Joint Exercise Al NAJAH-IV (GS Paper 3, Defence)
Why in news?
- The 4th Edition of India Oman Joint Military Exercise ‘AL NAJAH-IV’ between contingents of Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman is scheduled to take place from 01 to 13 August 2022.
- It will be held at the Foreign Training Node of Mahajan Field Firing Ranges (Rajasthan).
- The Royal Army of Oman contingent comprising 60 personnel from the Sultan of Oman Parachute Regiment have. The Indian Army is represented by troops from the 18 MECHANISED INFANTRY Battalion.
Background:
- The previous edition of Ex AL NAJAH IV was organised at Muscat from 12 to 25 March 2019.
Key Highlights:
- The scope of the exercise includes professional interaction, mutual understanding of drills & procedures, establishment of joint command & control structures and elimination of terrorist threats.
- The joint exercise would focus on Counter Terrorism Operations, Regional Security Operations and Peace Keeping Operations under United Nations charter apart from organising joint physical training schedules, tactical drills, techniques and procedures.
- A comprehensive training programme to culminate in a 48 hours long validation exercise involving establishing of joint mobile vehicle check posts, joint cordon and search operations followed by joint room intervention drills in a built up area has been worked out.
Way Forward:
- The joint military exercise aims to enhance the level of defence co-operation between Indian Army and Royal Army of Oman and will further manifest in enhancing the bilateral relations between the two nations.
- The Sultanate of Oman is a strategic partner of India in the Gulf and an important interlocutor at the Gulf Cooperation Council (AGCC), Arab League, and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) fora.
HAL to supply 12 light utility helicopters to armed forces
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
Why in news?
- Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) has received the Letter of Intent from the Services for the manufacture of 12 Light Utility Helicopters (LUH), which have been designed and developed indigenously.
- At the same time, nine Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) have been manufactured against the sanction of 15 limited series production (LSP) variants and are in the process of being handed over to the Services.
Background:
- In November 2021, the Defence Acquisition Council approved the procurement of an initial lot of 12 LUH, six each for the Army and the Air Force.
LCH induction:
- In June, the Army raised its first LCH squadron in Bengaluru which will move to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Command once complete next year.
- As of now the Army is looking at acquiring around 111 LUH and 95 LCH. Seven LCH units are planned for combat role in the mountains, with each having 10 helicopters.
- The IAF is also scheduled to raise its first LCH squadron in the next few months.
Apache attack helicopters:
- The Cabinet Committee on Security had earlier given sanction for the procurement of 39 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters from the U.S..
- Following this, IAF had inducted 22 Apaches procured under a deal signed in September 2015. The government had ruled that any further Apache procurements would go to the Army. In line with this, India signed a deal for six more Apaches at a cost of around $800 million in February 2020.
- Deliveries which were to begin in the first half of 2023 have been delayed by around 10 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are now scheduled to arrive in early 2024.
Aviation Brigades:
- The Army has three Aviation Brigades at Leh, Missamari and Jodhpur. It operates around 145 indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), 75 of which are the Rudra-weaponised variants.
- Another 25 ALH Mk-III are on order and scheduled to be inducted within two years.
- The Army operates around 190 Cheetah, Chetak and Cheetal helicopters and are in dire need of their replacement, while the IAF operates close to 140 of them.
- In all, the IAF operates a wide mix of around 500 rotary platforms which includes around 90 Mi-17s, over 130 Mi-17V5s, over 70 ALH, including the weaponised variants, 22 Apaches, one squadron of Mi-35 attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy lift helicopters.
Utility helicopter:
- In the utility helicopter category, the Army and the IAF together have a requirement of more than 400 helicopters and are meant to replace the vintage Cheetah and Chetak helicopters in service.
- This requirement was to be met jointly by the LUH and the 200 Ka-226T utility helicopters to be built with technology transfer from Russia.
- However, the Ka-226T deal has been delayed by several years over indigenisation issues and with the LUH now ready and the geopolitical situation due to the war in Ukraine, the deal is all set to be dropped.
3rd edition of Ex VINBAX - 2022
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
Why in news?
- The Third Edition of Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise "Ex VINBAX 2022" is scheduled to be conducted at Chandimandir from August 1 to 20, 2022.
Theme:
- The theme of Ex VINBAX - 2022 is employment and deployment of an Engineer Company and a Medical Team as part of United Nations Contingent for Peace Keeping Operations.
Key Highlights:
- The conduct of Ex VINBAX - 2022 as a field training exercise with enhanced scope from previous editions of bilateral exercise will strengthen mutual confidence, inter-operability and enable sharing of best practices between the Indian Army and Vietnam People's Army.
- The joint exercise will also provide an opportunity to the troops of both the Contingents to learn about the social and cultural heritage of each other. Indian Army is being represented by troops from the 105 Engineer Regiment.
- A 48 hours Validation Exercise is part of the schedule to assess the standards achieved by both contingents while executing technical military operations under similar scenarios in UN missions.
- A Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief demonstration and equipment display will showcase India's capacity to undertake rescue and relief operations during natural and manmade disasters utilising indigenous solutions.
Background:
- The exercise is a sequel to previously conducted bilateral exercise in Vietnam in 2019 and a major milestone in strengthening the bilateral relations between India and Vietnam.
India-Vietnam relations:
- India and Vietnam share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and defence cooperation is a key pillar of this partnership. Vietnam is an important partner in India's Act East policy and the Indo-Pacific vision.
- The Indo-Vietnam Cooperation assumes significance in view of the US and several world powers' efforts to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific region, especially at a time when China has shown scant respect for international laws to resolve the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
- Vietnam is the 15th largest trade partner of India and India is its 10th largest partner with bilateral trade standing at USD 11.12 billion in 2020-21.
WHO releases new guidelines for CAB-LA use for HIV
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has released new guidelines for the use of long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV.
- It called for countries to consider this safe and highly effective prevention option for people at substantial risk of HIV infection.
What is CAB-LA?
- CAB-LA is an intramuscular injectable, long-acting form of PrEP, with the first 2 injections administered 4 weeks apart, followed thereafter by an injection every 8 weeks.
- CAB-LA was shown to be safe and highly effective among cisgender women, cisgender men who have sex with men, and transgender women who have sex with men in 2 randomized controlled trials.
Way Forward:
The guidelines, released ahead of the 24th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2022), will support countries as they plan for CAB-LA introduction as part of a comprehensive approach to HIV prevention and will facilitate urgently needed operational research.
