Bhaswar Kumar

L&T's next defence bet: ₹5,000 crore in electronics over five years

L&T is expanding its defence footprint with investments in radars, electronics, autonomous systems and directed-energy weapons, while scaling up shipbuilding and defence exports

Rise in arms output to ₹3 trn in three years not inconceivable

Even meeting the target would leave India far behind the US and the UK

India's strategic liftoff

BrahMos is only the opening salvo in Asean's defence market battle

An unfinished mission

India's aeroengine ambitions are at an inflexion point

More than a stealth fighter

The Amca programme could deliver the defence sector's own Maruti moment

India's military modernisation: Strong but uneven

Beneath the defence budget's headline numbers lie cuts, windfalls and diverging fortunes

Reports of Amca F414 engine negotiations hitting deadlock false: Source

Initial variants of the Amca are slated to be powered by American engines, while a more powerful engine is planned to be co-developed with a foreign partner

FY26 arms production hits record ₹1.78 trn; pvt sector share nears 25%

Despite setting a record production figure, FY26 broke the uninterrupted acceleration in annual defence production growth recorded between FY21 and FY25

New Army chief expected to continue multi-domain capability drive

Lieutenant General Seth will assume office on the afternoon of June 30, 2026, when the incumbent, General Upendra Dwivedi, retires from service

DPSUs post profits; R&D and exports remain weak

Only three of India's 16 public sector arms manufacturers meet global benchmarks

Sustaining the costly offensive

Missiles once reserved for nuclear war are increasingly shaping conventional conflict, and India must keep up

DRDO may soon bring pvt players on board to make Astra air-to-air weapon

Move follows lessons drawn from West Asia crisis, Russia-Ukraine war, and Pakistan's decision to raise Army Rocket Force Command

Su-57 only rapid stealth option for IAF; Rafales still essential: Source

But the proliferation of stealth platforms and the advent of sixth-generation technologies have not made the Rafale obsolete for the IAF, source says

Tejas Mk1A deliveries may slip beyond June; IAF open to concessions: Source

IAF willing to accept deliveries if jet is combat-capable and remaining gaps are assured to be bridged in a timely manner

Stealth Ghatak drone must be fast-tracked: Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit

Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said the launch of a formal loyal wingman programme is 'a very high-priority target'

India to project power across Indo-Pacific and beyond by 2047: Defence Secy

Defence Secretary sets targets of Rs 8.8 trillion in defence production and Rs 2.8 trillion in arms exports by 2047; calls on industry to deliver on time and collaborate more closely

Govt appoints new CDS, Navy chief amid theatre command restructuring push

Lt Gen N S Raja Subramani (Retd.) to lead military integration push, while Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan takes charge amid maritime security challenges

Pakistan's mediation belies India's claims of its isolation

Ex-diplomats say the 'peacemaker' role in US-Iran talks is not a zero-sum game for India but needs recalibration

A David-Goliath clash

Iran's missile-and-drone arsenal offset a huge US deployment

Govt appoints Lt Gen N S Raja Subramani as Chief of Defence Staff

The incumbent, CDS General Anil Chauhan, will complete his tenure on May 30, 2026