Unified Combatant Command – India

India’s newly minted Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat has been driving quick changes to Indian military structures. The Kargil Review Committee set up immediately after the Kargil war had made many recommendations. Among them were issues related to National Security Council, intelligence, counter-terrorist operations, border management, defence budget and modernisation, National Security ManagementContinue reading “Unified Combatant Command – India”

China’s Rising Aerospace Power

“To secure peace is to prepare for war”—Carl von Clausewitz Napoleon once said, “China is a sleeping giant, let her lie and sleep, for when she awakens, she will astonish the world.” By the turn of the 21 st century the sleeping giant was not only awake but heavily influencing and, in many ways dictatingContinue reading “China’s Rising Aerospace Power”

Element Air – Joint Operations – Indian Armed Forces

With the official creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), it is hoped that jointness will the main driver that will get a major push. Real jointness is when land, air and naval commanders jointly formulate, train, orchestrate and implement war plans. Employment of forces in the modem battlefield to achieve military objectives takesContinue reading “Element Air – Joint Operations – Indian Armed Forces”

India’s Neighbourhood Series – China

India is the largest country in South Asia. It is the second-most populous country, the seventh-largest country by land area, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India isContinue reading “India’s Neighbourhood Series – China”

India’s Missiles Development Program

India today has developed, tested, operationalized and is developing a number of missile systems that are limited to only a handful of countries including ICBMs, ASATs, SLBMs and hypersonic weapon systems. Threats posed by enemy missile systems led to the pursuit of Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme. India produces most of defined MTCR defined missile technologies required to be integrated to produce most missileContinue reading “India’s Missiles Development Program”

China, The Rising Aerospace Power – Implications for India

Napoleon once said, “China is a sleeping giant, let her lie and sleep, for when she awakens, she will astonish the world.” By the turn of the 21 st century the sleeping giant was not only awake but heavily influencing and, in many ways dictating world affairs. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has had anContinue reading “China, The Rising Aerospace Power – Implications for India”

Ernst Udet – the Highest Scoring Surviving German Air Ace of WW I

Ernst Udet was a German pilot during World War I and a Luftwaffe Colonel-General (Generaloberst) during World War II. Udet joined the Imperial German Air Service at the age of 19, and eventually became a flying ace of World War I, scoring 62 confirmed victories by the end of his life. The highest scoring German fighter pilot to survive that war, and theContinue reading “Ernst Udet – the Highest Scoring Surviving German Air Ace of WW I”

Richard Ira Bong – the most decorated American fighter pilot and Top Air Ace

Richard Ira Bong was a United States Army Air Forces major and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II. He was one of the most decorated American fighter pilots and the country’s top flying ace in the war, credited with shooting down 40 Japanese aircraft, all with the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter. He died in California while testing a Lockheed P-80 jet fighter shortly before the war ended. EarlyContinue reading “Richard Ira Bong – the most decorated American fighter pilot and Top Air Ace”

Billy Bishop, Victoria Cross – the top Canadian and British Empire Ace of all Time – 72 Air Victories

William Avery Bishop, VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED (8 February 1894 – 11 September 1956) was a Canadian flying ace of the First World War. He was officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian and British Empire ace of the war. He was a Victoria Cross recipient who rose to become an Air Marshal. During the Second World War, Bishop was instrumentalContinue reading “Billy Bishop, Victoria Cross – the top Canadian and British Empire Ace of all Time – 72 Air Victories”

French Colonel René Paul Fonck – The Highest Scoring All-time Allied Ace of Aces – 75 Victories

Colonel René Paul Fonck (27 March 1894 – 18 June 1953) was a French aviator who ended the First World War as the top fighter ace and, when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries are also considered, Fonck still holds the title of “all-time Allied Ace of Aces”. He received confirmation for 75 victories (72 soloContinue reading “French Colonel René Paul Fonck – The Highest Scoring All-time Allied Ace of Aces – 75 Victories”