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In view of a dual front threat and increasing tension with China along the LAC, India is actively evaluating the prospect of buying Iron Dome shield to counter rockets, mortars and missiles for protecting vital military installations, important national assets and even population centers.After the high success rate of Iron Dome in live conditions, India is interested that the system can really provide a range of solutions to rouge airborne weapons those have scientifically any credible counter measure. But Iron Dome has made headlines recently in the military circle all over the world including drawing the attention of US President Barack Obama who has been impressed with functioning of the system which is being termed as quite effective against low flying aerial weapon systems.

Comparison of the respective weapon systems in the arsenals makes little sense in the India-Pakistan context. Pakistan has always had technologically superior weapons because of its access to western arms bazaars particularly the US for being a lackey in the anti-communist phalanx.Being a member of the Baghdad Pact, later called the Central Treaty Organization along with Iran under Shah Reza Pehlavi, it got the latest tanks and aircraft in return for bases from where the US launched reconnaissance aircraft to spy on the former Soviet Union till a U-2 spy-plane flown by Gary Powers was shot down near Moscow. But it has never won a war against India.Even in Jammu and Kashmir in 1948 when it had a head-start with the Pakistan Army-led tribal mujahids knocking at the gates of Srinagar, the arrival of the Indian Army just at the nick of time saw the conspiracy rolled backwards and only the strategic blunder by India for depending on the UN for a fair settlement allowed Pakistan a locus standi that is based only on India’s error rather than any great military acumen on the part of Pakistan.

The process for the finalization of the contract for the acquisition of 126 combat aircraft under the MMRCA (Medium, Multirole Combat Aircraft) tender by sealing the deal with Dassault Aviation whose Rafale fighter had emerged a winner by overtaking the five other rivals seems to be acquiring “some speed” .As it is, for more than two years now, the finalization of the deal has been affected from one uncertainty to another over the issues of technology transfer and life cycle cost. And the Indian Air Force (IAF), which is now operating just 34 squadrons against an assessed requirement of 45 squadrons, is badly in need of medium class fighters. Under this deal, while 18 fighters will be made available in fly way condition, the state owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will produce the remaining 108 fighters with the technology to be made available by the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).

In battlefield success depends on many factors and one of the initial and an important factor is the ability to be hidden from the enemy eyes. For that camouflage technology plays a crucial role. Camouflage material helps soldiers blend in with their native environment so the enemy would not detect them. The primary reason for the effectiveness of camouflage is that what you cannot see, you cannot hitThe art of camouflage has been based on blending into the background. For the armed forces, the distance between success and wipe out depends upon whether the enemy is able to see through the concealment. A recent symposium on body armor ended with the recommendation of attendees that more effort should be put into camouflage research. Since World War II, almost all US military equipment has been colored in dull green and brown colors so it blends in with natural foliage. .

Bullet proof vehicles based on light commercial vehicles have been found to be suitable for employment in counter terrorist operations and for VIP security. Total of 229 riot control vehicles based on VRDE design have been supplied to various states through industry partners to whom technology has been transferred.

The demand for armored vehicles will grow in India not only from the Indian army, but other counter insurgency and VVIP security outfits like the National Security Guards, Special Protection Group, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force etc and will witness an exponential rise in their deployments in various units and locations all over India.Internationally, there may be a temporary slump in demand for these vehicles as the US troops have withdrawn from Iraq and the US led NATO troops have also announced their decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, which will also result in large scale dumping of these vehicles. But the African continent may emerge as growth market for the armored vehicles. Also countries like China, India and Turkey and also the continued strife in most parts of Africa and Latin America will ensure a bright future for the armored vehicles industries.