BY : IANS



The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the country's premier military research organisation, Monday said it had successfully acquired the technology to launch missiles from the ocean depths, becoming the world's fifth country to do so.

The acknowledgement came when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave away the performance excellence award 2007 to A.K Chakrabarti, under whose leadership a team of 86 scientists achieved the success under this project called K-15.

“The team has designed and developed a state-of-the-art missile system with the capability of being launched from sub-surface (underwater) environment,” the DRDO's citation said.

BY :RIA Novosti



A manufacturing plant in southwest China has started to assemble Russian-designed Mi-171 transport helicopters, one of Russia's key arms exports, the Russian business daily Vedomosti said on Monday.

China plans to build at least 20 helicopters in 2008 with assembly kits supplied by a Russian plant in Ulan-Ude and later increase production capacity to 80 aircraft per year.

"We consider this project as the beginning of a trend to assembly Russian helicopters in China," the newspaper quoted a source in Oboronprom, which controls

BY: Indian Express Newspapers

With the request for proposals (RFPs) in for the $10-billion 126 medium range multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA, the race is now getting hotter with the US Navy pushing for the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

“The F/A-18 has delivered on all that it promised to do - and more. We are sure it will do the same for you,” captain Hal Murdoch, commander of the Strike Fighter Wing of the US Pacific Fleet, told a group of visiting Indian journalists here on Thursday.

“This is the best that the IAF can get. This is the best that the US Navy is using,” said Murdock who controls half of the air combat striking power of the US Navy from Lemoore.

BY: Shahid Faridi

Italian helicopter giant AgustaWestland, manufacturer of the state-of-the-art EH-101 choppers, is all set to get a contract for the supply of 12 helicopters to carry Indian VVIPs.

The deal is worth about 400 million Euros (2,600 crore rupees) but is expected to go up to 600 million Euros (3,900 crore rupees) as India is planning to ask the suppliers to install a few more equipments on the choppers. A Field Evaluation done by the IAF has recommended the EH-101, now known as AW-101 helicopters, as the machine that would be safe, spacious, high-powered and comfortable to be used to ferry the Indian president, prime minister, and other top VVIPs across the country.

BY : IANS

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to induct two squadrons of the indigenous Akash Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM).

The all-weather, multi-target missile was accepted by the IAF recently after nine successful field trials, including a ripple fire in the electronic clutter, according to Dr Prahlada (uses only one name), Distinguished Scientist and Chief Controller in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Prahlada is quoted in the coming issue of India Strategic defence magazine as saying that although the missile was declared ready for induction after a December 2007

BY : IANS

The Indian Navy, besides eyeing nuclear-powered submarines, will soon be inducting six new submarines to become a true “blue water navy”, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta said Friday. “As per the long term perspective plan of the Indian Navy, presently 34 ships are under construction at different shipyards of the country and six submarines would be inducted soon,” Mehta told reporters at the end of the three-day Naval Commanders’ Conference here.

The Navy will soon be floating tenders for six submarines, apart from the six French Scorpene subs being built indigenously.

Mehta said the Indian Navy essentially required three aircraft carriers and nuclear- powered submarines to strengthen its fleet strength and to ensure operational capability.

BY : Amit Baruah FOR Hindustan Times

Autonomy of decision making in the developmental process and in strategic matters is an inalienable democratic right of the Indian people. India will strenuously guard this right in a world where nuclear weapons for a select few are sought to be legitimised for an indefinite future, and where there is growing complexity and frequency in the use of force for political purposes.

Extract from India’s nuclear doctrine, first made public in August 1999

It came as a timely reminder. By testing the Agni-III and Hatf-VIII missiles earlier this week, India and Pakistan re-emphasised to each other and the rest of the world their status as nuclear powers.

Coming days before the 10th anniversary of the Pokhran-II nuclear tests, the flawless flight of Agni-III sent out a message not just to Pakistan, but the rest of the neighbourhood that India was pushing ahead with the induction of this missile, capable of hitting targets 3,000-km away. In turn, by testing the short-range,

BY : TIMES NEWS NETWORK

India is moving towards signing a big contract with France for the upgrade of the 51 Mirage-2000 fighter jets in the IAF combat fleet, which comes after a $964 million deal was inked with Russia to upgrade 63 MiG-29s.

The bone of contention between India and France for the Mirage-2000 upgrade, however, remains the huge cost of the
deal, which is in the region of 1 billion Euro.

"We are awaiting the response of the French companies (Thales and Dassault Aviation) for our request for proposal. The formal price negotiations will then follow," said a defence ministry official.

"The deal should be signed within this year. The French government has assured us the upgradation charges will be the same as for the French air force," he added.

BY : IANS

The race for a $10 billion Indian order for 126 fighters just got hotter with the US Navy enthusiastically batting for the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, saying it was best suited for an Indian Air Force (IAF) requirement for a multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA).

Such was the spirit with which UN Navy pilots put the jet through its paces at this sprawling air base in central California that it left no doubt it was making a strong pitch for the fighter that it assisted Boeing in developing.

"The F/A-18 has delivered on all that it promised to do - and more. We are sure it will do the same for you," Captain Hal Murdoch, commander of the Strike Fighter Wing of the US Pacific Fleet, told a group of visiting Indian journalists here Thursday.

He spoke after pilots of the US Navy's VFA 122 "Screaming Eagles" squadron performed a series of intricate manoeuvres in the sky and displayed the quick reaction ability of the F/A-18 to get airborne after a threat was detected.

BY : THE HINDU



Riding on the success of the test-firing of the 3,500 km range, nuclear-capable Agni-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile, the DRDO scientists team involved in the Agni project is planning to complete the design for the first developmental flight of Agni-V ( 5,000 km) in two years. Besides, the team also proposes to equip Agni-V in the later stages with multiple warheads and anti-ballistic missile counter measures.

Talking to reporters here on Friday, Agni’s programme director and Advanced Systems Laboratory director Avinash Chander said, “We are getting ready for the 5,000 km system. Designs are in progress.”

With most of the inputs coming from Agni-III, the technological capability existed for developing a ballistic missile of 5,000 km range.