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The defence ministry on Tuesday inked a Rs 1,950 crore contract with state-run Bharat Electronics Limited for the procurement of two mountain radars and related infrastructure for the Indian Air Force. The installation and commissioning of these radars will boost the country's air defence and strengthen national security, the ministry said, adding the procurement will also reduce the dependency on foreign equipment. "The Ministry of Defence has inked a major capital acquisition contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the procurement of two mountain radars, including associated equipment and required infrastructure for the Indian Air Force, at a cost of around Rs 1,950 crore," an official statement said. This mountain radar is indigenously designed and developed by Electronics and Radar Development Establishment of DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and will be manufactured by BEL.
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced a major Cabinet shake-up Wednesday with the appointment of a new defense minister to replace Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez, who had been a cornerstone of the military's long-standing support for former President Nicolas Maduro. Rodriguez announced the transition on her Telegram channel, saying the appointment of Gen. Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez to the role was effective immediately. She also thanked Padrino Lopez for his "loyalty to the Homeland" and expressed confidence in his future roles. The announcement comes more than ten weeks after Rodriguez became acting head of state following the Jan. 3 U.S. military operation that captured Maduro to put him on trial in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. The Trump administration has since ramped up pressure on the Maduro loyalists currently governing the oil-rich nation. Padrino Lopez was one of the longest-serving Cabinet ministers after Maduro took office in 2013 and one the country's
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Tripathi on Saturday said that any proposed joint maritime mechanism in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) would be based on consensus among participating nations, assuring India's support for partner countries in capacity-building efforts. Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) 2026, Admiral Tripathi said the first session of the conclave involved discussions regarding enhanced cooperation among IOR nations, including the possibility of a joint task force-type arrangement. "The GMC is based on consensus. There has to be a consensus among all nations. All of us have different capabilities, so what everyone brings to the table has to be taken into consideration," he said. The Navy chief noted that the idea of closer operational cooperation was well accepted and said modalities of a joint task force would have to be worked out collectively. He highlighted a previous initiative, referring to Indian Ocean Ship (I