squad automatic weapon (SAW) for US Marine & Navy Seals.
Type 67-2 (soviet pkm)
QBZ 95 or Type 95 machine gun version
QBZ 95 or Type 95 machine gun version
In early 2010, the Indian Army reported it was short of 15,000 general purpose machine guns. In 2020, India bought 16,479 to 17,000 7.6 kg NEGEV NG7 7.62X51mm LMG (with semi-automatic mode for CQB operations) for frontline troops and special forces of the three Services through the Fast Track Procedure (FTP) at Rs 880 crore to over Rs. 1,819 crore ($7,100 each). Its barrel can be quickly changed. Out of which, 6,000 have been delivered to India. A larger order for 30,000 LMGs will be placed from Indian industry.
14.5mm QJG-02 (CS/LM2) is an anti-aircraft machine gun
Anti-Material Marksman Weapon (bolt-action)
Every infantry battalion of the Indian Army has about 8 to 10 snipers. 380 infantry battalions in India are still reportedly using Russian-origin 7.62mm Dragunov semi-automatic sniper rifles. In early 2010, the Indian Army reported it was short of 1,100 anti-materiel rifles. Indian Army floated tenders for procurement of 5,719 8.6mm advanced sniper rifles with thermal imaging night sights (and with an effective kill or strike range of 1,200-metre) to replace SVD Dragunov semi-automatic sniper rifle, the mainstay of Indian soldiers (first inducted in the Indian Army back in 1990).
In 2022, Indian Army floated new tenders for 1,800 8.6mm advanced sniper rifles, due to lack of funds. India wants local defense firms to procure 4,800 long-range sniper rifles with telescopic sights. The shoulder-fired Dragunov does not possess adequate stability. The weapon's 7.62 mm-calibre ammunition has become expensive and procurement has remained pending since 2012. India Army currently uses a limited number of Beretta .338 Lapua Magnum Scorpio TGT and Sako TRG-42 bolt-action sniper rifles acquired through emergency purchases.
In 2022, Indian Army floated new tenders for 1,800 8.6mm advanced sniper rifles, due to lack of funds. India wants local defense firms to procure 4,800 long-range sniper rifles with telescopic sights. The shoulder-fired Dragunov does not possess adequate stability. The weapon's 7.62 mm-calibre ammunition has become expensive and procurement has remained pending since 2012. India Army currently uses a limited number of Beretta .338 Lapua Magnum Scorpio TGT and Sako TRG-42 bolt-action sniper rifles acquired through emergency purchases.
Punj Lloyd will manufacture 5.56x45mm Tavor assault rifles that can fire up to 950 rounds per minute, and X-95 short weapon with a long barrel, three-caliber weapon having 360° Picatinny rail. Apart from assault rifles, the joint venture will also manufacture semi-automatic Negev (5.56X45mm and 7.62X51mm) assault light machine gun and 7.62x51mm semi-automatic Galil sniper rifles. The Galil sniper fires up to 1,000 meters, targeting small, mobile or concealed objectives. Punj Lloyd has set its eye on the Indian Army's plan to purchase 65,000 numbers of 7.62×51mm (at 500 metres & weighing less than 4 kg) rifles & 185,000 numbers of assault rifles with telescopic sights in future.
Israel Weapon Industries Dan .338 is a 6.9 kg (15.2 pound) weapon that, with scope and loaded ten round magazine weighs about nine kilos (20 pounds). This is a bolt action, adjustable stock, weapon with a 737mm (29 inch) barrel. The design is very well thought out, showing the influence of the many Israeli snipers who contributed ideas and opinions to the designers. It was introduced in 2014. A new (since 2003) favorite among snipers, the 8.6mm (.338) Lapua Magnum round, was in the news again recently. The British were already fans of the 8.6mm cartridge. Dutch snipers have also used this round in Afghanistan with much success, and have a over a decade of experience with these larger caliber rifles. Snipers in Iraq, and especially Afghanistan, had been calling for a smaller long range round because they found the 12.7mm weapons too heavy. The Lapua Magnum round has an effective range (about 1,500 meters) about 50 percent greater than the 7.62mm standard NATO round. Like most long range rounds, if the weather (clear) and winds (calm) are right, you can hit targets farther away.
Most sniper operations involve the sniper and his spotter moving around a lot. The lighter 8.6mm rifles are preferred for this. But on the LoC the US trained Pakistani snipers don’t move around. Pakistani troops were getting a lot of US military equipment and instruction that has proven effective in Afghanistan. Pakistan Army received most of their current modern sniper rifles via American military aid. One of the major problems for the Indian Army is the chronically late emergency procurement.
The enemy fighters greatly fear the snipers, and the presence of snipers restricted the mobility of enemy gunmen. Russians had learned that it was not the quality of the rifle and accessories that mattered most, but the selection and training of the sniper. The most effective World War II Russian snipers were women. Since 2001 sniper training in the U.S. Army and Marine Corps has undergone tremendous changes. after 2001 there were more competitions and gatherings that brought together Scout-Sniper from all three primary centers of sniper training (army, marines and army Special Forces) and many valuable exchanges about tactics, techniques and combat experience took place. Finally, the growth in the number of snipers led to many more sniper weapons and items of equipment being developed and produced. This has been driven, in part, by the growth in the number of civilians taking up sniping as a sport.
Most of Russia's T5000 'Tochnost '('Accuracy') bolt-action sniper rifle components are Russian but a few come from German and Austrian suppliers. The T5000 first appeared in 2011, when Russia was less touchy about having a few foreign components. The T5000 was considered a major Russian achievement as it was on a par with the most advanced Western sniper rifle designs. When more people got a look at it they could see it was obviously a rifle based on successful recent Western designs. The problem was that the Russian manufacturer (Orsis) could not produce them fast enough.
It was in Syria where a British SAS commando used an Israeli 8.6mm sniper rifle to kill an ISIL terrorist instructor. The ISIL instructor was about to show his students how to behead prisoners by using a live victim. The British sniper was 1,200 meters away and managed to hit the ISIL instructor in the head at that range. The head shot caused the skull to sort of explode, which apparently made an impression. The SAS sniper was using a new Israeli designed rifle equipped with a suppressor. This is not a silencer but it does greatly reduce the flash and sound of the rifle. For long range shots this means those on the receiving end have a very difficult time telling where the shooter is and that often causes panic.
Between 2009 and 2015 the distance record for sniper kills was held by a 8.6mm sniper rifle. The record shot was made in 2009 by a British sniper (corporal Craig Harrison) who killed two Taliban in Afghanistan, at a range of 2,620 meters (8,596 feet). He did this with a L115A3 rifle firing the 8.6mm Lapua Magnum round. Before that the record was held by a Canadian soldier, corporal Rob Furlong, who dropped an al Qaeda gunman at 2,573 meters (7,972 feet) in 2002, also in Afghanistan with a 12.7mm rifle. These 8.6mm rifles are good at 2,000 meters or more, but weigh twice as much as the 6.8 kg.
In 2015 that record was broken by two Australian snipers in Afghanistan using M82A1 12.7mm rifles. In a coordinated shot at a Taliban leader 2,800 meters away the 2 snipers fired simultaneously and 6 seconds later the Taliban chieftain fell dead. In 2017 another sniper distance record was set when a Canadian sniper in Iraq killed an ISIL fighter at a distance of 3,540 meters using a TAC50 12.7mm sniper rifle. In 2018 a British SAS commando sniper used a 12.7mm M2 machine-gun in single-shot mode to kill an ISIL terrorist leader from some 2,300 meters distant.
The 12.7mm rifles are heavier and many sniper missions require a lot of walking to reach a shooting position and if the expected targets are not at extreme ranges there are lighter sniper rifles available that are accurate out to a thousand meter. But for the longest shots, nothing beats 12.7mm but there is a certain amount of luck in a shot that far because the 12.7mm sniper rifle was designed to be reliable accurate at up to 2,500 meters. Anything beyond that depends on a high degree of skill and experience, and some luck.
Between 2009 and 2015 the distance record for sniper kills was held by a 8.6mm sniper rifle. The record shot was made in 2009 by a British sniper (corporal Craig Harrison) who killed two Taliban in Afghanistan, at a range of 2,620 meters (8,596 feet). He did this with a L115A3 rifle firing the 8.6mm Lapua Magnum round. Before that the record was held by a Canadian soldier, corporal Rob Furlong, who dropped an al Qaeda gunman at 2,573 meters (7,972 feet) in 2002, also in Afghanistan with a 12.7mm rifle. These 8.6mm rifles are good at 2,000 meters or more, but weigh twice as much as the 6.8 kg.
In 2015 that record was broken by two Australian snipers in Afghanistan using M82A1 12.7mm rifles. In a coordinated shot at a Taliban leader 2,800 meters away the 2 snipers fired simultaneously and 6 seconds later the Taliban chieftain fell dead. In 2017 another sniper distance record was set when a Canadian sniper in Iraq killed an ISIL fighter at a distance of 3,540 meters using a TAC50 12.7mm sniper rifle. In 2018 a British SAS commando sniper used a 12.7mm M2 machine-gun in single-shot mode to kill an ISIL terrorist leader from some 2,300 meters distant.
The 12.7mm rifles are heavier and many sniper missions require a lot of walking to reach a shooting position and if the expected targets are not at extreme ranges there are lighter sniper rifles available that are accurate out to a thousand meter. But for the longest shots, nothing beats 12.7mm but there is a certain amount of luck in a shot that far because the 12.7mm sniper rifle was designed to be reliable accurate at up to 2,500 meters. Anything beyond that depends on a high degree of skill and experience, and some luck.
Snipers are force multipliers. The Type 81 hillbilly rifle was designed by the Chinese in the 1970s to replace the Russian AK-47s after China and Russia cut diplomatic and trade relations because of a border dispute. This was the first Chinese designed modern rifle.
Viper sniper rifle for .308 (7.62x51mm) & Saber sniper rifle for .338 Lapua Magnum (8.6mmx70mm NATO) caliber cartridges by Stumpp Schuele & Somappa Defence (SSS Defence) of SSC Stumpp Schuele Casings (SSC). While Viper proved its accuracy from a distance of over 1,000m, Saber proved it on a 1,500-metre range. The parent company Stumpp Schuele Casings (SSC), the first spring manufacturing company in the Indian subcontinent, is also setting up ammunition manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh under a joint venture with the world’s second largest ammunition producer, Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos (CBC) .
South Africa’s Denel NTW-20 large caliber anti-material rifles is licenced-assembly in India by OFB Trichy factory as the Vidhwansak large caliber rifle. However, the Vidhwansak rifle sacrifices its ease-of-use for accuracy and range. The rifle used by the Border Security Forces was also offered to the Indian Army but it chose not to induct it due weight issues.
Even though the NTW-20 rifles fell short of the range specified by 24%, due to OP Vijay urgency, India concluded a contract in July 1999 with the Mechem subsidiary of Denel for the supply of 100 NTW-20 rifles &1 lakh rounds of large caliber ammunition (14.5mm & 20mm) at a total cost of Rs.23.22 crore. The delivery of the first 6 rifles actually took several months, although it was scheduled to be delivered within 15 days of the signing of the contract. The delay in ammunition was caused primarily due to issues in getting chartered ships through the Ministry of Surface Transport for the consignments. Also without telescopic day sight & night-sight and the conversion kit for the rifle lacked accuracy.
Out of the 1,000 NTW-20 anti-materiel rifles (along with 3,98,000 rounds of ammunition), 700 rifles were to be purchased directly and the remaining 300 were to be imported as knock-down kits and licenced-assembly in one of the factories of India's state-owned Ordnance Factory Board. They have not yet been indigenised. However, after 400 rifles had been inducted since in 2002, the South African firm Dennel got blacklisted in 2005 after allegations of corruption surfaced.
The Indian govt. has issued a new tender for 12.7 mm/0.50 calibre lightweight anti-materiel rifles (less than 15 kg) should have a range of at least 1.8 kms capable of damaging targets like battle tanks, low-flying helicopters and bunkers. The ammunition which should available should include armour piercing incendiary and tracer, saboted light armour penetrator, armour piercing explosive incendiary and high explosive armour piercing incendiary. The price should include the cost of annual maintenance, product support package and training of the crew.
P.S.: The H&K PSG-1 is primarily used as the standard-issue semi-automatic sniper rifle by the NSG. They also use the SIG Sauer SSG 3000 when accuracy is the paramount importance.
Even though the NTW-20 rifles fell short of the range specified by 24%, due to OP Vijay urgency, India concluded a contract in July 1999 with the Mechem subsidiary of Denel for the supply of 100 NTW-20 rifles &1 lakh rounds of large caliber ammunition (14.5mm & 20mm) at a total cost of Rs.23.22 crore. The delivery of the first 6 rifles actually took several months, although it was scheduled to be delivered within 15 days of the signing of the contract. The delay in ammunition was caused primarily due to issues in getting chartered ships through the Ministry of Surface Transport for the consignments. Also without telescopic day sight & night-sight and the conversion kit for the rifle lacked accuracy.
Out of the 1,000 NTW-20 anti-materiel rifles (along with 3,98,000 rounds of ammunition), 700 rifles were to be purchased directly and the remaining 300 were to be imported as knock-down kits and licenced-assembly in one of the factories of India's state-owned Ordnance Factory Board. They have not yet been indigenised. However, after 400 rifles had been inducted since in 2002, the South African firm Dennel got blacklisted in 2005 after allegations of corruption surfaced.
The Indian govt. has issued a new tender for 12.7 mm/0.50 calibre lightweight anti-materiel rifles (less than 15 kg) should have a range of at least 1.8 kms capable of damaging targets like battle tanks, low-flying helicopters and bunkers. The ammunition which should available should include armour piercing incendiary and tracer, saboted light armour penetrator, armour piercing explosive incendiary and high explosive armour piercing incendiary. The price should include the cost of annual maintenance, product support package and training of the crew.
P.S.: The H&K PSG-1 is primarily used as the standard-issue semi-automatic sniper rifle by the NSG. They also use the SIG Sauer SSG 3000 when accuracy is the paramount importance.
Barrett's MRAD "extreme long range-Sniper rifle" (ELR-SR) is capable of delivering precise fire at a range of up to 2,500m
OFB had failed to supply the army with the targeted quantity, leading to shortfalls in supplying up to 73% of the total types of ammunition. Defence ministry sources said that seven types of ammunition have been identified for procurement from private suppliers as part of ‘Make in India’. This includes specialist ammunition for tanks and artillery guns, GRAD BM-21 charges and electronic fuses; none of them are currently being manufactured in India.
At the hearing on the CAG report with the Parliamentary Accounts Committee in June, the ministry had assured the MPs that barring one item, they are confident of overcoming “critical” level for all types of ammunition by 2016. That assurance was based on the plans to get private suppliers to produce these critical types of ammunition.
The government has issued 14 licenses to 14 Indian private companies to manufacture ammunition and can now bid for orders.
At the hearing on the CAG report with the Parliamentary Accounts Committee in June, the ministry had assured the MPs that barring one item, they are confident of overcoming “critical” level for all types of ammunition by 2016. That assurance was based on the plans to get private suppliers to produce these critical types of ammunition.
The government has issued 14 licenses to 14 Indian private companies to manufacture ammunition and can now bid for orders.
- Here is a list of companies that have been granted licenses:
- Indtech Construction Pvt. Ltd.
- Larsen & Tourbo Ltd., Mumbai
- Vem Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
- Sec Industries Pvt. Ltd.
- Lords Vanijya Pvt. Ltd.
- Micron Instruments Pvt. Ltd.
- Elbit Advanced Systems Pvt. Ltd.
- Solar Industries India Ltd.
- Kalyani strategic system Ltd.
- Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd.
- Continental Defence solution Pvt. Ltd.
- Shan Arms Industries Pvt. Ltd.
- Pipavav Defence and offshore engineering company Ltd.
- Premier Explosives Ltd.
Militarized version of the cheap and effective Remington 700 centerfire bolt-action rifle appeared as the M40 and two years later as the M24. The Mk13 which is basically the M24 E1, also went through several upgrades after first appearing in the late 1990s as Mk13 Mod 0 and by 2012 it was up to Mk13 Mod 5 and more upgrades followed to produce the Mk13 Mod 7 the marines adopted.
Before saltpeter became widely available, Sal ammonia salt from volcanic mountain in Turfan and Tibet entered India contained nitrates in the form of sodium nitrate which makes for very poor gunpowder on account of the sodiums high affinity for moisture, but a very good curing agent for meat.
“In China, on the other hand, we have the first reference to the gunpowder mixture in the + 8th or + 9th century, its appearance in war early in the + l0th, and its widespread military use in the + 11th and + 12th before it reached Islam and Europe in the + 13th.” (Needham, J.. 1980: 195)
“it is likely that Mongols who introduced the making of fireworks to India in the mid-thirteenth century. We know almost nothing about saltpeter production during this early period, but technical expertise apparently diffused with the adoption of rocketry and eventually artillery by Indian rulers in the fourteenth century. The break-up of the Delhi Sultanate, the rise of regional states, and the growing presence of Turkish mercenaries in India may be linked to the establishment of regular saltpeter production and the adoption and use of gunpowder weapons.” (Frey, J. W.; 2009: 512)
“By the fifteenth century, Indian rulers began to acquire significant parks of artillery, and direct references to saltpeter production suddenly surface, especially in Bengal and neighboring Jaunpur, sultanates dominated at the time by Afghan warlords. Two Persian dictionaries of the period, written by court scholars from these regional states, describe saltpeter manufacturing in detail. These references are telling because the area lying between Jaunpur and Bengal eventually emerged as the premiere saltpeter-producing region of India. As early as the 1460s, nearly forty years before the commencement of the East India trade, these Persian sources make it clear that the rulers of Jaunpur and Bengal already had organized production as state monopolies managed by their chief merchants.” (Frey, J. W.; 2009: 512, 513)
“In China, on the other hand, we have the first reference to the gunpowder mixture in the + 8th or + 9th century, its appearance in war early in the + l0th, and its widespread military use in the + 11th and + 12th before it reached Islam and Europe in the + 13th.” (Needham, J.. 1980: 195)
“it is likely that Mongols who introduced the making of fireworks to India in the mid-thirteenth century. We know almost nothing about saltpeter production during this early period, but technical expertise apparently diffused with the adoption of rocketry and eventually artillery by Indian rulers in the fourteenth century. The break-up of the Delhi Sultanate, the rise of regional states, and the growing presence of Turkish mercenaries in India may be linked to the establishment of regular saltpeter production and the adoption and use of gunpowder weapons.” (Frey, J. W.; 2009: 512)
“By the fifteenth century, Indian rulers began to acquire significant parks of artillery, and direct references to saltpeter production suddenly surface, especially in Bengal and neighboring Jaunpur, sultanates dominated at the time by Afghan warlords. Two Persian dictionaries of the period, written by court scholars from these regional states, describe saltpeter manufacturing in detail. These references are telling because the area lying between Jaunpur and Bengal eventually emerged as the premiere saltpeter-producing region of India. As early as the 1460s, nearly forty years before the commencement of the East India trade, these Persian sources make it clear that the rulers of Jaunpur and Bengal already had organized production as state monopolies managed by their chief merchants.” (Frey, J. W.; 2009: 512, 513)
Warfighting and original thinking is best learned by reading military books (not part of teaching), playing strategy games without computer, watching (instruction videos and military documentaries), wargame exercises on military simulators, warfare training, observing operations, and talking with people on the frontline.
The Manchu bow belongs to the family of Asian composite recurve bows. The comparatively slow, but powerful and stable Manchu bow provided just this: accuracy and impact power on reasonable distances. It is then no wonder that the Manchus used the weapon and tactics derived from their daily hunts in warfare. Manchus are seen in artwork carrying to war almost the same amount of arrows as they did to the hunt: around ten to twenty large arrows, pointing again to their preference of a small number of well-aimed shots rather than hails of arrows. This was effective as the bow had greater reliability, rate of fire and manouverability from the horse. We may conclude that their bow was not an inefficient composite bow design as is commonly thought. It was a very specialized weapon, deliberately built as it was, that was used to great effect.
Its archery tradition influenced, and was influenced by, the traditions of neighboring cultures. Among them were the Mongols, Koreans and Chinese who all had strong and long standing archery traditions of their own. Today these bows are, with some justification, often referred to as Chinese bows. The Manchu bow played a major role in their conquest of not only China, but also the Qing expansion into Eastern Turkestan, Tibet, and Taiwan. Despite its proven effectiveness in the in the17th and 18th centuries, the old methods seized to work in the 19th century when the firearms adopted by other cultures rapidly became more effective.
Its archery tradition influenced, and was influenced by, the traditions of neighboring cultures. Among them were the Mongols, Koreans and Chinese who all had strong and long standing archery traditions of their own. Today these bows are, with some justification, often referred to as Chinese bows. The Manchu bow played a major role in their conquest of not only China, but also the Qing expansion into Eastern Turkestan, Tibet, and Taiwan. Despite its proven effectiveness in the in the17th and 18th centuries, the old methods seized to work in the 19th century when the firearms adopted by other cultures rapidly became more effective.
(top left) a tibetian horse archer (next) 17th century heavy Manchu bow, a military arrow and a typical Qing saber. (top middle) Turko-Mongol bow, the ultimate weapon in warfare for the thousand year period between the huns and the development of useful firearms (top right) Chinese Repeating Crossbow (extreme middle left) Japanese archer (bottom left) modern Tibetan horn-sinew bows (next on right) Chinese Archer from Peiping lane (next on right) Tibeten local archer (bottom right) Archers frieze in Darius palace
Western Swords
The Romans were masters at adopting and modifying sword designs to overcome disadvantages in combat. Improvements to Roman swords were often based upon technology from other cultures like the Greek, Celts and Spanish. This allowed Romans to have a different sword for each warfare strategy.
Overall, the Roman short sword is known as “the sword that conquered the world”. One of the most well known Roman combat tactics developed was when a Roman soldier simply stepped forward inside the enemy’s “guard” so the longer sword would be useless. At this point, the Roman soldier could quickly cut–and–thrust in any direction swung. This tactic was perfect against enemies with longer swords or spears.
Overall, the Roman short sword is known as “the sword that conquered the world”. One of the most well known Roman combat tactics developed was when a Roman soldier simply stepped forward inside the enemy’s “guard” so the longer sword would be useless. At this point, the Roman soldier could quickly cut–and–thrust in any direction swung. This tactic was perfect against enemies with longer swords or spears.
(top left) Foil-swords, a type of weapon used in fencing. (below that) Flamberge, The name derives in part from the old German geflammten, or flaming and from the French flamboyant. The flamberge is a form of the two-handed sword popular in Germany between the 15th and 17th centuries, especially among the Swiss mercenaries, the Landsknecht.Contrary to popular belief the waved blade did not hinder the cuting ability of the sword. (top middle) Rapiere, a relatively slender, sharply pointed sword, used mainly for thrusting attacks, in use in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. (below that) Smallsword, a light one-handed sword designed for thrusting. The smallsword evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier of the late Renaissance. (top middle) Shashka, a very sharp type of single edged, single handed and guardless sword. (top right) Xiphos, a double-edged, single-hand sword used by the ancient Greeks (middle) Katzbalger, a short Renaissance arming sword, notable for its sturdy build and a distinctive s-shaped or figure-8 (middle right) Waster, a wooden practice weapon, usually a sword. (bottom left) Scimitar, a sword with a curved blade design finding its origins in western Asia.The name can be used to refer to almost any Middle Eastern sword with a curved blade. They include Arabic saif, Indian talwar, Persian shamshir, and Turkish kilij, among others. These blades all were developed from the ubiquitous parent sword, the Turko-Mongol saber. (above that) Backswords, one-edged, back-thickened, secondary weapons of European-style cavalrymen beginning in the late 16th, early 17th centuries. (bottom right) Broadsword, a straight-bladed, double-edged, basket-hilted sword like the Italian schiavona or the Scottish claymore
The sabre or saber traces its origins to the European backsword and usually but not always has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger.
Middle-Eastern & South-East Asian Ethnic Weapons
NRA is a lobbyist group for manufacturers, not the gun owners. The NRA was founded in 1871 by two Union Civil War veterans and a former NY Times reporter with the intention of training Civil War veterans on marksmanship. In the 1920s, the National Revolver Association, the arm of the NRA, requiring a permit to carry a concealed weapon, five years additional prison time if the gun was used in a crime, a ban on gun sales to non-citizens, a one day waiting period between the purchase and receipt of a gun, and that records of gun sales be made available to police. In 1939, but Karl T. Frederick, the president of the NRA, testified before Congress stating, “I have never believed in the general practice of carrying weapons. I do not believe in the general promiscuous toting of guns. I think it should be sharply restricted and only under licenses.” A shift in the NRA’s platform occurred when in 1971 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, during a house raid, shot and paralyzed longtime NRA member Kenyon Ballew suspected of stockpiling illegal weapons. The NRA swiftly condemned the federal government. As Winkler points out, following the incident NRA board member and editor of New Hampshire’s Manchester Union Leader William Loeb referred to the federal agents as “Treasury Gestapo”.
The original gun rights advocates were black nationalists in 1960s. The display so frightened politicians—including California governor Ronald Reagan—that it helped to pass the Mulford Act, a state bill prohibiting the open carry of loaded firearms, along with an addendum prohibiting loaded firearms in the state Capitol. The 1967 bill took California down the path to having some of the strictest gun laws in America and helped jumpstart a surge of national gun control restrictions. Including the Gun Control Act of 1968, which adopted new laws prohibiting certain people from owning guns, providing for beefed up licensing and inspections of gun dealers. Governor Reagan commented that he saw “no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons.” And after the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, the NRA backed the Gun Control Act that passed the same year, which include minimum age and serial number requirements of guns and gun ban to include the mental ill and drug addict. In addition, it restricted the shipping of guns across state lines to collectors and federally licensed dealers and certain types of bullets could only be purchased with a show of ID.
The original gun rights advocates were black nationalists in 1960s. The display so frightened politicians—including California governor Ronald Reagan—that it helped to pass the Mulford Act, a state bill prohibiting the open carry of loaded firearms, along with an addendum prohibiting loaded firearms in the state Capitol. The 1967 bill took California down the path to having some of the strictest gun laws in America and helped jumpstart a surge of national gun control restrictions. Including the Gun Control Act of 1968, which adopted new laws prohibiting certain people from owning guns, providing for beefed up licensing and inspections of gun dealers. Governor Reagan commented that he saw “no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons.” And after the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, the NRA backed the Gun Control Act that passed the same year, which include minimum age and serial number requirements of guns and gun ban to include the mental ill and drug addict. In addition, it restricted the shipping of guns across state lines to collectors and federally licensed dealers and certain types of bullets could only be purchased with a show of ID.
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