Page 4 - Defence

India, Brazil hold first '2+2' defence ministerial dialogue on tech, energy

India and Brazil on Thursday explored ways to expand cooperation in areas of energy, critical minerals, technology and counter-terrorism at their first '2+2' defence and foreign ministerial dialogue. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the talks spanned various key areas of cooperation. "Discussions spanned defence, space, energy, critical minerals, tech, counter-terrorism and regional, multilateral & other issues of mutual interest," he said on 'X'. The dialogue took place in Delhi. It was co-chaired by additional secretary in the external affairs ministry G V Srinivas and joint secretary in the defence ministry Vishwesh Negi. The Brazilian delegation was led by Director at Brazilian foreign ministry Marcelo Camara and Rear Admiral Fernando de Luca Marques de Oliviera.

Denmark to expand conscription, draft women into military in rare move

The goal of the updated strategy, according to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, is to boost the proportion of young people enlisting in the military

Women scientists played major role in Mission Divyastra's success

The programme project director Dr Shankari S also played a significant role in the mission's success, defence officials said

Houthis may have hypersonic missile, raising stakes in Red Sea crisis

Yemen's Houthi rebels claim to have a new, hypersonic missile in their arsenal, Russia's state media reported on Thursday, potentially raising the stakes in their ongoing attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways against the backdrop of Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The report by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited an unnamed official but provided no evidence for the claim. It comes as Moscow maintains an aggressively counter-Western foreign policy amid its grinding war on Ukraine. However, the Houthis have for weeks hinted about surprises they plan for the battles at sea to counter the United States and its allies, which have so far been able to down any missile or bomb-carrying drone that comes near their warships in Mideast waters. The Houthis' main benefactor, Iran, claims to have a hypersonic missile and has widely armed the rebels with the missiles they now use. Adding a hypersonic missile to their arsenal could pose a more-formidable ...

Defence exports to more than double to Rs 40,000 cr by 2026: Anurag Thakur

Swedish think-tank SIPRI's recent report revealed India was world's biggest arms importer in 2019-23, with a 9.8 per cent share of all arms imports

Govt signs contract worth Rs 8,073 crore with HAL to buy 34 helicopters

Following the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the Ministry of Defence signed two contracts for a combined value of Rs 8073.17 crore with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bengaluru, on Wednesday, an official statement said.The contracts were signed for the acquisition of 34 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv Mk III along with Operational Role Equipment for the Indian Army (25 ALHs) and Indian Coast Guard (09 ALHs) under the Buy (Indian-IDDM--Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category, marking a significant move towards indigenisation in defence manufacturing.According to the Ministry of Defence, the ALH Dhruv Mk III UT (Utility), the Indian Army version, is designed for Search & Rescue, Troop Transportation, Internal Cargo, Recce/and casualty evacuation, etc. It has proven its performance in high-altitude regions like Siachen Glacier and Ladakh.The ALH Mk III MR (Maritime Role), the ICG version, is designed for maritime surveillance ..

India remains world's top arms importer, Pakistan ranks 8th: SIPRI report

India remained the world's top arms importer, but its imports declined by 11 per cent between 2013-17 and 2018-22, according to a report released on Monday by Stockholm-based defence think-tank SIPRI. The decline was linked to a complex procurement process, efforts to diversify arms suppliers and attempts to replace imports with local designs, the report said. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said the five largest arms importers in the world during 2018-22 were India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia and China. The five largest arms exporters were the United States, Russia, France, China and Germany. The imports by Pakistan, the world's eighth-largest arms importer during 2018-22, increased by 14 per cent, with China as its main supplier, the report said. It said France's arms exports increased by 44 per cent between 2013-17 and 2018-22 and most of these exports were to countries in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East. The report said India received 30

Very important milestone: Prez Murmu on first flight test of Agni-5

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday congratulated DRDO scientists for the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile under Mission Divyastra, calling it a "very important milestone" in India's march towards greater geo-strategic role and capabilities. In her message on 'X', the supreme commander of the armed forces said, "The state-of-the-art technology developed indigenously is a firm step in the direction of India becoming Atmanirbhar." "The flight test of Agni V under Mission Divyastra marks a very important milestone in India's march towards greater geo-strategic role and capabilities...I convey my heartiest congratulations to the Team DRDO for this major achievement. I am sure they will keep moving apace in their quest for excellence and self-reliance," she said. The weapon system is equipped with indigenous avionics systems and high-accuracy sensor packages ensuring that the re-entry vehicles reach the target points within the desired accuracy. Based on Multipl

US, French military shoot down Houthi drones after attack on warships

The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza

Xi calls for coordination of military, preparation for conflicts at sea

He said, it was necessary to build cyberspace defence system and improve the ability to maintain national network security

Maldives-China defence pact to obtain non-lethal weapons, training: Muizzu

The Maldives will get free "non-lethal" military equipment and training from China's military under a newly inked agreement with Beijing, President Mohamed Muizzu has said, underlining that it would further strengthen the Indian Ocean island nation's independence and autonomy. Muizzu also met Major General Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of China, and President of the Export-Import Bank of China, Ren Shengjun separately. Earlier on Monday, the Maldives Ministry of Defence announced that a military assistance agreement has been signed by Defence Minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon and Major General Zhang. However, it did not reveal any additional details. This is the first time Maldives has signed a deal with China for military cooperation of this level. Previously, China had been exclusively known for its assistance towards urban and economic development of the Maldives, news portal Sun.mv said. Speaking late on Tuesday evening with .

BJP's manifesto on defence

From an arms importer, India now ranks among the top 25 arms-exporting nations. BJP's 2024 manifesto must include a coherent policy to increase defence exports

'Leap forward in self-reliance': Adani Defence unveils ammo, missile sites

The inauguration coincided with the fifth anniversary of Operation Bandar, the Indian Air Force (IAF) bomb strikes on a terrorist camp inside Pakistani territory

Used AI to help find targets for airstrikes in West Asia, says Pentagon

Machine learning algorithms that can teach themselves to identify objects helped to narrow down targets for more than 85 US air strikes on Feb. 2

Adani Group unveils defence complex, $362 million investment plan

The plans highlight the ports-to-power conglomerate's ambitions in the lucrative defence sector where manufacturing is largely dominated by government-owned companies

Cost of nuclear war in space: Putting a weapon into orbit a military threat

It's also a risk to the billions of dollars pouring into the space economy

3 services worked in 'silos', now they have better coordination: Rajnath

India's annual defence production is expected to touch a whopping Rs 3 lakh crore and exports of military hardware is poised to reach Rs 50,000 crore, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday. In an address at a defence conclave, Singh, delving into structural defence reforms, said the three services used to work in "silos" earlier but now they are ready with better coordination to deal with every challenge jointly. He said capital acquisition projects worth more than Rs 4,35,000 crore have been given in-principle approval in the financial year 2023-24, and the government is aiming for production of high-end systems like aero-engines and gas turbines in India in the next five years. Singh noted that the government has been focusing on jointness among the Indian Army, the Navy and the Indian Air Force that would ensure enhanced coordination in times of "crisis". "Earlier, the three Services used to work in silos. We focused on their integration which was an out-of-the-box ste

Vayu Shakti: Air Force displays growing combat prowess at Pokhran desert

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday displayed its firepower capability at a mega exercise featuring over 120 aircraft, including frontline fighter jets and attack helicopters in Rajasthan's Pokhran desert. In the Vayu Shakti exercise, the IAF also demonstrated the capabilities of its long-range drones and air-to-air missiles as well as its increasing strength in the rapid deployment of combat assets by airlifting weapons like M-777 ultra-light howitzers and other military platforms. In keeping with the exercise's theme 'Lightning Strike from the Sky', over 120 aircraft displayed the IAF's offensive capabilities by day as well as by night. Fighter aircraft, including the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000, Tejas and Hawk, attacked and destroyed simulated enemy targets on the ground and in the air with deadly precision, the IAF said. These attacks were delivered in multiple modes and directions, employing a variety of precision-guided munitions as well as conventional bombs an

UK, allies looking to arm Ukraine with new AI-enabled swarm drones

The drones could be sent to Ukraine within months, they said, while warning the timeline could slip

Zelenskyy warns weapons shortage risks giving Russia breathing space

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned allies Saturday that an artificial deficit of weapons for his country risks giving Russia breathing space, hours after his military chief said he was withdrawing troops from the eastern city of Avdiivka. Zelenskyy spoke to the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of security and foreign policy officials. Ukraine is back on the defensive against Russia in the nearly 2-year-old war, hindered by low ammunition supplies and a shortage of personnel. Ukrainians have proven that we can force Russia to retreat, he said. We can get our land back, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin can lose, and this has already happened more than once on the battlefield." "Our actions are limited only by the sufficiency and length of range of our strength, he added, pointing to the situation in Avdiivka. Ukrainian commander Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said early Saturday that he was withdrawing troops from the city, where outnumbered defenders battl