Quote:Thomas K. Thomas New Delhi, Aug. 3



After being at the receiving end of cyber attacks from across the border for many years, India is preparing a blueprint for undertaking counter cyber warfare on unfriendly countries.



According to a proposal being considered by the National Security Council, Indian agencies may be told to enhance capabilities to exploit weaknesses in the information systems of other countries and also collect online intelligence of key military activities.



The proposal includes setting up laboratories in research institutions to simulate cyber attacks with the help of ethical hackers. These laboratories would be used for training intelligence agencies for offensive and defensive cyber warfare techniques. Personnel working in this area may be given legal immunity for carrying out these activities.



The blueprint is likely be put into action by the National Technical Research Organisation, the Defence Intelligence Agency and the Defence Research and Development Organisation.



The plan also talks about setting up early-warning capabilities about impending attacks on the country's information systems and developing expertise in cyber forensics, which includes tools that focus on acquiring information from attacked systems to find out sources of attacks.



The Government is looking at setting up a National Testing Facility that will certify all imported software and hardware procured for key information systems. Security agencies are concerned about spyware or malware embedded into imported products which can be used by unfriendly countries to disrupt key sectors.



The proposed testing facility will be on the lines of the Trust Technology Assessment Programme in the US.



In order to secure key areas such as banking, Defence, the Railways, civil aviation, atomic energy and oil and gas, it is being proposed to set up a Computer Emergency Response Team for each of these sectors.

Quote: [url="http://english.news.cn/"][color="#666666"]English.news.cn[/color][/url] 2010-06-10 17:51:31



[size="1"][color="navy"]South Korean two-stage satellite-carrier Naro-1, or the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), lifts off from the Naro Space Center in South Jeolla Province, about 485 kilometers south of Seoul, South Korea, June 10, 2010. South Korea launched Naro-1, a locally assembled space rocket Thursday, but contact with the rocket was lost only 137 seconds after the takeoff. (Xinhua/Yonhap)[/color][/size]



SEOUL, June 10 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's domestically assembled space rocket, which crashed after reaching the altitude of 70 km, might have exploded, Seoul's science minister Ahn Byung- man told reporters.



The two-stage satellite-carrier Naro-1, or the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), lifted off from the Naro Space Center in South Jeolla Province, about 485 kilometers south of Seoul, at 5:01 p.m. local time (0801 GMT), but communications with it was lost 137 seconds after the takeoff.



The minister offered an apology to the public over botching up the ambitious project, but said the country will continue its efforts to better the technology. South Korean and Russian experts will form a team to look into the cause of the failure.



The launch of the 140-ton rocket, made with the help of Russian experts, came a day after a technical problem with firefighting equipment delayed the initially planned blastoff. South Korea has put 502.5 billion won (404.5 million U.S. dollars) into developing the Naro-1.



Last year, a technical glitch botched up the first attempt at the rocket launch. A faulty fairing assembly prevented the rocket from putting the satellite into the orbit and the rocket veered off course.



With yet another failed attempt, South Korea has to put a brake on its ambition to join the ranks of a handful of other countries which have succeeded in putting a satellite into orbit using a locally assembled rocket.



[color="navy"]Related: [/color]



[url="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-06/10/c_13343799.htm"][color="navy"]S. Korean space rocket crashed: YTN[/color][/url]



SEOUL, June 10 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's locally assembled space rocket, which lost contact only 137 seconds after the takeoff, crashed after reaching altitude of 70 km, Seoul's news channel YTN reported Thursday.



YTN pictures showed the rocket falling from the sky.

Quote:Narayan Lakshman

11/04/2010

‘U.S. working with both countries to ensure that their stockpiles are safeguarded' The risk of a nuclear attack has increased



U.S. to boost funding for maintaining weapons stockpile



WASHINGTON DC: India and Pakistan have pursued nuclear weapons “in a way that has upset the balance of nuclear deterrent,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday.



That was why the United States was working with both countries “very hard to try to make sure that their nuclear stockpiles are well tended to, and that they participate with us in trying to limit the number of nuclear weapons,” she said.



Speaking at at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, Ms. Clinton argued that the nature of the nuclear threat had changed. “As President Obama has said, the risk of a nuclear attack has actually increased. And the potential consequences of mishandling this challenge are deadly.” Nuclear terrorism presented a different challenge, but the consequences would still be devastating, she said.



Doomsday scenario



Highlighting the growing threat of nuclear terrorism and nuclear proliferation a few days ahead of the 47-nation Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, Ms. Clinton illustrated what a doomsday scenario would look like, given these risks. “A 10-kiloton nuclear bomb detonated in Times Square in New York City could kill a million people. Many more would suffer from the haemorrhaging and weakness that comes from radiation sickness.”



In the light of these risks, Ms. Clinton outlined three main elements of the U.S.'s strategy to safeguard itself and its allies from nuclear attacks: support for the basic framework of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); a global effort to secure vulnerable nuclear material and enhance nuclear security; and efforts to maintain a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent for the U.S. itself.



Disarmament move



As for the impact of the new U.S.-Russia START on countries where non-proliferation challenges remained, Ms. Clinton said she did not suggest that moves towards disarmament by the U.S. and Russia would convince Iran or North Korea to change their behaviour. “But ask yourselves, can our efforts help…persuade other nations to support serious sanctions against Iran? I believe they could.”



Following the recently announced Nuclear Posture Review and its implications for military expenditure, the Secretary said: “Our budget devotes $7 billion to maintaining our nuclear weapons stockpile and complex…And over the next five years, we intend to boost funding for these important activities by more than $5 billion.”

Quote:Paris (AFP) Jan 27, 2010

France successfully test-fired on Wednesday its new M51 strategic missile from a nuclear submarine, the first test at sea after three land-based firings, the defence ministry said. France's newest strategic nuclear submarine "Le Terrible" launched the test at 9:25 am (0825 GMT) from the Audierne Bay in the Atlantic and "everything went as planned" said a statement from the defence ministry.



The M51 has a range of 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) and enjoys better accuracy than the current M45 ballistic missile carried by France's four nuclear-armed submarines.



The M51 Missile

Quote:03 December 2009

Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma

India's first indigenous nuclear submarine, INS Arihant (annihilator of enemies), will be inducted into the Indioan Navy fleet in two years or so, Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma told reporters in New Delhi ahead of the Navy Day on Friday.



Arihant, the first submarine to be built under the advanced technology vessel (ATV) programme, was launched for sea trials on 26 July this year at the naval yard in Visakhapatnam by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife Gurcharan Kaur in the presence of the prime minister. (See: India launches indigenous nuke sub INS Arihant)



"Arihant demonstrates a quantum leap in the shipbuilding capabilities of the country. It is a nuclear-powered submarine which is indigenously designed and constructed," Admiral Verma said.



As India pursues the capacity to fire nuclear missiles from land, sea or air, the Navy now wants a well-balanced underwater strategic arm. This will include three SSBNs (nuclear-powered submarines with long-range strategic missiles) and six SSNs (nuclear-powered attack submarines) in the long-term.



The over 6,000-tonne INS Arihant will be more of `a technology demonstrator', rather than a fully-operational SSBN, for the subsequent follow-on nuclear submarines to follow.



But a fact glossed over in many reports is that the over 6,000-tonne INS Arihant will not be a fully-operational SSBN – it will be more of `a technology demonstrator' for the nuclear submarines to follow.



From Russia with love

A Russian Project 885 Severodvinsk class submarine –likely design base for the Indian ATV project

The navy will go nuclear much before this, however. After several glitches, India will finally get the 12,000-tonne `K-152 Nerpa' Akula-II class submarine from Russia on a 10-year lease. It will be renamed 'INS Chakra' before being inducted into the Indian Navy.



Nerpa will not come armed with long-range missiles due to international treaties like the Missile Technology Control Regime. But apart from being a potent hunter of enemy submarines, Nerpa will also help train Indian sailors in the complex art of operating, maintaining and deploying nuclear submarines like INS Arihant and its already-approved two follow-on vessels.



Admiral Verma himself was tight-lipped about Russia leasing out the 'Nerpa'. "I have no response for that," he said to queries on when Nerpa would join the Indian Navy.



However, reports from Moscow last month said that in spite of the delay in acceptance trials due to stormy sea conditions, the Russian navy is going ahead to commission the Akula-II class nuclear submarine by the year end.



"The Nerpa, built by the Amur Shipyard, will be delivered on time in December this year," governor of Khabarovsk Territory Vyacheslav Shport announced in mid-November. The deal is worth $650 million (a little over Rs3,000 crore).



The submarine is due to be handed over to India by March next year on lease. After its commissioning, the Russian Navy will train Indian Navy personnel on making the submarine operational. It would join the Indian Navy fleet after undergoing user trials.



Originally Russia was to deliver the Nerpa, said to be similar to the Arihant, by 2008, but delivery was deferred due to financial woes of the shipyard.



The mishap in Sea of Japan on 8 November 2008 led to further delay, as its trials were aborted following the death of 20 technical staff and crew due to the release of toxic freon gas from the fire suppression system in the sleeping quarters. A crew-member was arrested for tampering with a temperature gauge, which lead to the release of the toxic inert gas.



Long way to go

Without elaborating, Admiral Verma said that the "tremendous amount of capability'' gained in the ATV (advanced technology vessel) project under which INS Arihant was built would not be allowed to wither away.



The government has sanctioned well over Rs30,000 crore for the ATV project to construct three submarines, with the third being of a much larger size.



The 26 July `launch' of the 111-metre INS Arihant by flooding the dry dock at Visakhapatnam in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh marked India's entry into the select group of five nations – the US, the UK, Russia, France and China - capable of building nuclear submarines.



But there is still a long way to go. It's only after its miniature 83 mw pressurised light-water reactor is `fired' sometime next year will INS Arihant begin its extensive sea-acceptance trials.



Only after that will the testing of 700-km range K-15 SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) developed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) to arm the submarine come into play.



K-15 falls way short of the over 5,000-km range missiles of the US, Russia and China. The last, for instance, has a huge fleet of 62 submarines, with at least 10 of them nuclear-powered, and is also ready with its new JL-2 SLBM, which has a strike range of over 7,200 km.



The Navy has also started looking for a suitable place to start a second assembly line for constructing six additional submarines in addition to half-a-dozen Scorpene subs currently under construction in Mazgaon dock in Mumbai with French collaboration.



''A high-level team headed by a department of defence production official is in the process of identifying the shipyard where the second line will come up,'' the Navy chief said.



The Navy has issued a request for information to procure fighters for the proposed second indigenous aircraft carrier. The first IAC will have MiG-29 K and LCA naval version that can enter the compatibility trial phase in 2013. A request for proposal has been issued to procure six medium range maritime surveillance aircraft.



Admiral Verma denied that the Navy's blue water objectives had been diluted because of the additional brown water responsibilities closer to the shore in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last year.



After the terror strike, the Navy has been entrusted with the responsibility of overall maritime security through proper coordination involving many central and state agencies including Coast Guard, Customs, Marine Police, Central Industrial Security Force and fisherfolk.



A national maritime domain awareness document will be brought out in a few months to inform various government departments how to distinguish between the friend and foe on the high seas, Admiral Verma said.

Quote:27 November 2009



Bangalore: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will step up the frequency of missions, even as it sets larger objectives for itself in areas of national development and space science. The organisation will also seek to create synergy between space, defence, aeronautics and atomic energy sectors, according to the newly installed chairman, K Radhakrishnan.



Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle

''The Indian Space Research Organisation will aim at launching between six and eight missions every year to meet its objectives in the areas of national development and space science,'' ISRO chairman, K Radhakrishnan said here Thursday.



''We must look to create synergy between the space industry and the aircraft, defence and atomic energy sectors,'' he said in his address to the 23rd National Convention of Aerospace Scientists here. ''The Indian space industry is robust, comprising 500 firms and employing a total of 15,000 people.''



India's first launch vehicle with an indigenous cryogenic engine, the GSLV-D3 (Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) was in the final stages of preparation, he said. The launch is scheduled for December 2009, though Radhakrishnan did not reveal the launch date.



Radhakrishnan also revealed that Indian space scientists were developing semi-cryogenic propulsion technology, which will use kerosene and allow Indian launcher rockets to carry payloads of upto six-tonnes, nearly three times more than their current capability.



While cryogenic technology uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, semi-cryogenic technology will use pure kerosene (aviation-grade) instead of liquid hydrogen.

Quote:09 December 2009



Nizhny Novgorod: Russia will begin testing its fifth-generation PAK-FA fighter in 2010, Russian deputy prime minister, Sergei Ivanov, said Tuesday. "The trials will begin in 2010," Ivanov said.



This is a change over earlier announcements that tests would commence before the end of this year. The prototype under development is the T-50.



The aircraft is intended to match the qualities of the US stealth F-22 Raptor and the JSF-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. Currently the F-22 Raptor is the world's only fifth generation fighter.



The PAK-FA T-50 is scheduled to enter service with the Russian Air Force in 2015. The T-50's maiden test flight has been repeatedly postponed since early 2007. In August 2009, Russian Air Force chief Alexander Zelin had indicated that there were problems with the engines and research was ongoing.



Sukhoi PAK-FA and the HAL FGFA



In 2007, Russia and India agreed to jointly develop what the Indians dubbed as a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) programme. At that time, Sukhoi director, Mikhail Pogosyan, was quoted as saying, "We [India and Russia] will share the funding, engineering and intellectual property in a 50-50 proportion."



The Indian version would be different from the Russian version in that it would be twin-seat configuration based on its operational doctrine which calls for greater radius of combat operations. The Russian version is a single-seater.



Given the specific needs of a two-seater aircraft, the wings and control surfaces of the Indian variant need to be redesigned.



The Russian side is optimistic that a test prototype of the two-seater version will be ready for its initial flight-testing by 2012, and eventual induction into service by 2015.



The PAK-FA will be stealthy, will have the ability to supercruise, will carry the next generation of air-to-air, air-to-surface, and air-to-ship missiles and carry an [color="#000080"]AESA radar with a 1,500-element array[/color].



It will initially carry two Saturn 117S engines (about 14.5 ton thrust each), which is an advanced version of the AL-31F.



Later versions of the PAK FA will use a completely new engine (17.5 ton thrust each), developed by NPO Saturn or FGUP MMPP Salyut.

Quote:TNN 24 November 2009, 12:28am IST



BALASORE: India's nuclear-capable intermediate range Agni-II missile, test-fired for the first time after sunset on Monday, reportedly failed to get the desired results.



The Army test-fired the surface-to-surface Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) from Wheeler�s Island, Bhadrak district, around 7.50pm.��The liftoff and the first stage separation was smooth. But it faltered just before the second stage separation and behaved erratically, deviating from its coordinated path. Further analysis is on to ascertain the cause,�� said a source.



The entire trajectory of Monday�s trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and a naval ship.



The launch, originally scheduled in the first week of this month, was deferred due to some technical snags in its pneumatic system. Though the snags were rectified, another glitch surfaced during Monday�s test, leading to the fiasco, the source claimed.



The nuclear capable 2,000-km-plus range missile has a length of 20 meters, a diameter of one meter, weighs 17 tonnes and can carry a payload of around 1,000 kg. It was first tested on April 11, 1999.



The test launch was significant from India's strategic point of view because for the first time since the beginning of DRDO�s missile development programme, a missile was put under trial during night. The user trial was conducted by Army officials while scientists from DRDO were present to provide necessary logistical support.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Quote:24 Nov 2009, 0859 hrs IST

In a set back for India's missile program, the nuclear-capable Agni-II missile, which was to be test fired for the first time at night on Monday (November 23), failed to get the desired results.



The Army test-fired the surface-to-surface Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) from Wheelers Island, Bhadrak district, around 7.50pm on Monday.



According to sources, the liftoff and the first stage separation was smooth. But a snag developed just before the second stage separation and the missile deviated from its coordinated path.



The test launch was significant from India's strategic point of view as it was for the first time since the beginning of DRDOs missile development programme, a missile was tested in the night.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Quote:CNN-IBN

BIG SHOW: Agni II missile is seen in a rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi.



New Delhi: The first-ever night firing of the Agni-II Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) on Monday failed, admitted Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).



DRDO is investigating the cause of the failure.



The nuclear capable missile was test-fired on Monday night from the Wheeler Island off Orissa coast.



Agni-II was test-fired from a mobile launcher intended to train the end-user, the Strategic Force Command of the Indian Army, to operate the missile in adverse conditions.



Even though the missile took-off smoothly and reported no glitch in the first stage separation, the missile appeared to have failed to meet the desired results mid-way at the second stage separation, DRDO sources said.



Strategic Forces Command conducted the test with necessary logistic support by various ITR laboratories and DRDO scientists.



The purpose of the test was to validate procedures for night firing.



The indigenous weapon is a two-stage solid propelled ballistic missile and has a weight of 17 tonnes and length of 20 metres. It can carry a payload of one tonne over a distance of 2,000 km.



Agni-II was developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory along with other DRDO laboratories and integrated with Bharat Dynamics Ltd, Hyderabad with the private sector participating in a big way in its production.



The missile is part of the Agni series which included Agni-I (700 km range) and Agni-III (3,500 km range). Agni-I was already inducted and Agni-III is in the process of induction, the officials added.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->