SOURCE: AFI
Recent satellite imagery from Bholari Airbase in Pakistan has revealed signs of ongoing repair and restoration efforts at a hangar previously damaged during an Indian airstrike. The images, captured by Planet Labs and analyzed by The Intel Lab, provide a clear timeline of the hangar’s condition between May 12, 2025, and June 1, 2025.
On May 12, 2025, the satellite imagery showed a visibly damaged hangar at the airbase, with clear structural impairments likely resulting from the airstrike. The strike, part of a broader escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan, had targeted key military infrastructure, including Bholari Airbase, a strategically significant location for the Pakistan Air Force.
Continue readingSOURCE: IDRW.ORG
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to retire its remaining 26–28 MiG-21 Bison aircraft by the end of 2025, marking the end of an era for the iconic Soviet-era fighter that has served as a backbone of India’s air defense for over five decades. These MiG-21 Bison airframes, which have exceeded their Total Technical Life (TTL), have been retained primarily to maintain numerical squadron strength. However, delays in the delivery of the indigenously developed Tejas Mk1A, intended to replace the ageing fleet, have complicated the IAF’s modernization plans.
The MiG-21, first inducted into the IAF in the 1960s, has been a cornerstone of India’s air combat capabilities. The Bison variant, an upgraded version featuring improved avionics and weaponry, has been the last operational iteration. Currently, the IAF operates one and a half squadrons of MiG-21 Bison, totaling 26–28 aircraft, based at the Nal Air Force Station in Bikaner, Rajasthan. These airframes, having surpassed their TTL, are now slated for imminent retirement as part of the IAF’s efforts to modernize its fleet and phase out obsolete platforms.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
On June 1, 2025, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI), a Hyderabad-based Defence Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, inaugurated its second Titanium Plant in Hyderabad. This facility, heralded as India’s largest state-of-the-art plant for producing aerospace-grade titanium alloys, marks a significant step toward self-reliance in advanced materials for the country’s aerospace and defence sectors.
The plant was inaugurated by Shri Sanjeev Kumar, IAS, Secretary of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, Government of India, who praised MIDHANI’s contributions to the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. This new facility is designed to produce high-quality titanium alloys, which are critical for aerospace applications due to their exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and ability to withstand extreme temperatures. These alloys are essential for manufacturing components such as airframes, jet engines, and structural parts for advanced aircraft like the Tejas Mk2, for which MIDHANI has already begun supplying materials.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
As Pakistan reportedly prepares to induct two squadrons of China’s fifth-generation J-35 fighter jets by the end of 2025, a former Indian Air Force officer has suggested a strategic countermeasure to address the potential shift in regional air power dynamics. Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor (Retd.) proposed acquiring Russia’s Su-57E stealth fighter as an interim solution until India’s indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) becomes operational.
“With reports of Pakistan acquiring two squadrons of J-35s from China by year-end, procuring 2 to 3 squadrons of Su-57E from Russia could be an interim option for us bridging the gap until AMCA is operational,” Kapoor wrote on X, highlighting the urgency of maintaining a technological edge in the region.
Continue readingSOURCE: AFI
Ahmedabad-based space tech startup Orbitt Space, founded by former ISRO scientists Christopher Parmar and Anupam Kumar, is making strides in revolutionizing satellite operations with its innovative air-breathing electric propulsion system. The startup, established in early 2025, is focused on enabling long-duration satellite missions in Ultra Low Earth Orbit (ULEO) below 250 km altitude—a region previously considered inaccessible due to high atmospheric drag and fuel constraints. Orbitt Space has announced plans for its first space demonstration mission via ISRO’s PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) platform, scheduled for mid-2026, marking a significant step towards sustainable space operations.
The air-breathing electric propulsion system developed by Orbitt Space utilizes residual atmospheric gases as propellant, eliminating the need for onboard fuel. This breakthrough technology aims to allow satellites to operate sustainably for 5–7 years in the high-drag environment of ULEO, addressing the challenges of satellite longevity in orbit.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
India struck deeper and wider inside Pakistan during Operation Sindoor than it officially acknowledged, a confidential Pakistani dossier on its internal military Operation ‘Bunyan un Marsoos’ has revealed.
The dossier, accessed by NDTV, documents at least eight additional Indian airstrikes that were not previously disclosed by Indian defence authorities. Maps within the Pakistani dossier show Indian strikes on key cities such as Peshawar, Jhang, Hyderabad in Sindh, Gujrat in Punjab, Gujranwala, Bahawalnagar, Attock, and Chor — locations that were not publicly mentioned by the Indian Air Force or the Director General of Military Operations during the press briefings held after the May 7 counteroffensive.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
Professional militaries are not affected by temporary losses as the overall outcomes are much more important than such setbacks, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said on Tuesday.
The top military commander said that Pakistan has been following an approach of bleeding India by thousand cuts but New Delhi drew a completely new redline against cross-border terrorism by conducting the Operation Sindoor.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday countered Pakistan’s latest water-related scare narrative, calling it a ‘baseless attempt’ to stir fear over a hypothetical scenario involving the Brahmaputra River.
In a strongly worded post on X, Mr Sarma responded to the claim, “What if China stops the Brahmaputra’s water to India?” by laying out a fact-based rebuttal. “Let’s dismantle this myth, not with fear, but with facts and national clarity,” Mr Sarma wrote, pointing out that the Brahmaputra is a river that grows in India, not one that shrinks due to upstream control.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
For the first time in six years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to attend the upcoming G7 summit to be held in Canada’s Alberta province, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. Canada is hosting the summit from June 15 to 17 that is expected to deliberate on pressing challenges facing the globe including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in West Asia.
It is learnt that Ottawa is yet to send an invitation to the Indian prime minister for the summit, but PM Modi, in any way, would have skipped it as such a visit would have required a lot of groundwork considering the current state of ties between the two sides, said the people cited above.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
Rajasthan Intelligence arrested an assistant administrative officer at the Employment Office in Jaisalmer on serious charges of espionage. He was accused of collecting and sharing strategic information with Pakistan’s ISI agents, according to the officials.
Inspector General of Police (CID Security) Vishnu Kant Gupta confirmed that Khan had been under surveillance for a long time.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
A man hailing from Punjab’s Tarn Taran district was arrested for allegedly sharing with Pakistani intelligence operatives sensitive information about troop deployment and strategic locations during Operation Sindoor, police said on Tuesday. He was also allegedly in contact with Pakistan-based pro-Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla.
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said the accused has been identified as Gagandeep Singh alias Gagan, a resident of Mohalla Rodupur, Gali Nazar Singh Wali, in Tarn Taran.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
US Second Lady Usha Vance has termed the India-US relationship as one that is “very personal” for her, underlining that this is a time of “great opportunity” for the bilateral relations that have “ebbed and flowed at times”.
“Well, of course, it is a very personal relationship because I have family members who are in India, and I have many family members here in the United States, and I did grow up visiting India and visiting those family members, and they grew up visiting me,” Vance said during a fireside chat here on Monday at the eighth edition of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Leadership Summit.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday decided to provide 20 per cent reservation for Agniveers in direct recruitment to several positions in the state police force
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said the move aims to provide meaningful post-service opportunities to Agniveers, who have completed their four-year term under the Agnipath scheme.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
At the Bernstein 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on May 28, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet unveiled ambitious plans for the F-35 Lightning II, introducing a “fifth-generation plus” variant that promises cutting-edge upgrades and a potential shift toward optionally manned operations. Alongside these advancements, Taiclet highlighted the prospect of expanding Lockheed’s footprint in India, discussing the sale of both the F-35 and the F-21, a sophisticated derivative of the F-16, as part of a strategic approach to bolster India’s air capabilities.
The F-35, already the world’s most advanced stealth fighter, is poised for significant enhancements under Lockheed Martin’s “fifth-generation plus” initiative. Taiclet outlined plans to integrate technologies originally developed for the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, which Lockheed lost to Boeing in March 2025. These upgrades include advanced radar- and infrared-absorbing stealth coatings, modifications to the aircraft’s outer mold line—particularly engine inlets and outlets—and improved electronic warfare systems, networking capabilities, and autonomy software.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to significantly enhance its standoff strike capabilities through a dual-pronged strategy involving the local production of the Israeli-origin Rampage missile and the development of an air-launched variant of the indigenously developed Pinaka-IV rocket system. According to sources close to idrw.org, the IAF’s recent successful use of the Rampage missile to strike Pakistani airbases during escalated tensions has underscored its effectiveness, prompting plans for its licensed production in India.
Concurrently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is collaborating with the IAF to develop an air-launched version of the Pinaka-IV, a next-generation rocket with a projected range of 250-300 km, to provide a cost-effective, indigenous alternative for long-range air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) missions.
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