SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is on the verge of approving a massive ?25,000 crore order for the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) system, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), according to idrw.org sources. This significant procurement, following the completion of Limited Series Production (LSP) unit deliveries in FY 2024-25, aims to enhance the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) ability to counter aerial threats, particularly in light of recent escalations along the Indo-Pak border. However, while the order signals a push for indigenous defense solutions, it also raises questions about the system’s readiness and the IAF’s broader air defense strategy.
The QRSAM, designed to provide 360-degree air defense coverage, is a mobile system mounted on an Ashok Leyland 8×8 truck, capable of intercepting aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles within a 30 km range and up to 10 km altitude. Developed by DRDO in collaboration with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), the QRSAM features a single-stage, solid-propellant missile with a mid-course inertial navigation system, a two-way data link, and a terminal active radar seeker developed by Research Centre Imarat.
Continue readingSOURCE: IDRW.ORG
In a significant push to enhance the electronic warfare (EW) capabilities of its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the development of Radar Warning Receiver and Jammer (RWJ) radomes.
Released in early 2025 by the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), this RFP invites Indian industrial partners to design and produce lightweight radomes that house RWJ systems, critical for detecting and countering enemy radar threats. With stringent operational specifications and a focus on indigenous innovation, this move underscores India’s ambition to bolster its UAV fleet for modern combat scenarios.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
The 2019 Balakot air strike, conducted by the Indian Air Force in response to a terror attack in Pulwama, marked a significant escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan. The subsequent air skirmish highlighted vulnerabilities in both nations’ air defense systems, prompting a rapid push to acquire advanced Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems to bolster their aerial defense capabilities.
Since then, both countries have taken delivery of several major SAM systems to enhance their strategic deterrence and protect their airspace. This article explores the key SAM acquisitions by India and Pakistan post-2019, their capabilities, and the implications for regional security.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
In a recent Medium article titled The Rise of the PAF: Asia’s Third Air Power, published on May 4, 2025, Amir Husain claims that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is poised to become Asia’s third most powerful air force, trailing only Russia and China, based on nine analytical pillars. Husain cites the PAF’s modernization, including fifth-generation fighters like the J-35, Turkish KAAN, and indigenous PFX, alongside a robust drone fleet, cyber capabilities, and infrastructure redundancy.
However, a critical examination reveals that these claims are overstated, rooted in speculative projections rather than current realities. In 2025, the PAF ranks fourth in Asia, behind China, India, and South Korea, with significant gaps in fleet size, technological sophistication, and operational readiness that undermine Husain’s assertions. This article counters Husain’s narrative, highlighting the PAF’s limitations and why the Indian Air Force (IAF) and others maintain a clear edge.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
On May 3, 2025, Pakistan conducted a test-firing of its Abdali (Hatf-II) tactical ballistic missile, a land-based, road-mobile system designed to target enemy installations and assets. The test, part of Exercise INDUS, aimed to validate operational readiness and technical parameters, including advanced navigation and maneuverability, amid heightened tensions with India following the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terrorist attack.
Official Pakistani statements claim the Abdali has a range of 450 km, though open sources, including Wikipedia, cite a range of 180–200 km. With a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of 100–150 meters and conventional warheads—High Explosive (HE) or Improved Conventional Munitions (ICM)—the Abdali poses a limited but notable threat to India’s forward military bases and infrastructure. This article evaluates the Abdali’s capabilities, the strategic threat it presents, and how India’s layered air and missile defense systems, including MR-SAM, Akash-NG, and Ashwin (AAD), can effectively counter it.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
In a remarkable display of technological prowess, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted a sophisticated mock “dogfight” in space, utilizing its Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target). This high-stakes maneuver, reported on May 4, 2025, by Deccan Herald, involved precise, close-quarters orbital maneuvers at speeds of 28,800 km/h, approximately 28 times faster than a commercial jet, in a low Earth orbit 475–500 km above Earth. T
he operation, metaphorically termed a “dogfight” due to its resemblance to aerial combat maneuvers, showcases India’s growing capabilities in autonomous satellite operations and positions it as a formidable player in space technology, following in the footsteps of China, which conducted similar exercises in 2024. This article explores the significance of ISRO’s achievement, the technical details of the SpaDeX mission, and its implications for India’s space ambitions, amidst regional tensions with China and Pakistan.
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In a significant move to strengthen its defence manufacturing capabilities, Apollo Defence Industries Private Limited (ADIPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyderabad-based Apollo Micro Systems Limited (AMS), has signed a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) on May 2, 2025, to acquire 100% equity of IDL Explosives Limited for ?107 crore in an all-cash transaction.
IDL Explosives, a subsidiary of GOCL Corporation under the Hinduja Group—one of the largest diversified transnational conglomerates with a presence in over 100 countries—is a leading manufacturer of packaged and bulk explosives for mining and infrastructure projects. The acquisition, expected to close within two to three months pending regulatory approvals, marks a strategic leap for Apollo Micro Systems as it expands into defence explosives, aligning with India’s push for self-reliance in defence production. This article explores the details of the deal, the significance of IDL Explosives, and its implications for India’s defence and industrial sectors.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
Canadian journalist Daniel Bordman on Sunday (local time) shared a video of an anti-Hindu parade in Canada’s Malton Gurdwara, Toronto and asked whether Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney will be different from former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau in dealing with Khalistanis. In a post shared on X, Bordman stated, “The Jihadis rampaging through our streets have done significant damage to the social fabric running around threatening any Jews they can find. But the Khalistanis are giving them a good run for their money on most hateful foreign funded menace to society.
Will Mark Carney’s Canada be any different from Justin Trudeau’s?” He made the statement in response to a post shared by a user named Shawn Binda on the social media platform X. In the post, Binda mentioned that Khalistani group at Malton Gurdwara demanded deportation of 800,000 Hindus to India and termed it a “blatant anti-Hindu hatred from a Khalistani terrorist group.” “K-Gang at Malton Gurdwara (Toronto) shamelessly demands 800,000 Hindus–whose vibrant communities span Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, South Africa, Netherlands, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Kenya, and beyond–be deported to “Hindustan.
Continue readingSOURCE: REUTERS
India has begun work to boost reservoir holding capacity at two hydroelectric projects in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, after fresh tension with Pakistan led it to suspend a water-sharing pact.
Last month, New Delhi suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between the nuclear-armed rivals that ensures supply to 80 percent of Pakistani farms after an attack in Kashmir killed 26, and it identified two of the three assailants as Pakistani.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
The civil and military leadership of Pakistan has briefed the country’s political parties on tensions with India in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.
All political parties barring former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party attended the in-camera briefing on Sunday, the Dawn newspaper reported. The political leaders vowed a robust response if India resorted to any “misadventure”, the paper quoted a source privy to the briefing as saying.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
Pakistan will respond with “full spectrum of force”, including nuclear, if it is attacked or its vital water flow disrupted, Pakistan’s ambassador here has warned amid tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Muhammad Khalid Jamali made the comments during an interview with Russia’s state-run TASS news agency on Sunday. Warning that Pakistan was prepared to respond to any aggression, the ambassador said, “We in Pakistan will use the full spectrum of force, both conventional and nuclear.”
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Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the backdrop of increasing tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack. The meeting comes a day after Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A P Singh met Prime Minister Modi and is understood to have discussed the security situation.
Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi had on Saturday apprised the prime minister on the overall situation in the critical sea lanes in the Arabian Sea.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday held bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart, General Nakatani in the national capital and thanked the Japanese government for expressing solidarity with India over the recent terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam in which 26 people were killed.
Defence Minister praised Nakatani for his efforts to deepen defence cooperation between the between the the two countries. In his remarks at the start of the India-Japan Defence Ministerial Meeting, Rajnath Singh recalled his earlier meeting with Nakatani and expressed confidence that the cooperation between the two countries will reach greater heights.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
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In a joint operation carried out on Monday, Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch Police and Army’s Romeo Force busted a suspected terror hideout in the Surankot village of Poonch, recovering five Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), multiple radio sets, wires and binoculars and blankets.
Poonch police released photos from the hideout, showing multiple radio sets and five IEDs that were recovered. This major bust comes just a day after Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, VK Birdi held a joint security review meeting at PCR Kashmir, which was attended by officers from multiple security forces, including the Police, Army, Intelligence Agencies, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
Three more people have been apprehended from different parts of Assam for “defending Pakistan on Indian soil” following the Pahalgam terror attack, taking the total number of arrests to 42 so far, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said.
In a post on X on Sunday late night, Sarma said one person each was apprehended from Barpeta, Hojai and Chirang districts. “#Update on Crackdown against traitors for defending Pakistan on Indian soil… Total of 42 Anti Nationals put behind BARS,” he added.
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