Su-30 MKI inducted at AF Station Halwara

                                         (Press Release | Unedited)
SU-30 MKI aircraft was inducted into Western Air Command in a formal ceremony at Air Force Station Halwara on 25 Sep 12. Air Marshal Arup Raha AVSM VM AOC-in-C Western Air Command IAF was the chief guest for the induction ceremony. He was accompanied by Mrs Lily Raha President AFWWA (Regional).
While the first batch of SU-30 MKI was inducted into IAF in Sep 2002, the 220 Squadron at Halwara known as ‘Desert Tigers’, which flew the MiG-23 aircraft till 2005 is now resurrected with the latest SU-30 MKI Squadron in Western Air Command. The SU-30 MKI is a frontline all-weather air-dominance fighter with multi-role capability, which can undertake varied air combat and ground attack missions. Air Force Station Halwara is one of the oldest frontline Airbases of the IAF. The base has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception as a forward airfield in 1942. Halwara, due to its strategic location was actively involved in both 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars. Halwara has been home to Spitfires in early 1950s to being the hub of Mig-23 operations till 2009. It was later chosen to base the first SU-30 MKI Squadron in the Western Air Command in 2011.   
The ‘Desert Tigers’ were formed as an offensive fighter Squadron on 09 Feb 1963. The Squadron was initially names as ‘Fighting Tigers’ and flew the first jet aircraft of the IAF, the Vampire. The squadron has changed many bases during its forty years long journey and has taken part in 1965, 1971 and Kargil Operations. While the Squadron flew Vampires during 1965 war, it flew HF-24 Marut in 1971 war from Jodhpur where the Squadron was rechristened as’ Desert Tigers’, the name it is known by till date. The Squadron later went on to fly Mig-23 BN, the supersonic strike fighter till 2009. Having been inactive for two years the ‘Desert Tigers’ were resurrected with state of the art air-dominance fighter SU-30 MKI in Sep 2011. The Squadron has a glorious past and it looks forward to bright future as it readies to spread its wings across the Indian landscape.
Air Force Station Halwara witnessed a well coordinated ceremony on this occasion. Guests from Western Air Command graced the event. The chief Guest was received by Air Officer Commanding Air Force Station Halwara, Air Commodore       RGK Kapoor VM. An impressive parade contingent presented a general salute to the      AOC-in-C. Later the Commanding Officer of the Squadron, Wing Commander  Sharad Aneja took permission from the Air marshal to get airborne in a SU-30 MKI aircraft. The ceremony included an impressive flypast by the SU-30 s of 220 Squadron. The pilots of the Squadron executed the characteristic ‘Trishul’ formation in a spectacular manner signifying their formal induction into the premier Air Command of the IAF. The Air Force personnel and their families witnessed the momentous occasion at Air Force Station Halwara.
Air Marshal Arup Raha AVSM VM in his address congratulated the air warriors of Halwara air base for successful induction fo SU-30 MKI. He appreciated the tireless efforts put in by all personnel in operationalising the Squadron within a very short period. The Squadron has enhanced the operational capability of Western Air Command in a substantial manner. The Air Marshal and his wife interacted with the officers and their spouses during social evening organised at the Officers’ Mess.
Mrs Lily Raha interactd with the spouses of air warriors (Sanginis) during the customary welfare meeting held at CV Gole auditorium. She also visited various welfare ventures run by President AFWWA (Local), Mrs. (Dr.) Suneeta Kapoor.

MI-17 rescues stranded civilians

 (Press release | Unedited)

A Mi-17 helicopter from the ‘Siachen Tigers’ unit got airborne from Mohanbari and landed on a makeshift helipad which was made by marking ‘H’ on the national highway by-pass of Tinsukia town road after blocking the road from both sides as excessive rain throughout the past week had caused flooding of the regularly used helipad. After switch off, a total of 2.4 Tonnes of relief material was loaded in the aircraft. The crew located the flooded villages in Chapakhowa area and carried out drops of relief material at soft grounds easily accessible by the villagers. In the process of drop, while flying over ‘Panch mile’ village, many people were found stranded on a road and were indicating for help. The crew carried out an orbit of the area to check the feasibility of landing since winching would have wasted a lot of time and the number of people was in excess of 50 and also the area around the road was heavily flooded.
After taking all the safety aspects into considerations, picked up the stranded people. A second shuttle was also carried out to rescue the leftover people. There after they were taken to the helipad at Chapakhowa. A total of 2.4 Tonnes load comprising of relief material was dropped and  60 people including 10 children were rescued.
In Tezu too: The Indian Air Force received a request from District Collector Tezu of Arunachal Pradesh for air evacuation of people marooned and stranded close to  Tezu due floods. A Mi-17 helicopter which was on standby for flood relief mission was launched from Air Force Station Mohanbari, Dibrugarh for the rescue mission.
Expectedly, route was embedded with low clouds and heavy spells of rain. Considering the gravity of the mission, the crew negotiated the weather in a professional manner and reached Tezu helipad, where the DC was called inside the aircraft and thereafter a thorough briefing was carried out. After flying to the general area, the aircraft was established into a search pattern. Seven survivors were spotted who had taken refuge on a dry patch of land which was surrounded by high trees. A steep approach was made and thereafter the helicopter descended into a low hover in a controlled manner and a ladder was lowered and the seven people were rescued.
The crew overcame the problem faced by the Crew at the place was reduced visibility due to rain and difficulty in position keeping because of the moving mass of water underneath and skillfully maneuvered the aircraft to rescue the stranded people. Thereafter the aircraft took off in search of the second place where people were stranded. A small island was located about 8 miles west of Tezu town in between two raging rivers where around 20-30 people including old people, ladies and children were sighted. The helicopter descended into low hover as the ground below was marshy and water logged. A total of 32 survivors were pulled in from low hover in two subsequent sorties and were dropped at Tezu .
Mi-17 helicopters and AN-32 transport aircraft are placed on stand by for flood relief operations for civil populace at various Air Force bases as the water level of the mighty river Brahmaputra and its tributaries were hovering around the danger mark.

INS Makar joins Navy fleet

The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha commissioned INS Makar into the Indian Navy today. Makar is a Catamaran Hydrographic Survey Vessel and is the first of its kind to be inducted in the Indian Navy. The Vessel is indigenously built by Alcock Ashdown Gujarat Ltd. INS Makar is another statement of the potential of the indigenous Warship Building Industry.
INS Makar also marks a new chapter in the annals of Hydrography in our country. The primary role of the ship is to undertake Hydrographic surveys, required for production of nautical charts and publications aimed at improving navigational safety at sea. She is equipped with an array of modern surveying equipment and also undertake limited oceanographic surveys towards providing marine environmental data.
The ship is propelled by four engines of M/s Cummins make as well as two bow thrusters. The ship has two Survey Motor Boats. The entire propulsion, navigational and power management packages of the Vessel are integrated in a single state-of-art system called Integrated Platform Management System.
Her impressive equipment outfit for hydrographic survey includes Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) for closer investigations, advanced Electronic Positioning System, Multibeam Swath Sounding Systems and Sub Bottom Profiler. She also has a full range of latest oceanographic and land survey equipment.
The accommodation for the six officers and 44 sailors incorporates advanced ergonomic design and ensures crew comfort and space management. The ship has enhanced Indian Navy’s already existing world class sea/ocean survey capability. (Press Release)

SFC test-fires Agni-3 successfully

(Press Release) Agni 3 ballistic missile was successfully launched by India's Strategic Forces Command (SFC) from Wheeler Island, off the coast of Odisha at around 13:20 hours today. All mission objectives have been achieved. The missile was developed by DRDO and has been inducted into the armed forces. (File photo of A-3 launch.)

Agni-IV flight-test successful

DRDO developed, 4000 kms range Nuclear Capable Ballistic Missile AGNI-IV, was successfully flight tested from Wheeler’s Island around 1135hrs on 19 Sep 2012. This long range missile propelled by composite rocket motor technology, was tested for its full capability. The AGNI-IV missile launched from the road mobile launcher, reached the pre-defined target in about 20 minutes. The missile equipped with state of the art Avionics, 5th generation On Board Computer and with distributed architecture has the latest features to correct and guide for inflight disturbances. The most accurate Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS) and supported by highly reliable redundant Micro Navigation System (MINGS), ensured the vehicle reach the target within two digit accuracy. The re-entry heat shield withstood temperatures of more than 3000 degree centigrade and made sure the avionics function normally with inside temperature less than 50 degree centigrade. 

All Electro-Optical Tracking systems (EOTS), Radars located all along the coast have tracked and monitored all the parameters throughout the flight. Two ships located near the target point tracked the vehicle and witnessed the final event. 

Vijay Kumar Saraswat, DG DRDO, Avinash Chander, Programme Director AGNI, DS & CC R&D (MSS) reviewed the total launch activities and guided the team. Tessy Thomas, Project Director AGNI-IV led the team of scientists during the operation. 

S.K. Chaudhuri, Director RCI, A.K. Chakrabarti, Director DRDL,  V.G. Sekaran, Director ASL and MVKV Prasad, Director ITR witnessed the launch. (Press Release issued on 19 Sept 2012)