NEW DELHI: From midget submarines, loiter munitions and nano drones to specialised weaponry, surveillance and communication equipment, India is progressively strengthening the capabilities of its Special Forces to undertake covert warfare deep behind enemy lines as well as counter-terrorism operations.
The upgrade in the gruelling combat training, which will include “augmented reality/virtual reality mission planners and simulators” in the near future, as well as “specialised equipping” of the Special Forces in the Army, IAF and Navy is part of an ongoing process, sources told TOI.
There are now 10 Para-Special Forces and five Para (Airborne) battalions (each has around 620 soldiers) in the Army, 27 `flights’ of around 1,600 Garud commandos in IAF and over 1,400 marine commandos (Marcos) in Navy.
A major shortcoming, however, is the lack of a full-fledged Special Operations Command, which would bring the disparate Special Forces together under a unified command and control structure for planning and executing strategic operations instead of merely tactical ones.
Nevertheless, the creation of a truncated Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD) has somewhat addressed the issue of “jointness and synergy” among the Para-SF, Garuds and Marcos.
The induction of advanced software-defined radios, including manpack versions, and satellite-communication systems, for instance, have ensured “uninterrupted and seamless” long-range communications for joint operations among the three forces, the sources said.
The Special Forces already have a wide array of specialized weapons, ranging from Finnish Sako long-range sniper rifles, American M4A1 carbines and Israeli TAR-21 Tavor assault rifles to Swedish Carl Gustaf lightweight rocket launchers, Russian VSS suppressed sniper rifles and Italian Beretta pistols with silencers.
“The induction of loiter munition systems has boosted the precision-targeting capabilities of Para-SF units. Similarly, remotely-piloted aerial vehicles, nano drones, surveillance copters and lightweight drones with FLIR (forward-looking infra-red) payloads have been inducted for advanced short and medium-range surveillance up to 10-km,” a source said.
With stealth being paramount for insertion behind enemy lines, advanced indigenous `combat free-fall parachute systems’ and other such equipment have been inducted, while procurement of new `integrated combat diving kits’ is also underway. “Guided aerial delivery systems are now available to ensure commandos can operate independently behind enemy lines for longer durations,” another source said.
Given their maritime role, the Marcos in turn have midget submarines or sea chariots, underwater scooters, remotely-operated underwater vehicles for explosive disposal, open-circuit diving equipment and air-droppable rubberized inflatable boats, among other such things.
The selection and training for the Para-SF, Marcos and Garuds, which have a rejection rate as high as 70-80%, also remains a major focus area. The training, in which the volunteers are stretched to their physical and mental limits, includes operations for surgical strikes, hit-and-run missions, strategic and tactical surveillance of vital enemy targets, intelligence-gathering, laser-designated bombings and other such clandestine tasks.
The Army’s first vertical wind tunnel to enhance ‘combat freefall’ skills of its Special Forces and others is fully operational at the Special Forces Training School at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh. “Simulators are now increasingly being used. The plan is to also induct AI-based systems soon to make the training more realistic and economical,” a source said.
