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SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
In a significant development for India’s indigenous defense aviation sector, a high-level committee chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh is working to accelerate the induction of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) into the Indian Air Force (IAF), potentially much ahead of its previously slated timeline of 2035.
The committee, which includes IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal S P Dharkar, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar, and top officials from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), is expected to submit its report next month. This move underscores India’s urgency to bolster its air combat capabilities amid evolving regional security dynamics and the IAF’s pressing need for advanced fighter jets.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
In a strategic move to expedite the long-delayed Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) tender, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to shorten the technical evaluation phase for contending aircraft by focusing solely on additional capabilities introduced since the earlier Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) tender.
According to an IAF official speaking to idrw.org, while most of the aircraft in the MRFA competition are the same as those evaluated nearly 15 years ago in the MRCA trials, their capabilities have evolved significantly with upgrades in avionics, radar, and weaponry. However, core technical parameters such as in-flight characteristics remain largely unchanged, allowing the IAF to exempt these from retesting and streamline the process.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
The Indian Army’s initiative to procure 170 tracked Armoured Recovery Vehicles (ARVs) tailored for operations across diverse terrains, including plains, deserts, high altitudes, and mountainous regions, faces a delay, with the project now unlikely to conclude before the end of 2028.
The original plan was to design these ARVs on the chassis of the Arjun tank, leveraging its robust design for recovery operations. However, without the engine, this plan is on hold.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, a cornerstone of fifth-generation fighter technology, is facing an uncertain future in the export market as several countries reconsider their orders. A combination of factors—chiefly the U.S. administration’s aggressive tariff policies under President Donald Trump, alongside doubts about reliability and shifting geopolitical priorities—has prompted nations to scale back or cancel their commitments.
This development presents a unique window for India, which has yet to commit to the F-35, to potentially acquire these advanced jets originally earmarked for export. With the U.S. Air Force (USAF) unlikely to absorb export-specific variants, India could bolster its airpower while capitalizing on a disrupted supply chain. But which countries are pulling back, how many aircraft are affected, and should India seize this moment?
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
In a significant boost to India’s indigenous defense manufacturing capabilities, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has introduced a game-changing robotic drilling machine that has dramatically accelerated the production of wings for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas program. Partnering with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), L&T has reduced the time required to drill each hole in the wings from 25–35 minutes to just one minute, enhancing efficiency and supporting the accelerated production of the LCA-Tejas Mk1A variant.
Each wing of the LCA-Tejas requires approximately 8,000 holes to be drilled for assembly, fastening, and integration with other airframe components. Traditionally, these holes were drilled manually—a painstaking process that took between 25 and 35 minutes per hole, depending on the material, location, and tolerances required. For a single aircraft, this translated into thousands of hours of labor, creating a bottleneck in HAL’s production timeline as it sought to ramp up delivery rates to meet IAF requirements.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
In a significant push towards modernizing its battlefield capabilities, the Indian Army is intensifying its focus on integrating cutting-edge drone technology into its operations. At the Bharat Drone Manthan 2.0, a key industry event organized by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) on March 11, 2025, Major General CS Mann, Additional Director General (ADG) of the Army Design Bureau (ADB), called upon industry partners to contribute to the evolving needs of the armed forces for advanced combat drones.
Highlighting the transformative role of unmanned systems in contemporary warfare, General Mann articulated the Army’s ambitious vision of equipping every soldier with an “Eagle Drone” for targeting and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) purposes, particularly along India’s borders.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, one of India’s premier shipyards, has once again demonstrated its dedication to delivering high-quality warships to the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. On March 3, 2025, GRSE successfully completed the Contractor Sea Trials (CSTs) for two naval platforms—Himgiri (Yard 3022) and Androth (Yard 3035)—marking a significant milestone in their construction journeys. These trials, conducted simultaneously, underscore GRSE’s capability to manage multiple complex projects while adhering to stringent timelines and quality standards.
Himgiri is the first of three advanced stealth frigates being constructed by GRSE under the Indian Navy’s prestigious Project 17A. This program aims to deliver a series of seven Nilgiri-class frigates across two shipyards—GRSE and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL)—to enhance the Navy’s blue-water capabilities. Named after a Himalayan peak, Himgiri is a follow-on to the Shivalik-class frigates but incorporates advanced stealth features, improved weapon systems, and cutting-edge sensors. Equipped with anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare capabilities, as well as air defense systems, these frigates are designed to operate in high-threat environments, providing the Navy with versatile multi-role platforms.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
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Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Secretary of State, Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski, on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi played a role in persuading Russian President Vladimir Putin not to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
Speaking to ANI, Bartoszewski stated that Putin had “threatened” to use tactical nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory, but calls from India and China influenced his decision to reconsider.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
India and New Zealand on Monday inked an ambitious pact to institutionalise defence ties and vowed to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged concerns to his Kiwi counterpart Christopher Luxon over certain pro-Khalistani elements indulging in anti-India activities in the island nation.
Following talks between PM Modi and Luxon, the two sides signed six agreements to ramp up cooperation in several areas including education, sports, agriculture and climate change, and decided to prepare a roadmap for cooperation in the defence industry sector.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants India and Pakistan to work together on their concerns over international terrorism, according to his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq. “It’s important for all of the countries, including India and Pakistan, to work together to deal with any of the concerns that they face regarding international terrorism”, he said on Monday.
Haq was responding to a question from a Palestinian journalist who had turned Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Munir Akram’s oblique mention of a “principal adversary” into a reference to India.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
China has delivered a second new submarine, equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, to Pakistan as part of its efforts to beef up the navy of its all-weather ally to back its growing presence in the Arabian Sea and India’s backyard – the Indian Ocean.
The Hangor-class submarine, which is part of the eight such submarines to Pakistan in a deal with around USD five billion, was launched in Wuhan, China’s Hubei Province, official media here reported on Sunday. This is in addition to four modern naval frigates China supplied to Pakistan in the last few years as part of its efforts to boost the naval strength of Pakistan, amid the Chinese navy’s steady expansion in the Arabian Sea, where it is developing the Gwadar port in Balochistan, and the Indian Ocean.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
India has a significant role to play in the Indo-Pacific as its size and geo-strategic heft is crucial in an increasingly multi-polar world, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Monday while backing New Delhi’s bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
In an address at the Raisina Dialogue, Luxon underlined the need to ensure a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific and asserted that the “might makes right” approach was unacceptable, remarks that came amid China’s increasing muscle-flexing in the region.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, expanding trade, deepening defence cooperation, and maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
Addressing media after holding talks at New Delhi’s Hyderabad House, the two leaders also took a firm stance against terrorism and agreed to enhance people-to-people ties. Luxon, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday on his first official visit to India, is the first New Zealand Prime Minister to visit the country in nine years.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
Two persons were arrested in Gujarat’s Surat city with “high quality” Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) with a face value of Rs 9,000, allegedly supplied from Bangladesh, police said Monday. One of the arrested accused, Suresh Lathidadiya, is booked in three cases related to FICN, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is investigating, they said.
Lathidadiya bought FICN with a face value of Rs 6 lakh from a wanted accused from West Bengal for Rs 2 lakh, and the latter had procured the notes from Bangladesh, the Surat Special Operations Group (SOG) said in a statement.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
A Pakistani terrorist was killed in an operation against terrorists by a joint security forces team in J&K’s Kupwara district on Monday, officials said. SSP Handwara, Mushtaq Ahmad Choudhary said that the operation was launched early in the morning based on specific intelligence inputs.
“During the operation, contact was established with the terrorist leading to the neutralisation of the terrorist. The terrorist was identified as Safiullah, a resident of Pakistan, who was active for a long time. He said that security forces, which comprised the Handwara police, 21 Rashtriya Rifles, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), recovered an AK-47 rifle, four magazines, a grenade, and other incriminating materials from the site.
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