Chapter 13: Indra's Thunder (1)
One
The streets of Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, are unusually quiet under the night sky, except for the occasional military vehicles speeding past Colonel Joshi's side. The city is eerily calm at night. What was once a bustling paradise for travelers has now become a heavily militarized camp.
A faint humming noise of an engine came from the night sky.
Joshua knew it was his familiar "Ciconia" returning home.
The Heron is a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Malat division of Israel Aerospace Industries. It has a wingspan of 16.6 meters and can fly at an altitude of up to 25,000 feet (7,575 m). The Heron can stay aloft for more than 24 hours and carry a variety of sensors, including infrared and visible-light cameras, as well as communication relays and electronic warfare systems.
The purpose of the "Grey Heron" UAV is only to counter China's electronic intelligence station designed in Myanmar's Coco Islands.
However, the frequent sorties of Indian drones this time are no longer aimed at their old rival in the north. Their main reconnaissance targets are the ASEAN troops that have been intensifying their deployment on the Malay Peninsula.
"It seems we really will have to fight against the ASEAN military forces?" As the commander of the newly established 158th "Sea Snake" attack squadron of the Indian Naval Aviation, Colonel Joshi had a certain understanding of the strategic situation in front of him. The island recently added many new faces, and the fortress command department has also received identification photos of almost all warships that ASEAN navies can deploy on the front line.
"If I get the chance, I want to be the first pilot in Indian Navy to sink an aircraft carrier." Seeing his subordinates holding Thai Navy "Chakri Naruebet"
The photo of the light aircraft carrier with an excited expression. Colonel Joshi was somewhat worried, after all, India is an uninvited guest for the Malacca Strait.
The Andaman and Nicobar Command of the Indian Navy was established on 8 October 2001, with its primary role being to monitor foreign military presence in the Bay of Bengal and suppress sea-borne terrorism. The command has a modest force level of four fast attack craft, eight patrol boats, several landing craft, one large patrol boat and some support vessels.
The garrison on the island was only for an army brigade. However, over time, the Indian military's deployment in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been strengthened, especially after the massive tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean in early 2005, although an air force base built by India on Car Nicobar Island was washed away by the giant waves, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 soldiers, family members and logistics personnel.
The surging seawater also engulfed the indigenous tribes on the island, which Indian environmentalists and cultural celebrities called "an important link to prehistoric times." This allowed the Indian government to flex its muscles, fortify the entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands, expand the garrison troops to a division scale, build five permanent air force bases in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by filling mountains and seas, and secretly build numerous temporary airports for wartime needs. Three fighter squadrons are deployed throughout the year. With the planned strengthening of military pressure on ASEAN, the Indian Air Force and Naval Aviation have also withdrawn two squadrons of aircraft to the islands recently.
"It's still the army's action!" Air Marshal Asit P. Prash, Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command and Eastern Air Command, sat in the fortress electronic command center 50 meters underground, staring at the massive electronic map in front of him. He muttered to himself. After being appointed by the Indian Ministry of Defense as the commander-in-chief of this operation codenamed "Indra's Thunder", Air Marshal Prash had been unable to calm down.
The Indian Navy has already deployed two carrier battle groups in the region, with another two "Gandhi"-class helicopter carrier battle groups available if needed. The "Nehru" aircraft carrier, personally commanded by Admiral Tabras of the Indian Navy's Far East Fleet Command, is a powerful force, with a fleet consisting of four destroyers ("Bangalore"-class destroyers 2, "Delhi"-class destroyers 2), three frigates ("Brahmaputra"-class anti-submarine missile frigates 2, "Godavari"-class missile frigates 1) and three Kilo-class submarines. The fleet is mainly patrolling the outer waters of Bengal, closely monitoring the ASEAN joint fleet deployed in the Malacca Strait.
The Indian Navy's young turk representative - Commander of the First Flotilla in the Far East Ravi
The new "Vikramaditya" class aircraft carrier battle group led by Rear Admiral Satya Prakash is deployed west of Sumatra. The Vikramaditya conventional power aircraft carrier was designed and built by India at the Cochin Shipyard in southern India with a budget of 30 billion rupees (at that time, 1 US dollar was approximately equal to 45 rupees) while purchasing the "Nikolai" from Russia.
Although it is said to be self-designed and built, the "Shing" is actually more like an Indian version of the "Gorshkov", which is why the international community regards the "Shing" and "Nehru" as being on the same level.
"Shinga"-class aircraft carrier is 271 meters long, with a waterline length of 249.5 meters, a beam of 45.2 meters and a waterline beam of 32.7 meters, draft of 10 meters, standard displacement of 36,000 tons, full load displacement of 43,500 tons, powered by two КВГ-3 conventional power reactors with total output of 250,000 horsepower, range of 16,000 nautical miles
20 knots. Crew of 1,450 people.
In the fleet of INS Viraat, there are 4 destroyers (1 Delhi-class destroyer and 3 Rajput-class destroyers), 4 frigates, 1 nuclear-powered attack submarine and 3 conventional powered submarines. The main task of INS Viraat in the war zone was to serve as a sea-based airfield, with its carrier-based aircraft fleet covering the Indian Army's military operations on Sumatra until the Indian Air Force obtained sufficient forward airfields.
Since India accelerated its defense modernization in the 1980s, the Indian government has always prioritized the development of the air force. Therefore, the overall combat capability and weapon equipment level of the Indian Air Force have undoubtedly been improved the most and fastest among the three armed forces. At present, in the Far East war zone, the Indian Air Force has also assembled its most elite troops. Two of the three squadrons of the Indian Air Force's "Three Musketeers" - the earliest equipped with Su-30 fighter jets - which have been deployed in western India to suppress Pakistan, have been transferred to this region.
No. 24 Squadron IAF "Hawks" is the first squadron of Indian Air Force to be equipped with Sukhoi Su-30, raised on February 16, 1962 and nicknamed "Unconquerable".
This brigade will be the first arrow of attack launched by the Indian Army;
The 30th Fighter Squadron "Bulls"
The squadron was previously operating MiG-21FL fighter jets before being equipped with the 12 Su-30MKI aircraft supplied by Russia. To say that the starting point was not high, but in daily training, the squadron was unusually hardworking, frequently practicing vertical climbs and "airborne cobra" maneuvers.
By the time they had flown an average of 700 hours, Indian technicians discovered that all eight Sukhoi-30 fighter jets' turbine blades had developed cracks. Apart from these two "crown jewel" squadrons of the Indian Air Force, General Prashad also held in his hands a secret weapon from Russia.
Compared to the powerful advantages of the Navy and Air Force, what really worries General Prash is the situation of the Indian Army. It should be said that like China, India should be a traditional land power. The total strength of the Indian Armed Forces is approximately 1.175 million people, with the army having 980,000 people. There are 35 divisions and 15 independent brigades. However, unlike China, India's powerful land forces seem to always remain on paper only, and the large military force also faces multi-directional pressure along the long border line, as well as realistic logistical pressure in the process of long-distance troop deployment.
Currently, the Indian Army has assembled nearly 70,000 troops in the Bangyaqi area, including one mechanized infantry division, one mountain division, one armored brigade and several regimental-level auxiliary technical units. However, for the strategic goals planned by the Indian government, such a force is still too thin.
"If I had one more division, perhaps I wouldn't have to worry so much." Looking at the flashing unit numbers on the electronic map in front of him, Prash sighed softly. But Prash also understood the responsibility that came with his request. "Every time a battalion is added to the front line, the logistical pressure on the rear will increase exponentially." The pressure from the Indian cabinet was truly unfolding before Prash's eyes. "This is a battle for the fate of the nation!"
Prash got up and walked reluctantly towards the door.
