SOURCE: PTI

The Pakistan government may seek the help of India to retrieve the bodies of 14 fishermen who are missing after their boat capsized near Keti Bandar in the country’s Sindh province. Forty-five fishermen belonging to Ibrahim Hyder– a fishing village in the Malir district of Sindh, had gone fishing but their boat capsized at Hijamkro Creek near Keti Bandar in Thatta on March 5.

Thirty-one of the fishermen were saved while 14 others were still missing. A search operation by divers of the Pakistan Navy, Maritime Security Agencies and Edhi Foundation to find the missing men continued on Saturday but the 14 missing fishermen could not be traced, officials said.

SOURCE: PTI

The Indian Air Force (IAF) airlifted over 700 stranded passengers between the twin union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh on Saturday, an official said. While 514 passengers were airlifted from Jammu to Leh in two sorties of IL-76, 223 persons were flown from Srinagar to Leh in another sortie, the official said.

With this, a total of 1,251 persons were airlifted between Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh this week. Earlier on Monday, 331 passengers were airlifted in separate sorties of AN-32, also known as Kargil courier, by the IAF between Jammu and Kashmir to Kargil.

SOURCE: IDRW.ORG

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has secured a vital deal for its fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India’s state-owned aerospace giant, has been awarded a contract to supply RD-33 aero engines for these aircraft.

HAL’s RD-33 engines are specifically designed to meet the IAF’s requirements for extending the operational lifespan of its MiG-29 fleet. These engines will ensure continued peak performance for the remaining service life of these fighter jets.

SOURCE: AFI

HALCON, a joint working group (JWG) formed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), has embarked on a significant endeavor by entering the realm of handling strategic air cargo exports to Armenia. The inauguration of the first flight, presided over by Shri Saket Chaturvedi, CEO of the MiG Complex at HAL, marks a pivotal moment in India’s logistics infrastructure and strategic export capabilities.

The collaboration between HAL and CONCOR signifies a concerted effort to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the global market, particularly in regions with strategic significance such as Armenia. As geopolitical dynamics evolve, there is an increasing demand for reliable and efficient logistics solutions to facilitate international trade and commerce.

SOURCE: IANS

The Navy on Saturday said that the senior naval leadership has reviewed existing and future plans, including capability enhancements in the island territories, to mitigate contemporary and future challenges in the maritime domain.

“Service Chiefs of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force engaged with the naval commanders, sharing their assessment of the operating environment, outlining readiness levels to defend national interests amidst prevailing and evolving security challenges; numerous areas and domains to enhance Tri-Services synergy and cooperation,” the Navy said that the commanders reviewed these strategies during the first edition of the Biannual Naval Commanders’ Conference 2024 which concluded on March 8.

SOURCE: PTI

Border guarding forces of India and Bangladesh Saturday agreed to undertake joint efforts to “bring down to absolute minimum” the incidents of attack on BSF personnel by criminals from the neighbouring country along the 4,096-km-long International Border (IB) shared by them, an official statement said.

The bi-annual Director General (DG) level talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) ended in Dhaka with the signing of a joint record of discussions. The Indian delegation led by BSF DG Nitin Agrawal travelled to Bangladesh for the 54th edition of these talks held between March 5-9 at the BGB headquarters at Pilkhana in Dhaka.

SOURCE: PTI

The widow of an IAF aviator, who perished along with India’s first CDS General Bipin Rawat in a chopper crash in the Nilgiris, and a civil engineer from an agrarian family were among scores of cadets who underwent gruelling training at the Officers Training Academy here and become commissioned officers in the Indian Army on Saturday.

Shauryan Thapa, the sixth generation member of his family to don the Army uniform and the youngest (21 years) candidate in the academy, too, was among the 184 officer cadets, who completed the training. He was awarded the OTA gold medal at the passing out parade today.

SOURCE: PTI

Three anti-personnel mines were detected and defused near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Saturday, officials said. The powerful mines were noticed by Army troops while patrolling at different locations in forward areas of the Mankote sector in the Mendhar subdivision, the officials said.

They said experts were immediately summoned and the mines defused.

SOURCE: IDRW.ORG TEAM.

A recent report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) has highlighted a growing concern for India’s air defense capabilities. The report, published in February 2023, stated that China’s production of the J-20A Mighty Dragon, its fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, is outpacing that of the United States’ F-22 Raptor.

The F-22 Raptor was the first operational fifth-generation fighter aircraft globally. However, China’s J-20A program has seen a rapid increase in production, with estimates suggesting China already surpassed the US in the number of operational J-20s by 2023. According to IISS, China had over 150 J-20As by February 2023. Aviation magazine Scramble further reported that China might have built as many as 250 J-20s by the end of 2023, exceeding previous production projections. This rapid expansion of China’s stealth fighter fleet poses a significant challenge to regional airpower dynamics.

SOURCE: AFI

Chennai-based Big Bang Boom Solutions Pvt Ltd (BBBS) has secured a major win, landing one of the largest contracts ever awarded to an Indian startup. The company will be supplying its cutting-edge anti-drone systems to the Indian Air Force and Army for a staggering sum exceeding ?200 crore.

The winning system, named Vajra Sentinel, employs a two-pronged approach to combat drone threats. It offers:

SOURCE: AFI

The Indian Army is taking a critical step towards strengthening its artillery capabilities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. This move involves the deployment of two new regiments equipped with the indigenously developed Pinaka Multi Launch Rocket System (MLRS).

Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Pinaka MLRS is a long-range weapon system designed for swift and precise delivery of firepower. These regiments will significantly enhance the Indian Army’s ability to engage targets deep within enemy territory.

SOURCE: pti

Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari on Saturday said warfare was undergoing a fundamental change with the emergence of new technology and radically newer doctrines.

He was reviewing the passing out parade by the contingents at the Officers Training Academy here. “India’s security dynamics involves multi-faceted threats and challenges. It would require us to build multi-domain capabilities and execute operations simultaneously and in shortened timeframes,” he said and called upon the young officers to stay abreast with technological advancements.

SOURCE: ANI

The purported video footage of the killing of India designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar has surfaced, showing Nijjar being shot by armed men in what has been described a ‘contract killing’, Canada-based CBC News reported. Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by the National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on the evening of June 18, 2023. The video has been obtained by The Fifth Estate and has been independently verified by more than one source said CBC news.

The attack that is described as being ‘highly coordinated’ involved six men and two vehicles. The apparent targeted killing of the president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara ultimately led to accusations from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the government of India had a hand in the killing — a claim that denied by India and led to the deterioration of diplomatic ties between Canada and India.

SOURCE: ANI

In a stern reply to India amid the diplomatic standoff between the two nations, China has said that deploying more troops at the border would not ease tensions. It said that it is committed to upholding peace and tranquility in the border areas.

While addressing a regular press briefing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, “India’s move of strengthening military deployment along the border with China is counterproductive to the two countries’ efforts to ease the situation at the border and not conducive to safeguarding peace and tranquility of the border areas.”

SOURCE: PIB

The first edition of the Biannual Naval Commanders’ Conference 2024 was conducted from 05 to 08 March 2024. The Conference is an institutional forum that enables deliberations on important maritime security issues at the Military-Strategic level. The inaugural session of the Conference was held onboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. Follow-on proceedings were conducted at New Delhi, in hybrid format, on 07 and 08 March 2024. The Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, Shri Rajnath Singh, presided over the inaugural session, with Chief of the Defence Staff, Defence Secretary and other senior MoD officials and Naval Commanders in attendance.

Commending the brave and prompt response by the Indian Navy to recent incidents and developments in West Asia and the adjoining seas, the Raksha Mantri exhorted the Commanders to remain poised for operations across the spectrum of conflict. He underscored the leadership role expected of the Indian Navy towards ensuring peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region. In addition, the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri emphasised the importance of Tri-Services Jointness and Integration to favourably shape and influence the future battlespace.