How QUAD Allies India & Japan Are Making Andaman Islands
A Key Military Hub To Checkmate China
Aeronautical Development Agency ADA starts procurement of 20 x 8
Large Area Display for LCA-AF MK2 Fighter Jets
Ashok Leyland delivers first lot of light bullet proof
vehicles to IAF developed in collaboration with Lockheed Martin
India and Japan which are part of the QUAD block seem to have
joined hands in the Indian Ocean region. India’s strategically-located Andaman
& Nicobar Islands could soon serve as eyes and ears of the Indian military
and security agencies in keeping a tab on Chinese naval activity in the region.
Japan, which along with India is part of the QUAD bloc, has offered assistance to develop civilian and military infrastructure in the island chains.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located at the western
entrance to the Malacca Strait, that is Southeast Asia’s main shipping lane.
They serve as an important military base from the Indian Ocean up to the
Pacific. China continues to deploy its naval assets to intimidate the littoral
states in the region.
Andaman is also close to the Straits of Indonesia, the
alternate route into the Indian Ocean, especially for submarines.
Submarines are generally more difficult to detect but the
narrowness of the Malacca Strait ensures the surfacing of these stealthy
vessels. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands location next to these straits
provides the Indian Navy with a scope to monitor Chinese submarines.
The Andaman and Nicobar Command is India’s first and only
tri-services command with integrated land, sea, and air divisions under one
commander. The Ladakh standoff with China last year motivated India to speed up
its militarization process of the island chain with additional warships,
aircraft, missile batteries, and soldiers.
Japan and India share the mutual threat of an aggressively
expanding China. Both are not only members of the QUAD, an informal security
association group, but also have deep bilateral ties as part of India’s Look
East policy.
The $36 million Project for Improvement of Power Supply in
Andaman and Nicobar Islands is part of New Delhi’s Indo-Pacific collaboration
with Tokyo.
The network is aimed at creating a counter-wall against
Chinese submarines loitering in the Andaman sea and deep South China sea.
Aeronautical Development Agency ADA starts procurement of 20 x 8
Large Area Display for LCA-AF MK2 Fighter Jets
Aeronautical Development Agency ADA has issued tenders for
procurement of 3 units of 20 into 8 multi-touch screen Large Area Display for
the LCA-AF MK2 program. As per tender documents, set a requirement for a LED
backlight based AMLCD and AMOLED based display technology that complies with
MIL-STD and DO-160 environmental and EMI/EMC, weighing not more than 10 kgs
from Indian vendors.
Large Area Display should also have features to have 2 to 4
screens to be combined for split-screen and picture-in-picture with zoom
capabilities and allows the pilot with a highly configurable display that
allows for customized views.
The winning vendor has to deliver 3 units within two months
of the contract being awarded to the company that confirms that this will be
used on the first two pre-production units and one kept has a backup unit in
the LCA-AF Mk2 jet that will be used for developmental and user trials before
it enters production. ADA has promised the first rollout of the first LCA-AF
Mk2 jet will be carried out by August 2022 and the first flight by August 2023.
Ashok Leyland delivers first lot of light bullet proof
vehicles to IAF developed in collaboration with Lockheed Martin.
Hinduja flagship firm Ashok Leyland on Friday said, it has
delivered the first lot of light bulletproof vehicles to the Indian Air Force
in collaboration with Lockheed Martin.
These modern vehicles were delivered on April 13. The light
bulletproof vehicle L B P V is an adapted version of Lockheed Martin’s CVNG
common vehicle next-generation, the company said in a regulatory filing.
It has been developed under the transfer of technology from
Lockheed Martin to Ashok Leyland. It is completely indigenized and developed in
India; Ashok Leyland added.
The light bulletproof vehicle LBPV has high off-road mobility in mud, sand, rocks, and shallow water. It can accommodate a crew of 6 with ample cargo space to carry substantial mission equipment.
The vehicle also offers superior protection and combat
capability and the crew is well protected from both ballistic and blast
threats, it added. “Supplying to the Armed Forces is a matter of pride for us.
We are delighted to have the opportunity to be able to use our expertise in
mobility in the service of our nation.
This light bulletproof vehicle LBPV is another example of Ashok
Leyland’s team’s capability combined with a strong sense of understanding of
what is required by Indian Army for Tough Conditions and Environment.
Ashok Leyland mobility solutions range from 4 into 4 to 12
into 12 for defence personnel and logistics, and they have proved to be
reliable partners across India’s armed forces.
Ashok Leyland relationship with Lockheed Martin started in 2014 with their Common Vehicle Next Generation CVNG Programme, and Under Transfer of Technology Agreement, Ashok Leyland hopes to develop many more products for India and export market on this platform.
