Aviation assets for India's paramilitary forces

Heightened operational tempo as well increased area of responsibility for India's Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) necessitates the induction of more integral aviation assets for roles ranging from surveillance to casualty evacuation (CASEVAC). The inadequacy of road infrastructure in forested and mountainous regions puts a premium on rapid movement that can be mitigated only through airlift in the medium term. Moreover area domination patrols conducted by CAPFs in such theatres can benefit immensely with scouts in the air equipped with new generation sensors. As such, most CAPF's under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) are looking to take advantage of larger homeland security (HS) budgets than in the past to bring in integral aviation assets whenever they can. Some state police departments are also looking to follow suit for surveillance and quick response roles.

Late last year the Border Security Force (BSF) sought an unspecified number of additional helicopters from the MHA in aid of its new role of guarding the 1643 km long border with Myanmar - a role it is taking over from the Assam Rifles. The border with Myanmar is characterized in the main by forested mountains and the BSF will be setting up a number of 'air-maintained border outposts' in addition to ones already present on the ground. These air-maintained outposts are likely to prove crucial to the effective operation of some 50000 personnel, the BSF is planning to deploy on this border where road connectivity is virtually non-existent at many spots.

These additional helicopters are likely to be Mi-17Vs, eight of which are already on order for the BSF with the first two from that batch expected to be delivered by September this year. The Mi-17V is a step up from the Mi-17IV, eleven of which are currently part of the BSF's air wing (although some are actually owned by the Indian Air force) in that it possesses a new KNEI-8 navigation system, multifunctional displays, next generation night vision goggles (NVGs), helmet mounted cueing system and a state-of-the art autopilot, all of which are expected to enable smoother day/night operations. The Mi-17V's avionics suite also includes a 'weather radar' that proved extremely useful in the recent rescue operations conducted by the IAF in Uttarakhand last year. Incidentally the first two Mi-17Vs will be pressed into action in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) for general duties, CASEVAC and Search and Rescue (SAR) roles.

However owing to their size, Mi-17s sometimes cannot enter hot zones during times of inclement weather. For instance during an encounter in 2012 between Central forces and Maoists in Jharkhand, a MI-17IV sent for CASEVAC had to turn back on account of unfavourable weather and a HAL Dhruv instead was deployed for the job. Indeed, the BSF air wing also consists of some eight HAL Dhruvs with proposals to add more being muted.

It is important to note that larger numbers in the BSF's helicopter fleet have also become possible on account of an agreement it signed with the IAF a few years ago which has allowed the former to get pilots from the latter on deputation leading to vastly improved mission capable rates. In the mid-2000s the BSF was actually finding it difficult to put even 10 percent of its fleet in the air on account of an acute shortage of pilots.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) till now dependent on the BSF and IAF for air support is keen to get its own dedicated air wing and is probably going to induct a couple of hired HAL Dhruvs to begin with. The HAL Dhruv owing to past experiences such as the issues mentioned above has been deemed more suitable for the CRPF. Moreover, the HAL Dhruv is clearly better suited for quick response insertions in LWE affected areas. The CRPF's future 'Dhruv Park' as it were, may end up resembling the Indian Army's (IA’s) 'Soaring Gideons' unit which operates HAL Dhruvs in support of special operations against terrorists in the valley. In the CRPF's case such a unit will of course carry COBRA commandos.

Like in the case of the Soaring Gideons, intelligence for operations by a future CRPF aviation unit could come from the latter's own unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) wing. Tired of tasking battles with the National Technical Reconnaissance Office (NTRO), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has bitten the bullet on the Nishant UAV which is already in service with the IA and some 16 units of a customized version are set to find pride of place in its inventory. Given the terrain in which the CRPF variant will be operated, DRDO labs have worked together to reduce the number of support vehicles for it by a third. Importantly, the CRPF version will fly with an indigenously developed wankel rotary engine with a rating of 55 HP replacing its current ALVIS AR-801 engine. This engine developed by DRDO's Vehicle Research and Development Establishment is already under production at a private facility operated by SMC in Hyderabad with eight sets scheduled to be delivered soon. 

The MHA has also given the CRPF the go-ahead to acquire 10 Skylark Mini-UAVs from HAL in principle; however the final contract is pending on account of price negotiations.

The CRPF already operates the DRDO developed Netra quad-copter UAV produced by Mumbai based private firm Ideaforge. This portable vertical take-off UAV (VTUAV) weighs just 1.5 kgs and can fly up to a distance of 2.5 km from its take-off point with an operational altitude of 200 metres. Handling is via line of sight (LOS) up to a distance of 1.5 kms with an endurance of 30 minutes on a single battery charge. Equipped with a high resolution CCD camera, Netra can identify human activity up to 500 metres away while sending live video feed of objects within a radius of 5 km. It can also carry a thermal camera for night operations.

The Netra seems to have done quite well in the Indian market given that some state and police forces have already procured it besides CAPFs, with many more police units evincing interest. In fact the domestic market for small VTUAVs is believed to be quite large given typical crowd management requirements in Indian conditions. Nevertheless future growth of this segment will require VTUAVs mounted with cameras of better resolution and zoom capability and perhaps even more importantly - greater endurance.

The BSF too incidentally (along with the ITBP) operates the Netra in LWE affected areas. However the BSF like the CRPF is also keen to bring in larger fixed wing UAVs to monitor the Western sector with Pakistan. These new UAVs could either be in the class of the Nishant or perhaps even the larger IAI Herons operated by the IAF. In either case the BSF will have to work closely with the IAF for these inductions keeping airspace restrictions in mind. It is of course not clear as to where these UAVs might be based. Repair and overhaul could however well be carried out at New Delhi where the BSF bases all its fixed wing aircraft including Embraer-135 Js, Avros (HS-748) and some Super King B-200 aircraft.

Incidentally, the BSF's move to add two new fixed wing medium transport aircraft (MTA) came unstuck a couple of years ago when it was revealed that signatures on technical documents related to the 300 million dollar tender may have been forged. The forged documents apparently 'downscaled training and safety equipment and maintenance contracts'. The alleged rigging in the contract led to the entire process being re-tendered. The now cancelled contract had been won by the EADS CASA C-295W which beat out Alenia's C-27J Spartan.

While the precise status of this tender is unclear, it is understood that the BSF will require multiple MTAs in the future given its need to greatly augment troop transport and logistic capability. Added to this will be the requirements of other CPMFs, especially the CRPF and ITBP in the years to come. India's security management architecture seems to have a need to procure MTAs that can fly hot and high and in all weather conditions. It is in this context that the IAF's Avro replacement programme must be seen. The HS-748 replacement programme will not end up being for just 56 units, but probably four times that number given that the CPMF's as well as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are very likely customers. It is time that the Indian government cogently assessed the size of the domestic market and made decisions in a manner that leveraged India's scale requirements effectively.

By Saurav Jha in http://m.ibnlive.com/blogs/sauravjha/2976/65192/aviation-assets-for-indias-paramilitary-forces.html

IPS Officers vs Army Officers

Some believe that army and IPS cannot be compared. We should not forget the fact that IPS is modeled based on Army. In fact, pre-independence, many Army officers worked as IGs and SPs in provinces and districts. Even today, due to historical reasons, shoulder epaulets of both these services are same.

1. Recruitment:

While IPS officers are recruited along with 15+ other civil services through a common entrance exam, Army officers are recruited through separate Army SSB. It is a sad fact that very few people give first preference to IPS. IAS/IFS and now even IRS, IA&AS etc. are preferred when compared to IPS, which they consider as a dirty job. They have their own reasons for not preferring IPS. Frequent transfers, political pressure, threat to life, irregular working hours, no/less holidays, work-life balance etc. are some reasons commonly quoted. People who apply for Army SSB are sure about joining army, whereas, in IPS around 20 probationers leave during training or within first 2 years of service after clearing civil service exam and getting IAS/IFS/IRS. In army SSB no. of intake is less against the sanctioned seats. Quality of candidates is the commonly cited reason for not filling up the seats, so there are lot of vacancies in Army. Advertisements like "Do you have it in you? An extraordinary life. A life full of adventure, honour and glory. Where you are one among a million, and one in a million" etc. are needed to attract youth into Indian Army. But in IPS all seats get filled, but many children come to SVPNPA to study for their next attempt in civil service exams. Vacancies in IPS are due to attritions during initial probation days. But there are few candidates give IPS as their first preference in CSE due to genuine interest and love for the profession and their countrymen. We should not generalise these issues.

 2. Probation:

Medical tests for joining army are tougher than IPS because IPS is considered a civil service, so most of them get selected. Because of the fact that the children have cleared a tough exam, there is a sympathy among trainers in SVPNPA and the result is that no one will get rejected at the end of IPS probation. But in Army, many unfit probationers get weeded out. Training is almost same for both but is somewhat liberal in IPS when compared to army. IPS officers' training period of 2 years is counted into service as no. of years in experience and they start earning salary from the starting month from their respective states. Where as in Army, a probationer is not confirmed until the end of the training of 1-1.5 years and receives only a stipend. Physically fit and bright IPS probationers do exist, but as I already said, these issues cannot be generalised.

3. Service:

After probation an IPS officer will become an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) responsible of a subdivision. After 2 years he will automatically become a Superintendent of Police (SP) in charge of a district. After 18 years of service he will become a DIG, then after 5 years he will become an IG and then ADGP and finally DGP. All young IPS probationers are potential DGPs!!! In army an officer's promotion is not time-bound. He should attend interviews, write exams, should have good remarks in Annual Confidential Reports in order to climb the ladder of Lt-Capt.-Maj-Lt.Col-Col.-Brig.-Maj.Gen.-Lt.Gen.-Gen. There are sincere officers in IPS who prove their mettle by doing the given duty to them, but there are stories of IPS officers jockeying to create a new post for them only because of the fact that they have completed a no. of years of service and it’s time for their promotion.

4. Leadership:

Army officers should be in the forefront, leading the men they command. Statistics of war casualties show that many commissioned officers are martyred. There is a general perception that IPS officers are good at sitting in AC room and planning only on papers. This might be true, but there are many officers in IPS (like Dr. NC Asthana, K.Vijay Kumar, C. Sylendra Babu etc. to name a few) who do the dirty job of leading from the front. But in most cases dangerous jobs are left to directly recruited Assistant Commandants or Deputy Superintendents.

5. Reputation:

Army officers have a good image and respect among public when compared to their IPS counterparts. We should understand that Army officers do not get the same respect (that they get in India's heartland) in NE states and J&K, where AFSPA is implemented. We should understand that external aggressors are the main enemy for army, whereas police is acting against internal aggressors (who are their countrymen), so police cannot use the same force as that of the army, while dealing with the crimes. Checking suspicious vehicles/persons/places is a normal preventive work, but this is seen as an infringement of privacy. Normal day-to-day policing work itself damages the image of police. Army man shoots to kill, whereas a Police man shoots only to deter. Even though police has done terrible mistakes here and there, our country is still intact and stable, and the credit for this should be given to police leadership. We should also be proud of our Army for upholding the territorial integrity of our country.

6. Corruption:

In this area also Army wins over IPS. In army, recruitment and procurement/provisioning are the only possible areas where army officers can even think of making some quick buck. Whereas in IPS, all kind of work involves dealing with the public, and officers might be offered bribe right from the first day of joining the duty. Both IPS and army officers, are born and brought up in the same society/environment, but the organisation they join makes the difference. Generalization will surely demoralize the honest officers in both Olive green and Khaki uniforms.

7. Patriotism:

Patriotism, discipline, sacrifice, camaraderie are very good attributes that are present in Indian Army and it is worth emulating these qualities in other organisations too. But there is a general perception among armed forces that they are more patriotic and they love their country a lot than others, because they have joined military and they are ready to do supreme sacrifices in the line of duty. Recently an army officer wrote in an online forum that at least 5 years of military service should be made compulsory for IPS officers (who claim that they also want to serve their country) before taking CSE, because a lot of vacancy exists in armed forces. We should understand that vacancies exist in other organisations also. Engineers, scientists, teachers, lawyers, agriculturists, business men, bankers and even politicians are very important for a nation’s development.

8. Other service trivia:

Use of khaki as police uniforms which are traditionally worn by soldiers, use of same shoulder epaulets, ceremonial batons, georgette patches, head bands, star plates and rank flags in official vehicles by both army officers and IPS officers, giving gallantry awards like ashok chakra, kirti chakra etc. (which are traditionally seen by armed forces as theirs) for police officer , use of the word "jawan", "commando" etc. by media to denote CPMFs, use of similar disruptive pattern camouflage uniforms by CPMFs etc. irks armed forces. But we should understand that colour of uniforms show the uniqueness of the organisation to which a person belongs, uniform should connect a person to tradition and history that his organisation inherits. Similarly, most of the decorations in the Indian Army uniforms are adopted from British system, for instance, crown was replaced by state emblem, and other decorations like crossed sword and baton etc. remained unchanged in shoulder epaulets. IPS (formerly Imperial Police) got branched off from Indian Army they also share the same tradition and history. There should not be any problem in using Camouflage/disruptive pattern uniforms (given the fact there are no copyright restrictions) by CPMFs if the working conditions demands, because they also do the same work as armed forces. Terms like jawan etc. cannot be monopolised. Guarding territorial frontiers is a great service. Income tax and customs/central excise officers guard economic frontiers.

ISRO/DRDO/DAE/CSIR/ICAR/ICMR engineers and scientists provide security to this country by using science as a weapon. Energy security and food security are also equally important. In my opinion each and every profession is equally important. Taking pride in one's work is a good thing, but it should not be at the contempt of other work. No service should be belittled, instead we should analyse the issues and think about possible reforms.

Possible Reforms:

For all the aforementioned issues, IPS officers alone cannot be blamed.As many as eight police reforms commissions have been formed and and these commissions had IPS officers as their members and they tried to address some of the issues that are pestering police leadership. None of the reforms were fully implemented. Police being a state subject, we can't expect anything other than this. Central govt. too failed to comply with some of the Supreme Court judgements regarding police reforms.

 I'll list here some of the reforms. While some are my own ideas, others are taken from the internet and Police reforms commission reports.

(i) Separate exams for IPS:

IPS cannot be claimed as a pure civil service. IPS officers have to work in quasi-military settings in CPMFs. Indian Forest Service (IFoS) is doing a good job by having a separate exam for their recruitment. By keeping separate exams, only interested candidates will apply, and this will also to some extent end the problem of flocking of 20+ IPS probationers into various other civil services every year. Recruitment can also be modelled based on Army SSB (a judicious mix of written exams, interviews and physical exams) without diluting the toughness/quality of exams. Sympathy of trainers towards the probationers will also reduce to a great extent. Rejections every year at the end of probation will reduce the complacency effect.

This issue of separate exams was taken up by few IPS officers a few years back, but it was vehemently opposed by retired and senior IPS officers. They are of opinion that this move will reduce the status of IPS over IAS. It is a well-known fact that a turf war is going on b/w IAS and IPS. In no way this move will reduce the status of IPS.

(ii) Merit based promotions:

Right from 1997, almost all police reforms commissions talk about this. These commissions had IPS officers as members and even senior and retired IPS officers are batting for this reform. According to this, at each stage of promotion, if an IPS officer completes certain no. of years of service, he should be sent again to SVPNPA, where he/she will take a course. At the end of the course, written examinations, interviews, physical tests will be conducted and performance of the officers in their states/organisations and annual confidential reports will be reviewed and promotions are given according to the merit. There are also incentives for officers who clear the course in first attempt. For repeated attempts officers will have to pay from their own pocket. There is also a provision that, if an officer fails in 3 consecutive tests, he should be compulsorily retired from the service. Who should be blamed for not implementing this?

(iii) Reforms in Central Deputation:

IPS officers in SP rank are allowed to go to Central organisations like SVPNPA, NEPA, BPR&D, NICFS, CBI, IB, NCRB, DPWC etc. whereas officers of and above DIG rank are allowed to go to CPMFs like BSF, ITBP, CRPF, CISF, AR, SSB, NSG and other organisations like NCB, DRI etc. There is a growing concern among cadre officers of CPMFs that an "outsider" is coming to command them, and also there is a general perception among cadre officers of CPMFs that these IPS officers come to central deputation for having good time and to take rest after tense and busy law and order work in their parent cadre. In my opinion, physically and mentally fit IPS officers in SP rank should also be sent to CPMFs like BSF, ITBP, CRPF, CISF, AR, SSB, NSG as assistant/deputy/joint commandants after some stringent physical and psychological tests. The skills that the IPS officers acquire in these organisations will not only be of great help to them for the rest of their career but will also help in capacity building of the state cadre to which they belong.

Source:http://indiandefence.com/threads/ips-officers-vs-army-officers

With growing homeland security concerns, MHA procurements have become crucial

The growing concerns for the homeland security in the recent times not only foresee the challenges that the country is about to face, but also encourages the government to increase the resources manifold in this sector. The demand for modernisation of the police forces and the security equipment has gone up dramatically in the recent times, especially after the terror attacks in Mumbai and New Delhi. 

Some journals estimate the investments into the private security industry to be around USD 12.3 billion while the total estimate that country is planning to spend stands close to USD 30 billion by the year 2016. The major segment of this investment, however, is set to flow into the modernisation of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and a part of it flows to the state polices organisations. Various other sectors like airport security, surveillance projects, integrated security systems etc are also rapidly increasing their footprints in the Indian homeland security matrix.

The ministry of home affairs is now planning to buy and wet-lease helicopters to assist its forces as the entire fleet of Dhruv helicopters has been grounded after several mishaps. “We have authorised wet leasing of helicopters. We are also looking to buy some helicopters. This is a long-term project for which money must be made available”, home minister Chidambaram said while presenting the monthly report card in February. Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force will help the paramilitary and the police forces till the alternative arrangements are made. The new helicopters will be mainly utilised for the anti-Maoist operations, in addition to some non-combatant functions like transporting essential goods, transporting injured personnel, etc. 

Funds amounting to Rs 397.42 crore were sanctioned for the purchase of arms and ammunition and equipment for the CAPFs, states the MHA monthly report. Ammunition and the equipment include hand-held laser range finder, different types of vehicles, SUV mounted communication jammer, Passive Night Vision (PSV) weapon sight etc. The report also allocates funds to procure high-end equipment for the comfort of the policemen such as the jungle shoes, helmets, and the uniforms that suits the operations in extreme weather. 

Recent sanctions by the MHA for the force modernisation, proves the fact that the ministry is indeed very focussed on the internal security concerns. Sanction amounting to Rs 61,98 crore has been given to BSF for procurement of 16,791 Digital VHF/UHF handheld radio sets. Besides, sanction amounting to Rs 2,35 crore was accorded to NSG for 30 km tactical optical fiber cable with terminal equipment. Also, sanction worth Rs 5,12 crore was accorded to ITBP for 22 high altitude shelters and Rs 20,67 crore was also accorded to ITBP for implementation of wide area network (WAN). Sanction was given for creation of 468 posts for the Integrated Intelligence Wing in CRPF. 

Procurement Variables
In the current scenario, the requirement for the modern equipment is huge — ranging from the surveillance equipment for the border guarding roles, to the internal security operations in the most difficult terrains. There is a requirement also for the UAV for some aerial surveillance operations. 

The procurement process for the different central police organisations are need based, and varies depending on the size of the contract. Generally, it is done through the ‘rate contracts’ of the DGS&D (Directorate general supplies and disposal) or the direct tenders by the respective forces if it is under the financial competency of the concerned DG of the CPMF.

Prior to December 2006, procurement of all items which were beyond the financial competency of the concerned DG was done centrally by MHA procurement wing based on the requirement projected by the concerned CPMFs. But after 2006, one of the Central Para Military Force (CPMF) has being made nodal agency by MHA which will initiate the action for the procurement of the items listed under them.

For example, the nodal agency for the procurement of weaponry is NSG. CRPF is the nodal agency for the communication equipment and BSF is for the surveillance equipment. Instances like the procurement of the vehicles etc, where the requirement is common to all the CPMFs, the MHA could make one of the force as the nodal agency (generally the force with the largest user of that vehicle or the force with the maximum requirement) and initiate the procurement process through it.

Nodal agencies will make the QRs (Qualitative Requirements)/ specifications of the security related items that are to be procured as per the MHA directives. These QRs made by the nodal agencies are discussed in the standing technical evaluation committee meetings comprising of different technical experts and invariably headed by a senior ranking officer of CPMFs. One member of the BPR&D/ DRDO is also associated to incorporate their technical opinion. The final draft of the QR is then sent to the MHA for the final approval. MHA then vets/ approves the QRs.

During the procurement process, if ballistic or any other trial (such as in the case of BP vehicles/jackets etc) of the subject item is required, then MHA/respective CPMFs may obtain the views of BPR&D/CFSL to sort-out any kind of confusion relating to the trial procedure. The indenting CPMFs may also request the association of technical representatives of BPR&D/CFSL.

By Dilip Kumar Mekala in forceindia.net