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Future wars may be fought with Artificial Intelligence, but they will still be won by national resolve, trained soldiers and robust military power, Defence Minister Rajanth Singh said on Saturday. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of INA Mahendragiri here, Singh also said Andhra Pradesh has emerged as a new powerhouse of India's defence and aerospace manufacturing. "Future wars may be fought with Artificial Intelligence, but they will still be won by national resolve, trained soldiers and the capable military power. So, I would say that new technologies and conventional platforms are not opposed to each other, but supplement each other, complete each other. Without conventional platforms, new technologies are incomplete in themselves," he said. According to Singh, it is certain that new technologies have certainly reshaped warfare, but they have not diminished the role of conventional warfare means. The strong conventional capability that is still necessary for the fulfilment
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday commissioned Mahendragiri, the sixth Project 17A indigenous stealth frigate, into the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet here, marking another milestone in India's journey towards defence self-reliance and indigenous warship construction. The commissioning ceremony was held in the presence of senior naval officials and other dignitaries at the naval dockyard in the port city. "INS Mahendragiri can effectively counter threats from the air, enemy vessels on the surface and submarines beneath the sea. As a blue-water warship, it can protect India's maritime interests not only near the coast but also in distant and deep oceans for weeks at a time," said Singh, addressing the commissioning ceremony at Eastern Naval Command (ENC). Congratulating Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), the Indian Navy, the crew of INS Mahendragiri and the people of the country, Singh said the warship reflects India's growing defence manufacturing capability and commitme
Indigenous stealth frigate 'Mahendragiri', endowed with state-of-the-art weapons, including surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missile systems, and a cutting-edge sensor suite, is set to be commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 11, officials said on Monday. Designed by the Navy's Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by MDL Mumbai, 'Mahendragiri' "is capable of undertaking anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine operations, and is equally suited for maritime security, power projection, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), search and rescue, and sustained presence missions, a Navy spokesperson said. "The frigate is equipped with an advanced suite of indigenous and state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missile systems, sophisticated electronic warfare capabilities, comprehensive anti-submarine warfare systems and an integrated combat management system," the official said. Incorporating advanced stealth features, .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday commissioned three indigenously-built naval ships at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port here. The three indigenously built frontline platforms -- stealth frigate Dunagiri, survey vessel (large) Sanshodhak, and anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft Agray-- represent key operational capabilities across maritime combat, hydrographic surveying and anti-submarine warfare. West Bengal Governor R N Ravi, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, and Indian Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan were among the dignitaries present at the commissioning event. The vessels were designed by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau and built by Kolkata-based Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. These platforms have indigenous content exceeding 75 per cent, with extensive participation by the Indian industry, including more than 200 MSMEs, in their construction, an official said.
Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Saturday strongly pitched for a dedicated naval theatre command combining capabilities of all the three services and the coast guard as he cited the West Asia conflict to underline that maritime security is directly linked to energy security and national resilience. In an exclusive interview to PTI, Admiral Tripathi said theaterisation must remain strictly guided by operational effectiveness and enhancement of national military capability rather than organisational restructuring alone. Framing military jointness as a combat necessity rather than a concept, the Navy Chief said any new joint structure must prioritise maritime realities while fully aligning with broader national objectives of integrated warfighting. In view of the unfolding crisis in West Asia, the setting up of a dedicated naval theatre command incorporating assets and personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Coast Guard has gained traction. The overarching blueprint ...
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that the Indian Navy forced "the entire Pakistan Navy to remain confined to its ports during Operation Sindoor". Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the 'Nausena Shaurya Vatika', an open-air naval museum here, Singh said, "The Navy played a significant role in maintaining pressure on Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. "Our Navy was deployed in the Arabian Sea with full preparedness and strength, maintaining constant pressure on the adversary. As a result, Pakistan's entire Navy remained confined to its ports." Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, 2025, to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack, with Indian forces conducting precision strikes on multiple terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. The military conflict was halted after both sides reached an understanding on the evening of May 10. Talking about the opening of the Nausena Shaurya Vatika, which has been designed to showcase the legacy, operational
Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, who drove high-level naval combat readiness during Operation Sindoor, assumed charge as the 48th Vice Chief of the Indian Navy on Friday, bringing a wealth of frontline experience to the naval headquarters. Before taking the helm as the Navy's second-in-command, the officer served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), India's first and only integrated tri-services theatre command guarding strategic waters. Earlier, as the Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command, he was instrumental in executing the Navy's aggressive forward deployment of critical assets as part of Operation Sindoor. Vice Admiral Kochhar succeeds Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, who has been appointed as the next chief of the Western Naval Command. An alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy, Pune, Vice Admiral Kochhar was commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1988. A specialist in gunnery and missile systems, he has held a wide range of ..