Editor’s Note
The Indian Army’s aviation fleet is mostly a rusted inventory flogged by succeeding governments to a point whenwives of the army aviators had to express their concern over the safety of their husbands who fly these outdated machines. The impact that outdated aviation assets can have on our military capabilities barely needs elaboration. The proposed Kamov 226T deal with the Russians offers much hope. But will the Indian Government be able to negotiate the hurdles that involve negotiating with not just the Russians but also a host of other manufacturers and their governments. The General lists some of these issues and goes on to opine that the deal remains crucial for Army Aviation and needs to be completed this year. If it takes the course that the Rafale deal is into, it would impact our force capabilities rather hard. As the ship silently pierces through the high waves in the rather calm ocean . Invisible to the untrained naked eye under the shallow full moon the captain of the ship announces that all operational procedures are to be followed and proceed according to the orders. All hands were on deck. The only noise you could hear was the radio chatter in the background and the powerful 9,000 HP engine silently humming propelling the ship in excess of 25 knots .
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