Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 06:52 pm:

---

quote:

The chief of Air Staff on Friday stressed the need for protecting India's [ Images ] space assets in the wake of China developing anti-Satellite (ASAT) weapons and pushed for building the country's military space capabilities.

"A quite space race and even weaponisation to some extent is the current reality," Air Chief Marshal P V Naik said without naming China, delivering the Air Chief Marshal L M Katre Memorial Lecture in Bengaluru [ Images ].

Beijing [ Images ] successfully undertook ASAT test in January 2007, and last year publicly declared that China's Air Force would begin to develop 'offensive operations' in space.

Naik said more than the others, it's airpower that's most significantly enhanced by integration of space-enabled capabilities.

"India's rising stature and acceptability are an opportunity for us to push for creating an adequate military space capability," he said.

"The dependence on satellites has emerged from the fact that the space-based systems can accomplish their missions in a technically superior manner and more economically than achieved by other means," Naik said.

Hence, Naik said, the vulnerability of satellites to anti-satellite weapons becomes an issue, due to these types of attacks from adversaries.

"As a result, development of ASAT technology is taking place in our neighbourhood (China)," he said.

"In order to ensure that our increased dependence on space does not become a vulnerability, defending space-based assets assumes vital importance in the 21st century," he continued.

When asked if he is in favour of India going in for weaponisation of space, Naik said, "I am not."

Asked for his views, former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal, F H Major, told PTI, "It's not our policy (weaponisation of space). But very difficult to predict what we will do in years to come. As a policy, we are against (weaponisation of space)."

Naik also said Indian Space Research Organisation has been told that a satellite is required for the armed forces. "They (ISRO) will decide (to build one) as and when they can," Naik said.

Asked if it is a dedicated satellite for IAF, he said he cannot say anything about it at present.

The Air Chief Marshal said IAF expects to become a network-centric force in about two years from being just about a network-enabled one.

"We have what's known as Air Force NET (AFNET)...that's based on fibre technology...optical fibre that will be the base. On that there will be something called IACCS (Integrated Air Command and Control System) that's the ground arm. Then there is air arm where AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System which is described as eye-in-the-sky) and other elements with the operational data link...will come in. Satellites will form the space arm of the net centricity," he explained.

While AFNET is expected to be activated by June, IACCS would be operational in two years, he added.

---

Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 04:34 pm:

---

quote:

Giving in to its long standing demand, the United States has agreed to share drone technology and provide at least a dozen unmanned aerial vehicles to Pakistan.

During his visit to Pakistan, United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates said that Washington is planning to provide some unarmed spy drones to Islamabad [ Images ] to encourage it to fight against militants on the Afghanistan border and do more in the region.

"There are some tactical UAVs that we are considering, yes," Gates said while replying to a question during a television interview.

Gates, who is on a two-day visit to Pakistan, had attracted flak from the Pakistani leadership when, during his recent India [ Images ] visit, he had said that New Delhi [ Images ] might lose its patience if another 26/11-like attack takes place.

While opposing the continuous drone attacks in the lawless tribal region along the Afghanistan border, Pakistan has been vigorously demanding the drone technology to strike militant hideouts itself.

However, the Obama [ Images ] administration has been reluctant to provide the 'armed' drone technology to Islamabad.

The shadow surveillance drone appears to be a compromise aimed at appeasing Pakistan and helping the country's political leadership explain the drone strikes to a deeply suspicious and anti-American public, The New York Times reports.

Gates' latest offer is being seen as a positive step that will help reduce the humiliation faced by the Pakistani leadership.

"It will have a very positive political impact. It will reduce the embarrassment of the political leadership," said Talat Masood, a retired army general.

American defence officials said that the drones would be of use in Pakistan's tribal areas and would be restricted to defensive rather than offensive operations, but are concerned that Pakistan might use the drones against India.

---

Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 04:26 pm:

---

quote:

A top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen operative was gunned down on Friday evening by the troops in an encounter in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir [ Images ].

Acting on a tip-off the army launched a search and cordon operation in Nawapachi area of the district late on Friday evening but the militant fired at the troops from a hideout prompting them to retaliate, a police official said.

In the ensuing gunbattle which lasted for more than two hours a top ranking Hizb militant Tariq Lone alias Azhar was killed.

Lone was wanted in connection with a number of militant activities including the killing of senior leader of the ruling National Conference Gul Mohammad last year.

One AK rifle, one pistol, grenades and a radio set were recovedred from the site of the encounter.

The troops were hunting for Lone ever since he managed to escape from his hideout busted in Mathwah area of the district on January 19.

Meanwhile, a gunbattle broke out on Friday night between three suspected Lashkar-e-Tayiba [ Images ] militants holed up in a house and security forces at Koimoh-Rampur in Kulgam district of South Kashmir.

The security forces surrounded the house on a tip-off about the presence of the militants in the house, sparking an intermittent exchange of fire between the two sides, official sources here said.

There was no report of casualty in the exchange of fire. Security forces suspended the flush-out operation in the congested locality at night in order to avoid civilian casualties, they said adding the action would resume on Saturday morning.

---