New Delhi: The Army, having long suffered from deficiencies in night
fighting electro-optical equipment, is set to make up critical
deficiencies.
Following footsteps of paramilitary forces and
the National Security Guard (NSG), who have gone in for accelerated
purchase of night vision devices after the 26/11 terrorist attack in
Mumbai, the armed forces are now taking steps to improve their night
fighting capabilities, according to Frontier India News Network.
Army
chief Gen Deepak Kapoor, had said in 2010 that “Indian Army’s tanks
have a night vision capability of 20 percent while Pakistani’s have 80
percent and China has 100 percent”.
The armed forces will review
their doctrine, capabilities and shortcomings and also identify latest
trends and technologies at a two-day seminar “Night Vision India 2013?
on 16-17 January.
The Centre for Land Warfare Studies, a think
tank of the Indian Army is organising the seminar at the Air Force
Auditorium here in collaboration with IMR Media, a publishing and event
organising company.
Delegates from the three Services will
discuss tactics, techniques, and procedures that maximize our
night-fighting technological advantages while countering the enemy’s
night capabilities.
The Army’s objective is to equip over 1,600
T-72 tanks which form the backbone of the country’s armoured forces,
with advanced night fighting capabilities. The Army’s case for acquiring
700 TISAS (thermal imaging stand alone systems) and 418 TIFACS (thermal
fire control systems) for its T-72 fleet at a cost of around $230
million is in various stages of the procurement process. 300 Israeli
TISAS were imported, followed by 3,860 image intensifier-based
night-vision devices. A huge requirement persists. 310 T-90S main-battle
tanks (MBTs) were imported from Russia and fitted with French Catherine
TI cameras.
Indian Army T-72 Ajeya Tank on Display According to
Major General RK Arora, ediotr of Indian Military Review magazine, Army
also requires hand held thermal imaging (HHTI) sights (with laser range
finder) for infantry, armoured, air defence, artillery and engineer
regiments. The infantry is also looking for TI sights for medium machine
guns and sniper rifles. RFIs for night sights for AK-47 assault rifles
and other small arms have also been issued.
Senior officers of
the armed forces will address the delgates. Among them are Lt Gen
Narendra Singh, Deputy chief of the army staff, Lt Gen Philip Campose,
director general of perspective planning, Lt Gen JS Bajwa, director
general Infantry and Lt Gen Vijay Sharma, engineer- in-cheif among
others.
Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) is the biggest supplier of
night vision equipment to the armed forces. Anil Kumar, chairman &
managing director of BEL is expected to give an overview of BEL’s
current and future plans.
BEL recently supplied 30,600 passive
night sights for rifles, rocket launchers and light machine guns,
passive night vision binoculars and passive night vision goggles to the
Army but the forces remain woefully short and are looking for the latest
3rd generation technology to reduce weight and extend the life of NVDs.
The Indian Air Force has felt the need for helmet-mounted night
vision goggle (NVG) for a long time. Unfortunately, these had serious
drawbacks in the past. Originally designed for surface forces and
subsequently modified for airlift and helicopters, they were very
cumbersome and limited both the field of view and visual acuity and thus
totally incompatible with fighter aircraft. Further, they were not
stressed for high-G loading and were not safe to wear in an ejection.
However,
NVGs now in production resolve or minimize these problems and are
specifically designed for fighter aircraft. Cockpit lighting has also
improved.
It is expected that such NVGs would come along with
Rafale as and when it enters service. With this new generation of NVGs,
the fighter force would be able to provide a simple, cost-effective
night vision capability that would allow the aircraft to support special
operations including low intensity conflict (LIC) missions 24 hours a
day