Page 5 - Defence

Defence ministry clears procurement of military hardware worth Rs 84,560 cr

The procurement proposals were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Florintree Capital exits Data Patterns, sells entire stake for Rs 1,102 cr

According to the block deal data available with the BSE, Florintree Capital Partners LLP offloaded 59,96,622 shares, amounting to a 10.71 per cent stake in Data Patterns (India)

Boeing Defence India appoints ex-naval aviator Nikhil Joshi as MD

US aerospace major Boeing on Thursday announced the appointment of Nikhil Joshi as managing director of Boeing Defence India (BDI), saying it is aimed at strengthening the company's operations and accelerated growth strategy in the country. Based in New Delhi, Joshi will lead current and future programmes for BDI to enhance the mission readiness and modernisation of India's defence forces, the company said. Joshi has more than 25 years of aerospace and defence industry experience, including over two decades of service with the Indian armed forces in the aviation branch of the Indian Navy. Prior to joining Boeing, Joshi served as the country manager for Eaton Aerospace where he was responsible for growing the business footprint for Eaton in India. He has more than 4,000 hours of flying experience on various Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft and has commanded both frontline ships and air squadrons. "We are delighted to welcome Nikhil to our team. His wealth of experience and strong .

Defence ministry inks Rs 1,752 cr deal with AWEIL for remote control guns

The Ministry of Defence on Wednesday signed a Rs 1,752.13-crore contract with a Kanpur-based firm for manufacturing and supply of 463 indigenously built 12.7 mm stabilised remote control guns for the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard, officials said. This acquisition will provide further boost to the vision of "Aatmanirbharta in Defence", the ministry of defence said in a statement. "This contract will also open up a large avenue in defence manufacturing for over 125 Indian vendors and Defence PSUs for over a period of five years," it added. The ministry signed the contract with Advanced Weapon Equipment India Limited (AWEIL), Kanpur for "manufacturing and supply of a total of 463 indigenously manufactured 12.7 mm stabilised remote control guns (SRCG) for the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard at a total cost of Rs 1,752.13 crore, with indigenous content (IC) of more than 85 per cent," it said. These guns will enhance the capability of the Navy and the Coast Guard to ...

Rome seeks larger Indo-Pacific role, will step up defence ties with Japan

The leaders of Japan and Italy said on Monday they will bolster their cooperation in security and defence, including their joint next-generation fighter jet development with Britain, as Tokyo welcomed the European nation's shift toward playing a greater role in the Indo-Pacific. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, after meeting his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, welcomed Italy's move to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific region, where several visits by Italy's warships, including its strike group, and joint exercises are planned this year. Japan and Italy are valuable strategic partners that share values and principles such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, Kishida said. Kishida also praised progress in their joint development of a new advanced fighter jet with Britain. The three countries in December signed an agreement to establish a joint organisation to develop a new advanced jet fighter for deployment in 2035. Meloni said that the ...

Defence Budget 2024: Rs 6.21 trn allocated, ambitious tech scheme announced

In the capital outlay for defence services, Rs 40,777 crore has been set aside for aircraft and aero engines while an amount of Rs 62,343 crore was allocated for "other equipment"

GPT-4 poses little risk of in creation of bioweapons, says OpenAI

For months, lawmakers and even some tech executives have raised concerns about whether AI can make it easier for bad actors to develop biological weapons

'India moving fast in defence production, 2,920 items indigenised so far'

India is moving "fast and steady" in defence production and so far indigenised 2,920 defence items out of 4,666 listed items, Director (DIP), Department of Defence Production, Amit Satija said on Wednesday. He was speaking on the topic ' Enhancing the participation of MSMEs in the Defence sector' at a state-level conclave of Defence MSMEs in Nagpur, organised by the FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry). Satija said multiple initiatives have been undertaken by the Ministry of Defence, especially the Department of Defence Production. "Out of 4,666 defence items, including assemblies, sub-assemblies, raw materials, critical spares and components etc, which were listed for indigenisation, 2,920 items have already been indigenised," he said. Referring to the Make-1 and Make-2 categories, Satija said several industry-friendly provisions are built in, such as relaxation in the eligibility criteria, minimal documentation, and other provisions for considering ...

Rolls-Royce, Azad Engineering partner to make defence aero-engine parts

Power and propulsion solutions provider Rolls-Royce on Monday said it has signed an agreement with Azad Engineering for making complex defence aero-engine components in India. Under the long-term agreement, Hyderabad-based Azad Engineering will manufacture and supply complex components for defence aircraft engines and thus join the global supply chain for complex category components for Rolls-Royce's technologically advanced aero-engines, the company said in a statement. "Strong collaboration has been at the heart of Rolls-Royce's journey of success in India. As we work towards strengthening the defence ecosystem, we are happy to expand our supply chain in India in partnership with Azad Engineering," Rolls-Royce Executive Vice President Business Development and Future Programmes and Head of Global Networks, Alex Zino, said. The sourcing of complex components from India for aero-engine programmes further advances the goal of capability creation in the country, he added. Azad ...

China assures Pak of support to defend sovereignty after Iran's airstrikes

China has assured Islamabad of its support in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity even while welcoming on Tuesday the restoration of diplomatic ties between Tehran and Islamabad after their recent air strikes against each other. As China's Foreign Minister Sun Weidong visited Pakistan on a mediation mission, a statement from Foreign Ministry on Monday said it is maintaining close contacts with Pakistan and Iran to bridge their differences. China on January 18 offered to play a constructive role to ease tension between Pakistan and Iran following their missile strikes against each other and asked the two countries to "exercise restraint and calmness and avoid escalation. Earlier on January 18, Pakistan conducted "precision military strikes" against what it called "terrorist hideouts" in Iran's Siestan-Balochistan province that killed 9 people. The attack was seen as retaliation to Iranian missile and drone attacks on January 16 which targeted two bases of the Sunni ..

India-US partnership within Quad enhances security: General Atomics

The collaboration between India and the US within the Quad framework enhances security and strengthens the ability to respond to emerging geopolitical threats and promotes a rules-based international order, according to a top Indian-American executive in the American defence industry. Vivek Lall, Chief Executive for the General Atomics Global Corporation, also said as his company is building its support network within India, it is also reaching out to the Indian high-tech sector. Collaboration between the U.S. and India, within the Quad framework, enhances security by fostering a strategic partnership to address common challenges, such as regional stability, maritime security, and counterterrorism, Lall told PTI in an interview. The US, Japan, India and Australia had in 2017 given shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad or the Quadrilateral coalition to counter China's aggressive behaviour in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region. Lall is on the Advisory Board of

IAF indigenised more than 60,000 components in 2-3 years: Air Chief Marshal

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Saturday said the IAF has indigenised more than 60,000 components in the last two to three years. He also said the Air Force cannot rely on foreign OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) for repair and overhaul maintenance activities and that it has to be done in-house. The IAF chief was speaking with reporters on the sidelines of a programme held in the Bhonsala Military School in Nagpur. Queried on tracing the wreckage of a transport aircraft of Indian Air Force in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast, the Air Chief Marshal said, "Unfortunately, it took so long but finally we at least got the technology to (explore) deep sea and locate such things in seabed". "We are grateful to the Ministry of Ocean and Earth Sciences for facilitating this and to be able to discover this wreckage. It brings closure to a long pending sad accident". The wreckage of an IAF transport aircraft has been located at a depth of around 3.4 km in the Bay of Bengal, ne

North Korea fires 90 artillery shots from western coast, alleges Seoul

North Korea conducted a new round of artillery firing drills near the disputed sea boundary with South Korea on Saturday, officials in Seoul said. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North fired more than 60 rounds near the western sea boundary. A day earlier, North Korea fired about 200 artillery shells near the area, prompting South Korea to conduct its own firing drills in response. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it strongly urges North Korea to halt acts that heighten tensions.

China abruptly ousts nine military lawmakers as defense purge widens

The nation's top legislative body revoked the lawmakers' membership during a Friday meeting, the official Xinhua News Agency reported

IAF Chief Chaudhari visits 2 frontline operational bases in western sector

The IAF chief was briefed on the operational readiness of the bases, the statement said

2023 defence wrap: US supports India's defence modernisation plans

Calling 2023 a 'decisive year', the US Department of Defence, in an official release has stated that it is supporting allies and partners as they invest in their capabilities

N Korea's Kim Jong Un pledges to advance his atomic ambitions in New Year

That's according to an address he gave at a major policy-setting meeting attended by top cadres from his ruling party

Stealth-guided missile destroyer INS Imphal commissioned into Navy

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony Admiral Hari Kumar said that the INS Imphal is the first warship to be named after a prominent city of the north-east

Sanjay Bhandari case: Court issues NBW against UK national Sumit Chaddha

"Cognizance of the offence of money laundering as defined in u/Sec. 3 r/w Sec. 17 punishable u/Sec. 4 of PMLA, 2002, has already been taken on October 5, 2020," noted the court

China unveils Hu Zhongming as new naval chief amid rising maritime tensions

Hu Zhongming was promoted to the rank of general at a ceremony in Beijing attended by President Xi Jinping on Monday