Here are some interesting facts about NSG which you would like to know about :
1. About 29 different Special Forces units and defence think-tanks around the world like Royal United Service Institute of UK have visited India to analyze and case-study the Operation Black Tornado conducted by NSG during 26/11 Mumbai Attacks. This is enough to speak volumes about the capability of NSG and how it fares with other units in the world.
2. NSG was formed in 1984 as a “Special Operations Force” raised for Urban Warfare and Hostage Rescue/Room Intervention with men drawn from Army units and Central Armed Police Forces thus making it a conglomerate of best of the forces and battle-proven operators in India. The combat baptism to NSG came quite quick when they were deployed in Operation Black Thunder I in 1986 and Operation Black Thunder II in 1988 which were done with surgical precision aimed at eliminating the terrorists in Golden Temple without any collateral damage.
3. NSG presently has access to some of the best military hardware in India which includes weapons which are either brought through direct purchase or even gained through off-shelf measures. NSG Camp is based at Manesar which has some of the best firing and practise ranges in the country.
4. To be a Quick-reaching force ( which was aimed since a lot of criticism came from NSG late-coming in 26/11 attacks ) , NSG is based around the nation which makes it a pan-Indian force. NSG hubs are at Mumbai (NSG 26), Chennai (NSG 27), Hyderabad (NSG 28), Kolkata (NSG 29) and Gandhinagar (NSG 30) which is aimed at rushing in the commandos for any counter-terror and counter-hijack operation in quick time.
5. A lot of criticism was also drawn towards NSG weapon gears which was regarded archaic by global standards. Significant measures were taken towards this aspect with a lot of money spent by government for arms and ammunition, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles for operations, clothing and tentage and items for information technology for the force along with money spent on training of NSG men and providing them world-class facilities. NSG earlier lacked proper firearms and were dependent on German H&K MP5 SMGs and PSG-1 Sniper Rifle along with Swiss SIG SG550 series of rifles in small numbers. NSG has now acquired more modern equipment with PSG1A1 Sniper Rifle , Barrett M98B .338 Lapua Magnum Sniper Rifle , CornerShot Weapon accessory , advanced variants of SG550 series and more. NSG lacked drone capability but has now acquired Unmanned Ground Vehicles like DOGO and micro UAVs like PD-100 Black Hornet.
See-through-Wall Radars , better explosives , Recon Scout CT micro UGV and BounceImaging Explorer tactical throwable camera and demolition devices , better plate carriers and combat gear along with acquirement of new Advanced Combat Helmets from MKU fitted with Rails and Visor Clamps where Night Vision Devices can be attached has added to overall capabilities of the forces.
6. NSG has also acquired the Renault Sherpa Armoured Vehicle and FORD-550 with MARS ( Mobile Adjustable Ramp System ) to allow NSG HIT teams to storm hijacked airplanes and buildings.
7. All this brings NSG at par with some of the best Urban Counter-Terrorism units in the nation. On top of that , NSG is adding to its versatility by raising its own Marine Wing ( on par with the Navy MARCOS ) to be a quick reaction force for Marine Operations without involving or waiting for MARCOS to intervene.
8. NSG men are choosen from a large pool of operators of varying body levels and IQ capacity which lends a unique combat edge to the unit enjoyed by nations like USA or UK only since many other nations have a much homogeneous population . You will find men from various ethnicity in NSG ( or any Indian Special Forces unit ) and officers of exceptional leadership qualities which makes NSG an equally competent force.
9. NSG has time and again , exercised with many Special Forces units around the world like US Army Green Berets , German GSG-9 , Thai Special Forces and also imparts training and knowledge to various SWAT units in-house like OCTOPUS and more. NSG Manesar has also become one of the favourite combat schools in India , with operators from various nations coming here to get CT skills.
10. In case of NSG , the combat record of NSG as a force speaks for itself. From doing operations like 26/11 Operation Black Tornado to Operation Ashwamedh where NSG took just one silenced shot to end the hostage situation , the combat capabilities of NSG needs no explanation.
Besides Operation Black Tornado , NSG has taken part in Operation Black Thunder I in 1986 and Operation Black Thunder II in 1988 and Operation Ashwamedh in 1993. NSG also resonded to the Akshardham temple attack killing terrorists after a brief stand-off. They were also deployed during the infamous Pathankot attack and are now being currently deployed in Kashmir with 26 Special Composite Group to be deployed in Udhampur to take part in Room Intervention and Counter-Terrorism roles in Kashmir.
This article is written by Harsh B. Mishra on Quora.
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