SOURCE: IDRW.ORG
In a significant display of naval air defence capability, INS Surat, the latest stealth guided-missile destroyer of the Indian Navy, has successfully carried out a “precision cooperative engagement” against a sea-skimming target, showcasing India’s growing mastery in network-centric warfare.
According to official statements, the ship executed a high-precision missile interception during a recent trial, where a Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) was launched to destroy a low-altitude incoming threat. The engagement was described as “cooperative,” strongly suggesting that the targeting data or mid-course guidance was provided by a second platform, potentially another warship or an airborne asset in the vicinity.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
In a significant boost to India’s naval capabilities, the Indian government is set to finalize a Rs 63,000-crore deal with France for the acquisition of 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets. The agreement, expected to be signed on April 28, 2025, in New Delhi, marks India’s largest-ever defense deal and underscores the deepening strategic partnership between India and France. The signing ceremony will be attended by French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu and senior officials from both nations.
The deal, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on April 9, 2025, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, includes 22 single-seater and four twin-seater Rafale Marine jets, manufactured by Dassault Aviation. These jets are specifically designed for carrier-based operations and will be deployed primarily on India’s indigenously built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, complementing the Navy’s existing fleet of Russian-origin MiG-29K jets. The Rafale Marine jets will enhance India’s maritime strike capabilities, particularly in response to increasing Chinese naval activities in the Indian Ocean region.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
Recent satellite imagery from Karachi in March 2025 has exposed a critical vulnerability in the Pakistan Navy’s subsurface capabilities, with only two of its five operational submarines currently in the water. The remaining three are either undergoing prolonged maintenance and upgrade cycles or are stranded on land, raising serious questions about Pakistan’s naval readiness amid escalating tensions with India. This development, combined with Pakistan’s reported suspension of the Shimla Agreement and consideration of withdrawing from the Tashkent Agreement, paints a picture of a navy struggling to maintain its strategic edge in the Arabian Sea.
Satellite imagery from Karachi’s naval docks, shared widely on X in late April 2025, reveals a stark reality for the Pakistan Navy. Two of its five operational submarines—comprising two Agosta-70 (Hashmat-class) and three Agosta-90B (Khalid-class) vessels—are docked for extensive maintenance and upgrades, with cycles that remain ongoing as of April 25, 2025. A third submarine, likely one of the Agosta-90B class, is out of the water entirely, positioned on land at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW) for repairs or modernization. This leaves only two submarines—potentially one Agosta-70 and one Agosta-90B—operational, significantly weakening Pakistan’s underwater warfare capabilities.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India’s premier aerospace and defence public sector undertaking (PSU), has long been the backbone of the country’s military aviation manufacturing. Established in 1940, HAL was envisioned as a comprehensive production agency, responsible for designing, developing, and manufacturing aircraft and helicopters to meet the Indian armed forces’ needs.
However, recent trends suggest that HAL is increasingly being relegated to the role of a mere assembler, with private sector companies taking the lead in defence production. While this shift has spurred private sector growth and innovation, it threatens HAL’s core identity and raises concerns about the long-term financial and strategic implications for India’s defence ecosystem.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
In a dramatic escalation of tensions following India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) on April 23, 2025, Pakistan is reportedly mobilizing international pressure to paint India as a regional aggressor. This move comes in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians, prompting India to suspend the IWT, downgrade diplomatic ties, and close the Attari-Wagah border.
As Pakistan seeks to rally global support, India must deliver a clear and uncompromising message to world powers: sever ties with terror-sponsoring Pakistan or risk losing India’s strategic partnership.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
India’s unprecedented decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) on April 23, 2025, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack has sent shockwaves through South Asia, with Pakistan labeling the move an “act of war.” The suspension, which halts data sharing and technical cooperation with Pakistan, signals India’s intent to leverage its upstream position on the Indus River system to pressure Islamabad over its continued sponsorship of terrorism.
As Pakistan suspends the Shimla Agreement and considers withdrawing from the Tashkent Agreement, India is poised to divert waters from the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab) allocated to Pakistan under the IWT. This article examines the estimated timelines for water diversion projects—ranging from storage dams to large-scale basin rerouting—and their strategic implications in the context of escalating tensions and India’s naval posturing in the Arabian Sea.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday dialled the chief ministers of all the states and asked them to ensure that no Pakistani stays in India beyond the deadline set for leaving the country, sources said.
India on Thursday announced revoking all visas issued to Pakistani nationals from April 27 and advised Indian nationals residing in Pakistan to return home at the earliest, as tensions between the two countries escalated over the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, on Tuesday.
Continue readingSOURCE: REUTERS
Top Indian airlines Air India and IndiGo are bracing for higher fuel costs and longer journey times as they reroute international flights after Pakistan shut its airspace to them amid escalating tensions over a deadly militant attack in Kashmir.
India has said there were Pakistani elements in Tuesday’s attack in which gunmen shot and killed 26 men in a meadow in the Pahalgam area of Indian Kashmir. Pakistan has denied any involvement.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
In the narrow lanes of Rishra’s neighbourhood, the modest home of BSF jawan Purnam Sahu — detained by Pakistan Rangers — echoes with silent prayers and tearful appeals, as his distraught family clings to hope and each other.
“He was serving the nation, and now we don’t even know whether he is safe or not. We have heard that he is in Pakistani custody,” said Bholanath Sahu, the jawan’s father, as neighbours stopped by to offer quiet words of solidarity. He said, “I just want to know where my son is. Is he safe? Is he okay?”
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer of the American Jewish Committee, Jason Isaacson, on Friday said that the Pahalgam terrorist attack was a “brutal” and “horrific” attack and compared it to the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel. Jason Isaacson said that this attack has “shaken India to the core” and has “echoes” of the October 7, 2023, attack in which Hamas terrorists killed over 1,200 people and took over 200 hostages in a coordinated attack on Southern Israel. Speaking with ANI, Jason Isaacson said.
“The massacre of 7th October 2023 by Hamas was brutal and it has left a very deep scar…That attack echoes in my mind as I see what has happened in Jammu & Kashmir. It was a brutal and horrific attack on people vacationing and singling them out as Hindus. A terrorist act which has shaken India to the core. It has also horrified people worldwide…It has echoes of what happened on October 7, 202,3, in Israel, Isaacson agreed that Hamas and LeT’s operations regarding targeting of civilians on religious identity have similarities and said that their “motivation is to identify others as evil.” He further assured that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has complete support to “root out terrorists.” “Yes, that is the characteristic of the terrorist.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
UK MP Bob Blackman has expressed strong support for whatever India does to pursue the terrorists and those who supported the terrorists behind the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
He expressed hope that all the political parties in the UK will join the Indian government in expressing support for whatever India decides to do, including military action, if necessary, to eliminate those terrorist bases that exist on the opposite side of the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
The truth about Pakistan is out of the bag, with its defence minister admitting that Pakistan has been funding and backing terrorist groups. In a video clip that has now gone viral, Pakistan’s defence minister is in conversation with Sky News’s Yalda Hakim, when she asks him, ” But you do admit, you do admit, sir, that Pakistan has had a long history of backing and supporting and training and funding these terrorist organisations? Khwaja Asif in his reply says, “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about 3 decades… and the west, including Britain…That was a mistake, and we suffered for that, and that is why you are saying this to me.
If we had not joined the war against the Soviet Union and later on the war after 9/11, Pakistan’s track record was unimpeachable.” The Pakistani Defence Minister has also in the interview with Sky News presenter Yalda Hakim warned of an “all-out war” possible with India. Asif’s statement lays bare the fact that Pakistan, for many years, has been harbouring these terror groups.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
The US House Committee Majority on Foreign Affairs on Thursday slammed The New York Times newspaper over its reporting of the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, as it described the terrorists as “gunmen” and “militants.” In a post on X, the US House Committee Majority on Foreign Affairs shared a modified version of the New York Times headline, replacing ‘militants’ with ‘terrorists’. The headline of a news article on Pahalgam killings in The New York Times said: “At Least 24 Tourists Gunned Down by Militants in Kashmir.” Quoting the screenshot of the same, the US House Committee Majority on Foreign Affairs said, “Hey, @nytimes, we fixed it for you.
This was a TERRORIST ATTACK, plain and simple. Whether it’s India or Israel, when it comes to TERRORISM, the NYT is removed from reality.” The comments by the committee come as the US administration under President Donald Trump continues to support India after the Pahalgam incident in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday that claimed 26 lives.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi reached Kashmir Friday to take stock of the ground situation and also review the security preparedness, in the aftermath of the ghastly Pahalgam terror attack. During the visit, the Army Chief is likely to be briefed by top army commanders on various aspects, including the ongoing manhunt to nab the Pahalgam monsters, India’s strong retaliation against unprovoked firing by Pakistani forces along the Line of Control (LoC) and more.
It was unclear as of now whether the Army Chief will visit the terror attack site, i.e., Baisaran meadows, where the terrorists unleashed mayhem and massacred 26 people on April 22.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have initiated discussions to modernize the three Israeli-supplied EL/M-2090 AESA Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), mounted on Russian IL-76 A-50E/I heavy-lift jets.
According to sources cited by idrw.org, the technology underpinning these systems, now over 25 years old, is increasingly viewed as a legacy platform despite regular software updates that have kept it operational as the IAF’s only 360-degree coverage AWACS.
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