Indian Defence

Defence ministry signs Rs 13,500 cr deal with HAL for 12 Sukhoi jets

The Defence Ministry on Thursday inked a Rs 13,500 crore deal with state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to procure 12 Sukhoi jets for the Indian Air Force. The Russian-origin aircraft will feature 62.6 per cent domestic content, it said. These jets are now manufactured by the HAL under an intergovernmental framework. "In a major boost to the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' initiative of the government, a contract for procurement of 12 Su-30MKI aircraft along with associated equipment has been signed between the Ministry of Defence and the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd today," the defence ministry said. It said the cost of the procurement will be around Rs 13,500 crore inclusive of taxes and duties. "The aircraft would have an indigenous content of 62.6 per cent, enhanced due to indigenisation of many components to be manufactured by Indian defence industry," it said. The jets would be manufactured at Nasik division of HAL. "The supply of these aircraft would enhance the .

Govt clears Rs 22,000 crore for Su-30 fighter jets, 100 K-9 howitzers

In a major success for Make in India in defence sector, the Cabinet Committee on Security today cleared two major projects worth around Rs 20,000 crore for 12 Su-30 MKI fighter jets for the Indian Air Force and 100 K-9 Vajra Self-propelled howitzers for the Indian Army.The two projects were cleared on Thursday by the CCS and the contract for the Su-30-MKI jets has already been inked, defence sources informed ANI.The 12 SU-30MKI jets for the Indian Air Force would be licensed manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at its Nashik facility and cost around Rs 13,000 crore.These will replace aircraft that have been lost over the last many years.The order for 100 K-9 self-propelled howitzers to be made by Larsen and Toubro at Hazira in Gujarat would be a repeat order as already 100 of them have been inducted into the Army.L & T has increased the indigenous content in the howitzers.The two projects for the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limiter and the L & T are ...

India's 2024 missile breakthroughs: Game-changing tech boosts defence might

India's defence strides in 2024 bring it closer to elite powers like the US, Russia, and China. Discover how groundbreaking missile tech is reshaping its nuclear deterrence and warfare edge

Army's 'Operation Sadbhavana' transforming remote villages in Arunachal

In the remote villages of Arunachal Pradesh, where the local tribals were once wary of the armed forces, the Indian Army has now become synonymous with hope and trust courtesy of its philanthropic efforts. From building schools, providing healthcare, developing sports infrastructure and addressing the locals' concerns, the army, under 'Operation Sadbhavana, is not only securing the borders but also working for people's welfare and easing their day-to-day struggles. In Bene village in the West Siang district of the state, more than 300 km from the capital Itanagar, the army installed fencing around a government school for the safety of the 50 children who study there. "We get continuous support from the army. The army has recently got the school fencing done. We have urged them to adopt our school," Principal of the government upper primary school Tumto Ete said. The school has eight rooms, smart classrooms and an alumni association, the principal said. Similarly, the Eastern Comma

India dispatches first Akash air defence missile battery for export: BEL

Akash surface-to-air missile system battery being exported to 'friendly foreign country', widely speculated to be Armenia, though not officially confirmed

OROP key step towards reaffirming nation's gratitude to its heroes: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the implementation of 'one rank one pension' for veterans was a significant step towards reaffirming the nation's gratitude to its heroes. In posts on X, he noted that the scheme, a promise of the BJP before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, was implemented on this day. His government took the decision to implement OROP by issuing an order on November 7, 2015, making its benefits effective from July 1, 2014. "It would make you all happy that over the decade, lakhs of pensioners and pensioner families have benefitted from this landmark initiative. Beyond the numbers, OROP represents the government's commitment to the well-being of our armed forces," he said. The prime minister said his government will always do everything possible to strengthen the armed forces and further the welfare of those who serve the nation. He said the execution of OROP was a tribute to the courage and sacrifices of veterans and ex-service personnel who dedicate th

Coast Guard chief calls on Army chief, discusses ICG's capacity building

Later in the day, the Coast Guard chief called on President Droupadi Murmu and apprised her of the ICG's steadfast dedication to maritime law enforcement and national security

India, US hold 21st Military Cooperation meet in Delhi to strengthen ties

The 21st edition of India-US Military Cooperation Group (MCG) meeting commenced in New Delhi on Wednesday.The meeting was Co-chaired from the Indian side by Lt Gen JP Mathew, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) and Lt Gen Joshua M Rudd, Deputy Commander (USINDOPACOM),.The discussions in the meeting focused on new initiatives under the ambit of existing bilateral defence cooperation mechanisms, a social media post from HQ IDS said."Opportunities for strengthening the ongoing India-US defence engagements and continued interoperability to address mutual security concerns towards maintaining peace & stability in the Indo-Pacific were key deliberations.," the post further reads.As per a government release, the India-US MCG is a forum established to progress defence cooperation between the countries through regular talks at the strategic and operational levels between Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff and the US Indo-Pacific Command.Earlier on Monday, The 15th edition of ...

Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh appointed as next chief of Indian Air Force

Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who has more than 5,000 hours of flying experience, will be the next chief of the Indian Air Force, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari. Singh, currently serving as the Vice Chief of Air Staff, will take charge of the force on the afternoon of September 30, the defence ministry said. "The government has appointed Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, presently serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, as the next Chief of the Air Staff, in the rank of Air Chief Marshal, with effect from the afternoon of September 30," it said. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari will retire from service on September 30. Born on October 27, 1964, Air Marshal Singh was commissioned into the fighter pilot stream of the Indian Air Force in December 1984. During his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 40 years, he has served in a variety of command, staff, instructional and foreign appointments. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Service

First-ever future warfare course for various ranks to start on Sep 23: CDS

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Thursday said a first-ever future warfare course, which will be attended by the officers of different ranks, is slated to start on September 23. In an interaction session at Bharat Shakti Defence Conclave here, he also spoke of the broader contours of the planned joint theatre commands envisioned by the government. He was asked about the takeaways from a recent conference of commanders from the three Services. "We also discussed how warfare is evolving and what we need to do about it, and that I think is a important. In that we discussed something like a future warfare course, which is going to start after four days, on 23rd (September), the first-ever course, which we are curating it," the Chief of Defence Staff said. It's slightly different from a regular course, where the officers of similar rank attend a course, he said. "This is rank-agnostic, and you will see officers from the rank of a Major to a Major General attending this ..

Tejinder Singh takes charge as Deputy Chief of Air Staff at Vayu Bhawan

Air Marshal Tejinder Singh on Sunday took over as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, the Defence Ministry said. After taking charge at the Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan), the Air Marshal paid homage to the bravehearts, who made the supreme sacrifice, by laying wreath at the National War Memorial here. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Air Marshal Singh was commissioned in the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on June 13, 1987. He is a Category 'A' Qualified Flying Instructor with over 4,500 hours of flying and an alumnus of the Defence Service Staff College and National Defence College, the ministry said in a statement. He has commanded a fighter squadron, a radar station, a premier fighter base and was the Air Officer Commanding, Jammu and Kashmir. "His varied staff appointments include Operational Staff at a Command HQ, Air Commodore (Personnel Officers-1) at Air HQ, Deputy Assistant Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Financial (Planning)

Vietnam proposes five key focus areas in defence cooperation with India

India and Vietnam have held a key defence meeting here during which it was proposed to have cooperation in emerging areas such as cyber security, information security, military medicine and submarine search and rescue, officials said on Friday. The 14th India-Vietnam Defence Policy Dialogue took place in New Delhi on Thursday. It was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Deputy Minister of National Defence of Vietnam Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, they said. "During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the range of bilateral defence cooperation issues and noted the transformative progress in the ties after the signing of the 'Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030' in June 2022 during the visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Vietnam," the defence ministry said in a statement. After the meeting, the defence secretary and the deputy minister of national defence of Vietnam signed a Letter of Intent to strengthen ...

India to deliver first set of BrahMos missiles to Philippines on Friday

The Indian Air Force is sending its American origin C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft with the missiles to Philippines to deliver the weapon system to the Philippines Marine Corps

India successfully flight-tests Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile: DRDO

India on Thursday successfully flight-tested the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off the coast of Odisha, the DRDO said. During the test, all subsystems performed as per expectation. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO for the successful test flight of the ITCM. He stated that the successful development of the indigenous long-range subsonic cruise missile powered by indigenous propulsion is a major milestone for Indian defence R&D. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said that the performance of the missile was monitored by several Range Sensors such as Radar, Electro Optical Tracking System (EOTS) and Telemetry deployed by the Integrated Test Range at various locations to ensure complete coverage of the flight path. The flight of the missile was also monitored from the Su-30-Mk-I aircraft of the Indian Air Force, they said. The missile followed the desired path using waypoint navigation an

INS Sumitra rescues fishermen from Somali pirate hijacking in Arabian sea

Around 17 crew members fell victim to the hijacking after Iranian fishing vessel MV Iman was hijacked

Rajnath Singh's UK visit first by Indian defence minister in 22 years

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to embark upon a three-day visit to the UK from Monday, seen as significant to the bilateral partnership in the sphere of defence and security as the last ministerial level visit took place 22 years ago. Singh's previously planned visit to the UK in June 2022 was called off by the Indian side for protocol reasons, making next week's tour a highly anticipated one. Besides wide-ranging talks with his UK counterpart, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, Singh is expected to inspect a ceremonial Guard of Honour and undertake visits to Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B.R. Ambedkar memorials in London. A community interaction with members of the Indian diaspora in the UK is also expected to be part of his three-day itinerary. This visit is significant in terms of both optics and substance. In terms of the former, this is the first visit of India's defence minister to the UK in 22 years the last visit was by then defence minister of a previous BJP-led government, .

Air power would continue to play a pivotal role, says Chief of Air Staff

The world is at a pivotal juncture and winds of change are blowing strongly in India's favour, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said on Friday. The Air Chief Marshal also said that India's rise in the Global South marks a "pivotal point" in international affairs. He was speaking at a seminar on "India and Global South: Challenges and Opportunities". "Rooted in a rich historical tapestry, the country's emergence from colonial shadows to a prominent global player brings forth a myriad of challenges and opportunities," the chief of Indian Air Force said. "Understanding the complex dynamics at play is crucial in navigating a future shaped by interconnectedness," he said. The 20th Subroto Mukherjee seminar was organised by Centre for Air Power Studies. "As we navigate these uncharted skies, air power being a key component of national power, would undoubtedly play a pivotal role and also serve as a symbol of national strength, a tool for peace and collaboration," he .

Defence Ministry body distributes Rs 932 cr to over 370,000 beneficiaries

Singh said on the sidelines of an event organised by the KSB on Friday to honour veterans and kin of martyrs ahead of Armed Forces Flag Day

This defence company's stock has soared 102% in 2 weeks; posts solid Q1 nos

Shares of Premier Explosives were locked in 10 per cent upper circuit after the company's Q1FY24 profit jumped over six-fold to Rs 8.26 crore

Kite-flying to spymaster: Meet Ravi Sinha, Secy, Research & Analysis Wing

As Sinha assumes charge of an organisation that was founded and headed by the legendary R N Kao in 1968, he faces many challenges, some legacy ones