Arihant’s maiden sea sortie shortly; stringent safety audits to curb accidents: Admiral Dhowan

By Anantha Krishnan M

https://twitter.com/writetake

Ezhimala (Kerala), Dec 1: The Indian Navy’s future cruise will be guided by a perspective plan mapped to perfection after taking into account factors like threat perception, technological needs, likely environment in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and India’s state as a maritime nation.

In an exclusive interview to OneIndia, ahead of the Navy Day on December 4, the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan said that the Indian Navy’s structured phase of transformation has received a boost with the launch of the dedicated satellite -- Rukmini -- last year.

The country’s maiden dedicated military satellite Rukmini (GSAT-7) was launched by the Arianespace from French Guiana in April 2013, giving Indian Navy more teeth for its missions in the IOR.

“Currently ships, submarines and aircraft are being inducted into the Navy at regular intervals. We have gone multi-dimensional and the Rukmini satellite has ensured that the Navy will have an operational network footprint in the IOR,” Admiral Dhowan told OneIndia during his recent visit to the Indian Naval Academy (INA) in Ezhimala (Kerala).

LCA Navy delay is a matter of concern: Admiral Dhowan said that the delay in the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Navy programme has been taken up seriously. “It’s an important programme for us and we have the IAC (Indigenous Aircraft Carrier) in Kochi getting ready and the SBTF (Shore Based Test Facility) waiting for LCA Navy. It’s important that the programme is speeded up,” he said.

He said the Navy was monitoring the progress of the project closely. “We have conveyed our concerns to the agencies concerned. We hope to start the trials of LCA Navy at SBTF at the earliest. The delay has been a cause of concern. We have also conveyed our concern to the Ministry of Defence and the defence production officials,” he said.

More roles for ALHs; aviation arm on a threshold: He said for the Navy is looking for additional ALHs for enhanced maritime operations in the IOR. To a specific query whether the Navy would go for weaponised versions of ALH, the Navy Chief said: “Our requirements are different. Now we are using them for SAR (search and rescue) operations and as a utility copter. In future, we want the ALHs for shallow water ASW (anti-submarine warfare) requirements. So we hope to get the best ALHs.”

He said the naval aviation is on a threshold with the induction of new assets. “We have the MiG 29 Ks (both fighter and trainer) flying onboard INS Vikramaditya. More MiG 29Ks will be inducted soon to consolidate their operational process from an aircraft carrier. We have inducted six P8-Is at Rajali and two more will join to complete the first slot. We have a case in progress to explore the option clause for four more,” he said. 

He said the rotary UAV programme undertaken by the DRDO has been very slow. “We have taken note of the delay in the project. We have given lots of impetus to the project in the last two years. We have laid down stringent timelines and conveyed the same to DRDO for an early solution. We have seen some progress on this front now,” the Admiral said. He said the Navy’s relationship with DRDO is that of a synergy.

Arihant’s first sea sortie shortly: The Navy Chief said that all efforts have been made to ensure that the operational submarines are fully operational and combat-ready. “We are also undertaking an aspect related to the service life extension of these submarines so that we can give them longer lease of life,” he said.

“We took stock of the ongoing submarine construction ‘Project 75’ programme (Scorpene) at the Mazagon Dockyards Limited. We have given a deadline of September 2016 for the first submarine to come out, followed by five more,” he added. The Navy Chief said that India’s nuclear submarine Arihant will have its first sea sortie shortly soon after its harbour trials. 

Quality control at dockyards made stringent: When asked about the growing number of accidents being reported in the Navy during the last one year, the Navy Chief said that if the procedures are not followed with alacrity, accidents do happen.

"Navy is a highly professional service driven by technology advancements. For every action carried out onboard our assets we need to strictly follow all the procedures. When we don’t follow them, there will be room for errors leading to accidents,” he said.

Saying that 50 per cent of naval ships are almost 20 years old, he said safety procedures cannot be overlooked even once.

“The lifespan of a ship or submarine is around 30-35 years. It’s not easy to operate on a submarine or a ship while we work in a very challenging environment. When we have older ships we have to be extra careful while maintaining them. Nobody would like accidents to happen. Our sailors and officers spent sleepless nights so that our citizens can sleep in peace. All measures have been taken, including safety audits, to ensure that accidents can be minimized,” the Navy Chief said.

He said the material failure is an aspect related to maintenance. “There are many agencies involved at our dockyards. The quality control at our dockyards has been made stringent,” he said.

Manpower induction and development of infrastructure key: He said the Navy is gearing up to add more manpower with more assets being inducted on a regular basis. “Man power development and development of infrastructure are two key factors for the Indian Navy now. Since we are inducting more ships, submarines and aircraft, we are focusing more on the human resources now. The INA is the cradle for human resources development of officers and it has to cater to the enhanced rate of induction. We have set our sight on the Phase-II expansion of INA now,” Admiral Dhowan said.

He said the Phase-II will take into account the living accommodation, training facilities, classrooms, sports facilities sound education and training. “We would want INA to impart the highest quality of training available,” he said.

‘A salute to remember’ photo inspires the Chief: The Navy Chief expressed his happiness over the photograph of a special child saluting with the title ‘A salute to remember’ going viral on the social media. "I am touched by this photo. Indian Navy needs more such inspiring moments. Glad you could capture this. An inspiring image for the Indian Navy when we are heading for Navy Day celebrations," the Chief told OneIndia. 

The photo was captured by this writer outside the INA main gate on November 28. It was a mere coincidence that OneIndia was present while Sandeep (a special child) was saluting Rajeev (of the Naval Police). Sandeep is a student of Sneha Nilaya Special School, Kaakanaadu (Kochi) and had visited the INA along with other children as part of Indian Navy's outreach programme.

The Chief also said that the Navy would become more visible on social media platforms. “We are looking at the pros and cons on taking to the social media. We would certainly want better visibility,” Admiral Dhowan said.

Copyright@OneIndia

Admiral Joshi's firm support bailed out many desi defence projects

LCA Navy project would have been a different story, but for Admiral Joshi's support, says a DRDO official.

By Anantha Krishnan M
Express News Service

Bangalore: Admiral D K Joshi, who stepped down as the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) is sure to be missed by the R&D fraternity for the firm support he extended to some of the home-grown programmes. Terming him as a 'gentleman-officer, senior officials who spoke to Express, said that Joshi was always a huge supporter of India's research and development (R&D) efforts in the defence sector.

The naval variant of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) which had ran into long delays owing to multiple manufacturing flaws, including a bulky undercarriage, is one programme Joshi backed right from his tenure as the Deputy CNS. An official monitoring the current progress of naval LCA project says that Joshi never lost his confidence in the programme, even when the entire naval establishment vented its ire over unprecedented delays. "Today, if the naval LCA project is back on track, Admiral Joshi needs to be given the credit. He did an excellent job and moderated the progress at the right time, ensuring the right pace. Even when the senior-most naval officers minced no words over the delays, Joshi stood ground and saw through the issues. This brought in an attitudinal change from the the Navy towards project," says the official.

He said Joshi's calm approach had a positive impact on the project. "During all the review meetings, he told the naval LCA team that quality mattered and the delays were understandable. Considering that there were multiple agencies involved in the project, Joshi's backing came at a very crucial time," he said.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which often received flack from the Services for time and cost over-runs of various projects, saw a messiah in Joshi, who is said to have gone the extra mile, during various project reviews. "Not just Tejas, even for submarine and torpedo projects he was always on our side. He understood the R&D efforts and we always felt very comfortable to work with the Navy. He always wanted more prototypes for all projects and dealt very friendly when a serious issue came up. His participative nature was very heart-warming," says an official with the DRDO.

While the Indian Navy traditionally backed India's home-grown efforts in R&D, it was very critical of the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). While HAL made many modifications on ALH to meet the additional requirements, it failed to impress the Navy for a long time. "In the 5.5. tonne weight category, ALH demonstrated everything what was demanded from us. But the Navy wasn't happy which delayed its induction. Only after Admiral Joshi took charge, the Navy finally raised its first ALH squadron (INAS-322) in Kochi. His role is known to everyone who pushed for the ALH's case," says an HAL official.

SBTF launch postponed: The dedication of Shore-Based Test Facility (SBTF) to nation, scheduled to be held at Naval Air Station INS Hansa in Goa on March 1, has been postponed. Sources said that the event is not cancelled, but postponed, owing to the developments following Joshi's resignation. 

Copyright@The New Indian Express