08 Nov 13. Russia to stand up two additional Yars regiment by year end. The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is planning to equip additional two strategic missile forces (SMF) regiments with Yars mobile ballistic missile systems by the end of 2013, the country’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu has revealed. Shoigu was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying that the missiles will initially be tested in the Novosibirsk Missile Division, based in Siberia. Even though Shoigu refused to disclose the location of deployment, Novosibirsk-based 39th Guards Rocket Division is expected to be armed with the mobile Yars systems, while the 28th Guards Rocket Division at Kozelsk in central Russia, will receive a silo-based variant of the system, according to the plans announced earlier by the defence ministry. Russia currently has two operational Yars regiments at the Teikovo Missile Division, each containing three battalions, each in turn is armed with three missile systems and several mobile command posts, according to the news agency. The first Yars regiment was put on combat duty in central Russia in August 2011, while the second was deployed in December of the same year. Also known as SS-29, the RS-24 Yars is a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV)-equipped, thermonuclear ballistic missile, designed to replace Russia’s ageing R-36 and UR-100N intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Capable of carrying multiple warheads, the missile features better combat and operational capabilities than the Topol-M missile. According to the SMF, the Topol-M and RS-24 ballistic missiles will form the core of the ground-based component of Russian nuclear weaponry and will account for 80% of its arsenal by 2016. (Source: army-technology.com)
11 Nov 13. The Israeli-built Spike anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is back on the Indian Army’s acquisition agenda. The potential purchase of the missile arose during a Nov. 11 meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which likely will take up the issue again when it meets later this month, an Indian Defence Ministry source said.
The purchase of the Spike was put on hold in April as it was a single-vendor procurement from Israeli company Rafael. But the Indian Army is in a hurry to get advanced ATGMs. The renewed interest in the Spike is unlikely to affect a US proposal to jointly produce the Javelin ATGM with India, the Defence Ministry source said, because the Army needs more than 20,000 advanced ATGMs. The Spike, if purchased, will be vehicle-mounted, the source said, while the Javelin will be man-portable. The Army currently depends on Konkurs M and Milan ATGMs, which are less than 2,000 meters in range. The Indian Army’s 2010 request for proposals (RfPs) for advanced ATGMs went to Rafael, Paris-based MBDA, US companies Raytheon and General Dynamics and Russia’s Rosoboronoexport. Only Rafael responded to the tender; the other companies balked at India’s technology-transfer requirements. The Indian Army now proposes to buy third-generation Spike ATGM systems including 321 missile launchers, 8,356 missiles and 15 training simulators and associated accessories, along with transfer of technology. The Army would mount the Spikes on its Russian-made BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles. US Deputy Defence Secretary Ash Carter formally proposed the joint development of the Javelin during a September visit to India. The Americans have agreed to sell about 6,000 man-portable Javelins to India within six to eight months of a contract signing, and for future needs the US can explore co-production of the missile and later work on the co-development of an ATGM tailored for India. The Americans have also agreed to transfer technology including the special process for manufacturing the Javelin’s warhead, rocket motor, propellant, guidance and seeker, but no algorithms for guidance, which an Indian Army official said is the core to any guidance system. (Source: Defense News)
08 Nov 13. USMC demonstrate