SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
India’s quest for self-reliance in defence technology is gaining momentum, with significant advancements in its Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) program. Recent successful trials of the land-based variant from a truck-mounted launcher demonstrate progress towards a robust cruise missile arsenal.
Following the successful validation of the Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM) from submerged platforms last year, India has now validated the land-based ITCM system. This critical milestone signifies the operational readiness of the land-attack variant.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a state-run aerospace company, has partnered with Bengaluru-based startup NewSpace Research and Technologies to develop a next-generation weapon system – the Air-Launched Flexible Asset (Swarm), or ALFA-S.
These compact drones, measuring between 1 and 2 meters long, boast folding wings for efficient storage within canisters mounted on Indian Air Force aircraft. The pilot releases the drones at a safe distance from enemy defenses. Once airborne, the drones deploy their wings and utilize battery power to reach speeds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to extend the operational life of its single remaining squadron of Mi-35 attack helicopters until 2030. This decision comes as the IAF transitions its attack helicopter fleet towards more modern platforms.
Previously, the IAF operated two squadrons of the Mi-25/35 helicopters, a Soviet-era design. However, one squadron was phased out in 2019-20 following the induction of a more advanced attack helicopter, the Boeing AH-64E Apache.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
Space exploration is on the cusp of a new era, and two leading companies are joining forces to propel it forward. Bellatrix Aerospace, a rising star in the industry, has announced a collaboration with Arianespace, a European launch services provider, to develop a powerful new engine.
The centerpiece of this collaboration is a 35 kN thrust methalox engine. This innovative engine utilizes a combination of methane and liquid oxygen (lox) as propellants, offering several advantages over traditional fuels. Methane is not only cleaner-burning but also readily available, making it a sustainable choice for future space missions.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
The Chinese oceanographic research vessel, XIANG YANG HONG 03, has docked in Male, Maldives for the second time this year, raising eyebrows in the region. This follows the completion of another survey mission in the Indian Ocean, according to sources.
The XIANG YANG HONG 03 previously called at Male in February 2024. While officially for crew rotation and resupply, the vessel’s activities have been met with suspicion, particularly due to its past operations near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands without broadcasting its position.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
Indian Army Vice Chief Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi recently undertook a significant visit to several key defense manufacturing facilities, reflecting the nation’s commitment to self-reliance in defense production. His visit encompassed Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited, the Ordnance Factory Project in Korwa, as well as prestigious academic institutions like IIT Kanpur and the Adani Ammunition Complex.
At the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited facility, Lt Gen Dwivedi observed the production of assault rifles, crucial equipment for the Indian Army’s operational readiness. This facility’s contribution to providing state-of-the-art battlefield equipment aligns with India’s strategic goals of bolstering its defense capabilities through indigenous manufacturing.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
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Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Wednesday said that emergency procurement powers given by the government has helped the force to modernise itself. General Manoj Pande was addressing the Seminar themed “Year of Technology Absorption – Empowering the Soldier”, at the Manekshaw Centre conducted by Centre for Land Warfare Studies.
“Emergency procurement powers given by government over four tranches has helped us to modernise ourselves with contracts worth at Rs 18,000 crore signed under it. These equipment’s are now being used on the border,” General Manoj Pande said in a seminar organised by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), here.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
India will continue cooperation for countering misuse of information and communication technologies by terrorists and criminals, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said on Wednesday as he called for international cooperation for an open, stable, secure, reliable and inclusive framework for ensuring information security.
Speaking at a plenary session on Ensuring Information Security in the Polycentric World in St Petersburg, Doval underscored India’s policy to use digital technology for inclusive economic development.
Doval emphasised that India shall continue cooperation for countering misuse of information and communication technologies by terrorists and criminals, as also for countering terror funding. In that context, the UN Convention on cybercrime will be an important initiative at the international level, he said.
SOURCE: PTI
Evolution of technology has impacted warfare but technological advantage may just be reduced to a tactical level when it is taken away from the larger strategic context and regarded as the “sole driver” of success in a war, Army Chief General Manoj Pande said today.
In his address at a seminar in Delhi, he also said technologies are emerging in new unchartered domains, and “revolutionising and establishing a ‘new normal’ in different fields”. Gen Pande further said technology has also emerged as the “new strategic arena of competition, driving geo-political powerplays and is being leveraged for weaponisation of many domains, ranging from information to supply chains”.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
Pakistan and Iran have agreed that the Kashmir issue should be resolved through “peaceful means based on the will of the people” of the region, said a joint statement issued by the two countries after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s maiden visit on Wednesday.
President Raisi paid an official visit to Pakistan from April 22-24 at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising the Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian, as well as other members of the cabinet and senior officials.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held a bilateral meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and both sides reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and discussed important issues of mutual interest.
NSA Ajit Doval held the meeting on the sidelines of the XII International Meeting of High Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters in St Petersburg in Russia.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane is leading the Indian delegation to Kazakhstan’s Astana from April 25-26, 2024 for the Annual Meeting of the Defence Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States, the Ministry of Defence said in a release on Wednesday. The meeting will review the regional security issues within the SCO, including the defence cooperation initiatives.
Giridhar Aramane will deliver the India statement at the ministerial meeting, the Ministry said in its release. He will also hold meetings with Defence Ministers of the friendly countries of the SCO to discuss issues of bilateral defence cooperation, it added. Earlier this month, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval led a delegation at the 19th Meeting of Secretaries of the Security Council of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Astana.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
Security personnel on Wednesday recovered three powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) during an anti-Maoist operation launched in the extremist-hit Jimki Ikir village in West Singhbhum district, police said in a statement.
The village falls within the limits of the Tonto police station of the district. The security forces comprising CRPF, Cobra, Jharkhand Jaguar and district armed police were engaged in a combing operation in the core Kolhan area of the district following intelligence inputs on the presence of top proscribed Maoist leaders, including Misir Besra, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of West Singhbhum district, Ashutosh Shekhar, said.
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Separatist Amritpal Singh, who is currently lodged in a jail in Assam under the National Security Act, will fight the Lok Sabha polls from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib seat as an Independent candidate, his counsel claimed on Wednesday. However, his father, Tarsem Singh, said he would comment on the matter only after meeting his son on Thursday while asserting that Amritpal Singh had earlier not shown any interest in joining politics.
Amritpal Singh’s legal counsel Rajdev Singh Khalsa claimed that he met the separatist in Dibrugarh jail on Wednesday and requested him to contest the polls.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
Production house Excel Entertainment on Wednesday said it is joining hands with Sunshine Digimedia banner for ‘Operation Trident’, a film based on the Indian Navy’s attack during the 1971 India-Pakistan War.
The movie, backed by Excel Entertainment in collaboration with Sunshine Digimedia, was announced at the Nausena Bhawan, the new state-of-the-art headquarters of the Indian Navy here. According to the makers, the event was attended by Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, producer Ritesh Sidhwani, co-producers Kassim Jagmagia and Vishal Ramchandani of Excel Entertainment, and producer Abhinav Shukla and co-producer Priyanka Belorkar of Sunshine Digimedia.
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