Round Rock High School Explosive Power Program: Fill & Download for Free

This answer may contain sensitive images. Click on an image to unblur it.Given no other information than that there is a shooter or an active terrorist attack, one in which the attackers didn't kill themselves in the beginning, there is a lot you can do to maintain your own survival and the survival of others.Stay positiveI know it sounds flippant to start off with "Stay positive," but this is literally a guiding principle taught in the United States Marine Corps Recruit Manual and is part of the US military's SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) schools to train Marines, Army, and even Navy SEALs and other Special Forces survival in the harshest of situations. The overriding theme of that first section is that in horrifying situations, much like those of this question, the number one life saving mentality is to stay positive so that you don't panic. A panicked mind does not make smart decisions. Furthermore, maintaining optimism maintains the belief that survival is possible. When one believes they will be all right in the end, really believes it, their instincts work to support their mind toward maintaining their survival.Note that I didn't say that you should tell yourself, "Don't panic", because saying "don't panic" doesn't actually prevent people from panicking. It's just something they do in movies to add intensity. It doesn't help in real life. You do need to stay positive. Most people panic from a flood of many things happening at once. People hear shooting. Someone else screams. A flood of people start moving. Children get separated from parents. More screaming. You should remember to stay calm, not by saying, "stay calm", but by saying things like, "It's going to be OK, I know what to do, I will be all right." Keep repeating affirmations to yourself like this to ensure that you actually do stay calm and remember everything else you need to do to get to safety.After staying positive, an acronym currently being used to train students, teachers, and businesses on how to handle terror events and active shooters is ALICE.AlertLockdownInformCounterEvacuateALICE is a tool used to keep victims and staff aware of their options during what is called an "active shooter event" and is also useful advice if are involve in an act of terror. It quickly guides you through the important decisions you may need to make. It is important to understand the ALICE acronym is not meant to serve as a sequential list of steps to follow, but to serve as a guide for understanding your role - which it is important we understand isn't determined by you, but by the shooter or terrorist - in surviving the encounter and aiding others to do so, as well. Depending on where the shooter is in relation to you, you have several different responsibilities to ensure your own safety and help you escape, as well as that of others. In relation to this question, most of the steps involved do not involve interacting with the shooter - in fact, they specifically attempt to avoid it.AlertThe first is that you witness the event taking place. It is important to remember that, as members of a civilized society, we are all the responsible in some way during a threatening situation to preserve as many lives as possible. Even if you aren't trained to do much, or aren't in a position to physically help, the information you know may be vital to others when added to their own. Consider this someone who, from a safe distance, saw someone enter the building with a weapon or acting in a suspicious manner. Perhaps this person saw or heard an explosion or can hear shooting off. This person has the responsibility to stay safe (by not entering the dangerous area) and alerting police or any other official. The information you saw and reported could be compiled with others to help ensure that hundreds who aren't safe are able to escape who don't have the benefit of your point of view. Your testimony may also help provide key evidence after the fact, as well.LockdownIf you aren't in the immediate presence of danger, and if warning is given, people should attempt to take a Lockdown, ready stance. If you are very near the threat and a known secure means of escape already exists, then you should always escape first before attempting Lockdown.Lockdown allows small groups time to create as defensible a position as possible. The average response time for police is somewhere around 14 minutes to produce first responders to a scene of a violent incident. This in no way is a failure of police, but just a reality of having very few people responsible for the safety of very, very many and never knowing where a situation might happen. For this reason, those who are alerted to the presence of danger are asked to Lockdown, in an effort to gain some security during the time when it isn't known if a safe escape route exists and when first responders have not yet arrived on the scene. Lockdown drills are performed by most schools already, though this is typically the extent of the exercise. They do this by locking all doors, both exterior and interior, and barricading those doors before taking a position in a darkened room, away from visible sightlines of any windows and in a defensive posture.By defensive posture, this means that students or anyone caught in a terror environment where a terrorist or shooter currently isn't, such as a room behind a locked door, are to try to use whatever means necessary to provide them with cover and concealment. Concealment is anything that will prevent an enemy from seeing a target, like a curtain. Cover is the military term for something that can conceal you from a threat and be used as a source of shielding in the event that you're shot at. Once the students are in the most covered and concealed location they can create in a timely manner, they should stay vigilant, and stay prepared to move to escape or react to a forced entry by the shooter.This is an effort to create a "safe space", not meant to say that it is perfectly defensible, but as a primary fall back point for all students and individuals to retreat and seek shelter in the event of terror until an escape route can be secured. A terrorist's goal is to cause as many casualties as possible. That said, if the terrorist or shooter remains a threat after the initial attack, they will often be deterred by obstacles like locked doors, instead looking for easier targets. In this event, creating barriers between a shooter and potential victims often ends the threat of a direct confrontation, before it starts. That said, having a secondary fall back position, in case it seems apparent that a shooter is set to enter your safe space, is a good idea if one is available.Lockdown is not the same as hiding. We have seen examples of those involved in shootings attempting to make use of whatever concealment they have to hide from the attacker. This includes hiding under tables in the room they are in or in unsecured rooms, then staying put there for several minutes during a massacre. In the Columbine attack, students who hid under tables when it became known that an event had begun were eventually found and murdered. Any defensive position can be overcome by a determined adversary. For that reason, do not get too comfortable in your relative safety, but always remember that your primary goal is escape, not defense. Always be looking for information that will be help you get away fromInformSomeone in the room should be communicating with police and emergency personnel, both to tell them what you are witnessing and to have a link with information from the outside. During lockdown, communications may be disrupted, or it may not be advised to broadcast escape information while the shooter is active. This isolates victims, which can be deadly. For that reason, it is important for someone in the room to keep an active communication line to the police in the event of an emergency. Most police departments are equipped to handle overflow traffic in the event of a major emergency.My personal advice is that the person on the phone shouldn't be the person charge, be it a teacher, the boss, or whoever takes charge of a situation. They need to be in charge of leading the students in whatever circumstances take place from then on. If specific instructions need to be given, than the leader can be given the phone, but generally, the leader's job in this instance is to keep the rest of the room calm and prepared. Communicating with the outside takes the leader's focus away from the room and away from what is going on outside their safe space. The communicator needs to calm and level headed and able to communicate; the type of person who can decipher what is important for police and the leader to know and what to communicate. For high school, a student who is calm and reliable should be able to communicate with emergency response and relay important information to the teacher. Most middle school classrooms should, as well. For elementary and primary schools, the teacher unfortunately needs to be the one responsible for many roles.Key things to be aware of at all times, but particularly in lockdown:Know the source of dangerWhere is the threat? Know where the danger is coming from. Is this person shooting actively? Are they on the move? In which direction?Maintain your wits and try to assess what actually caused the threat. Don't take more than a few seconds on this. Don't take more than a few seconds on this. This doesn't mean you create a doctoral thesis on the threat's relationship with his mother. Where is it that you get the instinctive reaction that the threat is coming from? Don't look at which way people are running, or running from. Numerous accounts exist of people, usually in panic, running directly toward the danger, in some instances leading others as well. This isn't their fault. They just lacked the training to know what to do. From there, you have a few options that you need to consider.Find the exitsAttempt to get away from the immediate danger. Find the nearest avenue to an escape as possible. It may be a better idea to lockdown and stay where you are, but either way, you need to know where the danger is and what avenues you have to escape. Again, time is key, a few seconds at most to find the exits.Arm yourselfAt my school, when we practice for one of these lockdown drills every student has at their disposal a stack of books and other objects to throw or use as weapons. The Marines call these weapons of opportunity and they are any tool you can use to help you defend yourself if you directly encounter the threat. Once you find a tool to use, keep it with you until you have successfully escaped.Escape/Evade/EvacuateI'm going to go out of order and talk about escape before counter. As I have said, the ultimate goal of any terror event should be to escape the situation. This needs to be repeated for emphasis. The goal should not be for individuals to stop the shooter, but to get to a safe area. Everything else listed in this answer is strictly in the event escape is deemed more unsafe than staying put, or the shooter has removed the option to escape.Most of the people who become victims do so very early on. Either they were very close to the terrorist when they began their attack,0 or they were isolated because they hesitated in their movements, or found themselves pinned in and immobilized. Once you find the exit, you should be going there. There shouldn't need to be thinking about which exit may be closer, or which exit may be jammed or what if there is someone waiting at the exit... just run. A person should be far enough ahead that you can't get pinned in the event of a wrong turn.If a shooter is in the open, such as an attack on a mall, one should attempt to get away from the immediate danger as fast as possible. Don't call the police immediately, just get to a safe location. Immediately seek cover and concealment by staying low, out of eyesight. Remember that concealment is anything that will prevent an enemy from seeing a target and cover is anything that can both conceal a potential victim and will help deflect or absorb incoming rounds fired at the them.From there, one should remember always to know the source of the threat and find the exits.Knowing this, a person should find the nearest avenue to an escape as possible. Where is the nearest exit? Can I reach it while staying behind cover and/or concealment? If you know the source of danger and you know the route to the exit, watch for hardened obstacles to keep between you and the threat. A hardened pillar or support beam can be a good source of cover, as can a large desk or wall. A large fountain, a car, the corner around a turn; anything that is hard and large should be a goal of someone to keep between them and the threat. It's important not to get pinned behind cover, and to just think of it as a temporary obstacle to keep between you and the threat until you reach the exit or safety. Again, time is key, a few seconds at most to find the exits. As soon as possible, make for the exits.This is also why keeping in contact with police is so vital, primarily if you aren't in the open and in a lockdown situation where your escape is determined by information you can't know because it is outside your room. Keeping communication lines open, even if you are silent and just waiting for information to be given to you, lets police and rescue know where you are, which lets you know when it is safe to escape and by what means. Most likely, there will never be a need to encounter a shooter. This is because, once a shooting begins, entire towns shutdown to ensure that the event is taken care of as quickly as possible. For that reason, those who don't begin an attack in a safe place need to find the safest place possible, fortify, call for help, and prepare to evacuate when it is safe to do so.By prepare to evacuate, I don't mean find a safe place and stay there forever. An element of static defenses, those that don't move or change, i.e. our barricades or locked doors, as I said in the previous section, is that a determined adversary can and will overcome them. Think about if a shooter is searching for one particular person, like that bully, mean teacher, their child, ex-spouse, or their boss. If that person was the motive of the attack, then obstacles won't deter them. They might slow them down, but not provide true safety. This is true of muggings, burglaries, terrorism, or military combat. Most of the time these are deterrents that force a shooter on, hoping to find an easier target, however, if a gunman is set to defeat a certain barrier, for any reason, they will attempt to do so. Given enough time, they will defeat it. This is why staying in a state of Lockdown throughout the duration isn't advised.We can see an unfortante proof for this from the Virginia Tech Shooting of 2007. There, 32 students were killed and the majority of those were traced to a single room. A professor locked the students in the room, similar to a lockdown, but wouldn't let them leave even when an opportunity was available. The shooter eventually overcame the lock on the doors. The room had no exits and he then proceeded to kill first the teacher, then everyone else in the room. From this lesson we see that a lockdown is necessary, but not a perfect defense. While we must lockdown, we must also prepare for an escape as quickly as possible. Making a plan out of staying put is itself, a danger.Some guidelines to remember during an escape:Move quicklyMost of the people who become victims do so very early on. Either they were very close to the shooter when they started or they were isolated because they hesitated in their movements, or found themselves pinned in and immobilized. Once you find the exit, you should be going there. There shouldn't need to be thinking about which exit may be closer, or which exit may be jammed or what if there is someone waiting at the exit... just run. Stay far enough ahead that you can't get pinned in in the event of a wrong turn.Use coverCover is the military term for something that can conceal you from a threat and be used as a source of shielding in the event that you're shot at. If you know the source of danger and you know the route to the exit, watch for hardened obstacles to keep between you and the threat. A hardened pillar or support beam can be a good source of cover. A large fountain in the middle of a food court, a car, the corner around a turn, anything that is hard and large should be a goal of someone to keep between them and the threat. Don't get pinned behind cover, just think of it as a temporary obstacle to keep between you and the threat until you reach the exit.Avoid traveling along wallsBullets travel along walls. I don't know why, but a bullet that is fired at close to the same angle of a wall will ride the wall and stay very close to it. From what I have seen, they can do this a while. Try to stay at least six or so inches from the wall if you can.CounterIf a terrorist or gunman enters your safe space, or if he pulls a weapon in the middle of whatever you are doing, say during a class period, work, or, just passing by they have left you with no time to prepare. You have to accept that the gunman has removed all good options from you and that you're now left with very few alternatives. All your remaining choices boil down to basic human responses to fear. You have probably heard of "fight or flight", and that is what I am talking about, but there are more and each choice has very different ramifications depending on the circumstances. They are flight, freeze, submit, posture, or fight. Before I continue, we need to consider these five basic human responses to fear and how they would manifest themselves in an active shooter or terror environment.Flight - generally speaking, if you can, fleeing is the best option. That said, as a teacher, fleeing isn't always an option. For example, in my classroom, which is virtually identical to all the other classrooms in the Middle School, High School, and Elementary, there is only one door. The windows are also shatter resistance, designed to prevent an intruder from the outside getting in, but also preventing students from being able to break out, as well. ( They are actually designed for storm debris because far more people are killed by tornadoes where I live than the violence of this question.) There is only one entrance to the room, and therefore, only one exit. While the ultimate goal of being in an event is the escape the situation, and most of the time, an avenue is available... frankly, sometimes we don't have that as a real option.Freeze - Freeze is a common response to panic educing situations. For many, it will be the default response. There is a saying, made most famous by the United States Navy SEALs, but common throughout the United States armed forces: "One doesn't rise to the occasion, but falls back to their training." This means that if a person is not trained, or have not prepared themselves to recognize and respond to a stressful situation, they will likely fail in that situation.A person who freezes, or fails to take any action in the presence of an active terrorist will be an easy target. Shooters aren't targeting specific individuals usually, at least not long into the shooting. If they are attempting to right some injustice, the shooting eventually turns indiscriminate, where shooters are attempting to not find specific targets of opportunity, those that aren't actively seeking escape, or using cover and concealment. This obviously isn't the best solution, but not honestly the fault of the victim. A person must be trained to recognize and prepare for the possibility of violence and have a plan on how to act. If they don't, they default to the freeze state.Submit - submit refers to complying to the shooter's demands. This is the hostage scenario. Hostage takers bargain with victims for compliance. They offer safety in exchange for control of the situation. For active shooters, those involved with terrorist attacks, school shootings, and workplace massacres, this is not common. They aren't interested in a prolonged engagement and may not even care if they get out alive. Typically, these events take place, from beginning to end in less than 12 minutes, that being the amount of time it would take a dedicated shooter to either run out of ammunition, be brought down by police, or as often as is the case, end the encounter by taking their own lives.Therefore, it isn't common for shooters to make demands that will keep people alive. Typically, they are there for a set purpose of inflicting causalities. For that reason, in the event of an active shooter, it is extremely unlikely that giving into the shooter by following any of their demands will ensure survival. In the Umpqua Community College Shooting, this is what students did. The shooter began by first executing the teacher of the room before making demands that all Christians in the room make themselves known by standing. The classroom full of students did as they were instructed and several who stood, were then executed.Posture - Posture is creating the appearance of threat without actually being a threat. Imagine boxers before a fight, trying to look intimidating to psyche out the other opponent. This is an attempt to psychologically dominate an opponent during a fight, in the hopes that it makes them easier to deal with.I can't imagine a worse idea in a terror situation. Shooters are obviously unbalanced people, so attempting to intimidate someone who, because of their weapons, is in an obviously tactical advantage seems, to me, to be suicidal. Furthermore, I can only imagine it further enraging an active shooter, so that, once they are done with whoever tried to appear intimidating is dead, the rest will receive an even more relentless assault.What is currently being taught, in these danger close circumstances, where escape is not a timely or possible solution, is to fight, some would say attack, the attacker.The idea here isn't to combat an attacker one-on-one armed with only a book or stapler against a gunman. It has been shown, however, that working as a group, a number of victims can overcome an attacker and, if nothing else, minimize the harm which he could inflict.In the instance of a single attacker against a room full of individuals, the presence of massive amounts of common items being thrown to assault, en masse, is the key defensive element. This means that a person doesn't need to be a martial arts expert, or spend countless hours in training and exercise to prepare for the event. It also doesn't require that any one individual has the physical and mental capability to disable the shooter. The act only requires coordination of many people moving very quickly. This doesn't end the threat, but is intended to stun the attacker long enough for the students, once again en masse, to swarm the attacker, ground him, and hold him until others are able to evacuate or hold the attacker until police are able to intervene. Through swarm tactics, which is how they are literally termed in some ALICE training, the groups of potential victims are able to maximize their collective survival by overwhelming attackers.During this time, students are encouraged to use "weapons of opportunity" or "improvised weapons" in their own defense. "Weapon of opportunity" is a term used from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program and other self-defense programs, which basically means any common place item which can be used a weapon. The Marines train to fight, in the last resort, with sticks, rocks, and anything else which may be available to them. For a classroom or office setting, this translates to books, staplers, tape depressors, and even chairs being used as throwing objects or even blunt force items. It is also advised to keep on hand pepper spray and a very good improvised weapon is also the fire extinguisher. The cloud is both stunning and disorienting, and the canister itself is an extremely blunt object which can be both deadly and easily used as a club. The fact that any good classroom or office should have fire extinguishers available anyway, makes this one of the best self-defense tools for this question.There is practical rationale to this tactic that is, as well, based on military combat psychology. The term is violence of action.[The following is an excerpt from SEAL SURVIVAL GUIDE: A Navy SEAL's Secrets to Surviving Any Disaster, written by Former Navy SEAL and preeminent American survivalist Cade Courtley.]Violence of action means the unrestricted use of speed, strength, surprise, and aggression to achieve total dominance against your enemy. I'm repeating this to drive home the concept that any fighting technique is useless unless you first totally commit to violence of action. Don't be afraid to hit first, and when you do, hit hard. Remember, you are fighting because this is the best and only option. Pull the trigger -- because you are in a battle for your life! Your instincts, assessment, and situational awareness have told you that you are in mortal danger. You don't know the other person's intentions fully, and you never can. What you can do is survive -- it is your right to not be killed or harmed by another person. As with most things survival-related, fighting has its own set of priorities that need to be addressed at lightning speed.Stories of violence of action successes are well documented in the military, showcasing how lone soldiers or Marines pushed back or dominated enemy forces when they were very much outnumbered. In an active shooter scenario, however, a single person will almost never be able to dominate an aggressor because of the presence of their gun. Working in conjunction with an entire classroom, all working to stun, disorient, and then hold down an enemy until help arrives, would have the effect of violence of action. As a seasoned shooter myself, I don't know how I could manage to carry on an attack while simultaneously dodging a barrage of non-lethal items. As a teacher, I was extremely pleased with this approach because it addresses the danger involved in Lockdown only training, in which a static defender is always the victim to violent attackers.If you feel this is a terrible idea, I agree with you. It does put those attacked in momentary extreme danger. It is very, very hard for me to say this, because, to me, these children aren't statistical, but faces with names and it terrifies me to think of them being in harm. Yet, I know that for this to even be considered, they were already in extreme danger. It's just very hard for us to imagine it that way. I also know that statistically, though some may come to harm if more organizations implement ALICE type group defense, more of these rampages will have ended before a shooter has a full 14 minutes to blow away anyone who he sees. The long term reality of this is fewer children and innocent people will die. This is particularly true of the children in the room, those who have had the choice to hide and wait taken from them. If history is our guide, these children have faced the cruelest and most unforgivable odds of all, being trapped face to face with an active shooter. Grimly speaking, they are most benefited by fighting back for their own lives.We see this example too, demonstrated recently by actions of military veterans who took part in ending shootings or aiding others in their escape. The first of these examples is Chris Mintz.Image courtesy of Chris Mintz - UCC Shooting Survivor.Chris Mintz is the current man of the hour. Mintz is a 10 year veteran of the United States Army, but became national news when he protected classmates in a shooting rampage at the local community college he was attending. According to eyewitnesses, Mintz ran at the attacker and blocked a door to a classroom in the attempt to protect fellow classmates.According to a student witness Chris"ran to the library and pulled all the alarms. He was telling people to run. ... He actually ran back towards the building where the shooting was. And he ran back into the building."While attempting to stop the shooter Mintz was shot an incredible seven times. He was rushed to surgery, and is now on the road to recovery and a normal life, but will require a great deal of recuperative care. To repay his heroism, a gofundme was set up for $10,000 to go toward his medical expenses. That fund is currently just over $800,000. What Chris' heroic acts showed was how a dedicated person can slow down and prevent a shooter, making it possible for others to survive and, just as importantly, that this act itself is not a death sentence.A better example comes from the recent attack aboard a train between France and Belgium. There, a terrorist opened fire on a train wounding a few of the passengers. Onboard the train were National Guard Specialist Alek Skarlatos, a recent Afghanistan veteran, Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, along with a civilian friend Anthony Sadler. They earned international praise for stopping nothing less than a full on terrorist gunman in the middle of what amounted to a holiday vacation.“My friend Alek (Skarlatos) yells, 'Get him,' so my friend Spencer (Stone) immediately gets up to charge the guy, followed by Alek, then myself," Anthony Sadler said in an interview with CNN.Stone received injuries during the fight between the Moroccan born gunman, armed with an AK-47 rifle, a pistol, several magazines of ammunition, and a knife. The Americans wrestled him to the ground after he opened fire. In the end, he was hog tied and, though one of the heroes received superficial injuries, no one, not even the shooter, was killed. No better example currently exists for the argument that active defense is necessary in ending the threat posed by an active shooter or terrorist.While both of these events center around veterans who placed themselves in harm's way while in civilian roles, what they did isn't something that requires one to be a military person to do. In these specific cases, it was just people who believed they could control the situation, who knew how to react to danger, and who were, at least instinctively aware that the collective's survival was most ensured by the group fighting back.I know that it is hard for many people to accept this idea. ALICE training is highly controversial because, when it is implemented in schools, it asks teachers to encourage kids to work together to take on lethal and murderous shooters in certain, very limited, situations. No one feels this as much as I do. This has been one of the hardest articles I have ever written in the last six years of writing online. As a teacher, it's painful for me to accept that this is even something we need to prepare for. I had to stop and gather myself several times when the thought passed through my mind of my kids (students) being put in this scenario. As a Marine, however, I know that our actions are often determined by those who want to do us harm. Sometimes, a terrible idea, such as leading a group of children to assault a deadly attacker, is the only option left to you.I know that if this information becomes commonplace enough, many innocent people are going to make it out all right, who otherwise wouldn't. Furthermore, when those people who are thinking about attacking schools and workplaces, or committing acts of terror see similar actions foiled in the first few minutes by groups of individuals before they turn into massacres, they wouldn't see the sinister glory in it. They wouldn't be able to dream of suicide after committing massacre or death by cop. Instead, they might even face prison. Their goals would be worthless.Furthermore, ALICE initiatives take away the helplessness of the victim, and let's them know that they have options and responsibility in their own survival, as well as the survival of others. This knowledge is empowering in that it lets them know that the power doesn't just revolve around the attacker, but that they have agency in the matter, as well. I know in my heart that if the people who attack others like this were to become more afraid of the victims, than the victims are of them - school shootings, gun massacres, and vile acts of terror would disappear.In Summary, two brief lists to remember:ALICEAlert - notify people around you and authorities of the problem.Lockdown - secure yourself in a location so it's hard for a terrorist to get to you and those nearby.Inform - continue to keep authorities apprised of the situation and know your surroundings.Counter - if you have no other options, confront or interrupt the attacker.Escape/Evade/Evacuate - if you can escape the situation safely, then do so.And the other:Stay positive - A calm and collected attitude of optimism avoids panic, maintains clear thinking, and the preserves belief of survival.Know the source of danger - Where is the threat? Know where the danger is coming from and stay away.Find the exits - Attempt to get away from the immediate danger. Find the nearest avenue to an escape as possible.Arm yourself - Anything can be used as a weapon. Make yourself as dangerous as possible in the event you are forced to defend yourself.Move quickly - Never plan on staying still. Always be prepared to move and quickly get to where ever it is you need to go.Use cover - when on the move, move from one strong point to the next, never staying in open longer than is needed.Avoid traveling along walls - Bullets travel along walls. Try to stay at least six or so inches from the wall if you can.Thanks for reading!For more answers like this check out On War by Jon Davis and follow my blog War Elephant for more new content. Everything I write is completely independent research and is supported by fan and follower pledges. Please consider showing your support directly by visiting my Patreon support page here: Jon Davis on Patreon: Help support in writing Military Novels, Articles, and Essays.

I really like Mansour’s answer because he’s literally over 60 and rocking it.My answer will probably be a little more technical but that’s because I was schooled in exercise physiology fairly extensively and have been a coach for the last 13 years. I’m not 60, but I’ve worked with at least a dozen or two people over the age of 60 (as old as 84 in fact) in that time. This isn’t a knock to Mansour, but many people who don’t have a ton of experience outside of their own, don’t always see things that are outside the scope of their own experience. In my case, there is more to this question than just straight barbell lifting, though that is certainly one of many options.Meaning powerlifting and olympic lifting can be a great place to start but aren’t for everyone. In fact, I’d argue that over 60, they are probably not the ideal starting point for most 60 year olds I’ve met and worked with. That isn’t to say that some people don’t find their way towards those activities, just that is isn’t a starting point if you’re just getting going at 60. The principles they can teach though are largely applicable and you can start weight training at any age.Straight barbell training isn’t the only way to skin this cat. Weight training with a dumbbell or a kettlebell or a cable stack or even *gasp* a machine, will make you stronger and that’s what really matters. There may be ways to doing it that help coordination/neural development better but that doesn’t preclude certain methods as a good starting point. i.e. I’d argue the squat develops better neural patterns related to everyday life (like sitting in chairs or on the toilet, getting in and out of cars, etc…etc…) than the leg press, but that doesn’t mean someone starting out right now won’t get tremendous benefit from a leg press still.Do what you think is safe. Do what you have access to. Do what makes sense to you.The fundamental movements I think matter to a degree but on the other side of the coin, starting with something really advanced (like olympic lifting) after 60 with poor mobility might be more problematic than you think too. Even if you could make a case for explosive hip power being a fantastic thing to possess, there are again, other ways to develop explosive hip power with less initial risk. Some people have the shoulder/joint structure to tolerate learning it at that age but after 60 years on the planet you’ve no doubt had some structural changes that could influence your ability to learn certain things like olympic lifting.This isn’t to say it’s “bad.” More to say there is more than one way to skin a cat. For instance, I have a client right now at 70, who is squatting but we use a safety squat bar instead a flat bar because his shoulders won’t permit a good position with a straight bar. Likewise, we use a trap bar (or a rack pull) as opposed to a straight bar deadlift, because getting all the way down to a straight bar is challenging based on anthropometrics (body structure) and mobility limitations that are largely boney structures so we’re not going to stretch or do specific mobility work that can change it. If he can’t front squat due to wrist restrictions and he can’t deadlift because of hip restrictions, are we really going to olympic lift?No…He can still jump though. And most research suggests that is as effective (probably slightly more effective because it’s less technical) as olympic lifting at improving explosive power in the hips. He’s not hurdling 42″ boxes or anything but we want to create some impact (15–25 jumps, 2x a week maybe) to manage/maintain bone density. Impact training like jumping is a better way to preserve bone mass than is heavy resistance training, though resistance training is better than non-weight bearing cardio and non-weight bearing cardio is better than nothing.The basic principles of strength training are:Progressive Overload (adding load to the bar continuously, until you can’t maintain good form)Cyclical Programming (intense periods of training followed by less intense periods to permit recovery)Exercise Selection based on perceived needWhatever ‘methods’ or ‘tools’ you choose, the basic premise of strength training is to make that movement or exercise stronger over time. This means adding a little each session, each set or doing more reps with the same weight over time.At least until you can’t. Which happens.This is where cyclical programming comes in.[1]If you for instance take someone doing a series of exercises for 16 weeks. Let’s say we do one group that is 5 sets of 10 and another group that is 6 sets of 8 and then a third group that does 4 weeks of 5x10, 4 weeks of 6x8, 4 weeks of 3x6, and 4 weeks of 3x4 and we guessed who would get stronger/put on more mass, who would it be?There is something to be said about establishing a routine but 16 weeks of the same routine appears to be too long of a routine. If you guessed the group that switched things up every 4 weeks would get the best result (about 50% better result in fact), you’d be right. That isn’t to say that 4 weeks is the magic number but it’s probably somewhere between 4 and 12 weeks. Typically I switch things up for clients every 3–8 weeks, depending on how advanced they are. The less advanced, the longer you can wait, the more advanced, the faster you seem to need to switch things up and there are some other variables as well.For instance older people tend to generally get a better result from slightly longer cycles because the recovery process is a bit slower. However, doing the same thing for too long leads to a stagnant result.Using powerlifting as an example, you’d load a little to each of the main lifts for maybe 6–8 weeks in your first attempt (maybe a little longer first time through), at which point you’d probably stagnate on one or more of the lifts you’re doing. At that point, we could manipulate the rep ranges (like the example above) or we could take some time off (deload) and start another cycle, or we could mix the exercises up so we’re not just trying to get good at 3 lifts only.All of these things at some point are in my opinion a good idea. Unless you want to compete in the sport of powerlifting, there is no need to specialize in it. Movement variability (slight changes in the movements you’re using) will generally lead to happier joints and better overall movement in the long-run. Doing too much of a thing (even if it’s a good thing) almost always eventually results in injury. I see it with die hard runners, I see it with die hard rowers, I see it with die hard big-3 lifters.If you’re like my client, those lifts might not even be appropriate for you in the first place. A lunge could be though, and it would effectively train all the muscles a squat trains in a very similar fashion. I use this alternative a lot with say online clients who don’t have good access to a barbell or heavier weight. 60 lbs worth of dumbbells at home is great for a lunge but is often too light for most squats, even for people over 60. Squats could bug your knees, deadlifts could bug your back, bench press could bug your shoulders.I’m not saying they will, just that there are ALWAYS alternatives that train the same muscles in similar ways. The first 3–6 months I work with someone is largely about figuring out what movements agree and disagree with a person’s body. That’s not to say we won’t attempt them again at some point after dealing with the apparent issue (lack of shoulder stability, poor hamstring strength, etc…etc…whatever it might be), but rather, we’re not going to stuff a square peg in a round hole just because someone somewhere once said squats are great for your legs. They are, but so are dozens of other exercises. Choose exercises based perceived need, not because it ‘theoretically’ is a great exercise. People are built differently.I don’t do much bench press, but I’ll demolish loaded push ups with 90 lbs on my back. I don’t think I’m weak, I just don’t like bench and bench doesn’t like my shoulders and I’m only 35 with 20 years of lifting experience so…you know…go figure…If it matters at my age, it matters at any age.Flexibility really just refers to the range of motion at a joint and while there are methods you are probably familiar with, there are many more that you are not. If you want to improve the flexibility of the hamstrings (or need to) you stretch them. Very often people don’t need to actually stretch anything though, they just need to move through amplitudes of movement range.I believe the better term is ‘mobility’ but that’s largely a pedantic argument that stems from the definition of ‘ease of movement from one place to another.’A mobile person will have an easy time touching their toes to tie their shoes, they will have an easy time lunging for a ball if they play tennis or squash. Ease of movement is really what we’re chasing right? Not the static range of motion in the hamstrings. Very often the hamstrings aren’t even tight, the issue is coming from somewhere else.We each have our own mobility demands based on the activities we do regularly. A gymnast or dancer or martial artist has considerably higher mobility demands than most people, yet most people try to train mobility using methods you’d find in those sports. They might want to bring their shin to their faces, but how often are you going to need to do that? Practically speaking?That kind of range for average people usually ends up being a recipe for disaster. There is an intricate balance between flexibility and stability, the answer isn’t always chasing more flexibility and it is often chasing more stability. The two = mobility. If you don’t have the hip flexor strength to balance/manage the lax hamstring length, you at a greater risk of injury to the hamstring. People don’t get injured because of a lack of flexibility, they get injured because of a bad situation (a tackle or fall) or inappropriate nervous system responses to a given activity. The calf didn’t exert enough force to prevent a low level tear, and the muscle tears. Flexibility in the calf won’t improve injury reduction nearly to the same extent that calf strengthening will, especially calf strengthening at speed in many instances (most people injure the calf in a sudden stop or quick exertion of force, such as preventing themselves from falling).If you bend down to tie your shoes, gravity is taking you there and you have to have the right amount of flexibility in your back/hamstrings but you also need the right amount of stability in the muscles in the front (hip flexors/abdominals) to prevent going too far down and balance the flexibility in the back.I’d say you want to regularly go to amplitude in a few key movements but you don’t have to rely on static stretching to get you there. For instance, a new client had a limitation in the shoulders that prevented them from external shoulder rotation. Rather than cranking on the delicate shoulder muscles to improve range, we strengthened the muscles responsible for external rotation. Cranking on muscles and trying to take them to end range isn’t always the answer and you could very easily make things worse. It’s my word of caution to everyone because in a world where yoga and pilates are increasingly popular, there is still risk involved that many yoga/pilates instructors simply aren’t aware of. Hypermobility is a thing and it’s worse than hypomobility almost always.For more on this I highly recommend reading my answer to: How do I increase flexibility?Don’t limit yourself to just a handful of exercises to either improve flexibility or strength. You want to find ones that help you achieve your goals or at least ‘maintain’ them. Maintenance is actually an extremely difficult objective.Move through different ranges, explore movement. Squat, hinge, press, pull, reach, rotate and play.If you need an online resource for getting started, I have a ‘as-of-yet’ incomplete book started online somewhere called White Belt Fitness. Check it out, shoot me a question about it sometime. I’ll finish it one of these days…I have a lot of it done just not well edited or published yet.Enjoy the process!Footnotes[1] The Effects of Mesocycle-Length Weight Training Programs... : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research

Some of the wonderfull weapon’s made by INDIAConsidering the national wealth it commands India’s hard power shouldn’t be dismissed. As a matter of fact, as early as 1947 India possessed the best trained military in Asia. A strong British core was the rock upon which a professional institution was molded and outfitted with a proper navy and air arm.In the decades that followed a growing domestic arms industry improved this state of affairs. There was no realm Indian scientists and engineers ventured that didn’t impact its military advancement. India also cultivated its allies from opposite sides of the Iron Curtain, an approach that remains profitable to this day as Delhi cuts deals with both Russia and the US.So as the 20th century surrendered to the 21st India emerged as a leading arms importer while its military-industrial complex struggled with the development of cutting-edge weapons.Glaring shortages in materials and capabilities persist in India’s massive armed forces. But new hardware, from tanks to stealth warships, are rolling out of state-owned factories with alarming frequency. This is a sure sign India is preparing for an active role in global affairs.Just like China India is arming itself to fortify its economic advancement and dominate the Asian continent. Its current path might be frustrating but the intent is clear: India is the would-be arsenal of the free world.AKMDue to circumstances whose logic is difficult to comprehend, 30 years ago India became one of the largest customers for the AK-47 and its derivatives. The twist is it ignored directly purchasing the rifles from the Soviet Union, its main military supplier, and sourced the guns from Eastern Europe instead.Unspecified numbers of AK’s have since reached India via Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, and even China. Commandos, paratroopers, entire army regiments, paramilitaries, and local police are equipped with AK’s and prefer it over the standard issue INSAS, which is patterned after the AK-47. For the sake of convenience, the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) builds unlicensed AKM’s to meet overwhelming demand from the security forces.The Indian military’s reluctance to formally adopt the AK-47 almost triggered a lawsuit by Russia’s Izhmash in 2004 and left its state-owned small arms plants in a bizarre conundrum. The AK-47 is an excellent rifle but, as in the case of the disappointing INSAS, it’s better to just borrow its parts.Even today, after exhaustive trials to find a new assault rifle, the best local alternative for Indian soldiers uses an AK-pattern receiver and firing mechanism.FN FALFrom old school revolvers to nimble Sterlings, the OFB manufactures a bewildering variety of small arms and ammunition. But India’s state-owned gun maker is unique for being the last, if not one of the last, bastions of the 7.62x51mm SLR.The SLR, which is the British designation for the Belgian FAL, became a NATO standard rifle in 1953. Photographs can be found showing Indian soldiers armed with it during the Second India-Pakistan War in 1965. Given the size of India’s military and police forces, the OFB could be the largest producer of the SLR outside Europe.Over the decades the OFB eventually built significant numbers of the Soviet AKM, its own family of indigenous rifles, and R&Ded new small arms. But the SLR hasn’t completely gone away and might never will. Why should it? It’s a perfect semi-automatic rifle.FN MAGFrabique Nationale, known today as FN Herstal, created an immortal weapon when it combined the gas operated firing mechanism of the Browning Automatic Rifle with the feed of a German MG. 34. The result was a belt-fed machine gun that’s now used in every continent and license-built by at least a dozen countries.When introduced in 1958 it was quickly adopted by the UK as the L7 GPMG and the rest of NATO soon followed. Recognizable for its extended barrel, box shaped receiver, and distinctive carrying handle, it saw widespread use in the Middle East and Asia.As a former British colony and a member of the Commonwealth, the Indian military stuck to their L7 (and the original BREN, to some extent) with its high rate of fire and impressive range, which reaches 1.5 kilometers. The OFB manufactures three variants for infantry, vehicles, and aircraft.More thank half a century since its arrival the same L7 beloved by India is still rated excellent by soldiers everywhere.NSVIn 1969 Soviet weapon designers began working on a new multipurpose 12.7mm machine gun to replace the cumbersome DShK, which dated to World War Two and was used throughout the Eastern Bloc.By 1974 the NSV (an acronym for the inventors Nikitin, Sokolov, Volkov) commenced production and was soon indispensable for the Red Army and its allies. Weighing just 50 pounds and accurate up to 1,500 meters (1.5 km), the NSV was a formidable heavy machine gun that had no equivalent in the West. Its design also reflected its possible use against low-flying aircraft.It’s unclear when India began mass-producing the NSV. But after testing the Soviet T-72 during the early 1980s the schematics for the NSV were no doubt passed on to the OFB. Since then the Indian Army no longer bothered with another machine gun and like the Russians, the NSV is a permanent fixture on the army’s tanks and vehicles.VidhwansakThe extent of India and South Africa’s commerce in weapons is difficult to ascertain. But at the turn of the last century an urgent requirement for large caliber anti-material rifles brought the Denel NTW-20 to the Indian Army’s attention.The OFB soon began manufacturing the NTW under license, renaming it the Vidhwansak. Recognizable for its large barrel, prominent muzzle brake, and squarish carrying handle that frames its scope, the bolt action NTW is known for its powerful 20x110mm round that can reach targets 1.8 km away.The only comparable rifle to the Vidhwansak is the Croatian RT-20. But the OFB does offer a degree of customization to its largest rifle–operators can choose if they want it chambered in 20mm, 14.5mm, or 12.7mm.Weighing 100 lbs and ideally carried by two soldiers, the Vidhwansak does sacrifice ease-of-use for accuracy and range. This explains why the Indian Army is looking for an alternate large caliber sniper rifle.40mm MGLIt isn’t clear how long the OFB has been manufacturing licensed copies of the Milkor multi-grenade launcher. When fully loaded, the MGL can fire a half dozen 40x46mm grenades in two seconds at targets up to 400 m away. India’s jawans certainly have a reliable grenade launcher at their disposal for years to come.The MGL’s existence dates to the early 1980s, when a South African inventor built a revolver-type grenade launcher in his workshop. Andries C. Piek’s creation was accepted by the South African Defense Force (SADF) in 1983 and its popularity soon spread all over the world, including the US where it has become a favorite of Marines and special forces operators.A terrifying force multiplier in any type of combat, the MGL is proof that simple weapons always last longest.Carl GustafCould it be the ultimate recoilless rifle?The 84mm Carl Gustaf was first used by the Swedish Army in 1948. Its simple design and powerful warhead established its sterling reputation in at least 20 militaries, including the Indian Army. In 1964 (M2) and 1991 (M3) improved variants were developed by the Swedish defense contractor Saab.Today the Carl Gustaf qualifies as a short-range anti-tank weapon although it’s just as frequently used to suppress enemy defenses and blow things up. It enjoyed a resurgence among NATO forces in Afghanistan where it helped level the battlefield against the ubiquitous RPG-7. Both weapons are evenly matched and have sufficient oomph to knock out modern armored vehicles.The OFB manufactures both the Carl Gustaf M2 and M3, which suggests it first acquired licensing rights as far back as the 1960s. The Carl Gustaf serves as the army’s entry level tank killer when soldiers don’t have to use missiles. Saab is now developing smart munitions and a fire control system for the Carl Gustaf and these may soon reach India.MO-120 mortarThis French heavy mortar from the 1950s might be an anachronism in this age of smart munitions, but it’s dependable enough to enjoy continued use. The original MO-120-RT was designed and manufactured by Thomson-Brandt. Its impressive range (up to 5 km) and ease-of-use endeared it to many foreign armies, including the US Marine Corps.In what appears to be a genuine case of historic irony, the MO-120 is used by the successor states that replaced the fabled Gunpowder Empires: Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and India. It deserves mention how each of these countries have enormous requirements for artillery and other crew-served weapons. It’s unknown how many MO-120’s are used by the Indian Army, but the OFB still considers it part of its product line.Light Field GunThe 105mm L118 field gun is one of the most remarkable modern artillery pieces ever produced in the UK. Barely weighing two tons and designed to be transportable by land, sea, or air, it’s used by at least 20 different countries.The L118 first entered service with the British Army in 1975 and was soon snapped up by allied countries, including a modified variant for the US Army. The L118’s biggest draw is it can be flown into any theater with difficult terrain and operated without fuss.The Indian Army is fond of it too and several hundred Light Field Guns are counted among more than 2,000 towed and self-propelled artillery pieces in its arsenal.DhanushDuring the 1980s India became the largest international customer for the Bofors FH-77B, a 155mm towed howitzer made in Sweden. A total of 410 of these guns were delivered from 1986 until 1991. In 1987, however, a convoluted scandal involving shady arms dealers and bribery erupted and forever tarnished the Bofors name in the national consciousness. Sadly, what was called the Bofors scandal slowed down India’s arms imports for decades.But the FH-77B was a very capable artillery piece and proved its mettle during the Kargil War in 1998. The problem was these Swedish guns didn’t have an indefinite service life and the Indian Army knew it badly needed more of the same rather than the familiar 105mm’s. Although Russian artillery pieces were always an option, these had neither the range nor the sophistication of their Western European counterparts.In early 2015 the OFB marked another breakthrough–one that could soothe the army’s gripes over their big guns. After successful testing from 2011 to 2014, the locally made copy of the FH-77B called the Dhanush possessed the same features but with greater range and pre-installed targeting software. (The OFB acquired the FH-77B’s schematics from a transfer-of-technology agreement.)The Indian Army expects the Gun Carriage Factory to deliver 144 guns in the next few years. A total of 414 pieces along with continuous mass-production are required by 2020. A truck mounted system utilizing the Dhanush may or may not enter service.MilanFrance has been a faithful supplier of the Indian military since the 1960s and this profitable relationship endures to this day. Besides AMX-13 light tanks and Mirage jets, France’s popular ATGM is also prized by the Indian military.India’s longstanding rivalry with Pakistan meant anti-tank weapons would have an enormous role in any conflict over the Line of Control (LoC). This was true in 1965 and 1971 and would remain so for any future showdown. The Milan was an excellent choice of missile when it was introduced by France in 1972. Its ease-of-use and ability to penetrate three feet of armor at medium-range established its reputation as a bestseller.Since then, 300,000 of its wire-guided tandem HEAT missiles have been sold around the world. The Milan is license-built in Germany, Spain, Turkey, and India by state-owned Bharat Dynamics Ltd. As recently as 2009 the Indian Army replenished its stocks of Milans by ordering 4,100 missiles from France.The Milan wasn’t the only ATGM India settled on since the military also stocks large quantities of license-built Konkurs and the lethal Kornet. In 2014 India even purchased half a billion dollars worth of Israeli Spike missiles. But the Milan isn’t disappearing any time soon.NagEven if it possesses large quantities of French, Israeli, Russian, Swedish, and US anti-tank weapons the Indian Army has yet to deploy a locally made ATGM. Beginning in the 1980s, however, the DRDO and its sister agency the DRDL launched various missile programs.Its unclear what year the Nag was first prototyped but in 2010 it was successfully tested against inert tanks at a Rajasthan firing range. The 190mm Nag missile is comparable to the US-made TOW and the Hellfire. It’s armed with a tandem HEAT warhead and has a maximum range of 4,000 meters (4 km).Its operation, however, is similar to the Russian Khrizantema or the Chinese ATF-10. A battery of Nag missiles are mounted on a tracked carrier vehicle–a modified BMP-2–and these serve as tank hunters during combined operations.On the other hand, the Nag’s performance is reminiscent of the US FGM Javelin, albeit with impressive differences. It’s a fire-and-forget missile that uses a high angle of attack to defeat its target. The Nag’s optical seeker is allegedly jam resistant and it uses a smokeless propellant to conceal its flight path.The Indian Army has already placed orders for hundreds of Nag missiles. An airborne variant of the Nag called the Helina is being tested.BMP-2The Indian Army is the second largest user of the BMP-2, which it renamed the “Sarath,” outside Russia. Since licensed production commenced in 1987, a reported 1,200 or 1,500 BMP-2’s have been made in the subcontinent. A further 363 will enter service in the coming years.Despite its questionable armor protection–a flaw that can be rectified with upgrades–and cramped interior, the BMP-2 is a robust fighting vehicle. Designed to be fully amphibious and armed with a powerful 30mm gun, the BMP-2 still qualifies as a formidable opponent in any battlefield.But the OFB and the Indian Army appear to have taken liberties with their BMP-2, using its hull and chassis for a SAM system, a self-propelled gun, a mortar carrier, a bulldozer, an engineer vehicle, a reconnaissance vehicle, and as a platform for the Nag tank destroyer armed with Namica missiles.Although Indian manufacturers can build an APC to replace the BMP-2 the Indian Army isn’t budging. The OFB’s BMP-2 is destined for extensive modernization, with a better engine and armaments, to keep it viable until and perhaps beyond 2025.ArjunThe production of tanks is a powerful indicator that a country has a strong industrial base. India reached this stage by the 1960s and after it fought three wars with Pakistan and another with China a new requirement arose for a true world-class battle tank.India already manufactured a capable modern tank, the Vijayanta, and would later build licensed T-72 and T-90S tanks. So a new MBT superior to any rival in South Asia wasn’t beyond its reach.To this day literature about the Arjun’s origin is scarce. But the Arjun does strongly resemble the original Leopard 2 and according to a profile published by the US Army’s Armor magazine in 1998, its R&D was undertaken by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE). In the period between 1983 and 1985 the Arjun was successfully prototyped and it strongly resembled the German Leopard 1 with its squarish turret, 120mm main gun, and 1,400 horsepower MTU diesel engine.But the Arjun was a flop. Where other countries–Israel and Japan, for example–successfully launched MBT programs from scratch it took the Arjun three decades before it finally reached the Indian Army in 2011. With its performance characteristics lagging behind the DRDO enlisted Israeli defense contractors to upgrade it thereby creating the Arjun Mark II.Having thousands of Russian tanks means the Indian Army needs just 242 Arjuns. Since there are no plans for exporting it the Arjun remains a promising MBT that never got to prove itself.K9 VajraFor the first time ever India has turned to an East Asian country for help with developing an advanced weapon system. Renamed the Vajra, the 155mm self-propelled gun is a license-built K9 Thunder with Indian production run by the conglomerate Larsen & Toubro with the help of South Korea’s Samsung Techwin.Larsen & Toubro are also collaborating with France’s Nexter on a towed artillery piece.When the expected 100 K9 Vajra’s are delivered they replace the army’s aging batteries of British 105mm Abbots and Russian 122mm Gvozdikas. Previous attempts to develop and mass-produce an indigenous self-propelled gun begat systems that fell short of modern standards, including a repurposed Arju tank chassis mounted with a crew-served artillery piece.With the Vajra, however, the Indian Army receives a world-class product that surpasses its peers in NATO and even Russia. But the Vajra won’t satisfy the Indian Army’s enormous appetite for maximum firepower. According to its Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan, a total of 2,820 pieces need to be acquired before decade’s end.DhruvA peculiar feature of India’s sprawling military-industrial complex is despite abundant time and resources, it struggles to accomplish its own self-appointed goals. A stark contrast is nimble Israel, which achieved tenuous independence a year after India. Within six decades Israel leapfrogged from the Uzi to cyberwarfare and is recognized today as a world-class arms exporter.India’s lazy approach to militarization does eventually succeed and proof of this is the Dhruv. Although designated an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), the Dhruv performs the same role as the German Bo-105 or the US UH-1. It’s a twin engine utility helicopter designed to ferry troops and supplies. The Dhruv also qualifies as one of the oldest programs initiated by state-owned aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).Originally conceived in 1984, production of the Dhruv only began in 2001 and by 2007 several dozen had been delivered to the army. The Dhruv is now flown by each branch–including the Coast Guard–and HAL has so far developed four variants, the last is ALH Mark IV Rudra attack helicopter. In a remarkable first, the Dhruv enjoyed limited export success from 2009 to 2010.The Indian military expects to operate 200 Dhruvs and 76 Rudras before 2020.LCHAlthough India will spend an estimated $4 billion on Boeing Apaches and Chinooks for its air force, HAL is busy with the finishing touches for its vaunted Light Combat Helicopter.The LCH’s origins date to 2006, when a requirement was determined for a high altitude gunship that surpassed the performance of the dependable Mi-35 Hind. By 2007 a prototype was unveiled during an air show in Bengaluru. The LCH’s Technology Demonstrator 1 or TD-1 variant underwent its first flight test in 2010. The improved TD-2 flew again in 2011.Weighing 5.5 tons and powered by twin turboshaft engines, the LCH’s appearance is typical among current generation attack helicopters. Its armaments consist of a nose-mounted cannon and four hardpoints for rockets and missiles.From 2012 until 2015 the LCH underwent further testing and its TD-3 variant can fly at subzero temperatures in the Himalayas–a feat most helicopters aren’t designed for. The first batch of LCH’s are expected to enter service by 2017. Its current production orders are large, with 65 helicopters for the air force and 114 for the army.Su-30MKIThe Indian Air Force bridged the air-superiority divide in the late 1990s when HAL acquired licensed manufacturing rights to the Russian twin-seater Su-27UBK.The investment has paid off in strategic dividends and since production commenced in 2002, the IAF have received 205 of the 270 Su-30MKI’s it ordered. As a twin engine aircraft with canards and Western European avionics, an Su-30MKI’s performance characteristics are superior to most third and even fourth-generation fighters.The Su-30MKI’s capabilities are so impressive, from superb range, maneuverability, and armaments, that it altered the IAF’s total war strategy in case of a future conflict with either Pakistan or China.Even the Russians were awed by it and the Sukhoi Company is now building its own Su-30MK based on the Indian variant.Tejas Light Combat AircraftThe IAF always wanted its own indigenous fighter jet. Take it from the decorated Air Marshall M.S.D. Wollen, who oversaw the development of what became the Tejas LCA during his time as HAL‘s chairman.As early as 1969 the Indian government began planning for an advanced fighter jet that used a proven jet engine. It took 20 years before consultants from Dassault Aviation helped establish the design features of the LCA from 1987 to 1988–hence its delta wing configuration–but a viable prototype wasn’t ready until 1995.In the meantime, the IAF made do with an estimated 260 Soviet MiG-21 and MiG-27’s, which served as the branch’s ordained dog fighters since the days of Indira Gandhi. Since the IAF already flies a vast fleet of fourth-generation Su-30MKI’s, the LCA was meant to replace the aging MiGs.Like many Indian defense projects, the LCA had a protracted development across 40 years. Its first flight was in 2001 and testing continued until 2011. The IAF have an initial order for 40 Tejas LCA Mark I’s and 250 additional Mark II’s are expected by 2020. The Indian Navy also needs at least 56 carrier-based Tejas LCA’s within the same time frame.After decades of development hell, the Tejas LCA could be the next Mirage III and prove itself the ultimate cheap fighter jet.PinakaLike many countries that acquired rocket artillery from the former Soviet Union, India moved away from its aging Grads and began developing its own system in 1986. Unfortunately, where countries like Israel, China, South Korea, Turkey, Iran and even North Korea succeeded, the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) tasked by the DRDO with developing an indigenous MLRS struggled for years.The Pinaka was already tested and viable in the period from 1994-1995 but it wasn’t operational until 2000. The Pinaka marked a departure from the BM-21 it was meant to replace. Its launcher is armed with two containers holding a dozen 214mm rockets. The entire system is mounted on an 8×8 truck and could bombard targets 40 km away with unguided rockets.Its laborious development and low-rate production forced the Indian Army to acquire large numbers of the BM-30 Smerch in 2006. Today less than a hundred Pinaka Mark I’s are in service. A new variant with a longer range, the Pinaka Mark II, is undergoing tests. Even with its sluggish progress the Pinaka deserves a place next to current multi-launch rockets systems.AgniIndia is a latecomer in the ballistic missile game. Despite access to both Western and Eastern Bloc technology during the Cold War, acquiring a long-range missile arsenal wasn’t a pressing concern for its military. Even when the DRDO initiated its Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP) during the 1980s, the fruits of this ambitious effort didn’t arrive until almost a quarter century later.So it is with the Agni. Rather than a name for a single missile, the Agni represents a lineage of launch systems produced after India’s successful nuclear tests in 1998. The Agni I is a conventional short-range road mobile ballistic missile that can deliver a large payload 1,200 km away. The Agni II is an improved variant of its predecessor with an even greater range.The Agni III, IV, and V are intermediate-range systems capable of delivering nuclear warheads to anywhere in South and Central Asia. The Agni V in particular is currently being developed to launch multiple nukes over a rival country’s major cities. But a lot of work remains to be done and India’s full second strike capability won’t be in place until the 2020s.BrahMosIt’s the deadliest conventional missile in the world. Or is it?Untested in combat, the supersonic BrahMos represents a rare success in multinational defense cooperation outside Europe. In 1998, the governments of Russia and India launched a $250 million joint venture to manufacture a next-generation cruise missile based on proven technology, i.e. the P-800 Yakhont.The BrahMos, a combination of the names Brahmaputra and Moskva, proved a sound investment that wasn’t cursed by the Indian defense industry’s endemic delays. Several years of testing led to actual production by 2004. The Indian Navy inducted it the following year and the ground-launched version was accepted by the army in 2007.The BrahMos is a single warhead ramjet-driven system meant to operate from ground-based launchers, aircraft, warships, and submarines. Its range is between 300 and 500 km depending on the variant. Its payload, which can be armed with an 800 lb high explosive warhead, supports submunitions as well.To further emphasize the BrahMos potential lethality–it’s considered superior to anything used by NATO or the US.PrithviGiven its sterling bilateral ties with Russia, India never acquired ballistic missile technology from the Eastern Bloc. As its nuclear weapons program advanced, however, a requirement arose for a modern delivery system, i.e. a missile.Beginning in 1983, the IGMDP sought to produce a road mobile surface to surface weapon for delivering conventional payloads. Its envisioned role was to degrade and destroy vital enemy infrastructure during a ground offensive.This doctrine made the forthcoming missile analogous to the Soviet Scud-series or the US-made ATACMS.By 1988 testing commenced for what became the Prithvi I, a nine-meter tall conventional rocket with a 2,200 pound payload and a modest range of 150 kilometers. Production commenced in 1994 and the Indian Army maintains a small arsenal of Prithvi’s today. An improved variant, the Prithvi II, is still undergoing tests in the Bay of Bengal.The Prithvi II has more than twice the range of its predecessor and can be armed with a nuclear warhead. Once operational, it will be capable of ground, air, and sea launches. A naval variant of the Prithvi called the Dhanush is believed to already be in service since 2010.AkashThe medium-range Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) is another successful offspring of the IGMDP.The Akash is so far the most potent air-defense system ever developed by India’s military-industrial complex. Its performance is comparable to the Russian Buk and the US Hawk but Indian sources claim it’s superior to Western SAMs.After 20 years in development the Akash entered production by 2006 with orders being fulfilled until the present. The Akash deploys in batteries of 12 missiles and is designed to guard sensitive facilities, mechanized formations, and national airspace. Although India lags behind China when it comes to its air-defense network it compensates by having a large selection of foreign suppliers who can either sell or jointly develop new systems. The Akash, however, is touted for being completely Indian–96% of it, at the most.The success of the Akash laid the groundwork for future programs that improve on the original. Rather than agree to a license-built variant of a Russian or French system, the Akash is tailor-made for its ultimate customer: the Indian military. A total of 3,000 Akash missiles are deployed with the army and air force.Kalvari-class SSKFor a country that commands an entire ocean the Indian Navy’s submarine fleet is a modest one, numbering less than 15 boats. This shortcoming in the face of China’s rapid naval expansion is now being addressed with a commensurate blue water build up. At the forefront of this effort are, naturally, submarines.In the mid-2000s India partnered with France for the acquisition of half a dozen Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines. These were to be constructed at the facilities of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. over a 10 year period. The boats are locally made but the weapons and equipment inside are Franco-German systems.The Scorpene is a small submarine that packs a serious punch and can launch torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. Since it entered service in 2005 Chile, Malaysia, and Brazil have acquired their own Scorpenes. But India is its largest international customer so far.The first of its class the INS Kalvari, which took its name from the original Kalvari submarine from the previous century, was commissioned in April, 2015, and begins operations in September, 2016. If there are no delays its sisters will join the fleet each year at Kadamba naval base until 2019 or 2020.Arihant-class SSBNIndia and China are the only Asian countries actively building nuclear submarine forces. With the latter’s efforts shrouded in secrecy and speculation, the Indian Navy’s first Arihant-class SSBN comes with a refreshing amount of hype and genuine transparency.India’s need for a nuclear submarine arose in 1971 but like other ambitious defense programs it wasn’t until the cusp of the 21st century before work on the Arihant began. (In 1998, to be specific.) When finally launched in 2009, it took several years and considerable assistance from Russia before its nuclear reactor was prepared. This breakthrough was followed by grueling sea trials.India’s experience operating Russian submarines had a great influence on the Arihant, which displaces at 6,000 tons and is powered by an 83 megawatt reactor. The navy’s only nuclear-powered submarine, INS Chakra, is a massive Soviet-era Typhoon SSBN on lease until the advent of the Arihants, which externally resemble their Western European counterparts.Once commissioned in 2015, the first of six Arihant-class SSBN’s serve as 1/3rd of India’s nuclear triad. This ensures a second strike capability should an apocalyptic war erupt in the near future.Shivalik-class frigateAs early as the 1970s India was far ahead of most Asian countries–except Japan–when it came to warship construction. With its experience operating British and Russian vessels, making the leap to local shipbuilding was inevitable.A trio of Godavari-class guided missile frigates were commissioned during the 1980s and their success later inspired a requirement for newer advanced warships. These begat another trio of Brahmaputra-class frigates commissioned from 2000-2005.But with the advent of stealth features and complex supply chains the navy still needed cutting edge assets that were just as capable as their Western European peers. Capabilities like deploying land attack cruise missiles, i.e. BrahMos, were essential too. During the 1990s plans were readied for the navy’s next-generation frigates armed with a combination of Russian and Israeli systems.Only three 4,900 ton Shivalik-class frigates were built and commissioned from 2010 to 2012. The Indian Navy is now preparing to commission a quartet of its upcoming stealth corvettes, the Kamortas.Delhi-class destroyerUntil the launch of its new aircraft carriers the largest warships ever deployed by the Indian Navy were the 6,700 ton Delhi-class destroyers: the INS Delhi, Mysore, and Mumbai.Each of these destroyers are a complete package armed with torpedoes, anti-ship and cruise missiles, and able to repel any airborne threat. Crewed by 390 sailors and officers the Delhi-class are fitting actors in any show of force. But their origins are quite colorful.A recurring theme in modern India’s rise as a military power is the unpredictable course that bedevils its weapons manufacturing. Whether it’s assault rifles or aircraft carriers, what the Indian government and its partner agencies begin have a startling tendency to meander, bog down, diverge, and complexify before the outcome arrives.This is the experience of the Delhi-class guided missile destroyers. Conceived as a hybrid design combining the best aspects of Soviet surface combatants the Delhis were supposed to be furnished in Ukraine before their launch in India. What happened was years of delays and changing requirements altered its function and appearance.But the Delhis came out alright and in 1993, 1996, and 2001 each of the vessels received their commissions. With 70% of their parts supplied by local contractors to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd., the Delhi-class are truly made in India.Kolkata-class destroyerWith its long experience building surface combatants, it should come as no surprise the Indian Navy wants them faster, larger, and deadlier. Hence the 7,500 ton Kolkata-class that have supplanted the older Delhis in every possible metric.But the Kolkatas were also a success for Israel, i.e. Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), who not only supplied its MF-STAR radar but the Barak 8 SAMs, which is the navy’s favorite anti-aircraft system after its trusted 30mm AK-630 CIWS’.The Kolkatas were also designed to deploy the naval version Brahmos and like the Delhis, their hangars fit two Dhruv helicopters.The Indian Navy intends to commission the last of its three Kolkata destroyers by 2016. These will then serve alongside a quartet of newer destroyers that share the same hulls–the Visakhapatnam-class.INS VikrantSince India and China are poised to become rival powers state-owned shipyards from both countries are actively building next-generation warships. With two PLAN Liaoning-class carriers reportedly under construction in Dalian the Indian Navy isn’t letting itself fall behind.In 2013 it received its long-delayed Vikramaditya, which underwent a decade of expensive rebuilding in Russia. A second aircraft carrier’s hull was completed at Cochin Shipyard Ltd. that same year. This was the INS Vikrant named after India’s first British-made carrier.Today the Vikrant is mostly complete with its runway and island installed. By the time it’s commissioned it deploys 30 MiG-29K’s and anti-submarine helicopters along with 1,600 crew members. Once at sea the Vikrant’s appearance and operation resemble its sibling Vikramaditya. It’s worth noting the PLAN’s upcoming carriers share the same short takeoff design of their Indian counterparts.The irony here is not very subtle since both navies will deploy ships based on Soviet-era Kiev-class STOBAR carriers.Qr-SAM (Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile)At the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha, the Defence Research and Development Organisation test-fired a pair of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missiles.Here’s what we do know about the QRSAM missile system:The range is between 25 and 30 kmThe missile uses a solid-fuel propellantIt has a dual-thrust propulsion stage, much like a two-stage missileThe QRSAM can also target and shoot down sea-skimming low-altitude anti-ship missiles (the best ones include the Exocet, the P-700/1000 and the Harpoon missiles, to name a few)They can be operated in all weather conditionsThe test was conducted using a mobile truck launcher in Complex 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, OdishaThe missiles were canister launched, like the Russian S-400The mobile launch vehicle will have all-terrain capabilityThis system was first tested on July 14, 2018, and was said to have multiple-target capabilityThe first test of the QRSAM was held on June 4, 2017, at the ITR in ChandipurThis is the sixth such test since 2017The previous iteration of the missile also included Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited as co-developers.The QRSAM is designed to replace the Russian 9k33 OSA (NATO code-SA-8 Gecko) and the 2K12 Kub (NATO Code SA-6 Gainful) missiles which have a range of 2 to 9 km and 6–22 km respectivelyThe missiles will be mounted on a 6-wheeled Tata truckThe truck will have multiple axles allowing a maximum load-carrying capacity of 8.5 tons, a maximum range of 500 km, a top speed of 80 kmph and a 36-degree maximum angle of approach.The Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (VRDE) has certified it for use in all combat environments as the truck successfully passed all tests it was subjected toFrom the video, the drone seems to be the Banshee, a remotely-piloted unmanned aerial vehicle developed by UK-based Meggitt Defence Systems Limited, a company that also supplies UAVs to NATO forcesThe drone has passive and active radar enhancement, radar chaffand infrared decoy dispensing pods, a daylight surveillance package, pyrotechnic visual and infrared enhancements, plus a variety of black-body infrared augmentation devices, depending on the mission requirementsThe QRSAM, if successfully deployed, will be used to build an air defense shield alongside the Akash and the Prithvi anti-aircraft missile systems