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SOURCE: HT
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi telling him to respond to the contempt petition for attributing remarks to the top court in the Rafale case. The notice was issued after a request from Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer Abhishek Singhvi who urged the judges to close the contempt case against him after his explanation yesterday.
In his affidavit filed on Monday, Rahul Gandhi had clarified his remarks in connection with the top court order related to the review of Rafale case, insisting that they were in the heat of the moment during a campaign and not meant to obstruct administration of justice or scandalise the court in any manner. Continue reading
SOURCE: HT
Ten days after he filed a statutory complaint to defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman against his supersession, Vice-Admiral Bimal Verma will on Tuesday come face-to-face with the junior officer, Vice-Admiral Karambir Singh, who was named as the next navy chief by the government last week, officials familiar with the matter said.
The two top admirals are among the battery of senior navy officials who will attend the biannual Naval Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi from April 23 to April 25. Continue reading
SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
State-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has confirmed that the developmental trial phase of long-delayed Nirbhay Sub-Cruise missile is officially over and the DRDO has approached Indian Navy and Indian Army to come up with their own specific variant requirements, which will enable the missile system to enter production in next three years.
Indian Navy has asked, DRDO for a Ship-based Nirbhay Sub-Cruise missile variant with a range in excess of 1500 km and could prefer a range close to 2000 km, which DRDO is currently studying by making available extra onboard fuel in the missile and by also improving fuel burn ratio but Indian Army has come up with new requirements which can take more developmental time. Continue reading
SOURCE: DRDO PRESS RELEASE
Indian Navy successfully carried out testing of Sahayak Air Droppable Containers, developed by Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam in collaboration with Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra. The containers can be air-dropped to enhance Navy’s operational logistics capability at sea. With capacity of up to 50 kg, these containers can carry spares for ships up to 2000 km away from the coast.
The trials were undertaken into the Arabian Sea on 8 January 2019 from an IL-38 aircraft off the coast of Goa. A test payload of 50 kg was dropped in the container, which descended to the sea with the help of a parachute. Speaking after the trials, a naval spokesperson said: The containers would reduce the requirement of ships to be close to the coast for collecting spares and stores, thereby increasing the duration of their deployment. The Sahayak containers would enhance navy’s operational logistics capability. Continue reading
SOURCE: DNA INDIA
Indian security agencies have sounded a red alert in Tamil Nadu, warning that the perpetrators of the dastardly terror attacks in Sri Lanka may flee via sea towards the coastal state. The Coast Guard and Navy have been put on high alert and mobilized.
Sri Lankan police have arrested 24 people in connection with the series of suicide bombings targeting hotels and churches, all allegedly associates of National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ), a group allegedly funded and supported by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Sources say ISI has been using Idara Khidmat-e-Khalq (IKK) as a proxy to radicalize unemployed Muslims youths in Sri Lanka and coax them to join the NTJ. A strong presence of NTJ members in Tamil Nadu and Kerala have caused security apparatus in these states to be beefed up. Continue reading
SOURCE: THE PRINT
In a boost to India’s deterrence capabilities, the phase one of the ambitious Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) programme has been completed and a formal nod for the deployment of active missiles is expected soon, top sources told ThePrint.
Phase one of the programme will cover Delhi and Mumbai, and guard them against incoming ballistic missiles. “The phase one of the Ballistic Missile Defence programme has been completed. We have deployed two indigenous long-range radars as part of the programme. As and when we get an all-clear from the government, the specific missiles will be deployed,” a top source in the defence establishment told ThePrint. Continue reading
SOURCE: SPUTNIK
India will soon begin flight tests of its first 400 kg thrust class Small Turbofan Engine (STFE) as a power plant for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) targeted for subsonic applications. The state-funded Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) realised six prototype engines with 95% indigenous components last year.
The GTRE test was tested at Bengaluru in southern India as well as at Leh in northern-most India, according to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).”The GTRE tested the engine for max power setting at Bengaluru for 90 minutes continuous operation. During peak winter, the engine was tested at Leh at (-15 degree Celsius)”, DRDO’s statement read. Continue reading
SOURCE: ANI
India will soon have 12 more nuclear plants soon to improve the power situation and ensure there is a free flow of uninterrupted power supply for both industries and residential use, a statement issued on Monday here quoted Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), KN Vyas, as saying.
“Nuclear technology helps in betterment of lives through varied usages and is an irreplaceable source of clean, pollution-free energy,” the statement quoted Vyas, who is also the Atomic Energy Commission of India’s Chairman, as saying at the 11th International Forum AtomExpo 2019, sponsored by Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, held in Sochi, Russia, recently. Continue reading
SOURCE: ASIA TIMES
For years the US, Russia, Britain, France and China were the only powers that possessed the ability to project nuclear weapons power with submarines in the Indian Ocean region, but on on March 31, 2016, India joined the fray with its first nuclear-powered ballistic missile-carrying submarine, INS Arihant (SSBN 80), test-firing the K-4 nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
The INS Arihant is an indigenously-built nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads with a strike range of up to 3,500 kilometers, providing for an undersea nuclear deterrent or a second-strike capability. The submarine completed its first deterrence patrol on November 5, 2018, which led India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to emphasize, “In an era such as this, a credible nuclear deterrent is the need of the hour. Today is historic because it marks the completing of the successful establishment of the nuclear triad. India’s nuclear triad will be an important pillar of global peace and stability.” Continue reading
SOURCE: DRDO PRESS RELEASE
Defence Scientific Information and Documentation Centre (DESIDOC), Delhi, brought out a monograph titled “The Incredible Journey of Indian AWACS” authored by K Ramchand, S Krishnasamy and BR Srikant. The monograph chronicles the enthusiasm and excitement of the relentless pursuit of development of an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) System and is an inspiring narrative of scientists, engineers and men in uniform who battled against all odds to design and operate an Indian AEW&C System
Every Chapter of the monograph mirrors the innumerable hurdles, which were conquered with key personalities recounting their experience in employing unique skills to achieve the desired results ultimately resulting in India’s entry into the exclusive league of nations with a capability to design, develop, and fly an indigenous AEW&C System. Continue reading
SOURCE: ENS
India has, once again, decided to not participate in China’s second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) due on April 25, which is likely to be attended by around 40 heads of government. Not surprisingly, China has expressed its disappointment. Should this be seen as another symptom of the chronic differences the India-China bilateral relationship faces, or is this just a manifestation of China’s lack of understanding of India’s concerns? Was India’s 2018 Wuhan rendezvous with China a mistake? These questions have overshadowed India’s China policy debates lately.
SOURCE: PTI
With an aim to alleviate the challenges of critically injured Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers, India has presented 100 motorised wheelchairs to them, Defence Ministry statement said Monday.
Till date, the Indian Army has also trained 4,880 ANA personnel in various professional, educational and military training programs, including ANA doctors and medical technicians. Continue reading
SOURCE: HT
The United States on Monday said it will stop in May all waivers that allow eight nations, including India, to buy Iranian oil without facing sanctions, triggering a rise in global crude prices and a slump in Indian markets. The decision, taken by US President Donald Trump to pressure Tehran to give up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, sent oil prices to their highest in 2019, though the White House said it was working with top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to ensure the market is “adequately supplied”.
“President Donald J Trump has decided not to reissue Significant Reduction Exceptions [SREs – as the waivers are called] when they expire in early May,” the White House said in a statement. “This decision is intended to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero, denying the regime its principal source of revenue.” Continue reading
SOURCE: AFP
A senior US diplomat is headed for New Delhi to hold discussions on a “free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region”, a phrase often used while dealing with China’s aggressive posture in the region.
The meeting comes ahead of Beijing’s second Belt and Road Forum, which India and the US are not attending. Principal deputy secretary of state Alice Wells, who heads the state department’s South and Central Asia section, “will meet with senior Indian government officials to discuss US-India cooperation in promoting a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region”, the US state department said in a statement Monday. Continue reading
SOURCE: DNA INDIA
A day before polls, stashes of cash were burnt after a truck ferrying currency notes mysteriously caught fire in Qazigund area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
The driver and conductor jumped to safety but the truck suffered major damages.During the fire-fighting operation, bundles of burnt cash were recovered from the truck, besides other material. Both were seized by police.Police said the truck, on its way to Jammu from Srinagar, was carrying scrap and was being driven by Nazir Ahmad Rather along with conductor Inamul Haq. Continue reading