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SOURCE: PTI

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has made four more discoveries since it first made an oil field near Asokenagar in West Bengal six years back but is still awaiting the state government’s nod for a petroleum mining lease to develop them, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday.

ONGC notified the first Asokenagar discovery in Block WB-ONN-2005/4 on September 24, 2018, Puri said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha. The discovery, he said was the outcome of continuous exploration efforts of ONGC in the Bengal sedimentary basin over five decades.

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SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

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The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) long-awaited Medium Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) tender, aimed at acquiring 114 advanced fighter jets, is facing an additional challenge as local production costs are projected to exceed direct procurement prices by $20-30 million per jet. According to an IAF official who spoke to idrw.org, manufacturing these jets locally—an integral part of the Make in India initiative—would incur significantly higher expenses compared to acquiring them directly from the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

The MRFA tender includes four twin-engine fighters in consideration: the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Block III, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Russian MiG-35, and the Dassault Rafale. Additionally, two single-engine options, the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block V (marketed as the F-21) and Saab’s Gripen-E, have also been proposed. While all six fighters present advanced capabilities, the increased costs associated with establishing local production lines, building specialized infrastructure, and training a domestic workforce will push the final price per unit well above what a direct OEM purchase would entail.

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SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

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India’s Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) program is setting an ambitious course for the modernization of the Indian Army’s armoured forces by developing a next-generation main battle tank (MBT) to replace its ageing fleet of T-72 tanks. The program is not only focused on creating a more advanced, capable tank but is also exploring the potential for autonomous, unmanned combat vehicles.

These unmanned MBTs are envisioned to operate autonomously, leveraging direct satellite links for real-time battlefield data exchange, robust communication networks, and advanced firepower capabilities to transform combat operations. Here’s a look into the transformative technology and vision guiding India’s FRCV program.

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SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Swedish defence giant Saab has presented a compelling proposal to the Indian Air Force (IAF) under its Medium Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) tender, offering its Gripen-E fighter jet with a comprehensive “Make in India” production strategy. Saab not only plans to set up a production line for the Gripen-E in India but has also offered its expertise to support the production line of India’s indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program. This collaboration would leverage Saab’s experience in digital engineering and fighter jet production to aid India in establishing a modernized manufacturing ecosystem.

Saab officials have highlighted India’s availability of a skilled workforce and the potential for advanced digital engineering techniques, noting that recent projects, such as the Gripen-E, have allowed Saab to refine its high-tech production capabilities. Saab’s proposal goes beyond the MRFA requirements, potentially positioning itself as a key partner in enhancing India’s domestic fighter manufacturing capability, especially for complex, next-generation platforms.

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SOURCE: AFI

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), India’s premier shipbuilder, is set to participate in the 13th International Naval and Maritime Exhibition and Conference for Latin America (Exponaval 2024). The event, which is one of the largest naval and maritime exhibitions in the region, will take place in Valparaíso, Chile, from December 3 to December 6, 2024. MDL’s participation highlights India’s expanding defense industry and its growing footprint in the global maritime sector.

MDL will present its expertise in designing, building, and delivering a wide range of naval platforms. The offerings at Exponaval 2024 will include:

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SOURCE: AFI

The Indian Navy is at the forefront of technological advancement, actively pursuing the development of High-Power Microwave (HPM) weapon systems to bolster its maritime capabilities. These sophisticated directed-energy weapons harness the power of concentrated microwave energy to disrupt or destroy electronic systems in various targets, including drones and missiles. By emitting high-peak-power radio frequency waves, HPM weapons can instantly disable electronic components upon impact.

HPM weapons offer several advantages over traditional kinetic weapons. They enable rapid engagement, precise targeting, and extensive ammunition capabilities. Additionally, they require significantly lower power compared to kinetic weapons, making them an energy-efficient solution. These attributes make HPM weapons a crucial component of modern military strategies for countering emerging threats while minimizing collateral damage.

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SOURCE: AFI

EtherealX, a Bangalore-based aerospace startup, is making significant strides in the space launch industry with its ambitious project, the Razor Crest Mk-1. This fully reusable, medium-lift launch vehicle is designed to significantly reduce the cost of accessing space.

Recently, the company unveiled a render of its powerful Stallion engine, which is set to generate a staggering 925 kN of thrust. This engine will be the primary propulsion system for the Razor Crest Mk-1, propelling it into orbit.

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SOURCE: AFI

The Indian Army recently acquired 96 ATOR N1200 Specialist Mobility Vehicles (SMVs) manufactured at JSW Gecko’s newly established facility in Chandigarh, Punjab. This acquisition marks a significant step in indigenizing high-mobility, all-terrain vehicles, crucial for military operations in challenging terrains.

The ATOR N1200 is an indigenized version of the SHERP N1200, an amphibious extreme mobility vehicle designed by UK-based Copato Ltd. Copato has partnered with JSW Defence and JSW Gecko through a joint venture and technology supply license agreement to enable local manufacturing in India.

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SOURCE: PTI

Consular officials at the Indian consulate in Vancouver were recently informed by the Canadian authorities that they have been and continue to be under “audio and video surveillance” and that their “private communications” have also been “intercepted”, the Centre informed Parliament on Thursday.

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written response in Rajya Sabha also said “respect for each other’s concerns, territorial integrity and sovereignty are essential for a stable bilateral relationship”.

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SOURCE: PTI

The Chinese military on Thursday said that “great progress” has been made in implementing the border agreement with India to end the over four-year standoff at eastern Ladakh and termed the recent meeting between the defence ministers of the two sides as positive and constructive.

“We also look forward to harmonious dance between the Chinese dragon and Indian Elephant with concerted steps,” Defence Ministry spokesman Sr Col Wu Qian said while addressing the monthly media briefing here.

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SOURCE: PTI

A total of 33 supercomputers with a combined compute capacity of 32 petaflops have been deployed in the country till November 21, 2024 under National Supercomputing Mission, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Petaflop is a unit of measuring the calculating speed of a computer. Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Jitin Prasada in a written reply to Lok Sabha said India now has the capability of designing, developing and manufacturing supercomputing technologies indigenously, which will reduce dependency on imports of supercomputing technologies.

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SOURCE: ANI

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi on Thursday launched an online learning platform for the Indian Army nicknamed as “Eklavya”. This initiative aligns with the Indian Army propelling itself into the “Decade of Transformation” as envisioned by the COAS and also with Indian Army’s theme for 2024 as the “Year of Technology Absorption,” a release said.

The Eklavya software platform has been developed under the aegis of Headquarters Army Training Command with Army War College as the sponsor agency. The platform has been developed at zero cost through “Bhaskaracharya National Institute of Space Applications and Geoinformatics” (BISAG-N), Gandhinagar, along with support from Directorate General of Information Systems.

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SOURCE: PTI

Bangladesh has sought to pursue deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s trial in the International Criminal Court even as she faced a trial in a domestic tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity, office of the interim government chief Muhammad Yunus said here on Thursday.

The Chief Adviser Yunus discussed the issue of Hasina’s trial with International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim A Khan who called on him at his official Jamuna residence, an official of the chief adviser’s press wing said.

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SOURCE: PTI

Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday condemned the arrest of a Hindu leader on sedition charges and demanded his immediate release, saying that religious freedom and the security of life and property for all communities must be ensured. 

Hasina, the Awami League president, also demanded punishment for those involved in the murder of a lawyer in Chattogram, saying that the “unconstitutional” government led by Muhammad Yunus has failed to provide security to common people, according to a statement in the Bengali language posted on the party’s X account. 

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SOURCE: ANI

The India-Singapore bilateral military exercise, AgniWarrior 2024 will take place in Maharashtra from November 28 to November 30. The details of the exercise were shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army).

The exercise is scheduled to take place at the Devlali Field Firing Ranges, part of the School of Artillery in Maharashtra. The bilateral exercise, which will last from November 28 to November 30, the primary objective of the exercise is to enhance professional military interactions between the artillery units of India and Singapore.

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