Indian Army. India's regular armed forces consist of the Army (Army), Air Force (Air Force) and Navy (Navy).

FOREIGN MILITARY REVIEW No. 5/2002, pp. 8-14

Captain M.LAPIN,

Y. SU MBATYAN,

doctor of philosophical science

The Republic of India is a state in southern Asia, located on the Hindustan Peninsula. In the north it borders with Bhutan, China and Nepal, in the west - with Pakistan, in the east - with Bangladesh and Myanmar. From the south it is washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean. The area of ​​the country is 3,287.3 thousand km2. Population: about 1,030 million people. The main religions are Hinduism (81 percent of the population) and Islam (12 percent). Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and members of the Jaina sect, close to Buddhism, make up about (7 percent). India is a federal republic. Independence was proclaimed on August 15, 1947, although until 1950 the country was a dominion of Great Britain. The republic consists of 28 states and seven union territories. Before gaining independence, the country's armed forces were integral part English indian army, created in 1759, after the founding East India Company. It was staffed mainly by Indian sepoys, and the officer positions were occupied mainly by the British.

During the First World War, Great Britain declared India a belligerent party, making extensive use of its human and material resources for its own purposes. During the four years of the war, 1.3 million people were recruited into the country's colonial troops. Indian soldiers served as part of the British troops to protect the Suez Canal, Singapore and other areas of South and Southeast Asia.

In World War II, India was again declared a belligerent by Britain. The number of its armed forces was increased to 1.5 million people. Indian units fought in Burma, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran.

The armed forces of independent India began to be created in 1947 on the basis of military contingents that were transferred to the country during its division into two British dominions - the Indian Union and Pakistan, and the Indian armed forces included units with personnel professing Hinduism and other religions (except Islam ). At the same time, Muslim soldiers were included in the Pakistani army.

The official date of creation of the national armed forces is August 15, 1949, when the army was first led by an Indian officer. In 1962, after defeat in the border military conflict with the PRC, a new stage began in the development of the national armed forces. Its characteristic feature was increasingly close military-technical cooperation with the USSR. The Indian leadership began to adopt long-term programs and plans for the reorganization of the Armed Forces. Their implementation significantly contributed to increasing the combat capability of the national army, which was clearly evident during military conflicts with Pakistan in 1965, 1971 and 1998.

Currently, the military-political leadership of India considers the armed forces as one of the most important guarantors national security and territorial integrity of the state, as well as an effective instrument of its regional policy. In this regard, constant attention is paid to issues of military development and, first of all, to the development of the Armed Forces, equipping them modern types weapons and military equipment, improving the organizational structure of formations and units, increasing the efficiency of the troop command and control system.

India's regular armed forces, including the ground forces, air force and navy, number 1.303 million (the fourth largest number of armed forces in the world). The reserve of the armed forces (535 thousand people) consists of the reserve of the first stage of the Army - 300 thousand people who have served for at least 5 years in regular units (in wartime another 500 thousand people under the age of 50 can be recruited), the territorial army (volunteer army) - 40 thousand, Air Force reserve - 140 thousand and Navy reserve - 55 thousand people.

The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, according to the constitution, is the president of the country, and the highest leadership body is the Defense Committee under the Council of Ministers, headed by the head of government. It consists of the ministers of defence, foreign and internal affairs, finance and transport. The general management and financing of the armed forces is carried out by the Ministry of Defense (MoD). Traditionally it is headed by a civilian. Most MoD employees, including both deputy ministers, are also civilians. The highest body of military command is the Committee of Chiefs of Staff (CHS), which includes the chiefs of staff (commanders) of the Army, Air Force and Navy, who occupy the position of chairman in turn.

At the end of 1997, the Indian government decided to create the National Security Council (NSC), an advisory body to the government to develop and monitor the implementation of measures in the field of ensuring the country's security. He is assigned the role of the main coordinator of the activities of ministries and departments in this area. The NSC consists of: the Prime Minister (Chairman), the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Internal Affairs and Finance. The council has a secretariat, a strategic planning group and an advisory committee on national security issues.

The secretariat is entrusted with all organizational issues related to coordinating the activities of the NSS bodies, providing them with the necessary information, considering proposals made, as well as preparing draft relevant decisions.

The Strategic Planning Group is responsible for coordinating approaches to resolving issues of national security and defense at the level of responsible ministries and departments, as well as for developing joint assessments and recommendations for consideration and decision-making by the country's top political leadership. It includes the chiefs of staff of the three branches of the Armed Forces, first deputy ministers of foreign affairs, defense, internal affairs, finance and a number of high-ranking representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the Department of nuclear energy, Indian Space Research and Special Services Organization.

The National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC) is the NSC's primary analytical body. It includes leading experts from various scientific organizations and non-governmental institutions, specialists in the field foreign policy, strategic analysis, international and internal security, defense, military construction, science, technology and economics. The main tasks of the Committee for National Security are to forecast development military-political situation and analysis of options practical actions country leadership, assessment possible consequences decisions made, identifying promising areas of national security policy and preparing appropriate recommendations.

To improve the management system of the armed forces, the activities of the committee of the Minister of Defense, which has not functioned since 1962, have been resumed.

In the future, it is planned to create control bodies for nuclear deterrence forces (NDF). Such a body may include from three to ten senior government officials and representatives of the command of the Indian Armed Forces. The day-to-day management of nuclear power systems in peacetime is expected to be entrusted directly to the headquarters of the armed forces, in which special commands will be created for this purpose.

In military-administrative terms, the country's territory is divided into five military districts: Northern, Western, Central, Southern, Eastern.

Ground troops(980 thousand people) form the basis of the armed forces. They are led by the Chief of Staff of the Army. The headquarters is responsible for preparing formations and units of the Army for combat operations, monitoring the progress of reform and equipment programs, taking measures to increase their combat readiness and planning mobilization deployment during a threatened period. The Army has 12 headquarters army corps, 36 divisions (18 infantry, three armored, four rapid deployment divisions, ten mountain infantry, one artillery), 15 separate brigades(seven infantry, five armored, two mountain infantry, one parachute), as well as 12 air defense brigades and three engineering brigades, a separate OTR Prithvi missile regiment, 22 helicopter squadrons.

The ground forces are armed with: five OTR “Prithvi” launchers; 3,414 battle tanks (T-55, T-72M1, Arjun, Vijayanta, Fig. 1,2); 4,175 field artillery guns (155 mm FH-77B Bofors howitzers, 152 mm howitzers, 130 mm M46 guns, 122 mm D-30 howitzers, 105 mm Abbot self-propelled howitzers, 105 mm IFG howitzers Mk I/II and M56, 75-mm RKU M48 guns); more than 1,200 mortars (160-mm Tampella M58, 120-mm Brandt AM50, 81-mm L16A1 and E1), about 100 122-mm MLRS BM-21 and ZRAR; ATGM “Milan”, “Malyutka”, “Bassoon”, “Competition”; 1,500 recoilless rifles (106 mm M40A1, 57 mm M18); 1,350 BMP-1/-2; 157 armored personnel carrier OT62/64; over 100 BRDM-2; SAM systems "Kvadrat", "OSA-AKM" and "Strela-1"; ZRPK "Tunguska" (Fig. 3), as well as MANPADS "Igla", "Strela-2". In addition, there are 2,400 anti-aircraft artillery installations of 40 mm L40/60, L40/70, 30 mm 2S6, 23 mm ZU-23-2, ZSU-23-4 “Shil-ka”, 20 mm guns “ Oerlikon"; 160 multi-purpose Chitak helicopters. Some armored vehicles and artillery systems are in storage.

In terms of the level of combat and mobilization readiness and training of personnel, the availability of weapons and military equipment, the ground forces at this stage are capable of carrying out tasks to defend the country from external aggression. At the same time in army is coming the process of improving the organizational structure of formations and units, increasing their combat capabilities by improving technical equipment. Attack army corps are being created, differing from conventional ones in a large number of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled artillery systems and anti-aircraft weapons. Particular attention is paid to the combat readiness of the troops of the Northern and Western military districts, where the main force group is deployed.

Air Force(150 thousand people) are organizationally an integral part of the combined branch of the armed forces - the Air Force and Air Defense. The leadership of the Air Force is exercised by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, who is responsible for preparing formations and units for combat operations and, through his headquarters, monitors the progress of construction programs and equipping aviation and air defense with new military equipment, carries out measures to maintain combat readiness of troops and forces, plans mobilization deployment during the threatened period. The Air Force headquarters is the operational control body. It consists of departments: planning, operational, combat training, reconnaissance, meteorological, financial, communications, electronic warfare, personnel and is engaged in the development of plans for the construction, operational use and combat training of formations and units of aviation and air defense, as well as issues of organizing reconnaissance. The headquarters is subordinate to five aviation commands that manage units and units on the ground: Central (Allahabad), Western (Delhi), Eastern (Shillong), Southern (Trivandrum), Southwestern (Gandhinagar) , as well as educational (Bangalore). There are 38 air wing headquarters and 47 combat aviation squadrons.

The Air Force has 774 combat and 295 auxiliary aircraft. Fighter-bomber aviation includes 367 aircraft, consolidated into 18 aircraft (one Su-ZOK, three MiG-23, four Jaguars, six MiG-27, four MiG-21). The fighter aviation consists of 368 aircraft, grouped into 20 aviation units (14MiG-21, one MiG-23MF and UM, three MiG-29, two Mirage-2000), as well as eight Su-ZOMK aircraft. Reconnaissance aviation has one squadron of Canberra aircraft (eight aircraft) and one MiG-25R (six), as well as two MiG-25U, Boeing 707 and Boeing 737 aircraft each. Electronic warfare aviation includes four Canberra aircraft and four helicopter HS 748.

Transport aviation is armed with 212 aircraft, grouped into 13 squadrons (six An-32, two Vo-228, BAe-748 and Il-76), as well as two Boeing 737-200 aircraft and seven BAe-748 aircraft. In addition, the aviation units are armed with 28 BAe-748, 120 Kiran-1, 56 Kiran-2, 38 Hunter (20 P-56, 18T-66), 14 Jaguar, nine MiG -29UB, 44 TS-11 Iskra and 88 NRT-32 trainers.

Helicopter aviation includes 36 attack helicopters, grouped into three squadrons Mi-25 and Mi-35, as well as 159 transport and transport-combat helicopters Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-26 and Chitak, grouped into 11 squadrons.

According to foreign experts, up to 50 percent will need to be replaced over the next five years. fleet of combat aircraft of the Indian Air Force, but the financial resources for this are clearly insufficient.

The country has a developed airfield network. The main military airfields are located near the cities of: Udhampur, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, Ambala, Adampur, Halwara, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Sirsa, Malaut, Nal, Delhi, Pune, Bhuj, Jodhpur, Baroda, Utterli, Sulur, Tambaram, Jorhat , Tezpur, Hashi Mara, Bagdogra, Barrkpur, Agra, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Gwalior and Kalai Kunda.

Currently, the military-political leadership of India is striving to transform the Air Force and Air Defense into a well-balanced branch of the armed forces, capable of supporting the actions of the ground forces and navy, and striking important objects deep in enemy territory and successfully combat modern air attack weapons. For this purpose, the Air Force requires from 500 to 600 combat aircraft equipped with modern high-precision weapons, electronic warfare systems, as well as more modern helicopters and transport aircraft.

The plans of the Air Force leadership provide that the increase in the combat capabilities of Air Force formations and units will be carried out, firstly, through the modernization of existing ones, and secondly, through the entry into service of more modern types of aircraft, the introduction of improved automated control systems, improving the quality of professional training of flight and technical composition.

The MiG-21, MiG-27 and Jaguar aircraft currently in service are being modernized. The Air Force command plans to purchase combat helicopters and light reconnaissance helicopters. In particular, leaders of the Ministry of Defense and the Indian Air Force are showing interest in purchasing the latest Russian Ka-50 and Ka-52 combat helicopters. In addition, the current urgent need of the Indian Air Force is to acquire up to 60 modern jet trainers and combat trainers to urgently replace outdated aircraft.

Air defense troops organizationally consolidated into 38 squadrons. In service are: 280 launchers of the S-75 “Dvina” air defense system, S-125 “Pechora”. In addition, to increase the combat capabilities of air defense, the command plans to purchase S-300PMU and Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia.

Measures are being taken to improve the air defense system, primarily in the Pakistani direction. In addition, all control and communication systems will have to be completely replaced with more advanced ones.

Naval forces(55 thousand people, including 5 thousand naval aviation, 1.2 thousand marine corps) are intended to perform the following tasks: combating enemy surface ships and submarines, disrupting its sea communications in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, security territorial waters and special economic zone, carrying out landing operations on the enemy’s coast, as well as anti-submarine and anti-landing defense of the country’s naval bases and ports.

The highest body of operational and administrative management The naval forces are the headquarters of the Navy, which is located in Delhi. Four naval commands are subordinate to him: Western (Mumbai), Eastern (Visa-Gapatnam), Southern (Cochin) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Port Blair). The Western and Eastern military commands are operational formations of the Navy and have fleets (Western and Eastern). The Southern Military Command is a training command. Large surface ships, up to and including the frigate, are directly subordinate to fleet headquarters; the remaining warships and boats are organized into divisions.

The Navy has nine naval bases: Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Goa (naval air headquarters), Karwar, Cochin, Vizagapatnam (submarine headquarters), Kolkata, Chennai (formerly Madras), Port Blair, Arakonam (naval aviation). In addition, India has twenty major ports, in which repairs and basing of warships of all types are possible.

The Indian Navy includes the following classes of ships: diesel torpedo submarines, aircraft carrier, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, minesweepers.

The submarine force includes 18 submarines, including:

Eight diesel torpedo submarines of the Project 877EKM type, with a total underwater displacement of 3,076 tons (built in the USSR and accepted into the Indian Navy in 1986 - 1991);

Six diesel torpedo submarines, Project 641, with a total underwater displacement of 2,484 tons (built in the USSR in 1957 - 1968 and transferred to India in the early 70s);

Four diesel torpedo submarines, Project 209 and Project 1500, with a total underwater displacement of 1,850 tons (two boats were built in Germany in 1986, two in India in 1992 - 1994). Additionally, it is planned to build two more submarines of this type, which can be accepted into the Navy in 2003 - 2004. The Navy is expected to accept two diesel torpedo submarines of Project 636 (modernized submarine of Project 877EKM), which are currently under construction in St. Petersburg (Russia). These submarines are designed to replace Project 641 submarines.

Rice. 3. ZRPK "Tunguska" NE India

The most combat-ready surface ships are: the Viraat aircraft carrier, Delhi-class destroyers, Project 61ME, Godavari- and Linder-class frigates, Khukri-class corvettes (Project 25), Petya 3 (Project 25). 159 A).

The Viraat aircraft carrier (formerly the Glory-class Hermes), with a total displacement of 28,700 tons, was built in Great Britain in 1959 and purchased by India in 1986. Before the sale, it was modernized, during which new weapon control systems and navigation radars were installed. It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1987 and is based in Mumbai. In order to extend the service life of the aircraft carrier until 2005-2006, it is planned to begin work on its modernization, during which it is planned to install new radars and other radio-electronic equipment.

The Delhi-class guided missile destroyer, with a total displacement of 6,300 tons, was launched in 1991, but became part of the Navy only in 1997 due to limited funding for the completion program. Later, two more EM UROs of this type were introduced into the Navy, which were laid down in 1991 - 1992. Thus, a total of three ships of this type are in service. Destroyers of the Kashin type (Project 61ME), with a total displacement of 4,900 tons, were built for the Indian Navy in the USSR from 1977 to 1986. Accepted into the Indian Navy in 1980 - 1988. The series of these ships includes five units.

Godavari-class URO frigates (displacement 4,500 tons) were built in India between 1978 and 1989. Linder-class frigates, with a displacement of 2,500 tons, were built in India according to English project in 1967 - 1975 (series of five ships).

In addition, the Navy includes four Khukri-class corvettes (Project 25, built in India according to a Soviet design), four Petya 3 (Project 159A), three small missile ships Nanuchka 2 (Project 1234E) , 17 missile boats “Tarantul 1” (project 1241-RE) and “Osa 2” (project 205e).

The Navy's mine sweeping forces include:

12 Soviet-built sea minesweepers Project 266ME, accepted into the Navy from 1978 to 1988;

Six raid minesweepers, Project 1258E, built in the USSR between 1982 and 1984.

The Marine Corps is represented by one regiment of 1,200 people.

The naval aviation is armed with 23 Sea Harrier attack aircraft (two squadrons); 70 anti-submarine helicopters (six squadrons): 24 Chitak, seven Ka-25, 14 Ka-28, 25 Sea King; three squadrons of basic patrol aircraft (five Il-38, eight Tu-142M, 19 Do-228, 18 BN-2 Defender), a communications squadron (ten Do-228 and three Chetak), a rescue helicopter squadron (six Sea King helicopters), two training squadrons (six ShT-16 aircraft, eight NRT-32, two Chitak helicopters and four Hughes 300).

Scope of activities of the Indian Navy for a long time was limited to defensive actions in coastal zone. However, the purchase of modern weapons and military equipment and the decommissioning of obsolete types of ships have allowed the country's Navy to operate almost anywhere in the Indian Ocean in recent years.

Naval forces are assigned important role in the plans of the Indian military-political leadership to transform the country into a leading regional power. The leadership’s rather ambitious plans aimed at comprehensively improving the national naval forces are explained by the desire to protect political and economic interests countries in the region and strengthen its leadership position in South Asia. The combat power of the Indian Navy will be increased by introducing new ships and boats, combat aircraft and naval aviation helicopters into service. In addition, the fleet management system will be improved, as well as the naval and naval aviation basing system. In particular, Indian military experts consider it necessary to build or purchase aircraft carriers in order to beginning of XXI century to have constantly operating 1-2 AUG. In this regard, the country is working on designing an aircraft carrier with a displacement of about 20 thousand tons. According to the views of the Navy leadership, the fleet should have three aircraft-carrying ships, two of which should be constantly in service, and the third should be under repair.

To increase the combat capability of the Indian fleet military leadership actively applies the practice of conducting joint exercises with ships of the navies of other countries. Foreign experts note, however, that the current state of the country's Navy does not fully meet the tasks set for them by the state leadership to protect India's economic and military interests in the World Ocean.

Military-industrial complex The country, which includes 39 large defense enterprises and eight research institutions, is able to independently develop and produce many types of modern weapons and military equipment (although often in limited quantities that do not always meet the needs of the army). Mastery of advanced technologies has been elevated to the rank of priority national tasks - civilian, dual-use and military.

The Indian military industry produces almost the entire range of weapons and military equipment from ammunition and small arms to medium-range ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons (according to foreign press reports, the country has nuclear weapons with a total capacity of 200 kt). Computer systems and programs for various purposes are being increasingly introduced into the troops (250 thousand highly qualified specialists are employed in the field of computer technology in India). At the same time, despite significant successes, the current level of development of the scientific, technical and military-industrial base of India does not allow ensuring the country’s complete independence in the issue of equipping the national armed forces modern types weapons, which necessitates the continuation of military purchases abroad. However, in Indian military imports everything higher value acquires access to advanced foreign technologies and licensed production of weapons and military equipment.

Currently, India's main partner in the field of military-technical cooperation is Russia. According to foreign experts, Russian-Indian ties in this area will continue to develop. Evidence of this is new contracts, in particular, for the supply and deployment of licensed production in India of T-90S tanks, Su-30MKI fighter jets, and other types of weapons and military equipment. At the same time, Delhi will continue to cooperate in military field with France, Great Britain, a number of CIS republics, Israel, South Africa and other countries.

In peacetime, the armed forces are recruited by recruiting volunteers from among Indian citizens, regardless of their religious or caste affiliation. Physically healthy Indian citizens aged 16 to 25 years are accepted to serve in the ground forces. The educational qualifications are not strictly defined, but at present all recruits are usually literate. The service life in the Army is 15 years, of which ten years in the ranks and five years in the reserve - for combat units; 12 years in personnel and three years in reserve - for technical units.

In the Air Force, recruits are recruited between the ages of 15 and 19 years. In addition, they must have a secondary education. The Air Force operates more than 80 recruiting stations and recruits in more than 40 technical and other specialties.

Recruitment for the Navy is carried out at 68 regional recruiting centers. The conscription age for future sailors is 15-20 years, education is from primary (for cooks and stewards) to general secondary. Recruits intended to be employed in technical positions requiring specialized skills and knowledge are recruited from age group 18 - 22 years old, and they must have primary vocational education.

The sergeant corps is recruited from among the most trained soldiers and sailors who have served for a certain period of time in regular units and have demonstrated the ability for military service. At the training centers of the Army, Air Force and Navy, there are special courses for the training of non-commissioned officers and petty officers. The duration of their studies is from three months to a year.

Officer training for all branches of the armed forces includes three main periods of training: general education and initial military (military special) training; military training in schools and colleges of the relevant branches of the armed forces; improving military knowledge and retraining at officer courses, including training abroad.

The selection of candidates and staffing of military educational institutions of the Indian Armed Forces is carried out through graduates of children's paramilitary institutions, the National Cadet Corps of India, students and graduates of civilian educational institutions (colleges and universities), as well as the most trained soldiers and sailors with a penchant for officer service.

Future army officers receive general educational and basic military training for three years at the army branch of the National Military Academy (Khadakwasla) or at the Army College (Pune). Upon completion of their studies, cadets are sent for further training to the Indian Military Academy (Dehra Dun) for a period of study of 1 - 1.5 years, after which they are awarded officer ranks.

The Staff College trains officers with at least six years of service, With positions of company commander, equals and higher (up to division commander), having positive certifications and recommendations and having passed the entrance exams.

Future officers of the Indian Air Force, who have passed a comprehensive examination by special selection commissions, enter the aviation department of the National Military Academy, where they study for three years. After completing the course and passing special tests future pilots are sent to the initial flight training school (Bidar, 140 km northwest of Hyderabad) for 22 weeks of flight training. After school, cadets continue their training at the Air Force Academy in Hyderabad. After graduating from the academy, they receive officer rank and appointment to positions in the branches of the Air Force according to the specialty received.

The training of Navy officers is provided by graduates of the Naval Branch of the National Military Academy. Upon graduation from the academy, naval cadets are sent to training ships, where they undergo practice and pass exams for six months, after which they are awarded the rank of midshipman. After passing examinations and one year of practice on warships, they are awarded the primary officer rank.

The officer corps is divided into cadre and non-cadre service officers. The cadre of officers is recruited from graduates of military educational institutions. Non-cadre personnel are recruited mainly from among civilians who have a higher education and have expressed a desire to temporarily serve in the Armed Forces. Particular preference is given to persons with technical and medical education.

Foreign experts believe that, in general, India is striving to build up its military potential and develop its national armed forces on the basis the latest achievements science and technology, the most modern military technologies and latest achievements military thought. An analysis of the current state of the country's armed forces allows us to conclude that in terms of the number of personnel, the number of formations and units, the quantity and quality of the main types of weapons, they are one of the most powerful in the South Asian region. The Indian Armed Forces are highly mobile and have modern means management and a fairly developed logistics system. At the same time, foreign experts note a tendency to increase the degree of saturation of troops with modern models of military equipment.

For more details see: Foreign military review. - 2000. - No. 12.. - P. 25.

India is the fourth most powerful army in the world

India, together with the DPRK and Israel, is one of the second three countries in the world in terms of military potential (the first three, of course, are the USA, China and Russia). The personnel of the Indian Armed Forces (AF) have a high level of combat and moral and psychological training, although they are recruited for hire. In India, as in Pakistan, due to the huge population and complex ethno-religious situation, recruiting the armed forces by conscription is not possible.

The country is the most important importer of weapons from Russia, maintains close military-technical cooperation with France and Great Britain, and Lately- and with the USA. At the same time, India has a huge domestic military-industrial complex, which, theoretically, is capable of producing weapons and equipment of all classes, including nuclear weapons and their delivery vehicles. However, weapons developed in India itself (the Arjun tank, the Tejas fighter, the Dhruv helicopter, etc.), as a rule, have very low technical and tactical characteristics (TTX), and their development has been going on for decades. The assembly quality of equipment manufactured under foreign licenses is often very low, which is why the Indian Air Force has the highest accident rate in the world. However, India has every reason to claim the title of one of the world's superpowers in the 21st century.

Xie Crets of the Indian Armed Forces

WITH The Indian ground forces include the Training Command (headquarters in the city of Shimla) and six territorial commands - Central, Northern, Western, Southwestern, Southern, Eastern. At the same time, the 50th is directly subordinate to the headquarters of the ground forces. airborne brigade, 2 regiments of MRBM "Agni", 1 regiment of OTR "Prithvi-1", 4 regiments of cruise missiles "Brahmos".

The central command includes one army corps (AK) - the 1st. It consists of infantry, mountain, armored, artillery divisions, artillery, air defense, and engineering brigades. Currently, the 1st AK is temporarily transferred to the Southwestern Command, so the Central Command, in fact, has no combat forces.

The Northern Command includes three army corps - 14th, 15th, 16th. They consist of 5 infantry and 2 mountain divisions, an artillery brigade.

The Western Command also includes three AKs - 2nd, 9th, 11th. They consist of 1 armored, 1 RRF, 6 infantry divisions, 4 armored, 1 mechanized, 1 engineering, 1 air defense brigades.

The Southwestern Command includes an artillery division, the 1st AK, temporarily transferred from the Central Command (described above), and the 10th AK, which includes an infantry and 2 RRF divisions, an armored tank, an air defense, and an engineering brigade.

The Southern Command includes an artillery division and two AKs - the 12th and 21st. They consist of 1 armored, 1 RRF, 3 infantry divisions, armored, mechanized, artillery, air defense, and engineering brigades.

The Eastern Command includes an infantry division and three AKs (3rd, 4th, 33rd) with three mountain divisions each.

belongs to the ground forces most of India's nuclear missile potential. Two regiments each have 8 Agni IRBM launchers. In total, there are supposedly 80-100 Agni-1 missiles (flight range 1500 km), and 20-25 Agni-2 missiles (2-4 thousand km). The only regiment of the OTR "Prithvi-1" (range 150 km) has 12 launchers (PU) of this missile. All these ballistic missiles were developed in India itself and can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads. Each of the 4 regiments of Brahmos cruise missiles (jointly developed by Russia and India) has 4-6 batteries, each with 3-4 launchers. The total number of Brahmos GLCM launchers is 72. The Brahmos is perhaps the most versatile missile in the world; it is also in service with the Air Force (its carrier is the Su-30 fighter-bomber) and the Indian Navy (many submarines and surface ships) .

India has a very powerful and modern tank fleet. It includes 124 indigenously developed Arjun tanks (124 more will be manufactured), 907 of the latest Russian T-90s (another 750 will be manufactured in India under Russian license) and 2,414 Soviet T-72Ms, modernized in India. In addition, 715 old Soviet T-55s and up to 1,100 no less old Vijayanta tanks own production(English Vickers Mk1) are in storage.

Unlike tanks, other armored vehicles of the Indian Army are generally very outdated. There are 255 Soviet BRDM-2, 100 English Ferret armored vehicles, 700 Soviet BMP-1 and 1100 BMP-2 (another 500 will be manufactured in India), 700 Czechoslovak OT-62 and OT-64 armored personnel carriers, 165 South African Casspir armored vehicles ", 80 British FV432 armored personnel carriers. Of all the listed equipment, only the BMP-2 can be considered new, and very conditionally. In addition, 200 very old Soviet BTR-50 and 817 BTR-60 are in storage.

Much of the Indian artillery was also obsolete. There are 100 Catapult self-propelled guns of our own design (130-mm M-46 howitzer on the chassis of the Vijayanta tank; another 80 such self-propelled guns are in storage), 80 English Abbotts (105 mm), 110 Soviet 2S1 (122 mm). Towed guns - more than 4.3 thousand in the army, more than 3 thousand in storage. Mortars - about 7 thousand. But there are no modern examples among them. MLRS - 150 Soviet BM-21 (122 mm), 80 own Pinaka (214 mm), 62 Russian Smerch (300 mm). Of all the Indian artillery systems, only the Pinaka and Smerch MLRS can be considered modern.

It is armed with 250 Russian Kornet ATGMs and 13 Namika self-propelled ATGMs (Nag ATGMs of our own design on the BMP-2 chassis). In addition, there are several thousand French ATGMs “Milan”, Soviet and Russian “Malyutka”, “Konkurs”, “Fagot”, “Sturm”.

Military air defense includes 45 batteries (180 launchers) of the Soviet Kvadrat air defense system, 80 Soviet Osa air defense systems, 400 Strela-1, 250 Strela-10, 18 Israeli Spider, 25 British Tigercat. Also in service are 620 Soviet Strela-2 and 2000 Igla-1 MANPADS, 92 Russian Tunguska air defense missile systems, 100 Soviet ZSU-23-4 Shilka, 2720 anti-aircraft guns (800 Soviet ZU-23, 1920 Swedish L40/70). Of all the air defense equipment, only the Spider air defense system and the Tunguska air defense system are modern; the Osa and Strela-10 air defense systems and the Igla-1 air defense system can be considered relatively new.

In service army aviation there are about 300 helicopters, almost all locally produced.

The Indian Air Force includes 7 Commands - Western, Central, South-Western, Eastern, Southern Training, MTO.

The Air Force has 3 squadrons of Prithvi-2 OTR (18 launchers each) with a firing range of 250 km and can carry conventional and nuclear warheads.

Strike aircraft include 107 Soviet MiG-27 bombers and 157 British Jaguar attack aircraft (114 IS, 11 IM, 32 combat training IT). All these aircraft, built under license in India itself, are obsolete.

The basis of fighter aircraft is the latest Russian Su-30MKI, built under license in India itself. There are at least 194 vehicles of this type in service, with a total of 272 to be built. As mentioned above, they can carry the Brahmos cruise missile. Also quite modern are 74 Russian MiG-29 (including 9 combat training UBs; 1 more in storage), 9 own Tejas and 48 French Mirage-2000 (38 N, 10 combat training TN) . 230 MiG-21 fighters remain in service (146 bis, 47 MF, 37 combat training U and UM), also built in India under Soviet license. Instead of the MiG-21, it is planned to purchase 126 French Rafale fighters, in addition, 144 5th generation FGFA fighters based on the Russian T-50 will be built in India.

The Air Force operates 5 AWACS aircraft (3 Russian A-50, 2 Swedish ERJ-145), 3 American Gulfstream-4 electronic reconnaissance aircraft, 6 Russian Il-78 tankers, about 300 transport aircraft (including 17 Russian Il-76, 5 newest American S-17 (there will be from 5 to 13 more) and 5 S-130J), about 250 training aircraft.

The Air Force is armed with 30 combat helicopters (24 Russian Mi-35s, 4 own Rudras and 2 LCHs), 360 multi-purpose and transport helicopters.

Ground-based air defense includes 25 squadrons (at least 100 launchers) of the Soviet S-125 air defense system, at least 24 Osa air defense systems, 8 squadrons of its own Akash air defense system (64 launchers).

The Indian Navy includes three Commands - Western (Bombay), Southern (Cochin), Eastern (Vishakhapatnam).

There is 1 SSBN "Arihant" of its own construction with 12 SLBMs K-15 (range - 700 km), it is planned to build 3 more. However, due to the short range of the missiles, these boats cannot be considered full-fledged SSBNs. The Chakra submarine is on lease (Russian Nerpa submarine pr. 971).

There are 9 Russian submarines, Project 877, in service (another such boat burned down and sank in its own base at the end of last year) and 4 German submarines, Project 209/1500. 3 newest French Scorpene-class submarines are being built; a total of 6 of them will be built.

The Indian Navy has 2 aircraft carriers - Viraat (formerly English Hermes) and Vikramaditya (formerly Soviet Admiral Gorshkov). Two of its own Vikrant-class aircraft carriers are being built.

There are 9 destroyers: 5 Rajput type (Soviet Project 61), 3 own Delhi type and 1 Calcutta type (2-3 more Calcutta type destroyers will be built).

There are 6 newest Russian-built frigates of the “Talvar” type (Project 11356) and 3 even more modern own-built frigates of the “Shivalik” type in service. Three frigates each of the Brahmaputra and Godavari types, built in India according to British designs, remain in service.

The Navy has the newest corvette "Kamorta" (there will be from 4 to 12), 4 corvettes of the "Kora" type, 4 of the "Khukri" type, 4 of the "Abhay" type (Soviet project 1241P).

There are 12 Veer-type missile boats (Soviet Project 1241R) in service.

All destroyers, frigates and corvettes (except Abhay) are armed with modern Russian and Russian-Indian SLCMs and anti-ship missiles "Brahmos", "Caliber", X-35.

The Navy and Coast Guard operate up to 150 patrol ships and patrol boats. Among them are 6 ships of the Sakanya class, which can carry the Prithvi-3 ballistic missile (range 350 km). These are the world's only surface combatants with ballistic missiles.

The Indian Navy has a very small mine-sweeping force. They consist of only 7 Soviet minesweepers, Project 266M.

The landing forces include the Jalashva DVKD (American Austin type), 5 old Polish TDK Project 773 (3 more in storage), 5 own Magar type TDK. At the same time, India does not have a marine corps, it only has a marine special forces group.

Naval aviation is armed with 63 carrier-based fighters - 45 MiG-29K (including 8 combat training MiG-29KUB), 18 Harriers (14 FRS, 4 T). The MiG-29Ks are designed for the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier and the Vikrant-class aircraft carriers under construction, and the Harriers for the Viraat.

Anti-submarine aircraft - 5 old Soviet Il-38 and 7 Tu-142M (1 more in storage), 3 newest American P-8I (there will be 12).

There are 52 German Do-228 patrol aircraft, 37 transport aircraft, 12 HJT-16 training aircraft.

Naval aviation also has 12 Russian Ka-31 AWACS helicopters, 41 anti-submarine helicopters (18 Soviet Ka-28 and 5 Ka-25, 18 British Sea King Mk42V), about 100 multi-purpose and transport helicopters.

In general, the Indian Armed Forces have enormous combat potential and significantly exceed the potential of their traditional enemy Pakistan. However, now India's main enemy is China, whose allies are Pakistan, as well as Myanmar and Bangladesh, which border India to the east. It does geopolitical situation India is very complex, and its military potential, paradoxically, is insufficient.

Cooperation with Russia

Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation is exclusive. It’s not even that India has been the largest buyer for several years Russian weapons. Moscow and Delhi are already engaged in joint development of weapons, and unique ones, such as the Brahmos missile or the FGFA fighter. Leasing submarines has no analogues in world practice (only the USSR and India had a similar experience in the late 80s). The Indian Armed Forces now operate more T-90 tanks, Su-30 fighters, and X-35 anti-ship missiles than in all other countries of the world combined, including Russia itself.

At the same time, alas, not everything is rosy in our relations. Surprisingly, many officials in Moscow have still managed not to notice that India is already almost a superpower, and is by no means the former “third world” country that will buy everything we offer it. As opportunities and ambitions grow, so do Indian demands. Hence the numerous scandals in the field of military-technical cooperation, most of which are Russia's own fault. The epic with the sale of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, which deserves a large separate description, especially stands out against this background.

However, it must be admitted that such scandals arise in Delhi not only with Moscow. In particular, during the implementation of both major Indian-French contracts (on the Scorpen submarine and on the Rafale fighters), the same thing is happening as with the Vikramaditya - a multiple increase in the price of products and a significant delay by the French in terms of their production. In the case of the Rafales, this could even lead to the termination of the contract.

It’s not all rosy in the sphere of geopolitics, which is much worse. India is our ideal ally. There are no contradictions, there are great traditions of cooperation, and what is especially important is that we have common main opponents - a group of Sunni Islamic countries and China. Alas, Russia began to impose on India the delusional idea of ​​the “Moscow-Delhi-Beijing triangle”, generated by one of our “outstanding political figures”. Then this idea was very “successfully” supported by the West, throwing in the idea of ​​BRIC (now BRICS), which Moscow grabbed with delight and began to passionately implement. Meanwhile, Delhi absolutely does not need an alliance with Beijing, its main geopolitical adversary and economic competitor. She needs an alliance AGAINST Beijing. It is in this format that she would be happy to be friends with Moscow. Now India is persistently being pulled over by the United States, which understands very well who Delhi is going to be friends with.The only thing that keeps India from completely diverging from “China-loving” Russia is the aforementioned exclusive military-technical cooperation. Maybe, to some extent, it will save us from ourselves.

Currently, India is confidently among the top ten world powers in terms of its military potential. India's armed forces are inferior to the armies of the United States, Russia and China, but are still very strong and numerous. It couldn’t be any other way in a country with a population of about 1.3 billion people. In terms of military spending in 2014, India ranked 7th in the world - $50 billion (data from the Stockholm Peace Research Institute).

More than 1.3 million people serve in the Indian armed forces (3rd place in the world). Speaking about the Indian armed forces, it is worth remembering that India is the world's largest importer of weapons (as of 2012), and also possesses nuclear weapons and their delivery systems.

In addition to the direct armed forces, India has a variety of paramilitary forces, which serve about 1.1 million people: national security forces, special border forces, special paramilitary forces. As of 2015, India's population is 1 billion 276 million people (the 2nd largest population in the world, after China). At the same time, the country’s mobilization resources are estimated at at least 270 million people, of which 160 million are fully fit for military service.

The Indian Armed Forces are intended to organize the defense of the Republic, protect the freedom and independence of the country, this is one of the most important weapons of political power. The personnel of the Indian armed forces have a high level of moral, psychological and combat training and serve on a contract basis, compulsory conscription military service not available in India. For India, due to its huge population and complex ethno-confessional situation, recruiting the armed forces by conscription is simply not possible.

Speaking about the Indian armed forces, it can be noted that they are relatively young. The armed forces of the independent Republic of India appeared only in 1947. Moreover, they were formed on the basis of military contingents that were transferred to the country during its division into two British dominions - the Indian Union and Pakistan. At the same time, the Indian armed forces included units with personnel professing Hinduism and other religions except Islam, and the Pakistani army included Muslim military personnel. The official date of formation of the national armed forces of India is August 15, 1949.

A special feature of the Indian armed forces is their very close cooperation with the Russian defense-industrial complex. The Indian Army is armed with great amount military equipment and weapons produced Soviet Union and Russia. For example, it is not Russia that has the largest fleet of T-90 tanks in the world, but India. At the same time, both countries actively cooperate in the military-technical sphere, jointly developing various weapons. Currently, India is the most important importer of Russian weapons, and at the same time the country cooperates quite closely with the UK, France and, more recently, the US.

Currently, Russian-Indian cooperation is exclusive. And the point is not that India has been buying weapons from Russia for decades. Delhi and Moscow are working together to create modern systems weapons, and quite unique ones, such as the Brahmos missile, or the 5th generation fighter - FGFA. The leasing of a nuclear submarine has no analogues in world practice (Russia leased the Nerpa nuclear submarine to India for 10 years); the USSR had similar experience in this area in the 1980s with India.

At the same time, India has its own military-industrial complex, which is capable of producing weapons and equipment of all classes, including nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles. However, this is more in theory, since weapons created in India itself, as a rule, have lower tactical and technical characteristics in comparison with foreign analogues, and their development has been going on for decades. The most obvious example in this regard is the Indian Arjun tank, the development of which lasted about 37 years.

Equipment samples assembled in the country under foreign licenses are also not the most reliable. For example, as experts note, the high accident rate in the Indian Air Force may be associated precisely with this factor. However, despite all of the above, India has everything to become one of the world's major superpowers in the 21st century.

Indian Army

The Indian Army is the largest component of the country's armed forces, with at least 1.1 million personnel serving (there are 990,000 reservists). The ground forces have a Training Command (headquarters in Shimla), as well as 6 territorial commands - Central, Northern, Western, Southwestern, Southern and Eastern. At the same time, the 50th Airborne Brigade, two regiments of the Agni IRBM launcher, one regiment of the Prithvi-1 OTR launcher and four regiments armed with Brahmos cruise missiles are directly subordinate to the headquarters of the Indian Ground Forces.

The Indian ground forces consist of 12 army corps headquarters, 36 divisions (18 infantry, 3 armored, 4 rapid deployment divisions, 10 mountain infantry and one artillery). In addition, the Army has 15 separate brigades (5 armored, 7 infantry, two mountain infantry and one parachute), as well as 12 air defense brigades, 3 engineering teams and 22 Army Aviation helicopter squadrons.

Indian T-90

Currently, India has a fairly impressive tank fleet, which is mainly equipped with modern vehicles. The army has received 124 indigenously developed Arjun tanks, with plans to supply 124 more, while work is underway on a modernized version of the Arjun-2. The troops also have 1,250 modern Russian T-90 MBTs, and it is planned to produce another 750 of these tanks under license. There are also up to 2,400 Soviet T-72M MBTs that have undergone or are undergoing modernization. In addition, up to 1,100 old Vijayanta tanks of our own production (British Vickers Mk1) and up to 700 Soviet T-55 tanks are in storage.

Unlike tanks, the situation with other weapons is much worse. Basically, the fleet of other Indian armored vehicles is outdated. The country has about 100 BRDM-2s, approximately 1,200 BMP-2s and up to 300 different armored personnel carriers. The BMP-2 fleet is currently being modernized. In 2006, 123 vehicles were converted into the BMP-2K variant; armored vehicles are assembled under Russian license in India, while the Indian Ministry of Defense plans to purchase another 149 BMP-2K.

Most of the Indian artillery is also obsolete. The troops have up to 100 Catapult self-propelled guns of their own design - the 130-mm M-46 howitzer on the chassis of the Vijayanta tank, and about 80 more such vehicles are in storage. There are also 110 Soviet 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled guns and 80 British 105mm Abbot self-propelled guns.

It is curious that in September 2015, India held a competition for the purchase of 155-mm self-propelled guns, which was won by the South Korean K9 Thunder artillery system, beating the Russian one. This South Korean self-propelled gun is definitely a success on the international market, and it was also chosen as the main one in the Turkish armed forces. Production of the K9 Thunder self-propelled guns will be launched in India, and it is reported that the armed forces will purchase at least 500 such self-propelled guns.

Indian Army BMP-2

In addition, there are about 4.3 thousand towed guns of various calibers in service, more than 3 thousand in storage and about 7 thousand mortars. There are practically no modern examples among them either. At the same time, since 2010, India has been trying to purchase 145 light 155-mm M-777 howitzers from the United States; the deal has been discussed for 5 years, but it seems that in May 2015 the matter moved forward and the howitzers will be delivered to the country.

The situation with MLRS is similar in terms of the availability of new models. India has about 150 Soviet (122 mm), 80 MLRS of its own Pinaka (214 mm) and 62 Russian systems"Smerch" (300 mm). At the same time, “Pinaka” and “Smerch” can be classified as modern multiple launch rocket systems.

Also in service with the ground forces are about 250 Russian-made Kornet ATGMs, 13 Namika self-propelled ATGMs (Indian Nag ATGM on the BMP-2 chassis), in addition there are several thousand Soviet and Russian Malyutka and Fagot ATGMs. , “Competition”, “Storm”, French ATGM “Milan”.

Modernized Indian MBT "Arjun"

The basis of the army's air defense is the Soviet/Russian air defense systems Strela-10 (250), Osa (80), Tunguska (184), Shilka (75), as well as Indian short-range air defense systems Akash (300). The Army Aviation has about 300 helicopters, almost all made in India.

Indian Air Force

In terms of the number of aircraft, the Indian Air Force is in fourth place in the world, behind the United States, Russia and China. Wherein The Air Force has about 1,800 aircraft of all types, including about 900 combat vehicles. About 150 thousand people serve in the Indian Air Force. Organizationally, they are an integral part of the combined branch of the armed forces - the Air Force and air defense(air defense). The country's air force has 38 air wing headquarters and 47 combat aviation squadrons, and the country has a developed network of airfields.

Indian Air Force Past and Present: MiG-21 and Su-30MKI

The Indian Air Force headquarters consists of the following departments: operational planning, intelligence, combat training, electronic warfare, meteorological, financial and communications. Also subordinate to the headquarters are 5 aviation commands and one training command (headquarters in Bangalore), which manage the air force units in the field: Central (Allahabad), Western (Delhi), Eastern (Shillong), Southern (Trivandrum) and Southwestern (Gandhinagar).

A serious problem for the Indian Air Force throughout for long years is a high accident rate. From the early 1970s to the early 2000s, the Indian Air Force lost an average of 23 aircraft and helicopters every year. At the same time, the most a large number of flight accidents occur in Soviet aircraft, which were produced in India and for a long time formed the basis of its aircraft fleet. In the Indian Air Force, these aircraft have earned a reputation as "flying coffins" and "widowmakers". From 1971 to April 2012, 482 such fighters crashed in India (more than half of the 872 MiG-21s that India received). At the same time, at least 150 of these vehicles remain in service, 120 of which are planned to be in operation until at least 2019.

In general, the Indian Air Force is based on Soviet/Russian-made aircraft and helicopters. Strike aircraft were represented by Soviet MiG-27s (113 aircraft), most of them planned to be decommissioned in 2015, and approximately 120 British Jaguar fighter-bombers. All these aircraft were built in India under license and are now obsolete.

Su-30MKI

The situation is much better with fighter aircraft. The Air Force has about 220 modern Russian ones, their total number will be increased to 272. In terms of the number of Su-30 fighters in service, the Indian Air Force is ahead of the Russian Air Force. There are also 62 MiG-29 fighters in service, all of which have been upgraded to the MiG-29UPG (53) and MiG-29UB-UPG versions.

In addition, there are 50 French Mirage-2000 fighters and another 11 such training machines. It is planned to modernize them to the Mirage 2000-5 level, which will extend their service life by another 20 years. In addition, the Indian Air Force is beginning to receive a fourth-generation light multi-role fighter of its own design - the HAL Tejas; since 2014, 14 fighters have been built, including prototypes. In total, it is planned to build about 200 such aircraft for the Indian Air Force, which should completely replace the MiG-21 and MiG-27.

India also has AEW&CS aircraft, there are three Russian A-50EI and three DRDO AEW&CS aircraft of joint Indian-Brazilian development. There are also three American Gulfstream-4 electronic reconnaissance aircraft, six Russian Il-78 tanker aircraft, and six more European Airbus A330 MRTT will be delivered.

In transport aviation there are 17 Il-76MD, 105 An-32, some of the aircraft have been modernized in Ukraine since 2009, the rest will be modernized directly in India. At the same time, India plans to replace all Soviet Il-76MD, which have been in operation for more than 28 years, with the latest American C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. In 2010, a contract was signed for the purchase of 10 such aircraft, with a possible option for the purchase of 6 more aircraft. The first aircraft was handed over to the Indian Air Force in January 2013.

Light multi-role fighter HAL Tejas

The Air Force is armed with about 30 combat helicopters, including 24 Russian ones Mi-35, 4 indigenously produced Rudra helicopters and 2 LCHs. In addition, about 360 multi-purpose and transport helicopters are operated, including a large number of Soviet Mi-8 and Russian Mi-17, Mi-17V5, as well as Mi-26.

Indian Navy

The Indian Navy includes Navy, naval aviation and special forces units. Currently, about 58 thousand people serve in the fleet, including about 1.2 thousand in the Marine Corps and about 5 thousand in naval aviation. The Navy operates more than 180 ships and 200 aircraft. The Indian Navy uses three main naval bases to base warships - Kadamba (in the Goa region), Mumbai and Visakhapatnam. At the same time, the Navy includes three commands - Western (Bombay), Southern (Cochin) and Eastern (Vishakhapatnam).

The Indian submarine fleet includes one of its own design with 12 K-15 SLBMs (range 700 km), it is planned to build 3 more submarines of this type. At the same time, the missile launch range is quite modest. Also on lease is one Russian nuclear submarine "Nerpa" of project 971, which received Indian name"Chakra". In addition, there are 9 Russian diesel submarines of Project 877 "Halibut" and 4 German submarines project 209/1500. Construction is also underway on 3 modern French Scorpene-class submarines; a total of 6 such submarines are planned to be built.

On the deck of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya.

Currently, the Indian Navy has two aircraft carriers - Viraat (formerly English Hermes) and Vikramaditya (formerly Soviet Admiral Gorshkov). In addition, the construction of two of its own Vikrant-class aircraft carriers is underway. Indian naval aviation has 63 carrier-based fighters - 45 MiG-29K (including 8 combat training MiG-29KUB) and 18 Harriers. The MiG-29K fighters are designed to arm the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier (the air group consists of 14-16 MiG-29K and 4 MiG-29KUB, up to 10 helicopters) and the Vikrant-type aircraft carriers under construction, and the Harriers are used on the Viraat.

Anti-submarine aviation is represented by the old Soviet Il-38 - 5 aircraft, Tu-142M - 7 aircraft (one in storage) and three modern American P-8I (a total of 12 were ordered). In addition, Indian naval aviation has 12 Russian Ka-31 AWACS helicopters, 41 anti-submarine helicopters, including 18 Soviet Ka-28 and 5 Ka-25, as well as 18 British Sea King Mk42B.

Talwar-class frigate

The surface forces of the fleet are quite diverse. There are 9 destroyers: 5 Rajput type (Soviet project 61), 3 own Delhi type and one Calcutta type (2-3 more destroyers of this type will be built). Also in service are 6 modern Russian-built frigates of the “Talvar” type (project 11356) and 3 even more modern Russian-built frigates of the “Shivalik” type. The Navy has the latest Kamorta corvette (from 4 to 12 units will be built), 4 Kora-type corvettes, 4 Khukri-type corvettes, 4 Abhay-type corvettes ( Soviet project 1241P).

It is worth noting that all destroyers, frigates and corvettes (except Abhay) of the Indian fleet are armed with modern Russian and Russian-Indian sea-based cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles "Caliber", "Brahmos", X-35.

Indian Nuclear Forces

In the structure of the Indian armed forces, a special structure was created to manage the existing nuclear forces - NCA (Nuclear Command Authority), the Nuclear Command Administration. Moreover, this governing body is not only military, but also military-political. This command deals with issues of nuclear planning in the interests of defense, and is also responsible for making and implementing decisions on the use of nuclear weapons to repel external aggression; the command is headed by the country's Prime Minister.

The military operational and technical control body reporting directly to the NCA and the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Indian Armed Forces is the SFC - Strategic Forces Command, which was created in 2003. This command is responsible for coordinating the actions of the nuclear components of the country's ground forces and air force, represented by units of the ground forces equipped with ground-based ballistic missiles and aviation squadrons armed with aircraft carrying nuclear bombs. In the foreseeable future, the SFC will also take control over India's naval strategic nuclear forces being created.

Most of India's nuclear missile potential is concentrated in the ground forces, which have two regiments of 8 Agni medium-range ballistic missile launchers. In total, India supposedly has 80-100 Agni-1 missiles (700-900 km), up to 20-25 Agni-2 missiles (2000-3000 km) and a number of extended-range ballistic missiles of the Agni-2 type. 3" (3500-5000 km). Also, the only regiment of operational-tactical missiles “Prithvi-1” (150 km) has 12 launchers for these missiles.

All of the missiles listed can be carriers of both conventional and nuclear warheads. Nuclear weapons carriers in the Indian Air Force can be both Russian Su-30MKI fighters and French Mirage-2000.

According to experts, today India has a limited stock of nuclear warheads, about 30-35 warheads in combat readiness. At the same time, the country has a certain number of ready-made components for assembling new charges. It is believed that if necessary, India will be able to produce another 50-90 nuclear warheads quite quickly.