AVIATION & DEFENCE
In India
aircraft. In addition to field and logistics service, the contract
includes engineering, support and planning, robust material
support, including a 737-based component services programme,
which will be executed in conjunction with Boeing Commercial
Aviation Services’ Fleet Services division. “With this contract, the
Indian Navy can be assured of achieving exceptional operational
capability and readiness of the P-8I fleet,” said Pratyush Kumar,
president of Boeing India and vice president of Boeing International.
Indian Navy P-8I fleet
achieves 10,000 flight hours
B oeing has congratulated the Indian Navy and Indian
Naval Air Squadron 312A on achieving 10,000 flight
hours with their P-8I fleet since their induction in 2015
and for receiving the Chief of Naval Staff’s unit citation
for “outstanding operational performance”.
India and Russia
co-operation in defence
O n 1 June, India and Russia signed a much-awaited agreement
for two more units of a nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu
and also decided to give a “new direction” to the defence cooperation
22 VAYU
between the two “great powers”. The two Governments also decided
to hold the first tri-Services exercises Indra-2017, this year and start
joint manufacture of frigates, adding to the planned co- production
of Kamov Ka-226 military helicopters. These decisions were taken
during the wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the former’s
visit to St Petersburg, which covered a range of issues, including
terrorism and increasing trade and investment.
In related news, representatives of Rosoboron export, a member
of Rostec, took part in the 17th meeting of the Indo-Russian Inter-
governmental Commission on Military and Technical Cooperation
co-chaired by Defence Ministers S Shoigu of Russia and Arun Jaitley
of India in Moscow during mid-June 2017.
India and Israel in
“strategic alliance”
I ndia and Israel have elevated their ties to the “strategic partnership”
level with the aim to do “much more together” to combat growing
radicalisation and terrorism and have pitched for “strong measures”
against those financing and providing sanctuaries to terror groups.
The issue of terror and “strategic threats” along with various other
topics like cooperation in defence and security, water, agriculture,
space figured prominently in the talks between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu
(pictured meeting on the former’s arrival at Tel Aviv).
Following the wide-ranging talks, the two sides signed seven
pacts covering areas including innovation, water conservation,
agriculture and space. India and Israel also agreed to set up a $40
million fund for industrial Research and Development, and an
innovation fund, with both countries contributing $20 million each.
Indo-Thailand HADR
‘Table Top’ Ex 2017
I ndo-Thailand Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
(HADR) Table Top Exercise 2017 was held at Chiang Mai,
Thailand 22-26 May 2017, which included personnel from the
 AVIATION & DEFENCE
In India
Indian Air Force and Royal Thailand Air Force (RTAF), the
second such exercise conducted between the two Services,with
the aim to evolve SOPs for planning and executing relief missions
Afghan General visits India
during unforeseen natural calamities like Tsunami, earthquakes,
cyclones, floods etc. The objective was to enhance interoperability
between the two Air Forces, while conducting combined air
operations triggered by such crisis.

C-in-C Myanmar
Armed Forces visits India

L ieutenant General Abdul Wahab Wardak, Vice Chief of

General Staff (Air), Afghanistan National Security Forces
reviewing Guard of Honour at Air Headquarters in New Delhi
during his official visit to India on 3 July 2017.

COAS at AFS Bhisiana

O n 27 May, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, led a MiG-21
‘Missing Man’ formation in flypast over AF Station Bhisiana
to honour the valour and supreme sacrifice of the Kargil martyrs.

C ommander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces, Senior

General Min Aung Hlaing visited India on an eight-day
visit starting from 14 July 2017, calling on PM Narendra Modi,
defence minister Arun Jaitley and national security advisor
Ajit Doval. According to sources, India is to increase military
supplies to Myanmar as part of the overall plan to expand defence
cooperation with ASEAN countries under the ‘Act East’ policy.
The Government of India is reportedly providing 105mm artillery
guns, rocket launchers, rifles, radars, mortars, bailey bridges,
communication gear, night-vision devices, war-gaming software
and road construction equipment as well as naval gun-boats, sonars,
acoustic domes and directing gear to Myanmar. A $37.9 million deal
for supply of lightweight torpedoes was also recently finalised. In
the photograph above, General Min Aung Hlaing is seen inspecting
an Indian Naval Guard of Honour at Eastern Naval Command, The Arrow Formation of MiG-21s, leaving a gap which depicts
Visakhapatnam. the ‘Missing Man’, was in memorium to Sqn Ldr Ahuja of No
17 Squadron, which was led during the Kargil 1999 operations
by then Wg Cdr BS Dhanoa. Later, in a simple, yet poignant
Indo-Sri Lanka joint exercise ceremony, he laid a wreath at the Memorial to honour those who

I ndian and Sri Lanka Air Forces concluded a joint exercise at

Colombo on 9-14 July 2017 “to strengthen their co-operation”.
made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.

This exercise offered an opportunity to the IAF and SLAF contingent

members to observe each others’ Standard Operating Procedures
as well as exchange ideas on joint operations. A transport aircraft
of the IAF had ferried a contingent of 65 IAF personnel on 9 July
2017 to Sri Lanka including a sky diving team along with the Air
Warrior Drill Team.
Uncertainty on more Hawk AJTs
T he Indian Air Force’s plan to induct 20 more Hawk advanced
jet trainers for the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT)has not
progressed over the issue of steep increase in aircraft prices. The IAF
had moved the proposal to buy these 20 AJTs from BAE Systems

IV/2017 23
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