Page 30 - ADT JANUARY 2021 Online Magazine

Buy Indian (IDDM) category for the army and air force at a cost of The new SDR is a secure indigenous system
approximately Rs5.4 billion. The HF radio sets will enable seamless with legacy communication support and secure
communication between field units of both arms. digital voice/data communication support and
secure digital voice/data communication for
A simple and secure messaging application called “Secure Naval application with 3 channel, 4-channel [ REPORT ]
Application for Internet (SAI)” for pan Army use. This will facilitate for Tactical Communication and single channel
secure messaging within the service. The application has been operation in V/UHF and UHF band.
vetted by CERT-in empanelled auditor and Army Cyber Group and
supports end to end secure voice, text and video calling services for BMP-II Upgrade
the Android platform over internet. It is similar to commercially avail- The Indian Army is looking for an armament
able messaging applications like WhatsApp, Telegram, SAMVAD upgrade for its ageing fleet of BMP-II and
and GIMS; however, in addition to utilising end to end encryption BMP-IIK Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICV). An
messaging protocols, SAI scores over on security features with Expression of Interest (EoI) for the same was
local in-house servers and coding which can be tweaked as per released in September 2020. The BMP-II was
requirements. Hosting the infrastructure on NIC and making it work inducted into Indian mechanised infantry units
on iOS platform is currently in progress in 1985. The Russian ICV’s have a service life
of 30 years. Surprisingly Indian BMP-II and
Another development is an indigenously developed Software BMP-IIKs are incapable of operations at night
Defined Radio-Airborne (SDR-AR) for airborne applications. and require to be urgently fitted with modern
Integration of the airborne SDR was successfully carried out on thermal sights, an exercise which will take years
two Indian Navy Dornier Do-228s with the SDR-AR ground station for completion.
at HAL facilities. The tests were took place in the March 2020.
A total of 811 BMP-II, BMP-IIKs nearly 1/3rd
of the Indian fleet are planned to be upgraded
with a 3rd Generation Thermal Imager based
Gunner Sight, 3rd Generation Thermal
Imager based Commander Sight (Panoramic),
Modernised Fire Control System and Automatic
Target Tracker. Existing In-Service Armament
Sighting System of BMP-II/IIK 8. The present
armament sighting system in use is based on
Image Intensifier Technology which has its lim-
itations and is not fit for modern day warfare.
Present system is also deficient of modernised
Fire Control System and Automatic Target
Tracker which adversely affects the capabil-
ity of BMP-II/IIK to fight both during day and
night. All these aspects are critical require-
ments for Mechanised Infantry to operate in
armour intensive battlefield. BMP-IIKs are the
designation provided to ICV’s that have been
indigenously upgraded as Infantry Combat
Command Vehicles.
In June, the Acquisition Wing of the Ministry of
Defence (MoD) ordered 156 BMP II/IIK ICV’s
from the OFB under a contract worth Rs10
billion. The new ICV’s will enter service with
Mechanised Forces of the army, with deliveries
slated for completion by 2023. The 156 BMP
II/IIKs will be manufactured at the Ordnance
Factory, located at Medak in the Southern
Indian state of Telangana. The new build ICVs
are powered by 285 HP engines and are lower
in weight allowing them to reach speeds of 65
kilometres per hour (kmph). The amphibious
capable vehicles can traverse at a speed of
7 kmph in water and can overcome slopes of
upto 35°, cross obstacles of 0.7m.

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