National
17th Commander-In-Chief, Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN)
⇒ Air Marshal Saju Balakrishnan, AVSM, VM has taken over as the 17th Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) on 01 May 2023.
- The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is the only Joint-services Command in India and serves as a model for the country’s planned theaterisation of Army, Navy, and Air Force capabilities.
About Saju Balakrishnan:
- Air Marshal Saju Balakrishnan is a distinguished alumnus of the National Defence Academy Khadakwasla, having been commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1986.
- For his distinguished service, he has been awarded the Presidential Awards of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal.
Maiden Test Trial of Indigenous Air Droppable Container ‘ADC-150’ from IL-38SD Aircraft
⇒ Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘ADC-150’ from IL 38SD aircraft off the coast of Goa on April 27, 2023.
Key Points:
» ‘ADC-150’ is an indigenously designed and developed Air Droppable Container with 150 kg payload capacity.
- The trial was conducted to enhance the naval operational logistics capabilities by providing quick response to meet the requirement of critical engineering stores to ships (under distress), which are deployed more than 2,000 kms from the coast.
- It reduces the requirement of ships to come close to the coast to collect spares and stores.
Developed by:
- Three DRDO laboratories – Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam; Aerial Delivery Research & Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra and Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru – have been involved in the development of ADC-150 container.
- The crucial flight clearance certification was given by Regional Center for Military Airworthiness (RCMA), Kanpur headed by Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC), Bengaluru.
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), South Western Air Command
⇒ Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), South Western Air Command (SWAC) at Gandhinagar on 01 May 2023. He succeeds Air Marshal Vikram Singh, who superannuated on 30 April 2023.
About Narmdeshwar Tiwari:
- Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari was commissioned in the Fighter Stream on 07 Jun 1986.
- Prior to assuming charge as the AOC-in-C SWAC, the Air Marshal was Deputy Chief of the Air Staff at Air HQ(VB).
- For his distinguished service, he was awarded the ‘Vayu Sena Medal’ in 2008 and ‘Ati Vishisht Seva Medal’ in 2022.
International
MAIDEN ASEAN INDIA MARITIME EXERCISE (AIME-2023)
⇒ The Inaugural ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023) was conducted in Singapore from 02 to 08 May 2023. The AIME-2023 successfully culminated in the South China Sea on 08 May 2023.
Inaugural ceremony of AIME 2023:
» Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy was on an official visit to Singapore from 02 to 04 May 2023.
- During the visit the CNS co-officiated the inaugural ceremony of maiden ASEAN – India Maritime Exercise (AIME) 2023, held at Changi Naval Base, Singapore on 02 May 2023.
- This inaugural edition of AIME was co-hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy and Indian Navy.
Aim:
The AIME-23 was aimed at promoting maritime cooperation and enhancing trust, friendship and confidence amongst ASEAN and Indian Navies.
Phases:
The Harbour Phase of the exercise was held at Changi Naval Base from 02 to 04 May 2023 and the Sea Phase was conducted from 07 to 08 May 2023 in the South China Sea.
Harbour Phase:
The Harbour Phase at Singapore witnessed a range of professional and social interactions between the participating navies which includes cross deck visits, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE) and planning meetings.
Sea Phase:
Participation:
» Approximately 1400 personnel manning nine ships participated in the Sea Phase of the multilateral naval exercise.
» India’s indigenously designed and built ships- destroyer INS Delhi & stealth frigate INS Satpura, maritime patrol aircraft P8I and integral helicopters exercised with ASEAN naval ships from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
- The two-day sea-phase witnessed a wide spectrum of evolutions at sea including tactical manoeuvres, cross deck landings by helicopters, seamanship evolutions and other maritime operations.
- Apart from honing skills in the maritime domain the exercise enhanced interoperability and demonstrated the ability of Indian & ASEAN navies to operate as an integrated force to promote peace, stability and security in the region.
AIME 2023 provided an opportunity for Indian Navy and ASEAN navies to work together closely and conduct seamless operations in the maritime domain.