SOURCE: IDRW.ORG
In response to escalating regional tensions and recent clashes with Pakistan, the Indian Army is actively seeking to modernize its air defense capabilities, particularly to counter the growing threat of drones and other aerial incursions. As part of this effort, Germany’s Rheinmetall has offered its advanced Skynex anti-aircraft artillery system to replace the Indian Army’s aging air defense guns, such as the L-70 and Zu-23mm systems.
The Skynex, a cutting-edge short-range air defense (SHORAD) solution, is being positioned as a key component to strengthen India’s anti-aircraft and anti-drone grid, especially following Pakistan’s reported use of swarm drones and advanced munitions along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border in May 2025.
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The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to a joint venture between Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) for the acquisition of 15 maritime variants of the Airbus C-295 aircraft, aimed at bolstering the maritime surveillance and operational capabilities of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. This development follows the Defence Acquisition Council’s (DAC) approval earlier this year, marking a significant step in enhancing India’s maritime security under the “Make in India” initiative.
The RFP outlines the procurement of nine C-295 aircraft configured for Medium-Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) for the Indian Navy and six Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMMA) for the Indian Coast Guard. These aircraft will be equipped with advanced technologies, including sonobuoys, lightweight torpedoes, and anti-ship missiles such as the DRDO-developed NASM-SR and NASM-MR, enabling anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, and maritime surveillance missions. The C-295s will fill a critical gap in India’s maritime patrol capabilities, complementing the Navy’s long-range Boeing P-8I aircraft and short-range Dornier DO-228 platforms.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
The tragic crash of an Indian Air Force (IAF) Jaguar trainer aircraft near Churu, Rajasthan, which claimed the lives of two pilots, has once again raised pressing concerns about the operational viability of the ageing Jaguar fleet. This latest incident brings into sharp focus an opportunity that was once on the table but never fully supported—Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) proposal to develop an indigenous engine, the HTFE-40, to re-engine the Jaguars.
Not long ago, HAL had pitched the HTFE-40 engine as a potential indigenous replacement for the Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca Adour engines currently powering the Jaguar fleet. The Adour engines have been facing persistent supply chain issues, primarily due to the declining availability of spares as Rolls-Royce gradually wound down production support for the legacy engine series.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
The Indian Open-Source Intelligence (OSNIT) community has been closely monitoring increased activity by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in recent weeks, detecting at least three flights of Xi’an Y-20 transport aircraft landing in Pakistan. According to sources cited by idrw.org, these flights suggest that China is resupplying Pakistan with HQ-16 surface-to-air missile (SAM) batteries to replace those destroyed by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike campaign from May 7–10, 2025. This development underscores the deepening Sino-Pak defense partnership and China’s efforts to bolster Pakistan’s air defense capabilities following significant losses to Indian precision strikes.
The IAF’s Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, targeted key Pakistan Air Force (PAF) airbases, including Nur Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, and Bholari, as well as air defense infrastructure across Punjab and Sindh. Indian air-launched cruise missiles, including the BrahMos and SCALP, destroyed critical assets such as a Chinese-supplied YLC-8E anti-stealth radar at Chunian and multiple HQ-16 and HQ-9P SAM systems near Lahore and other locations. These strikes exposed vulnerabilities in Pakistan’s Comprehensive Layered Integrated Air Defence (CLIAD) system, which relies heavily on Chinese technology, with 81–82% of Pakistan’s arms imports from 2019–2024 sourced from China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
India’s pursuit of advanced hypersonic missile technology has garnered significant attention, with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) spearheading the ambitious Extended Trajectory Long Duration Hypersonic Cruise Missile (ET-LDHCM) under the classified Project Vishnu. A recent report by The Economic Times claimed that DRDO had successfully tested the ET-LDHCM, a hypersonic cruise missile with a 1,500-km range and speeds up to Mach 8 (approximately 11,000 km/h), positioning India among an elite group of nations with operational hypersonic capabilities.
However, sources close to idrw.org have clarified that this report is not entirely accurate, as the missile’s development is still ongoing, and testing is yet to take place pending critical funding from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
On Monday, India received the second GE-404 engine from the United States, marking a significant step in advancing the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark 1A fighter jet program. The engine, a critical component for the indigenously developed aircraft, was delivered to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Indian public sector aerospace and defense company tasked with manufacturing the jets.According to defense officials, HAL is expected to receive a total of 12 GE-404 engines by the end of the current financial year.
These engines will power the LCA Mark 1A fighter jets, enhancing the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) operational capabilities with a modern, lightweight combat platform designed for versatility and agility.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
In a significant milestone for India’s defense modernization, the second-to-last C-295MW transport aircraft from Airbus’s facility in Seville, Spain, has arrived in India. This delivery is part of a $2.5 billion contract signed in 2021 between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Airbus for the supply of 56 C-295MW aircraft. The final aircraft from the Spanish facility is slated for delivery to the IAF later this year, marking the completion of the initial phase of the agreement.
Under the terms of the 2021 contract, Airbus is tasked with delivering the first 16 aircraft, fully built at its Seville facility. The recently arrived aircraft is the 15th in this series, with the 16th and final Spain-built aircraft expected soon. The C-295MW, a versatile medium tactical transport aircraft, will replace the IAF’s aging Avro-748 fleet, enhancing its operational capabilities for troop transport, logistics, and disaster response.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
India is strengthening self-reliance in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) domain-related defence technologies, and to reduce the import dependence on critical components, the Ministry of Defence is taking major steps.
It will organise a workshop and an exhibition on July 16 at the Manekshaw Centre in the national capital, which is a step for the indigenisation of critical components currently being imported in the UAV and C-UAS domains.
Continue readingSOURCE: UNI
Shukla, along with Commander Peggy Whitson, ESA astronaut Slawosz Uznanski, and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu, stepped out of the capsule to cheers and celebration from the recovery crew. This moment marked the culmination of nearly 20 days in space and a significant milestone in India’s space journey.
Images of Shukla emerging from the Dragon capsule were shared shortly after splashdown, capturing his calm and collected demeanour after a historic voyage. The spacecraft’s re-entry was carefully timed and executed following a series of departure manoeuvres, a deorbit burn, and a fiery descent through Earth’s atmosphere, protected by its advanced heat shield.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
India and China should build on “good progress” in normalising the bilateral ties to address border-related issues including de-escalation, and it is essential to avoid “restrictive trade measures and roadblocks”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday during talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
In his opening remarks at the meeting, Jaishankar said the bilateral relations can develop in a “positive trajectory” on the foundation that differences should not become disputes and nor should competition become conflict, adding the ties can be built only on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
The Congress on Tuesday hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will “finally agree” to a discussion on China in the forthcoming Monsoon session of Parliament, and said that when Parliament could debate the border situation during the 1962 Chinese invasion then why not now. The opposition party also stressed that it is essential to build a national consensus on the critical security and economic challenges arising from China’s rise as the world’s leading manufacturing power and its position as the second-largest economy.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh pointed out that in his July 14 meeting with China’s Vice President Han Zheng, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that the India-China bilateral relationship “has been steadily improving since the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan last October” and that “continued normalisation of our ties can produce mutually beneficial outcomes”.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
In a major step towards battlefield modernisation, the Ram Division of the India Army conducted a high-impact demonstration titled ‘Prachand Shakti’ at the Kharga Corps Field Training Area, in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut on Monday.
The exercise focused on the employment of disruptive technologies by infantry units in Strike Corps operations, showcasing the Army’s technological transformation in real-time combat scenarios.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
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With US President Donald Trump reiterating his claim that he stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said the same claim keeps getting repeated “22 times in 65 days”.
Trump Monday reiterated his claim that he stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan, which could have turned into a “nuclear war”, through trade. “We’ve been very successful in settling wars. You have India, (and) Pakistan. You have Rwanda and the Congo that was going on for 30 years,” Trump said during his meeting with NATO Secretary General Rutte in the Oval Office.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his counterparts from the SCO member nations on Tuesday met Chinese President Xi Jinping. In a social media post, Mr Jaishankar said he apprised President Xi about the recent development in India-China bilateral ties.
The external affairs minister landed in China on Monday on a two-day visit to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). It is his first visit to China since bilateral ties witnessed a severe downturn following the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020.
Continue readingSOURCE: UNI
The Maoists’ Central Committee admitted today that 357 rebels, including 136 women, were killed by security forces over the past year in Chhattisgarh. In a press note and a 24-page booklet, the insurgents said that the casualties included four Central Committee members and 15 senior members of the State Committee.
The losses – the highest till date – were caused due to rapid action by law enforcement agencies, technical surveillance, and cooperation by locals. It was announced that July 28-August 3 would be observed as Martyrs’ Week, during which posters and banners would be put up and meetings organised in many areas.
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