SOURCE: IDRW.ORG
Fifteen months after raising its inaugural Apache attack helicopter squadron at Nagtalao, Jodhpur, in March 2024, the Indian Army’s Aviation Corps remains non-operational, awaiting the delivery of six Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters from the United States. Signed in February 2020 as part of a $600 million deal, the acquisition was intended to bolster the Army’s air assault capabilities, particularly along the volatile western front with Pakistan.
However, repeated delays—initially from May–June 2024 to December 2024, and now with no clear timeline—have left the 451 Aviation Squadron idle, raising concerns about operational readiness amid ongoing border tensions. This article explores the causes of the delays, their impact on the Indian Army, and the broader implications for India’s defense modernization under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Continue readingSOURCE: IDRW.ORG
Hyderabad/New Delhi, June 10, 2025 – Following the recent announcement that Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) will manufacture the entire fuselage of the Rafale fighter jet in India starting 2028, industry sources have revealed that Dassault Aviation is in advanced discussions to outsource the production of the aircraft’s wings to another Indian company. According to information shared with idrw.org, talks are progressing, and an official announcement is expected soon, marking a significant expansion of India’s role in the global aerospace supply chain.
The decision to involve TASL in fuselage production, formalized through four Production Transfer Agreements signed on June 5, 2025, represents a historic shift, as it will be the first time Rafale fuselages are manufactured outside France. TASL’s state-of-the-art facility in Hyderabad will produce key structural sections, including the lateral shells, rear, central, and front fuselage components, with an initial capacity to deliver two complete fuselages per month by 2028. This move aligns with India’s “Make in India” and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, reinforcing the country’s growing aerospace manufacturing ecosystem.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
In a bold step toward redefining aerospace propulsion, Norwegian-Indian startup SiriNor has set an ambitious goal to develop 2-meter electric jet engines capable of producing 90 kN of thrust, suitable for commercial aircraft like the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, as well as scalable for applications ranging from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to fighter jets.
Co-founder and CEO of SiriNor India, Abhijeet Inamdar, emphasized the engine’s versatile design, which supports thrust configurations for a wide range of platforms, including defense applications. While the concept of an electric fighter jet powered by a 90 kN engine—capable of propelling a aircraft—has sparked little discussion in India, it holds transformative potential for the Indian Air Force (IAF). This article explores how SiriNor’s electric jet engine could enable the development of an electric fighter jet and its implications for redefining the IAF’s operational capabilities, sustainability, and strategic autonomy.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
A recent image of the CATS Warrior, part of the Loyal Wingman program, reveals an intriguing design feature: the front fuselage sections appear to have significant empty space. This observation, captured in a photo dated around June 2025, shows engineers working on the sleek, unmanned aerial platform, with the text “DESIGN, PRODUCTION & UPGRADE” overlaid, hinting at ongoing development.
The empty space in the front fuselage presents a unique opportunity for enhancement. Integrating an air-cooled Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar could transform the CATS Warrior into a more formidable asset. This upgrade would elevate its capabilities beyond its current role, potentially turning it into a mini-fighter jet. Equipped with a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile, the platform could engage targets at extended distances, significantly boosting its lethality.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), a leading Indian aerospace and defense company, is set to make a significant impact at the Paris Air Show with its indigenously developed Advanced Loitering System-50 (ALS-50). This advanced weapon system, featuring a unique Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capability, underscores India’s growing prowess in autonomous defense technologies and is poised to attract global attention at one of the world’s premier aerospace events.
The ALS-50, often referred to as a “suicide drone,” is a versatile loitering munition designed to deliver precision strikes with minimal risk to personnel. With a range exceeding 50 kilometers and an endurance of over one hour, the system is engineered to operate across diverse terrains and challenging environments, including high-altitude regions and confined spaces like narrow valleys, fortified mountain positions, and naval vessels. Its VTOL capability allows it to take off and land like a quadcopter, transitioning to fixed-wing mode for long-distance travel, making it highly adaptable for both surveillance and combat roles.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
In recent years, the fraught relationship between India and Pakistan has taken a more aggressive turn, with India adopting a bolder stance in response to cross-border provocations. The threshold for India to take decisive action—diplomatic, economic, or military—against Pakistan has noticeably lowered, driven by a combination of strategic shifts, domestic political imperatives, and regional ambitions.
This new approach, exemplified by actions such as Operation Sindoor in May 2025, has not only heightened tensions but also inflicted significant economic damage on Pakistan, with recent estimates pegging equipment losses at approximately $7 billion. The ripple effects of this damage, coupled with India’s multifaceted pressure tactics, threaten to further destabilize Pakistan’s already fragile economy. This article explores the dynamics of India’s lowered threshold for action and the economic consequences for Pakistan.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
In a recent statement, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that during a recent aerial engagement, presumably linked to Operation Sindoor, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had locked onto 10 Indian fighter jets but chose to shoot down only five, citing a desire to avoid widespread mourning in India (“Hindustan me maatam chhaa jana tha”). This bold assertion, however, is muddled by conflicting claims from Pakistani officials, raising questions about the credibility and coherence of their narrative.
Asif’s statement, delivered with apparent bravado, suggested Pakistan’s restraint prevented a larger escalation. Yet, other Pakistani figures have offered wildly inconsistent accounts. Former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto claimed at the United Nations that Pakistan had locked onto 20 Indian jets, downing six. Meanwhile, various posts on X from Pakistani sources cite numbers ranging from 10 to 15 Indian aircraft locked, with five to six shot down, including specific claims of targeting three Rafales, one MiG, and one Su-30. These discrepancies highlight a lack of unified messaging, casting doubt on the veracity of Pakistan’s claims.
Continue readingSOURCE: Pixxel
Pixxel, a Bengaluru-based space technology company building the world’s highest-resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation, has signed a second Agreement with the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), Ministry of Defence, Government of India. This new SPARK (Support for Prototype and Research Kickstart) Grant, awarded to SpacePixxel Pvt Ltd under iDEX DISC 8 Challenge 6.2, supports the development of advanced Hyperspectral and MWIR (Mid-Wave Infrared) payloads, tailored for the Indian Air Force.
The grant further strengthens Pixxel’s collaboration with the Indian ecosystem, following its selection under the Mission DefSpace Challenge of iDEX Prime (Space) in 2023 to manufacture miniaturised multi-payload satellites.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
Despite India’s repeated dismissal of external involvement in the bilateral Kashmir dispute, US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce raked it up, saying that it wouldn’t be a surprise if US President Donald Trump tried to mediate.
Replying to a question at her regular briefing on Tuesday, about what the reporter asserted was Trump’s offer to mediate, Bruce said, “Obviously, I can’t speak to what’s on the mind or the plans of the president”.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
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The world needs to understand that the tensions between India and Pakistan are not merely a bilateral issue but a global concern about terrorism, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar has highlighted during his ongoing trip to Europe.
“Let me remind you of something — there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point (Pakistan military institution)? I want the world to understand that this isn’t merely an India-Pakistan issue. It’s about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you,” EAM Jaishankar said during an interview with European media outlet Euractiv in Brussels.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
BJP Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey, citing declassified documents, has alleged that the Congress government, under pressure from the United States, aborted plans to conduct a nuclear test in 1995.
He claimed that fear of American backlash influenced the decision, despite initial readiness by then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. “Go back and read the history of how Rahul Gandhi, whom I call ‘Rahul Baba,’ gets scared of America,” Dubey said in a post on X on Wednesday.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
Taiwan on Wednesday thanked India for rescuing 18 crew members of the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel, WAN HAI 503, which recently caught fire about 70 nautical miles off the Kerala coast. Of the 22 onboard, 18 crew members have been rescued after they jumped into the sea, while the whereabouts of four other crew members attached to the ship’s Fire and Safety Department are being ascertained.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India said that the four crew members who remained missing include two Taiwanese, one from Indonesia and one from Myanmar.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
India has raised with the United States an incident of an Indian man being handcuffed and allegedly treated like a criminal at the Newark Airport, official sources said on Tuesday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) raised the matter with the US embassy in New Delhi, the sources said.
Videos of the Indian youth being pinned to the ground by US authorities at the Newark airport have gone viral.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
The Enforcement Directorate have started tracking the sources of the documents based on which Azad Mullick, the Pakistani citizen whom ED arrested in Kolkata in April, secured an EPIC card, with which he voted twice, first in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election and then in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Sources aware of the development said that what has kept the ED investigating officials even more intrigued is how the EPIC card held by Azad did not create doubts in the minds of the review officials during the interim revision of the voters’ list between 2021 and 2024.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
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A member of the Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol was apprehended for allegedly firing at security personnel during the recent protests in Manipur over the arrests of a leader of the organisation and four others, police said on Wednesday.
Nineteen others were also detained for their alleged involvement in violence during demonstrations in Imphal, a senior officer said. The Arambai Tenggol member was arrested on Tuesday as he was accused of firing at security personnel when they were trying to clear a roadblock in Tera Sapam area in Imphal West district on June 9, the officer said.
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