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Nat Geo launches Mission Navy: Lehron Ke Sartaj
Sumantha Rathore | afaqs! | New Delhi, September 23, 2008
Nat Geo Advertisement is ready with a new Mission property – Nat Geo Mission Navy: Lehron Ke Sartaj. In collaboration with the Indian Navy, the channel will take viewers on a voyage on the high seas, complete with battle stations and live weaponry.
This isn’t a first for the channel. It’s already taken viewers to the highest point of the world with Mission Everest, in collaboration with the Indian Army. Similarly, Mission Udaan was a trip inside the Indian Air Force.
Nat Geo Mission Navy will provide five civilians a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of the Navy. The civilians will be trained and imbued with the courage, grit and determination that is synonymous with the Indian Navy. The most resilient, deserving and valiant of the five finalists will have the honour of sailing with the Indian Navy's Lehron Ke Sartaj on an international tour.
The docu-reality show will go on air in January 2009. The ground selection process will start on October 12, 19 and 26 in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, respectively. All participants will undergo an interview round, followed by rigorous training to test their physical and mental attributes.
The reality format will focus on the culture, working style and other facets of the Indian Navy.
Speaking about the mega series, Rajesh Sheshadri, vice-president, content and communication, NGC India, informs afaqs!, "For the first time in the history of Indian television, the uncharted world of the Indian Navy, replete with warships, submarines and missiles will be showcased through the eyes of five civilians. We'll embed them in the Navy and the last man standing will get a chance to go offshore with the Navy."
With eight engrossing episodes, the show aims to provide an insight into the lives of the men who patrol and protect the country. Its first and last episode will run for an hour, while the rest of the episodes will be 30 minutes each.
"Not many people know about the Navy. It is a silent force, so the idea behind this property was to break the silence and bring forth some interesting facets of the division,” says Sheshadri.
Nat Geo has roped in two major sponsors – Samsung Mobile and Tata Motors – and talks are on with other sponsors.
Mission Navy will be extensively promoted through a 360 degree campaign, including on-air, online, print, outdoor, radio, SMS and on-ground promotions to create an interactive consumer experience.
Taking the interactive promotion a step forward, the channel has created a microsite on www.natgeotv.co.in dedicated to the show, which includes information for the participants, videos, factoids and a photo gallery.
In an official communiqué, Nikhil Mirchandani, managing director, National Geographic Channel, South Asia, says, "Our Mission properties have always showcased exceptional content, encouraging viewers to reassess the world they live in and expand their thought horizons. Through this unique initiative, we are on a nationwide hunt to choose the first lucky Indian to go on an international tour with the Indian Navy.”
"Facts and details about the Indian Navy are largely unknown to the people of our country. We are, therefore, extremely pleased to welcome the cameras aboard our vessels to capture the world of the Indian Navy and present it to audiences through the show," says Admiral Sureesh Mehta, chief of the Naval Staff, in an official statement.
Though Nat Geo did not share the financial aspects of the property, Sheshadri said that this “by India, for India” show will garner mass appeal, and at the same time, help increase the TVP of the channel. "We reach the No. 1 slot internationally every time we launch a big Mission property," he adds.
For the record, National Geographic Channel Asia, which was launched on July 1, 1998, has a programming lineup that covers adventure, natural history, science, wildlife and people around the world. The channel is a business enterprise of National Geographic Television, NBC and Fox Entertainment Group.
Lehron ke Sartaj
NATIONAL Geographic Channel will showcase the uncharted world of the Indian Navy, replete with warships, submarines, missiles and much more. Premiering February 2, Monday nights at 9 pm, Nat Geo's Mission Navy: Lehron Ke Sartaj is all set to take viewers on a fascinating journey inside the Indian Navy.
The series will have seven visually stunning episodes which give an insight into the lives of the brave men who patrol and protect the country. With this initiative, Nat Geo provided five civilians including three women, the unique opportunity to be a part of the Navy, training and imbuing them with the courage, grit and determination synonymous with the Indian Navy.
With over 50,000 entries from across India, only fifteen semi-finalists were selected after a series of physical and mental tests conducted by the Navy. The semi-finalists then underwent grueling selection tests in Mumbai to reach the final five, including 23-year old Arjun R Shetty from Bengaluru; 21-year old Sudhanshu Budakoty from Mysore; 20-year old Sakshi Havanoor from Pune; 28-year old Chaitanya Datla and 25-year old Suranjani H R from Bengaluru.
They will be a part of the Indian Navy for over a month. After basic training, they set foot for the firtst time on a Naval vessel. Some of them not only got to learn the science behind submarines, but also a chance to train in one. They were also trained in beaching operations and the difficult jack stay amongst other tasks.
At the end of the series, the most resilient, deserving and valiant of these five finalists will have the honour of sailing with the Indian Navy's Lehron Ke Sartaj on an international tour.
The decision by the Indian Navy would be based on various exercises, tests and experiences the participants went through during the month long training period. Presented by Samsung Mobile and powered by Idea, the eries is being extensively promoted on-air, on-ground, on-line and through print, outdoor, radio and SMS campaign.
New Delhi. The India-US defence cooperation seems to be steadily growing with Washington now offering its latest Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) F-35 Lightning-II aircraft to India. But in the long run, there could be limitations over issues of Transfer of Technology (ToT) that India mandates now for major arms deals.
Representatives of Lockheed Martin, which is developing the aircraft, have indicated in the past that the aircraft could be available to India if the Indian Air Force (IAF) opted for the F-16 Super Viper in its quest for some 200 Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCAs) but recently, the company made a presentation to the Indian Navy without this condition.
Lockheed Martin’s Vice President for Business Development Orville Prins told India Strategic defence magazine that a presentation about the aircraft was made to the Indian Navy recently after it expressed interest in the newer generation of aircraft for its future carrier-based aircraft requirements.
The Indian Navy is buying 45 Mig 29Ks for the Gorshkov, or INS Vikramaditya, which it will get from Russia in 2012 and its first indigenous aircraft carrier. But for its second indigenous carrier, and possibly more in the future, the Navy is looking for a newer generation of aircraft.
Although the best of the weapon systems in the US are developed by private companies, the funding for their research and development is provided by the Government which exercises full control on the resultant products and their sale to any foreign country. ToT is a serious issue and in most cases, technology, particularly source codes, is not shared even with Washington’s best allies in the West or East.
Lockheed Martin apparently made the presentation to India after authorization by the US Department of Defense (DOD), but Prins pointed out that the F 35 could be sold only after clearance from the US State Department, for which bilateral negotiations between New Delhi and Washington would need to be held once India expressed interest.
The US is steadily emerging as a new supplier of sophisticated arms to India, which urgently needs to replace and augment its mostly outdated Soviet-vintage systems with high technology weapons of the 21st century.
Beginning 2002, when an agreement for the sale of 12 Raytheon’s artillery and short-range missile tracker system, the AN/TPQ 37 Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs) was signed, the US has supplied systems worth nearly $ four billion. But over the last few weeks, the Indian Ministry of Defence has sent firm orders, or Letter of Request (LoR) for 10 C 17 Globemaster III strategic lift aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and 145 Bofors M 777 ultra light howitzers the Indian Army badly needs for its mountain operations.
The competing gun from Singapore Technologies lost out as the company was mired in allegations of corruption in an Indian Ordnance Factory Board scam.
Originally a Swedish company, Bofors was purchased by the US United Defense in 2000, and later acquired by the US arm of BAE Systems. In fact, as the US Administration had imposed restrictions on the sale of military equipment to India after the 1998 nuclear tests, President Bill Clinton went out of the way to allow United Defense- Bofors an exception to sell its guns to India if the Indian Army opted for them.
The Indian Army is badly in need of various types of artillery guns, and keeping in mind the developments in the neighbourhood, the Indian government recently cleared the acquisition of this ultra light howitzer in a government-to-government deal under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. The gun has been deployed with excellent results in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan. Made with titanium alloys, the M 777 is about 40 per cent lighter than a standard gun and can be easily transported under-slung by a helicopter.
Originally a Swedish company, Bofors has been much maligned in India due to the allegations of corruption in the sale of its 155 mm FH 77B guns in the mid-1980s. Operationally however, these guns played a significant role in India’s victory in the 1999 Kargil War to evict Pakistani intruders from the Himalayan heights on the Indian side of the border. India has also deployed the gun at the highest battlefield in the world at Siachin.
Ferrying them to those daunting heights in parts and then assembling them has been a terrific job by itself for the Army.
Boeing C-17 Globemaster (photo : Jefflewis)
LORs for both the C 17 and M 777 have been issued only in the past couple of weeks.
India has less than 20 IL 76 Soviet-supplied Il-76 aircraft, which will mark 25 years of their induction in April 2010.
Although a fuel-guzzler, the IL 76 has served the IAF well and still has a residual life of 10 to 15 years with some periodic modifications as the IAF has utilized it carefully. Manufactured in Uzbekistan, which was a part of the Soviet Union, the IL 76 is now out of production and most of its existing serviceable units have been acquired by China.
There is no matching aircraft to replace the IL 76, the closest being the C 17, although bigger aircraft are available from both the US and Russia.
The C 17 has nearly double the capacity of an IL 76, but according to Air Marshal Goel, a veteran of IAF’s transport fleet, full load on an aircraft is never really carried as it hinders its range and fuel capacity. Unlike the IL 76 though, the C 17 can be refueled midair for much longer flights, and needs only two pilots and one loadmaster for operations, that is half the crew of what the IL 76 requires.
Despite its massive size, the C 17 can take off and land on unpaved grassy fields like a football ground at very steep angles, an important capability in battle conditions.
Notably, IAF had also placed an order for six C 130J Special Operations aircraft with an option for six more in 2008 with the US Lockheed Martin. A smaller aircraft than the C 17, it is also very capable and can operate from small grassy fields to quickly get away after loading or unloading. Lockheed Martin has offered to transfer the manufacturing facility to India if 40 or 50 aircraft are ordered for military and civil use, particularly in the mountainous north-east regions.
The Border Security Force (BSF) is also considering to buy one or two C 130Js, albeit without some specialized systems that the IAF needs.
The JSF is a fifth generation aircraft, to be used by the US Air Force, Navy and Marines, and perhaps will be the last manned aircraft by that country before unmanned, high-powered long-range drones and helicopters fully take over the skies by the middle of this century. The USAF is already conducting joint manned and unmanned combat operations in Afghanistan, clearly indicating the gradual transition underway.
The unmanned systems, controlled from airbases in the US itself on the other side of the globe, are both reconnaissance and armed, and their use has increased in the recent years to neutralize terrorists in the troubled mountainous region on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border.
F 35 is a single-engine, single-seat stealth aircraft, being developed with several foreign partners to help reduce development and production costs, and is still being tested for its varied capabilities. It will be available in conventional takeoff and landing mode as well as in short-take-off-and-vertical-landing (STOVL) for carrier landings. Thanks to the numbers, it could cost as low as $ 50 million only per unit, or the price of a modern Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA) despite its highly advanced features.
The JSF 35B conducted its first STOVL propulsion test in flight for the first time on Jan 7 last week at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, and it will be some time before it goes into production. Its programme partner countries include Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Norway, Denmark , Singapore and Israel, all of whom would possibly supply some components, and investments.
Whether India joins the production programme or not is an open question, depending upon the numbers required. The Indian Navy cannot have a large requirement and the Indian Air Force is already committed to buying the similar but perhaps more expensive Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) to be jointly produced by Russia’s Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KNAPPO) – which produces SU 30 jets – and India’s HAL.
The Russians have done substantial work in this regard, and hope to fly its single seat version by 2015-16 while the IAF hopes to induct its two-seat version by 2017. IAF wants the second seat “missionised” for weapon operations for the co-pilot, a practice that the Israelis have also opted for in their F-16 aircraft.
China, which has been accused of stealing technology by Russia, is also trying to develop a 5th generation fighter.
In any case, it’s a question of time when the environment in the strategic Indian Ocean region, and around India, is filled by the likes of stealth and futuristic aircraft.
The Americans had proved to be unreliable in the 1960s when they made several promises for equipment after the Chinese aggression on India and did not fulfill them. The geopolitical realities have perhaps changed and they are willing to offer some of their best technologies.
The US is steadily opening its stable of sophisticated weapons to India. After the sale of Raytheon’s WLRs, which was actually the first combat system under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) received from the US after India’s nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998, the US has also sold eight highly advanced Boeing P8-I Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) to the Indian Navy to patrol the Indian Ocean. The aircraft is still under development, and significantly, will be available to the Indian Navy nearly at the same time as to the US Navy, which has paid for its development.
This was preceded by the transfer of an old amphibious ship, USS Trenton, renamed INS Jalashwa, and its six onboard Sikorsky utility helicopters at nominal costs for the Indian Navy.
Boeing P-8 Poseidon (photo : Nemesiscom)
The P8-I is the most hi-tech system yet to be acquired by India, and according to Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems India Head, Dr Vivek Lall, “its sale is unprecedented” in terms of US transfer of technology.
In August last year, another US arms major, Northrop Grumman, also offered its futuristic Hawkeye 2-D combat management aircraft to the Indian Navy. This aircraft is also under development and it India opts to buy it, then this system will also be available to the Indian Navy nearly at the same time as the US Navy.
The P8-I deal is the biggest yet at $ 2.1 billion, while the other major deal for C 130Js has been placed at nearly $ one billion.
The deal for the 10 C 17s, which was formally announced by Boeing from Long Beach. California on Jan 8, could be bigger than that of the P8-Is, depending upon the configuration and requirements of the Indian Air Force. No details are available.
Lockheed Martin F-16IN Super Viper (image : Lockheed Martin)
Notably, Boeing and Lockheed Martin have also fielded their respective F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-16 Super Viper combat jets to India in the six-cornered MRCA competition, but the US is also adding other sophisticated systems like the Lockheed Martin’s Aegis shipboard anti-missile system, which had been used two years ago to shoot down a satellite in space with precision as part of an apparent technology demonstration.
Orville Prins said that presentation on the Aegis system had also been made to the Indian Navy and the Ministry of Defence.
On offer are also some of the best precision missiles and engagement systems from Raytheon, which does not make any platforms but builds onboard capabilities. Sources say that it is also offering its latest Airborne Standoff Radar (ASTOR), which is perhaps the latest in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology, to India. The system has been fielded in Afghanistan by the British forces only llast year.
Notably, most of the combat systems with the Indian Armed Forces are either old or outdated. For instance, except for the Su 30MKI combat aircraft, all the fighter and transport aircraft with the Indian Air Force are at least 20 years old.
Onboard precision engagement technology is the key to modern warfare and defence.
The US has that. But how far India goes in buying the US systems will largely depend not only on the technology and price offered, but also on the Transfer of Technology (ToT) that most major deals now warrant as a policy.
India has requested information from Boeing on the KC-767 tanker after the Indian Finance Ministry cancelled an order for six Airbus A330 based MRTT tankers last month.
The request is for six KC-767s potentially valued at US$1.5bn (A$1.62bn), with Indian defence officials telling local media that they “urgently need refuellers” and that they intend to “speed up the acquisition process”.
The KC-767 is in service with Japan and is due to enter service with Italy this year after a delayed development process.
Hindustan Aeronautics HF-24 Marut (Spirit of the Tempest) merupakan sebuah pesawat pejuang-pengebom buatan India pada tahun 1960-an. Ia merupakan pesawat jet pertama buatan India, yang mana telah membuat penerbangan sulung pada 17 Jun 1961. Tidak seperti biasa, pesawat olok-olok yang diperbuat daripada kayu sebenarnya boleh diterbangkan sebagai glider lancaran udara.
Marut telah direka oleh seorang pereka Jerman yang terkenal, Kurt Tank, tetapi tidak menyedari potensi penuhnya disebabkan oleh kekurangan kuasa. Walaupun pada awalnya pesawat ini dibayangkan memiliki kelajuan dalam lingkungan Mach 2, pesawat ini jarang melepasi Mach 1 dalam penerbangan separas, ini disebabkan oleh ketidakupayaan kerajaan India bagi mendapatkan enjin yang cukup berkuasa untuk kerangkanya. Selepas kerajaan India menjalankan ujian nuklear pertamanya di Pokhran, tekanan antarabangsa telah menghalang import bagi enjin yang lebih baik, yang mana pada ketika itu, juga sukar untuk mendapatkan alat ganti bagi enjin Orpheus. Ini menjadi salah satu sebab utama kegagalan awal pesawat ini.
Kekurangan kuasa telah membantutkan kelajuan pesawat, tetapi ciri-ciri pengendalian yang selesa dan keupayaan aerobatik yang baik amat disukai oleh para juruterbangnya. Ia digunakan dalam pertempuran sebagai untuk membuat serangan darat, di mana ciri-ciri keselamatannya seperti kawalan manual apabila berlaku kegagalan kawalan sistem hidrolik dan enjin berkembar dilihat baik untuk meningkatkan kebolehan ikhtiar hidup.
Sejumlah 147 buah pesawat telah dibina, termasuk 18 buah pesawat latihan dua tempat duduk. Pesawat terakhir telah ditarik keluar dari perkhidmatan pada tahun 1990.
India dah mula mengintai persenjataan dari USA, susah nanti bg Pakistan yg mmg dah sedia jadi traditional ally dan sourced defence equipments dari AS..terpaksa beralih ke China pulak nampaknya
Russia's MiG-35 multirole fighter aircraft has failed to make the short-list in a $10 billion international tender for 126 combat aircraft for the Indian air force, according to Indian media reports quoted by Kommersant daily.
The favorites to win the tender are the French Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon, Indian media say.
Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the holding company for most of the Russian aircraft industry, and its fighter subsidiary MiG, have not officially confirmed the reports.
"The official results of the tender have not yet been announced," said UAC's Press Secretary Konstantin Lantratov.
"The MiG-35 is not leaving the tender, and I have no official information about this," said UAC First Vice-President Mikhail Pogosyan.
A MiG source quoted by Kommersant said it was too early to say what the Indians had decided.
"The envelopes with the commercial proposals should be studied by the tender commission only this week," the source said.
Several sources quoted by the paper listed a raft of problems around the MiG-35 program, including a lack of financing to support it. One source said the lack of state funding to support the program had been noted by UAC President Aleksei Fyodorov as long ago as the end of 2008, but the issue was not resolved.
The MiG-35 is said to be a cheaper aircraft than its rivals but is said to have problems with engine life.
"Time between overhauls should be at least 2000 hours and overall life 4000 hours, but the RD-33 doesn't meet these parameters now," said one source.
India already operates the early model MiG-29A fighter aircraft and is taking delivery of the MiG-29K naval fighter, which it will operate from a Russian-built aircraft carrier which is currently under refit.
The selection of two favored aircraft for the Indian tender follows a long trials process, which also involved Sweden's SAAB Gripen, America's Lockheed Martin with the F-16, and Boeing's F-18 Super Hornet, as well as the Russian MiG-35.
India Shortlists the European Typhoon and French Rafale
The Indian Air Force has concluded the technical assessment of six fighter aircraft proposed for the Medium MultiRole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program, paving the way for the Ministry of Defense to decide on the Air Force’s US$10 billion (Rs 42,000 crore) acquisition of 126 new fighters plus options for additional 63.
The six proposals considered by the Indians included the Typhoon, proposed by the European Eurofighter consortium, the French Rafale from Dassault, the Russian MiG-35 from United Aircraft Corporation subsidiary RSK-MiG, the Gripen E/F, proposed by the Swedish Saab group; Two proposals were submitted by U.S. companies – Boeing offered the Super Hornet F/A-18 E/F and Lockheed Martin proposed the F-16 E/F Fighting Falcon. The Air Force report provides a technical assessment of the six candidates. The commercial proposals, including industrial cooperation and local participation will be evaluated by the MOD beginning this week.
According to unconfirmed media reports, the Indians are leaning toward the European fighters – both Typhoon and Rafale are shortlisted for the next phase while the Russian MiG-35, Swedish Gripen and both U.S. Super Hornet and F-16E/F are excluded after the recent evaluation.
Based on the MiG-29M OTV, MiG-35 (Nato reporting name Fulcrum F), is equipped with advanced avionic suite comprising of a modern glass cockpit designed with three 6x8 inch flat-panel LCDs and full HOTAS controls, digital map, helmet-mounted sight. The latest Zhuk-AE active electronically scanning...Continue on to defense-update.com However, the weight of the technical parameters in the final evaluation is not exclusive and determinant, since final decisions on the MMRCA will be based on the economic and political interests. New Delhi’s aim to tighten its relations with Europe is clear, and such deals are likely, since India has signed significant orders with Franch and the U.K. in the past. However, Russia still has the inroad to India’s military and politics and, therefore, despite its financial alleged insufficient engine lifespan shortcoming, “the MiG-35 is likely to remain in the picture until the end” according to Sergei Kornyev, the department head of Russia’s Air Force special equipment and services at a press conference in Farnborough last month.
Facing serious consequences of the planned reduction of 90 Typhoons destined for the RAF and Italian Air Force, Eurofighter is hopeful that winning the MMRCA program could compensate for these production losses and boost the program research and development for the advanced, multirole Tranch 3 phase.
For Dassault, being shortlisted by the Indian could drive Brazil to finally announce its FX-2 decision in favor of the French fighter. Winning both program could transform the Rafale from a lame duck into the leading fighter in the export market, offering the French, Indian and Brazilian aerospace industries attractive prospects for the future.
The final decision on the Indian MMRCA fighter of choice could be taken around 2011-2012. Indian Air Force officials are hopeful that Initial deliveries could be expedited and arrive in India two years after the contract award.
Post time 29-10-2009 01:47 PM
