SOURCE: PTI

More than 700 terrorists have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir over the last three years, the Home Ministry said on Tuesday.A total of 113 terrorists were killed between January and June 16 this year, 257 were killed in 2018, 213 in 2017 and 150 in 2016, taking the total number of those killed during the period to 733, it said.

As many as 112 civilians have also lost their lives during this period in the state. Of them, 15 had died in 2016, 40 in 2017, 39 in 2018 and 18 between January and June 16, this year. Continue reading →

SOURCE: ET

As many as 334 soldiers were killed from 2016 to 2018 in areas where the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is in force, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Monday. In a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Singh said 113 soldiers were killed in 2016, 125 in 2017 and 96 in 2018 in areas where the AFSPA is in force.

The AFSPA, which gives special powers to the armed forces, is in place in Jammu and Kashmir and certain parts of the north-east. Singh said 69 soldiers were killed in border skirmishes from 2016 to 2018.Responding to another question, he said the Army suffered 31 casualties during tactical actions in the said period. Continue reading →

SOURCE: INDIA TODAY

The Indian Army has cautioned its soldiers against an Instagram and a Facebook profile, saying that it could be that of a Pakistani spy, trying to gather classified information. It has said that social media profiles “Oyesoumya” on Instagram and “Gujjar Soumya” on Facebook have come to the notice of the Indian Army for their “duplicitous credentials”.

In an advisory, it said that the profiles could be of a spy trying to “target Army officers and special forces’ troops” and obtain classified information from them. The Indian Army said that there is a possibility that the profile is being used by agencies to create inroads into the social media accounts of gullible personnel to gain information of classified nature. Continue reading →

SOURCE: ANI

Mirage 2000, an aircraft which has for long been a part of the Indian Air Force’s history, especially the Kargil War, still remains “very important” for fighter pilots, who take “pride in flying this beautiful machine.”

Commemorating 20 years of the 1999 Kargil War, the Indian Air Force at Gwalior Air Base on Monday recreated the Tiger Hill attack and displayed aircraft used during the ‘Operation Vijay’.Talking about the event, Squadron Leader Kapil Kareem told ANI, “For any fighter pilot, he gets his wings at the age of 20-21. Since then, he is prepared for missions he is supposed to undertake in an actual war scenario. It can be an air to ground bombing or an air defence mission. So, he is every day prepared for that. We take pride in flying this beautiful machine. The capabilities are immense with the air defence, air to ground roles that can be undertaken by this aircraft. This beautiful machine never stands in between you and the mission being executed.” Continue reading →

SOURCE: NDTV

Twenty years ago, as a 24-year-old journalist, I had flown three sorties on Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter-bombers in July 1999 as the Kargil war wound down. The stories, which focused on the role of the Indian Air Force in the high-altitude fight, were done with some strict ground rules – I was never to report what I saw and heard of the integration of a key piece of Israeli-kit on the Mirages, a modification so critical that it helped the IAF turn the corner in operations during the war.

That key piece of equipment was the Israeli Litening laser designator pod, which, when ‘pulsed’ (fired), marks targets with an invisible beam. This beam is essentially the “path” that laser-guided bombs follow on being launched. The bombs track the laser and fly to the precisely selected point of impact. Continue reading →

SOURCE: The Telegraph

The Indian Territorial Army, which deploys personnel during national emergencies and natural disasters, has made the Aadhaar number a mandatory field to apply for its preliminary interview board exam that is the first step for enrolling with the organisation. The step may be in violation of the 2018 Supreme Court judgment that had said that giving the Aadhaar number cannot be made mandatory for exams as conducted by the CBSE, NEET, JEE, UGC.

The Territorial Army’s exam is conducted by the Sashastra Seema Bal. According to the 2018 judgment, other than for obtaining PAN, filing income tax returns and obtaining government subsidies and scholarships, giving Aadhaar details is not mandatory for anything else. Continue reading →

SOURCE: THE HINDU

More Indian-flagged crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers are taking the Indian Navy escort service on their journey through the Strait of Hormuz carrying oil and gas for Indian buyers after the government last week allowed fleet owners to deploy Navy guards to ensure that oil supplies are not disrupted amidst rising tensions between Iran and the United States.

M T Sri Vishnu, a Suezmax crude carrier owned by Global United Shipping Company (India) Pvt Ltd, took the help of the Indian Navy personnel while it transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, carrying crude oil for state-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) to be discharged at Sikka port in Gujarat. Continue reading →

SOURCE: PTI

A team of women peacekeepers from India has assumed duties in the UN mission in Congo, one of the most challenging peacekeeping missions, with a focus on working with women and children worst affected by conflict.

The Female Engagement Team (FET) from India, comprising nearly 20 women peacekeepers, began its deployment with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) last week. “India’s Female Engagement Team deployed in @UNPeacekeeping is on way to assume duties @MONUSCO (Democratic Republic of Congo)”, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin tweeted on June 20 along with a photograph of the women peacekeepers leaving India for their deployment. Continue reading →

SOURCE: NDTV

“We smoked a lot of cigarettes before the mission,” says the young Squadron Leader who was one among the group of pilots who struck the Jaish-e-Mohammad terror training facility near Balakot in Pakistan in February. “We kept pacing up and down once we knew what our mission was.”

The Squadron Leader was one among two Mirage 2000 fighter pilots who NDTV spoke to on their role in the attack, the first Indian Air Force assault on a target inside Pakistan since the 1971 war. NDTV has been requested not to reveal the names of either of the two pilots who we spoke to. “The entire operation took approximately two-and-a-half hours,” says the second Squadron Leader. Both pilots launched Spice 2000 satellite-guided bombs at the target. Continue reading →

SOURCE: PTI

The HAL has concrete orders to manufacture Su30 MKI, Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Dornier, Advanced Light Helicopter, Chetak, Cheetal helicopters among others and defence services have paid the aerospace major Rs 8,140 crore in the last six months, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said June 24. Arrears of Rs 868.14 crore are outstanding with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for its contractors, he said.

“The present capacity available in HAL is adequate to fulfil the existing orders, projects in hand. Currently, HAL has firm orders to manufacture platforms like Su-30 MKI, LCA, DO-228 (Dornier), ALH, Chetak and Cheetal helicopters,” Singh in a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha. Continue reading →

SOURCE: ZEE MEDIA

Upgrading Mirage 2000 and getting a 5th Generation Light Combat Aircraft will help the Indian Air Force in bridging the technological divide and ensuring a lethal arsenal, top air forces officers said on Monday. Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, pointed out that countries like China and Russia were already developing 5th Generation fighter jets.

He said, “China and Russia are trying to reach the 5th Generation fighter and our technology is of the 4th Generation.” He further said that the Indian Air Force was in the process of making a 5th Generation Light Combat Aircraft and the prototype of the same would be ready in 10 years. Continue reading →

SOURCE: HT

The Indian air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot was “over within 90 seconds” and the mission was carried out with such secrecy that not even close family members of the assault team knew about the developments, two pilots part of the predawn operation on February 26 said on Tuesday.

Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter planes destroyed the JeM camp in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s province after entering Pakistani airspace for the first time in 48 years following a suicide bombing claimed by the terror group that killed 40 troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama on February 14. Continue reading →

SOURCE: THE HINDU

There is “absolutely a possibility” that Pakistan could be on its blacklist after the international financial watchdog’s next meeting in October in Paris, the outgoing president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Marshall Billingslea, said on Friday. The comments were made at a press briefing at the end of the FATF plenary held in Orlando, Florida, an audio call of which was released to the press on Monday morning.

Pakistan had “significant” work to do and was, with regard to an action plan agreed in June 2018, “lacking in almost every respect”, Mr. Billingslea said.“Pakistan was cautioned in February at the plenary that they had missed almost all of their January milestones. And they were urged to not fail to meet the milestones in May. Unfortunately, Pakistan has yet again missed its May milestones,” he added. Continue reading →

SOURCE: PTI

Indian suppliers are an integral part of Boeing’s global supply chain, a top official of the aerospace major said as Boeing and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited marked an important milestone in their collaboration. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) celebrated a milestone with Boeing with the delivery of the 150th gun bay door for the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet is a twin-engine supersonic all-weather, carrier-capable multi-role combat jet delivering cutting-edge, next-generation multi-role strike fighter capability. HAL has been Boeing’s long-term supplier in India for over 25 years. Boeing awarded HAL the contract to manufacture gun bay doors for the Super Hornet in 2007. Continue reading →