BY : IANS

Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal Fali H. Major has not been able to vote for the last 10 years because, like most people in the armed forces, he has not been home at election time. He has now sought streamlining of the voting system for the armed forces.”The last I voted was 10 years ago when I was at my home on vacation. In total I have voted only four times,” Major told IANS.

Born in 1947, Major joined the IAF in 1967. The fact that the IAF chief has voted only four times during his 41 years of service underscores the failure of successive government to give effective voting rights to the armed forces.

A majority of Indian armed forces personnel have never voted during their service tenure. With the Lok Sabha elections due next year, armed forces p

BY : NDTV

When it come to India's strategic relationship with the United States, one often refers to the nuclear deal. But perhaps the most visible example of this is in military ties.

For the last several years, India and the US have been engaging in progressively more complex military exercises and are currently participating in the most sophisticated air combat exercises in the world called Red Flag in the state of Nevada.

Such exercises are reserved only for the closest military allies of the United States.

Through this exercise, a young fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force gets a chance for a sortie where he will pit his skills ag

BY:IANS

The Indian Air Force (IAF) faces a shortage of 400 pilots and it will take five years to fill the gap, says its chief, Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major.

It takes 6-8 years of operational training before an IAF pilot can be fully utilized in his intended role.

"They have to be trained over a period of time and there are not shortcuts. We are short of about 400 pilots but with the measures we are taking, we will make good the shortage in the next five years," the chief of the air staff said.

Overall, the IAF is short of about 800 officers.

BY : LIVE MINT

Nearly 20 years after it promised an indigenous engine to power India’s light combat aircraft Tejas, the Gas Turbine Research Establishment, or GTRE, the country’s sole aero engine design house, is now seeking outside help.
It has chosen French aircraft engine maker Snecma SA to jointly build an engine to replace Kaveri, a project named after the river in southern India. T. Mohana Rao, director of GTRE, a unit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, explains why it had to choose a partner and talks about the future of the Kaveri programme. Edited Excerpts:

What is the status of the Kaveri engine development project?

We have a functional engine, but there is a slight shortfall in performance. It has achieved dry thrust of 4,600kg and reheat thrust of 7,000kg in Bangalore, which is

BY : REDIFF

Exhibiting superiority of tact and technique, Indian Air Force's special force commandos 'The Garuds' neutralised an enemy radar site, captured an air field and carried out combat search and rescue operations in the Nevada desert of the US, during Exercise Red Flag there.

Capturing the enemy airfield (Red Forces), simulated at about 60 km from the border and considered strategically important for friendly forces, the 'Garuds' overcame the medium threat environment and adequate defensive measures, neutralised the enemy radar site and captured the airfield within the stipulated two hours based on intelligence, which identified the location of the airfield in a desert terrain.

BY : ZEE NEWS

After months of acrimony, Russia has finally agreed to transfer key technology for the frontline T-90 tanks enabling Indian armament factories to now go ahead full steam to produce these weapon platforms indigenously.

"Russians have finally agreed to supply specifications of the T-90 tank barrels by end of this year," a top Defence ministry official said here today after the two-day long intensive deliberations between the two countries.

The delay in providing the specifications had held up the indigenous production of the T-90 tanks at the Avadi Heavy Vehicles Factory.

India and Russia have signed agreements for delivery of almost 1,200 T-90 tanks at a cost of a staggering US 1.2 billion dollars.

BY : PTI

As the nation resolves to achieve new milestones in 62nd year of its Independence, a move is afoot to build strong, heat-resistant, light-weight missiles which will add to Indias military might.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has approached the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) here to study the mechanical properties and characterisation of carbon nano tubes (CNT) composites, which are likely to be used to build such robust missiles.

"We have been sanctioned Rs 1.26 crore by the DRDO for the project which has been taken up by our nano-technology cell, and is likely to take three years to complete," MNNIT Director A B Samaddar said. Samaddar said the institute will

BY :PTI

A majority of Indian military pilots flying Russian helicopters, Mi-8 and Mi-17 are suffering from various types of backache which could impact their overall performance, a study has found.

Focusing on different aspects of backache, including frequency, location, severity and relief measures, the study said back pain was recorded among 67.74 per cent and 75.0 per cent pilots flying Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters respectively.

A total of 55 helicopter pilots with the average age of 32.35 years and 29.0 years currently flying Mi-8 and Mi-17 respectively participated in the study.

BY : THE HINDU

Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony said here on Sunday that the foundation stone for a manufacturing unit of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. would be laid in Kasaragod district on August 23.

Mr. Antony said the initial investment for the project would be Rs.66.31 crore and production was expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2009-10.

In the first phase, the facility would assemble, test and manufacture six types of air-borne mission computers. Thereafter, the facility would shift to production of other systems and sub-systems for various aircraft, such as the Medium Lif

BY : Zee News

In a bid to catch up with advances in fighter aircraft designs in the US and Europe, top Indian and Russian defence officials met here today to give final shape to the configuration and design of the planned joint futuristic fifth generation fighter.

The new fighter could cost anything between USD 10 and 12 billion, Indian officials want the aircraft to have super stealth and a very high degree network centricity.

Besides finalising the design of the fighter, the two-day meeting of the top Indian and Russian officials are also holding intensive dialogue to iron out the differences which have recently crept into the bilateral military ties.