India tweaks tender to procure 12 VVIP Helicopters

‘India changed tech requirements to help Italian firm’
Manu Pubby : New Delhi, Thu Nov 01 2012, 02:22 hrs
India allegedly tweaked the technical requirements in the tender to procure 12 VVIP helicopters for the Air Force to help Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland enter the race, an associate of the suspected middleman in the deal has alleged in his confession to Italian prosecutors.
In his testimony, the associate of Guido Haschke said the AW 101 chopper did not qualify initially as the requirements were being drawn by India in 2006. They were allegedly tweaked after Haschke struck a deal with the Italian company.
Investigations have also found that the Indian businessman named by Italian prosecutors — Sanjeev Kumar (Julie) Tyagi — is closely related to former air chief marshal S P Tyagi, who was heading the force when the tender was floated in December 2006.
S P Tyagi is a first cousin of Julie, a Delhi-based businessman. He is one of three Indians being probed for suspected corruption in the Rs 3,546 crore deal.
The retired officer confirmed he was related to Julie but said they had no business links. Julie could not be reached for comment. Reached for its comment, the IAF did not respond until going to press.
In his May 14 confession, business consultant Carmelo Messina says he put Haschke and his partner Carlos Gerosa in touch with AgustaWestland in 2006 to facilitate the Indian contract. He says Haschke was keen to get in touch with AgustaWestland as he “claimed he had deep knowledge of the Indian market”.
“Haschke said he had good relations with a person from Indian defence. I think he met him during his studies in America,” the statement says. Messina said Haschke boasted about his connections and claimed to have insider information that could help the Italian firm.
Messina says AgustaWestland figured out its choppers would not qualify for the contract after it contacted Haschke. He says Haschke managed to get the requirements changed to accommodate AgustaWestland.
“He told me he managed to convince the Indians, or actually the defence ministry, to reconsider the features of the helicopters so that Italian helicopters too could take part in the tender,” Messina says. “After some evaluation, it was found Haschke was right and the... ministry had really modified the technical features of the helicopters it needed.”
Messina says he received “50,000-60,000 euros in cash” from Haschke as a “thank you sign” in 2009.
India changed tech requirements to help Italian firm
Who is Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi?

Air Chief Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi (born 14 March 1945), more commonly known as S P Tyagi, is the former Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force. Prior to becoming chief of Indian Air Force, he was commanding the Western Air Command of the Air Force. He was commissioned in the fighter stream of the IAF on December 31, 1963. He is said to have "actively participated" in the 1965 and 1971 wars.
Air Chief Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi took over as the 20th Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force from 31 December 2004. Popularly known as "Bundle", Tyagi was born at Indore on March 14, 1945 . He is an alumnus of St Xavier School in Jaipur. He was commissioned in the IAF on 31 December 1963 in the fighter stream.
The initial years of his career in the air force, Tyagi flew Gnats with No.23 Squadron and later served with Hunters of No.27 Squadron. A veteran of both the 1965 and the 1971 Wars, he was one of the pioneer batch of eight pilots selected for conversion on the Jaguar Interdiction aircraft when it was inducted in 1980s. Whilst training at Lossiemouth, he was one of the two Indian pilots chosen for a Photo Recce Course at Coltishall with No.41 Squadron RAF.
Tyagi commanded No.14 Squadron "Bulls" later after coming back to India. A Graduate of the TACDE with a Fighter Combat Leader and Pilot Attack Instructor qualifications, he had also attended the Junior Commanders Course, the National Defence College and finally the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington. He received the Vayu Sena Medal (VM) for distinguished service in 1985.
In his mid career, Tyagi had several other appointments under his belt. He was an instructor at TACDE. As an Air Commodore, Tyagi commanded 33 Wing at Jamnagar. Later he was also posted as the Defence Attache at the Indian Consulate in Saudi Arabia. Air Commodore Tyagi was awarded the Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM) in 1994.
He also held the appointments of Director Operations (Air Defence), ACAS (Intelligence), ACAS (Ops). He has had a stint as a senior fellow at the IDSA and was also a senior Instructor and Directing Staff at the DSSC Wellington.
In the rank of Air Marshal, Tyagi was appointed as the SASO of Central Air Command for some time. He took over as the AOC-in-C of Central Air Command not soon after. he is one of the few officers to have the distinction of commanding three Air Commands, Central, South Western and Western Air Command.
Air Marshal Tyagi was awarded the Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM) in 2003, and was appointed as one of the honorary ADCs of the President of India. He has the distinction of being the one and only Air Chief Marshal to have done skydiving after being appointed to a high post as Chief of the Air Staff of Indian Air Force.
He is married to Mrs. Vandana Tyagi and they have a son and a daughter.

Celebrities conferred honorary ranks absent from annual parades

Navy decides not to confer honorary ranks henceforth
Dehradun: In a significant move, the Indian Navy, after sensing the apathy of the honorary-rank holder celebrities towards armed forces, has decided to not to confer anyone with these prestigious ranks henceforth.
Navy has concluded that the celebrities previously conferred with such ranks have remained apathetic towards the armed forces. Chief of Navy staff, Admiral DK Joshi said that the Indian Navy is now not in favour of conferring prestigious titles to the civilians.
Recently, following the footstep of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni, who also holds the honorary rank of Lt-Colonel in the Territorial Army, had chosen to give a miss to the Army’s annual parade ceremony. Last year, Dhoni was conferred with the honorary rank of Lt-Colonel in the Territorial Army amid much fanfare.
Tendulkar was inducted into the Air Force as an Honorary Group Captain in September 2010.
The absence of Dhoni and Tendulkar from their respective organisational events had sparked off a debate on whether the celebrities should be conferred such titles or not. The Ministry of Defence had started conferring such titles to the celebrities in a bid to attract the youths for opting defence as their career. But the non-participation and non-commitment of these celebrities towards their duties have caused disappointment which has culminated into the fresh decision of Indian Navy to stop honouring any celebrity with these titles. JPN/Bureau
Navy decides not to confer honorary ranks henceforth MS Dhoni skips Territorial Army Day parade
Comment: Absent from parade means they should be discharged from service.

Indian Air Force ahead with over 10 percent women officers

New Delhi, Aug 22, 2012, (IANS)
Women officers in the Indian army, navy and air force constitute only 3.3, 3.9 and 10.4 percent of the officer cadre respectively and these figures were achieved within 20 years from when they were first recruited, parliament was informed Wednesday.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the representation of women in the armed forces has been progressively increasing since their first recruitment in 1992-93.
"At present, the percentage of women officers in army, navy and air force, excluding medical streams, is 3.3 percent, 3.9 per cent and 10.04 percent respectively," Antony said.
"The representation of women officers in the armed forces has increased progressively over the years," the minister added.
To another query on the same subject, the minister said the number of women officers in the army is 1,214, in the navy 302 and the air force 1,079.
At present, the existing strength of the army is 36,788 officers, the navy 7,744 and the air force 10,747. There is a shortfall of 13,000 officers across the three services.
These figures are excluding the medical stream women officers.
Women officers are inducted in the branches open to them within the overall authorised strength of officers' cadre of respective service, based on merit on an all- India basis.
"There is no separate fixed sanctioned strength for women officers in the armed forces," he added.
Noting that a fresh policy on induction of women officers was laid down last November, Antony said it was issued after considering the paper submitted by a high-level tri-service committee with the approval of the chiefs of staff committee.
"There is an endeavour to fill up the vacancies of officers from amongst eligible candidates, which is a continuous and an ongoing process," Antony said.
Barring the medical stream, women officers are inducted on short service commissions in certain branches of the three armed forces.
In the army, women officers are recruited in the Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Intelligence Corps, Army Education Corps and Judge Advocate General branches.
In the navy, they are inducted into the Judge Advocate General, Logistics, Observer, Air Traffic Controller, Naval Constructor and Education branches.
In the air force, though, women officers are recruited in all branches and streams, except the fighter stream of the flying branch.
Indian Air Force ahead with over 10 percent women officers

OROP- Pension improvement an ongoing process

PIB Releases Ministry of Defence 12-December, 2011 14:34 IST
One Rank-One Pension
The gap between past pensioners and their youger equivalents retiring from the armed forces does not necessarily keeps widening with every successive pay commission. Over the years several improvements have been made in pension of past pensioners. The pension of past pensioners have revised in accordance with recommendation of each successive Pay Commission, as accepted by the Government. The Sixth Pay Commission had recommended fitment formula and modified parity for past pensioners, in order to reduce the gaps, which were accepted by the Government.
Pension Improvement is an ongoing process and considerable improvements have been made in the pensions of armed forces personnel. The Group of Ministers (GoM) had in 2005 improved the pensionary benefits of PBORs. On the recommendations of PMO, a Committee was set up under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary in June, 2009 to look into the issue of `One Rank One Pension and other related matters. After considering all aspects of the matter, the Committee keeping in mind the spirit of the demand, suggested several measures to substantially improve pensionary benefits of Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) and Commissioned Officers, which have been accepted by the Government and orders for implementation of all the recommendations have been issued. These are available at www.pcdapension.nic.in.
This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Shri MM PallamRaju in a written reply to Dr.RajanSushantand others in LokSabha today. PK/NN (Release ID :78436)
One Rank One Pension

CSD Depots in Himachal Pradesh
Government of Himachal Pradesh has requested this Ministry for setting up of a CSD Depot in the State in view of the number of Servicemen, Ex-servicemen and their families residing there.
Land measuring approximately 188kanals had been offered by Himachal Pradesh Government in this regard. However, the same was not found to be suitable, since some of it Included khud/nallah which is prone to flooding during rainy season.
It is not possible at this stage to anticipate the time likely to be taken for setting up the Depot at Una in view of the fact that the Government of Himachal Pradesh is yet to identify another piece of suitable land. Once a suitable alternate land is offered by the State Government the proposal will be considered depending upon availability of budget and manpower.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to ShriVirenderKashyap in LokSabha today. PK/NN (Release ID :78428)

Sadbhavana Schemes of Army
Projects under Sadbhavana scheme executed by the Army in Ladakh relate to infrastructure, community development, Health care, Human Resources Development, Education, Information Technology and National Integration Tour etc. Since 2009-10, the expenditure incurred is as under:-
(Rupees In Crores)/ Year/ Amount Allotted/ Expenditure Incurred
2009-10/ 6.85/ 6.85
2010-11/ 7.00/ 7.00
2011-12/ 7.00/ 3.34 (till date)
These projects are undertaken in consultation / recommendations of village Sarpanches and district administration and are focused to supplement the requirements of the people in remote and inaccessible areas.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to ShriHassan Khan in LokSabha today. PK/NN (Release ID :78425)

Placement of IAF Personnel
A Placement Fair was conducted at Air Force Auditorium, Subroto Park, New Delhi on 15th & 16th October, 2011 by the Indian Air Force Placement Cell. A total of 2788 air warriors including 2671 airmen (2035 retired and 636 serving) and 117 officers (87 retired and 30 serving) participated in the event. A total of 38 companies participated in the fair.
666 air warriors were shortlisted for placement during the fair. So far 93 confirmed placements have been reported to Indian Air Force Placement Cell.
Such fairs are conducted as per the requirements of the Indian Air Force from time to time.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri A. Ganeshamurthi in LokSabha today. PK/NN (Release ID :78427)

Joint Command a Myth

Joint command
Jointness in armed forces
Politics of Chief of Defence Staff
by Rakesh Datta
This refers to the article, “Jointness in armed forces” (August 26). There is no likelihood of the CDS coming up at least in the foreseeable future. First, there is no jointness; the three Services Chiefs hold divergent views. Secondly, there exists an unwarranted fear of army takeover in the mind of the politicians that is fuelled by vested interests in the bureaucracy. And thirdly, the all-powerful bureaucracy is afraid of losing its superiority.

The fear has even led to a systematic dilution of the status of the Services Chiefs. They have been brought down in precedence from their once exalted position. The million-strong Army has been virtually sidelined. It has lost its say even in the matters that directly concern it. And sadly, the Army has sheepishly allowed itself to be relegated to the inferior position. All this needs to be undone.

The government should get rid of its imaginary fear, the bureaucracy should shun its misplaced superiority complex, and the Army should assert its well-deserved importance. Give the Army its rightful due. This will be in the interest of national security.
Wg Cdr CL SEHGAL (Retd), Jalandhar

Fakes take Flight at Srinagar Airport

Srinagar land scam: Over hundred acres of airfield sold
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: July 23, 2011 12:32 IST
Srinagar: Shocking as it may sound, India's most security-sensitive airfield the Srinagar Air Force Station and International Airport has been on sale for four years, and till recently nobody knew about it!

NDTV has exclusive documents that show bit by bit more than 100 acres of the 2,300-acre airfield has been sold to private players by land sharks who bribed their way through the Defence Estates Office and the government's Revenue Department.

These corrupt officials cleared sale agreements in such a zone that could easily fall prey to cross-border terror; selling off pieces of an area, ironically, we are not even allowed to enter.

A R Hanjura, a lawyer, bought 1.5 acres of this land in Naaru Village in 2008. He bought it from Mrs. Fazi, who claimed to be the previous landlord, and had the papers to show for it.

Mr Hanjura says these were Revenue Department records that confirmed the land was still in Mrs Fazi's name, even though the area was being used by the Defence.

Mr Hanjura was told once the plot is his he could claim rent from the Defence.

The sale was cleared by the Defence Estates Office in Srinagar, whose permission was mandatory, since the plot fell in an area under its use.

It was also verified by the Revenue Department that it belonged to Mrs Fazi and not the Defence Ministry. Mr Hanjura bought the plot at a pittance for Rs. 20,000 which he thought to be a bargain, till he was told it was a fraudulent sale of Defence land.

According to documents with NDTV, at least 60 buyers like Mr Hanjura risked purchasing village land, right inside the airfield since 2008, hoping for a rent from the Defence.

They drew assurance from the fact that a Defence Office okayed the purchases.

"I have been deceived. I have obtained a no-objection certificate from the Defence Estates Office. That way it was perfect for me to purchase this land," said A. R. Hanjura, man who bought plot in Srinagar airfield.

NDTV has accessed many of these No-Objection Certificates, issued by the previous Defence Estates Officer Ajay Chowdhary.

It claims that the plots were neither acquired nor requisitioned nor hired by the Defence Ministry.

Blatantly contradicting these documents that show the Defence Ministry acquired this whole area, all 2,300 acres, way back in the 50s and the 60s.

The catch: Only 500 acres of these acquisitions have been updated in the revenue records of the state till today because of red tape and inefficiency in both the Defence and Revenue offices.

"The Revenue Department does not give any documents required unless they get no-objection, requisite clearance from the Defence Estates Office. Once they give no objection, that means all encumbrances are ruled out," said Rafi Ahmad Deputy Commissioner and Collector, Budgam District.

The Srinagar Defence Estates now under a new officer has challenged petitions of five buyers who demanded rent. Alternately they were asked to vacate the land.

The Defence has argued these petitions be dismissed, since the purchase of these plots is a scam. It has also stopped issuing NOCs pertaining to any land sale in the area.

This is along the lines of the Adarsh Scam in Mumbai, which exposed the collusion between Defence and government officials, trying to make a profit from sale of properties occupied by the Defence. Only in this case the stakes and dangers of such a sale are much higher.
Srinagar land scam: Over hundred acres of airfield sold

Landmark Decision on Reservists Pension- AFT Implementation

Dear All,
There are eleven IAF Airmen who had gone to court for award of pension after they had completed more than 10 years and few days of service each which included regular, reserve and recalled period of service. They had gone to AFT with a plea that they should be awarded pension for their regular service and additional 6 years reserve, totalling more than 15 years which otherwise qualifies for pension for veterans in normal course. AFT gave decision in favour of all these veterans but it was not being implemented.
Air HQ has now conveyed the sanction of the President of India in terms of GOI, MOD, order No 4684/DIR(PEN)/2001 dated 14 August 2001 & 7 Nov 2001 to implement the court order dated 12 Jan 2011 in this case vide letter No Air HQ /41006/SP/363/PA(CC) dated 09 May 2011 asking PCDA (Pension) to issue corr PPO for arrears including 3 years preceding the date of filing the petition on 22 Jul 2009.This letter also mentions that it is issued with the concurrence of Finance Division of MOD vide U O note dated 13 Apr 2011.
Procedural details have also been circulated by AFRO vide their letter dated 23 May 2011 as a follow up asking each of these airman to submit some of the documents including joint photographs etc.
There are many more cases of reservists which are now required to be decided in their favour by this logic but not implemented. This particular case shows that Service HQ has the powers vested in them for implementation of such AFT orders and direct PCDA(P) to issue corr PPOs after completing other formalities.
I am organising a meet of such other airman who are based at Pune sometimes in third week of July 2011 to brief them on this decision and may be initiate their claims for pension.
I could not find both the letters mentioned by Air HQ as authority from the website of PCDA, Allahabad. I have now asked AFRO, New Delhi to send me copies. Once these are read & understood some further action can be taken.
Regards,
Gp Capt SS Phatak (Retd)
Head Pension Division of IESM, IAF Accounts, 1965-1994
Pune

Anna Hazare: Corruption versus Patriotism

Here is a first person account from someone who met him in his own village years back, and came back impressed.
I met Anna Hazare in 1998, during a visit as an Air Cmde from DSSC, alongwith my friends, Ravi Burli and Kalaichelvan. We were then in Ahmednagar at the Armd Corps Centre and school. Having arranged a vehicle to take us to Ralegaon Siddhi, we drove along the Nagar-Pune road, till a friendly ex-army sub directed us. As we entered RS,the road was lined with trees on either side!
The road then took a dip and we entered a verdant village,full of greenery .We met Anna rebuilding the temple with other villagers. My idea was to find out how a Naik ASC driver, could have transformed a village, steeped in the making of hooch, to this green village and had been awarded the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri.
When Anna arrived in his village, everything was in his words- imported. The villagers were busy collecting wood to burn and heat the still, and when they started removing th temple wooden beams, it was the last straw! He had Rs20,000/ as his commuted pension, and he used this to buy bricks to replace the beams and make the walls stronger. The villagers were ashamed at this, and joined hands. He identified water availability as the crux, and with the advice of the Irrigation dept, he made a series of check dams, using chain-link pieces and stones, to hold the small runoffs, till the base, where he built a concrete dam to hold the water during the rains.
His efforts were so successful, that in one year the water table rose by 12 ft and water from then on was available to the village on a perennial basis. He then convinced the villagers to adopt-Nasha Bandhi, Nas Bandhi, Chara Bandhi(they were to cut the grass and feed it to the cattle, instead of letting them roam at will and denude the hillsides of precious grass), 100% literacy, no caste discrimination and care for the girl child! Water made Ralegaon Siddhi self sufficient in grain, fruits(they started selling Mangoes, Chikoos, Bananas, Papayas etc), and in his words, the GDP of each villager to Rs 3000/.
They built a double storey building for their residential school, were no student would be failed- a revolutionary idea!
When an SC person was facing financial difficulties, he mustered funds, got the person out of trouble, and even collected funds to arrange for his daughter's marriage!
When I asked why I did not see a domino effect, he put it to leadership. He told me that he did not marry, as it would have diverted his attention from bringing up the village- it took 20 years of hard toiling effort. He did not accept any financial help from my side, as he said that it would lower him in his eyes- he had refused to accept $1000 from a German TV unit for that same reason.
When we left, I saluted him, as I felt deeply humbled in the presence of a man who had achieved so much, in his life. That is Anna Hazare
Air Marshal Raghu Rajan

Airforce Corruption in Aero Shows
Dassault executive accused of bribery. The news item went on to explain that the ‘Indian Air Force has put on hold its dealings with the country manager of French defence firm Dassault Aviation for his role in the bribery scandal during the Aero India show in Bangalore’.

Exactly what was the role this manager played in the bribery scandal? It turns out that a Wing Commander of Indian Air Force, in charge of allotting parking spots for the aircrafts going on show demanded Rs 20,000 for allotting a preferred spot. An official premium for a preferred slot would have been understandable; but a personal consideration? Apparently this gentleman paid the sum, but took his complaint to the higher ups in Air Force, where upon the gentleman was accused of being involved in bribery and black listed, while the officer concerned wasn’t; or if he was, the news paper did not say so! Insiders tell us stories of how even preferred timings of demonstration flights have their ‘rates’!

Now is this your plain vanilla corruption of the usual business man variety or it something else? Air shows are meant for civilian and military aircrafts manufacturers alike to show case their wares. A wrong choice of the aircraft because it was not given a due slot could compromise the lives of passengers if the aircraft is civilian, and compromise national security if the aircraft in question was a military one. See what I mean about corruption and un-patriotism being inter-linked?
Read the full story: Anna Hazare by V Raghunathan

Air Force Bands to Perform at India Gate on Sunday

Saturday, December 25, 2010 Ministry of Defence
PIB 17:39 IST
A 30-member IAF Band will enthrall audiences and visitors to Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate on Sunday, December 26. With a combination of Jazz and Military Brass musical instruments, the air warriors will play western, Indian classical, martial, patriotic and popular Hindi tunes during a ninety-minute performance. The free display will commence at 4 p.m. TKS/-
Air Force Bands to Perform at India Gate on Sunday

Amar Jawan Jyoti- IAF Band to Enthrall Audiences

Thursday, December 09, 2010 17:53 IST
A 30-member IAF Band will enthrall audiences and visitors to Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate on Saturday, December 11. With a combination of Jazz and Military Brass musical instruments, the air warriors will play western, Indian classical, martial, patriotic and popular Hindi tunes during a ninety-minute performance. The free display will commence at 4 p.m.
Air Force Band to Perform at India Gate on Saturday

अमर जवान ज्योति-वायुसेना ग़ुलाम बनाना दर्शकों को बैंड
गुरुवार, 9 दिसंबर 2010 17:53 IST
एक 30 सदस्यीय भारतीय वायु सेना के बैंड ग़ुलाम बनाना दर्शकों और शनिवार, 11 दिसंबर को इंडिया गेट पर अमर जवान ज्योति पर आगंतुकों होगा. जाज और सैन्य पीतल संगीत वाद्ययंत्र का एक संयोजन के साथ, वायु योद्धाओं एक नब्बे मिनट का प्रदर्शन के दौरान पश्चिमी, भारतीय शास्त्रीय संगीत, मार्शल, देशभक्ति और लोकप्रिय हिंदी धुनों खेलेंगे. मुफ्त प्रदर्शन 4 बजे अपराह्न शुरू होगा
वायु सेना के बैंड इंडिया गेट पर शनिवार को प्रदर्शन करने के लिए

Will Gp Capt Sachin our icon battle for welfare of IAF personnel?

SACHIN TENDULKAR:THE ICON OF INDIAN CRICKET, NOW FOR THE IAF VS OROP
Dear Friends,
Undoubtedly, Mr Sachin Tendulkar is the icon of Indian cricket without any blemish attached to his name. Inspite of setting many world records to his credit, he continues to imbibe the true qualities of a humble human being. He is a great man and Indians are proud of him. Well, the IAF has done good to make him the icon of its face by honouring him the honorary rank of Gp Capt. On his part and as stated by him in his maiden speech on the occasion of the ceremony of attaching the epaulets of the rank of Gp Capt on his shoulders, he accepted that he is now feeling a part of the IAF itself. Mr Sachin is now Gp Capt(Hon). God bless him with long life.

Having accepted the responsibilities of icon of the IAF, will he also espouse the cause of the aspirations of the IAF and the personnel of the Defence Force at large. Will he join hands with the veterans and the would be veterans for acceptance of OROP by the GOI. My gut feeling is that he will in some form or the other. Gentlemen, who will take the lead in this matter. Our trusted friend Bendre could use his writing skill to the advantage of the veterans. The subject could also be taken up through IESM/Report My Signal Blog
I Jairath
Gp Capt(Retd)

Boeing Seattle Plant under Camouflage in WW II

HELLO EVERYONE - THIS SHOULD BLOW YOU AWAY IF YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER.
The person I received this from said she got back an interesting story about someone's mother who worked at Lockheed, and she as a younger child, remembers all this. And to this day, it is the first pictures of it she's seen... Another person who lived in the area talked about as being a boy, watching it all be set up like a movie studio production. They had fake houses, trees, etc. and moved parked cars around so it looked like a residential area from the skies overhead.

Hiding in Plain Sight
The idea of deceiving the enemy as to what you are doing is not new. Trying to hide individual items from observation is not new, trying to hide whole factories from aerial bombing during The Second World War was new.

Boeing Seattle Plant under Camouflage in WW II
B-29s under construction inside - and under- camouflage on
the Seattle production line in late 1945(?).
Dozens of B-29s are lined up on the tarmac.
After December 7, 1941 the Lockheed and Boeing aircraft factories along the West Coast were put under netting to try and hide them from Japanese aircraft attack. The Boeing plant went even further with fake houses and trees over the factory. The effectiveness of this was never tested - no Japanese aircraft got anywhere near these factories, but it did instill the sense of the war, the collective threat, to the people not on the front lines in those areas.

The Germans went to elaborate lengths to hide factories with netting and smoke screens - even so far as to build dummy oil refineries with similar reference points to fool bombardiers trying to hit it instead of the real factory a few mile further on - it actually known to have worked once.

However, asides from that rare case, hiding a factory would ONLY work if no aerial - or any type of images - of the factory was in possession by the enemy before the pre-mission photo-recon picture had been taken. Hiding a SINGLE item this big never worked - the bridges, rivers, prominent intersections etc would all still be there to allow a proper bomb drop on the factory. You have to hide everything around it within a mile so that the person toggling the bombs could not be sure exactly where it is. Off by 10 seconds means you miss the whole target. Thus you need to fake the scale in the camouflage or shift it over by 1/2 mile by making a new complete factory along with roads, intersections etc to match the original.

Oblique view of Seattle Boeing Plant in World War Two
Looking East from around 1500 feet at the production plant.
A B-29 is on the tarmac, one on the runway a B-17
on the other side of the field.
Early in the war they may not have helped - 60% of American bombs dropped often missed the real target aiming point (a 1000 foot circle) and hit everywhere around it so doing the camouflage work then may have actually caused more damage. By late 1943 it had changed so that 60% of bombs dropped usually hit within the 1000 foot radius of the aiming point.

Early in the war a typical mission would have between 250 to 350 B-17s hitting a single target - which means anywhere from 3,000 to 4,200 individual 500 pound bombs exploding within 1000 feet of the aiming point - which would utterly destroy any target. This never happened. The longer the distance flown the less bombs carried. So a deep raid would have only eight 500 lb bombs in the bombay and the 1/2 filled with extra fuel tanks. With the accuracy so poor higher numbers of aircraft had to be sent so that statistics would ensure enough actually hit the target. By late 1944 they would send a single group - 56 a/c, to hit a single target and it would be destroyed. The accuracy had gone up due to better ballistic calculations and training of the bombardiers plus better bombing formation tactics employed.

Workers walking over the camouflaged Boeing plant
Under this detailed walkable camouflage roof of fake housing, Boeing B-17F Flying Fortresses were being produced in 1942-1945. The two women show the detailing done to make it look real.
John Stewart Detlie, a Hollywood set designer, helped "hide" Boeing's Seattle plant using his Hollywood design techniques with this camouflage. The fake housing development covered nearly 26 acres with netting, plywood and other material over the Seattle plant.

Boeing plant aerial photo taken from around 5000 feet.
This was taken in either 1944 or 1945. You can see the
B-29s on the tarmac and other aircraft around the field.
As bombing became more accurate deception techniques actually worked better since every second of flying meant at least a 227 foot error. A person at 25,000 feet looking through a scope cannot see both ahead to see what is coming up and the immediate view of the traversing ground at the same time. A bombardier had just 120 seconds to line up and drop after the IP. Thus if the target comes into view just 10 seconds earlier than he thought it would and he drops - and at this time of the war the whole group dropped on the signal of the lead plane's smoke marker - so the whole group drops early and you can save the real target.

B-17 Flying Fortress at Seattle on the tarmac
G model Flying Fortresses just off the production line in Seattle await delivery to the combat modification center in Kansas. You can easily read the B-17G tail numbers 297385, 297386, 297387 on these natural finish Flying Fortresses so an exact date can be obtained of the picture with a little research.
In January of 1944 a change in policy stated that all aircraft were to be left in a natural metal finish. This cut down the production time (no painting) plus it saved weight - which meant either more fuel or bombs could be carried. The weight of paint could reach 500 lbs or more on a Flying Fortress. Modern pigment paint weights up to 10 pounds per gallon and it takes only 2 mil of coverage at the high end to cover the surface. The primer that goes on first weights about the same. The real high tech modern paint (see http://www.loehle.com ) weights 1/2 as much at 4.89 pounds / gal with a coverage 530 sq ft / gallon. This is the Endura paint which is a two-component polyamine primer. A B-17 has 1420 square feet of wing area on top, and for the bottom, about the same for the rest of the a/c so that puts it around 4200 square feet of surface. Modern paint would add around 100 lbs of extra weight if the $300 gallon type is used.

I have not been able to find an authoritative source as to the weight of paint used during WW II, though I have crewman reports anywhere from 65 to 500 lbs of paint. but if it was 20 lbs/ gal at around 200 sq feet a gallon, that would add in around 500 pounds of paint.
Hiding in Plain Sight

UK unveils unmanned fighter jet 'of the future'

Tue Jul 13, 5:39 am ET
LONDON (AFP) – An unmanned jet capable of striking long-range targets has been dubbed the "combat aircraft of the future" by the Ministry of Defence.
The Taranis -- named after the Celtic god of thunder -- was unveiled at a ceremony at BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire, on Monday.
The £142.5 million prototype is the size of a light aircraft and has been equipped with stealth technology to make it virtually undetectable.
In a press release, the MoD described the Taranis as "a prototype unmanned combat aircraft of the future."
UK MoD unveils unmanned fighter jet 'of the future'

NCC a solution to manpower shortage in forces: Parliamentary panel

Thursday, April 15, 2010, 17:57 IST
New Delhi: With the Army, Navy and Air Force hard-pressed over shortage of officers, a Parliamentary panel today suggested increasing the intake of NCC cadets in the three defence services as a plausible solution to their manpower problem.

While the Army faces a shortage of 11,456 officers, the Navy and the Air Force suffer a gap of 1,439 and 1,343 officers, respectively.

"The Committee finds that there is an urgent need to give more attention to the National Cadet Corps (NCC), whose main objective is to groom the youth into disciplined and patriotic citizens...NCC training would definitely help the three services in solving the problem of shortage of officers," the Parliamentary Committee on Defence said in its latest reported tabled in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

The Army has a sanctioned strength of 46,614 in the officer cadre, while the existing strength is 35,158 officers. The Navy's sanctioned strength of officers is 9,293 and existing strength 7,854. In the IAF, the sanctioned officer cadre strength is 12,183 and borne strength is 10,840.

The Defence Ministry had informed the committee that it took steps to address the manpower shortage in the three services which included sustained image projection and publicity campaign, participation in career fairs, advertisements in print and electronic media, counselling and motivational talks in schools, colleges and NCC camps.

The panel felt these steps were in the right direction, but a desired focus on the NCC cadets was not being given.

"The committee is of the firm view that there is an urgent need to enrol more schools and colleges, both government and private, for NCC," it said, recommending that the Ministry undertake a survey to know the percentage of NCC students who have actually joined the three services.

The training institutions of the three armed forces -- the National Defence Academy, the Indian Military Academy, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy -- have a percentage of seats reserved for NCC 'C' certificate holders and the allotted seats are usually super-subscribed, as NCC cadets join the academies from the general quota also.

Noting that the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations has had a positive impact by making the armed forces as an attractive career option for the youth, the panel also recommended that the Ministry should consider recruiting retired officers for supervisory jobs, an area where the three services were finding it difficult to get the requisite manpower. PTI
NCC a solution to manpower shortage in forces: Par panel

Dedicated to Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw

Picture Courtesy Bharat Rakshak

I am attaching an incident which took place 44 yrs. Back with late Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, my first hand account, and I wish to dedicate it to his memory on his 96th Birthday. Kindly publish it for general information.
Sqn Ldr AK Agrawala(Retd)

In rememberance of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw on his 96th Birthday on 3 April, I would like to recount a heart throbbing incident, along with late Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw,more than four decades back but it is as fresh in my memory as it happened very recently. I was a very young officer and met (then) Gen Manekshaw for the first and the only time, not at any Air Force function nor on any occasion in the Air Force Mess, as a honoured guest or invitee, but altogether in a very different situation on an operational commitment. to continue click here to read the memorable episode

Bureaucrats grab Defence Lands in Mumbai

NDTV Correspondent, Wednesday March 31, 2010, Mumbai
The Golibar slum in Mumbai's Santa Cruz suburb is the site of a new controversy over Defence Land.

The Air Force alleges that a set of six buildings have illegally come up on 12 acres of its land which could be worth several hundred crores, with the connivance of government officials.

The buildings are part of government slum rehabilitation scheme but the Air Force has alleged that it is defence land which the state government has grabbed without permission.

The Air Force has taken the state housing agency MHADA and the private developer Shivalik Ventures to a city court. It wants the buildings to be demolished.

Nearly 26,000 slum dwellers are to be rehabilitated through this multi-crore project and now many are worried as to what will happen if land ownership is being disputed.

Kalimuddin Sheikh says, "All the locals here were supposed to be rehabilitated on plot number 13 ...MHADA was claiming that it is their land now the defence has made counter claim..."

"I don't think so the project is being carried keeping the SRA norms in mind...", adds another resident, S Atamaram.

Government officials refused to come on record, but they say the Air Force had already lost control of the land because it was encroached by slums. The state housing board says they have documents showing the land belongs to them. Also the project was cleared by another department, the Slum Rehabilitation Authority.

Shivalik Ventures has denied any illegality. It claims it has not built anything on Air Force Land.

"The buildings have not come up on Air Force land but on an adjoining plot. We have received all the necessary clearances from the government. We have not been served any notice on the case", they say.

The claims and counter-claims on this disputed land will now be tested in court.
Air Force moves court over land grab in Mumbai

Air Chief Marshal PV Naik takes over as Chairman, COSC

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik receiving the baton as he took over as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) from outgoing Chief of Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor at a brief ceremony, in New Delhi on March 30, 2010. Photo no.CNR- 31003

PIB: Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal PV Naik took over as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) today. He received the baton of Chairman, COSC from outgoing Chief of Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor at a brief ceremony in the South Block. Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Nirmal Verma was also present.

Speaking on the occasion, Air Marshal Naik said the Indian Armed Forces are in the process of moulding existing and emerging concepts together, to develop capabilities and solutions that will directly benefit the Armed Forces and the joint warfighter of tomorrow. In his farewell address, General Deepak Kapoor said a number of important ongoing issues like Network for Spectrum, Ballistic Missile Defence and Space Based Systems need to be addressed jointly.

Commissioned into the IAF in June 1969 as a fighter pilot, Air Marshal Naik has flown a variety of combat aircraft and is a Qualified Flying Instructor and a Fighter Combat Leader. A graduate of the Defence Services Staff College and an alumnus of the National Defence College, Air Marshal Naik is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal. PK
Air Chief Marshal PV Naik takes over as Chairman, COSC

Abolish sahayak system: House panel to Army

Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 4, 2010
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence today asked the Indian Army to abolish the “colonial” practice of employing jawans as sahayaks of officers. It also expressed "strong displeasure" over the Defence Ministry's procedure to assess the exact level of indigenisation achieved by its production agencies to manufacture equipment.

On sahayaks, the committee asked the Army to abolish the "demeaning and humiliating" system. In an action taken report tabled in both the Houses of the Parliament, the committee said it was unable to comprehend why it was necessary to continue with the sahayak system that "lowers the self-esteem of a jawan" when the Navy and Air force have abandoned it.

Several jawans were engaged at the residence of senior officers for domestic work and to serve the family members of officers. In reply, to the committee's suggestion, the Defence Ministry had said a sahayak was "a comrade-in-arms" to officers.

The Army has issued instructions to its units to ensure that combatant soldiers were under no circumstances be employed on a job not in conformity with the dignity and self-respect of a soldier.
Abolish sahayak system: House panel to Army

Magnetic Hill, Ladakh- India

Bill-Board by Local AdministrationCan anyone ever imagine the movement of a vehicle up a steep mountain, with its ignition off? Sounds quite unbelievable! Well, this magnet magic can be experienced while you are travelling to Leh-Ladakh. And we can say, amid all the Himalayan and colonial wonders, there’s one more wonder coming your way – the Magnetic Hill. The hill, located close to Leh, is known for its wonderful magnetic properties. Once here, you can see for yourself vehicles moving up at a speed of 20 km/ hour with the engines off.
Location of Magnetic Hill
To reach the Magnetic Hill, Ladakh, you need to take the Leh-Kargil-Baltic National Highway. The hill lies at a distance of 30 km from the town of Leh, at an elevation of around 14,000 feet above sea level. To the eastern side of the hill flows the Sindhu river, originating in Tibet. The local administration has also put up a bill board to help tourists recognize the Magnetic Hill. The board clearly states the whole phenomenon. So you can also enjoy a first hand experience as you reach the hill. Place your vehicle on a specific spot on the road with its engines off and you will soon notice the vehicle moving up at a speed of 20 km/hour. You will have the same results over and again as you redo the exercise.
Impact on Helicopters and Aircrafts
Not only vehicle, even helicopters and aircrafts feel the same magnetic impact. Locals and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel claim that the helicopters and aircrafts that pass through the area have to fly at a greater speed to avoid the magnetic impact of the hill. And if the aircraft comes within the radius of Magnetic Hill, it starts to jerk.
Other Attractions Around Magnetic Hill
Apart from the Magnetic Hill, you can also enjoy seeing a few other places that lie at a close distance from the hill. The Himalayan region here is truly worth exploring. Given below are a few attractions that you can see in this region.
Gurudwara Patthar Sahib
It is the auspicious place where Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of the Sikhs, had spent time meditating in the 17th century. Locals, army personnel and tourists can be seen here often. Though not many Sikhs arrive here from different parts of the country, the reason perhaps being its remote location.
Colourful Hills & Mountains
While you are in this Himalayan region, you will also like seeing the hills and mountains. Here, the hills bear different colours. Some are white and snow-laden. Some are black or gray in colours while there are some that are green, red or orange in colour.
The drivers will inform you that Indian Air Force pilots always steer clear of the Magnetic Hill.
Magnetic Hill Ladakh

India's air power no match for China

September 24, 2009, 00:35 IST Zeenews Bureau
Gandhinagar: The Air Chief Marshal PV Naik on Wednesday admitted that India was no match to China when it came to air power.
"Our present aircraft strength is inadequate. Aircraft strength is one third that of China. The Government of India is doing a lot to augment Air Force capability," Naik said.

Interestingly, former Navy chief Suresh Mehta had also, last month, claimed that India is no match to China when it comes to military strength. He, however, chose to downplay the threat from India’s eastern neighbour amid reported violations of the Indian airspace and territory by Chinese troops.

No imminent threat
Stressing that India must build up its weapons capability to thwart such attempts, Naik said, “There are two ways to look at Chinese incursions. One way is to take up weapons and go to the border. Other way is to build systematic weapons capability to tackle the threat.”

The IAF chief also stressed that there was no imminent threat from the Dragon. He also refuted reports of violation of airspace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by the Chinese. “As far as Air Force is concerned there are no Chinese incursions,” he said. Adding that the strategy being adopted by the IAF was to ‘play it cool’ for now.

The IAF Chief’s remarks came a day after China's Ambassador to India, Zhang Yan met Home Secretary GK Pillai and tried to clarify the picture over the reported border incursions. The Chinese Ambassador's meeting came in the wake of repeated assertions by top Indian officials and even the Army Chief that reported incursions in the recent past occurred due to differences in perception of the LAC.

Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh down played the incursions amid reports about Beijing's unhappiness at the way Chinese border transgressions have been reported in the Indian media to conjure up a China threat.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao had also last week stressed that there was "no significant increase" in incursions across all sections of the over 4,000 km border between the two countries.

"Contrary to the popular perception, the situation along the border has remained peaceful for decades," Rao said.

National Security Adviser MK Narayanan and Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor had also cautioned against the media hype and stressed that there was nothing alarming about the reported incursions.
India’s air power just 1/3rd of China: IAF