(The Hindu) In Defence | Time for Tough Decisions
Three Challenges :
- Raising of 17 corps : (Country’s 1st mountain strike force)
- Mountain Unit
- Require helicopters, light artillery
- Original Plan – (80,000 men costing > 10 b $ with 1.2 b $ spent annually till 2020 + { 16 b $ Army allocation for 15-16 )
- solution — > 35,000 men
2. Rejigging of a deal to purchase France’s Rafale aircrafts :
- Earlier 126 with technology transfer
- Now 36
- Last 3 yrs, Indian arms imports have grown 56 percent.
- Mig 21 < —— > Swedish Gripen NG aircraft.
- But — > i) /\ variety of aircrafts — > /\ training & maintainance.
- ii) Gripen & Rafale are diff aircrafts.
3. Unified services Chief
Apr. 30 2015
Art. Ref. : In defence, time for tough decisions
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