Rajnath Singh unveils DFP-2026 to empower DRDO with greater financial autonomy, aiming to speed up defence R&D and the induction of indigenous technologies

Rajnath Singh, Rajnath

Business Standard

Experts say the country needs a strong underwater presence amid maritime threats

Pakistan’s AIP-equipped Hangor-class submarine, developed with assistance from China (Photo: China military website)

AIP gap, Indian submarine, Scorpene submarines, maritime security, Indian Navy

The discussions, which have not been previously ​reported, likely include the potential sale of India's air defence system Akashteer

BrahMos missile

Reuters

Modern conflicts rely on rapid adaptation and low-cost capabilities rather than high manoeuvre alone, as demonstrated in the Russia-Ukraine war, tensions involving Iran, and China's strategic posture

Polish-made unmanned tracked ground vehicles (UGV) KUNA, deployed by Ukraine in the war against Russia, during an open test of unmanned weapon systems at the Military Institute of Armament Technology training ground in Poland on February 19, 2026 (Ph

Taiwan, China, US Iran tensions, Russia Ukraine Conflict, Military weapon

The Trump administration has repositioned China as an economic competitor to be managed through deal-making rather than a systemic adversary to be countered through alliances

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with US President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on May 14, 2026 (Photo: PTI)

US China, Donald Trump, China US trade, China visit

France supports India's multi-alignment with flexible defence deals, from helicopters to submarines, fortifying Indo-Pacific security ties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting in Mumbai in February 2026 (Photo:MEA)

For the EU and India to make progress in their strategic relationship, they will have to transcend the commercial-economic dynamics of their relationship.

Leaders of the European Union and India sign the Security and Defence Partnership agreement at the Hyderabad House, New Delhi, on January 27, 2026 (Photo: Reuters)

President Donald Trump has announced a US counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to prevent the passage of Iranian oil shipments

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 6, 2026

By shifting the Nato into a transactional alliance, Europe must build its own sovereign deterrence

(From left to right) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italia

NATO, NATO alliance, Europe, United States

Can China replace the United States (US) as the principal external anchor in West Asia? The short answer is no, but the longer answer is more consequential than a simple negative

A Chinese warship participates in joint Navy exercise of Iran, China and Russia in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, on March 12. Iranian Army

The impasse continues, with the Hormuz being closed by Iran, thereby aggravating an already disrupted global energy market and the US maintaining the naval blockade that seeks to choke Iran's economy

Operation Epic Fury, Suez Canal, US-Israel war, World War II

modern warfare, modern war, cyber attack, artificial intelligence, robotics

Representational image (Imaging: Ajaya Mohanty)

As India strengthens its defence capabilities with AI and frontier technology, the armed forces face a rapidly evolving landscape of information warfare, cyber threats, and autonomous combat systems

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd Chairman and Managing Director D K Sunil with the indigenous light combat Tejas aircraft (Photo: HAL)

HAL is leveraging its legacy and ramping up research & development to secure its place in India's evolving defence landscape

Operation Sindoor involved the IAF successfully utilising the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system to counter Pakistani air attacks (Photo: Reuters)

A new set of disruptive technologies, indiscriminate use of air power, and obstinate willingness on both sides to test the tripwires have made the India-Pakistan conflict much more complex

India’s former ambassador to China, Ashok Kantha, tells Satarupa Bhattacharjya in a video interview that talks between the two countries are proving to be a protracted, difficult process > > > >

national security strategy, Indian military, opinion

Indian soldiers disembark from a military transport plane at a forward airbase in the Ladakh region on September 15, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)

India's national security strategy is still developing, with challenges in balancing traditional and new threats

The integrated theatre command plan looks at India's strategic challenges and opportunities on land and in water:  General Anil Chauhan

Theatre command, Operation Sindoor, CDS, India Pakistan relations

China's rising stature and increasing oceanic access are shifting the rules of the game

USS Rafael Peralta near a vessel trying to sail to an Iranian port, as claimed by the CENTCOM, amid the US blockade at an unknown location in April 2026 (Photo: Reuters)

China, United States, BRICS, war

Can the force that has emerged in its 14th Five-Year Plan fight and win at the level of sophistication required

China, military, Defence reforms

The impact and cost-effectiveness of the Iranian drone have led major global powers to reverse-engineer it

Low-cost uncrewed combat attack system, a variant of the Shahed drone deployed by the United States against Iran in Februrary 2026

The core component of China's deterrence will pose challenges for India in the event of a conflict

A PHZ-11 122mm multiple launch rocket system fired from a brigade during a live-training exercise in March 2026. Photo: China military website

As Xi ousts his top military general and controls both the party and the gun, Taiwan's anxiety escalates unprecedentedly high levels

Internally in China, as mentioned, the purging of General Zhang Youxia will send shockwaves through the PLA and the Communist Party itself. (Photo: reuters)

Internally in China, as mentioned, the purging of General Zhang Youxia will send shockwaves through the PLA and the Communist Party itself.

Lina Khatib, associate fellow, Middle East and North Africa programme Chatham House talks to 
BS Blueprint

Lina Khatib

A veteran of four decades in the defence industry, Arun T Ramchandani, Senior Vice-President (Precision Engineering & Systems) at Larsen & Toubro, speaks to BS Blueprint >

Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari (retired) tells Bhaswar Kumar that India urgently needs an overarching, empowered and professional body to drive military aerospace projects.

Hilal Khashan speaks to Mohammad Asif Khan on Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, the internal challenges facing Hezbollah, and the broader regional dynamics shaping the conflict. >

An expert in European foreign and security policy, SVEN BISCOP speaks to BS Blueprint

The Blueprint Podcast with Sven Biscop

A destroyed tank on a field, following a fight between the Ethiopian and the Tigray forces in Afar region, Ethiopia, on February 25, 2022 (Photo: Reuters)

ethiopia war

Below are pictures of hypersonic and supersonic weapons as featured in Blueprint June 2026

Hypersonic weapons

Below are pictures of naval technology and modern defence maritime weapons as featured in Blueprint May 2026

The United Kingdom (UK) Royal Navy has bolstered its mine-hunting capabilities by integrating modern uncrewed equipment into the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Lyme Bay in March.

Taliban soldiers using anti-aircraft gun in Khost province, Afghanistan, on February 27, 2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Paris and received a warm welcome from members of the Indian diaspora, as he underscored the importance of the India-France partnership for global progress.
The prime minister arrived in Paris on Wednesday local time from the French commune of Evian-Les-Bains, where he attended the G7 Summit, to which India was invited as a guest country.
Paris marks the final leg of Modi's two-nation tour to France and Slovakia.
"I arrived in Paris just a short while ago, where I was warmly welcomed by the Indian diaspora. I am proud of their efforts to bring India and France closer together," Modi said in a social media post.
"The India-France partnership is essential to the progress of our planet,"  he said.
In Paris, Modi is scheduled to attend VivaTech 2026 alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and interact with the Indian community.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, VivaTech is Europe's premier technology and innovation event, and In

In this image posted on June 16, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi disembarks from the plane at the Geneva Airport, Switzerland

In Paris, Modi is scheduled to attend VivaTech 2026 alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and interact with the Indian community

Press Trust of India

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

Defence

Slovakia backed India's bid for permanent membership in a "reformed" UN Security Council as the two countries elevated their ties to a Comprehensive Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landmark visit to the Central European nation.
In a joint statement issued after talks between Prime Minister Modi and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico on Monday, the two sides underlined the need for comprehensive reforms of multilateral institutions, including the United Nations and the UNSC, to make them "more representative, inclusive and reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities".
The two leaders stressed the urgent need to expand the Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories.
"In this context, India appreciated Slovakia's continued support for India's permanent membership in a reformed and expanded United Nations Security Council," the joint statement said.
Modi and Fico reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism with the United Nations at its c

United nations, UN

In a joint statement issued after talks between PM Modi and his Slovak counterpart, the two sides underlined the need for comprehensive reforms of multilateral institutions, including the UN and UNSC

The DRDO-developed missile, capable of striking targets beyond 1,000 km, met all mission objectives during its test off the Odisha coast

LRLACM being test fired from the ITR off the Odisha coast on Monday  (Photo - DRDO)

India's defence technology sector has seen a sharp rise in startups and funding, supported by growing investments in indigenous manufacturing and innovation

statsguru

China's Wars - The Politics and Diplomacy Behind its Military Coercion traces how the country has utilised methods of military coercion to exert dominance without getting into a major conflict

The book is written by the former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale

China, War Conflict, military

Folland Gnat, operated by the IAF during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, earned success against Pakistan’s F-86 Sabre jets in aerial combat over East Pakistan, now Bangladesh

Operation Sindoor, India Pakistan relations, Pahalgam attack, Fighter jet

Target Tehran traces the deep tentacles of Israeli intelligence in Iran that proved decisive in the latest clash

The Wall Street Journal called it the best book of the year in 2023, when it was published

West Asia continues to sit on a powder keg

US soldiers walk past surface-to-air missiles of the former regime of Saddam Hussain in Tikrit, Iraq, on September 1, 2003

The index witnessed a mixed trend, with 12 constituents posting gains. The combined market capitalisation of the companies stood at over ₹11.5 trillion for the second straight month

The technical breakout in the BSE Defence Index led to a broad-based buying. Photo: Shutterstock

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

DPSUs, arms export, defence news

Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and France emerge as top export destinations

US no longer top destination for India’s aerospace exports

US no longer top destination for India's aerospace exports

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

Under one-third of US Navy deployed

The index reached a market capitalisation of ₹11.6 trillion, with all 25 constituents moving northward. MTAR Technologies and Apollo Micro Systems led the surge

The technical breakout in the BSE Defence Index led to a broad-based buying

Precision strike missile is a surface-to-surface missile with a range of about 500 kilometres with inertial navigation system and gps guidance

A Lockheed Martin-built HIMARS fires the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) during a US Army flight test in 2019 (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

LUCAS, PrSM, missile, West Asia conflict, Precision strike

Mini-submarines are emerging as a critical layer in India's maritime warfare

Mini-submarines, shipping routes, Strait of Hormuz,

India is developing a new generation of autonomous systems to tackle mines

New man-portable autonomous underwater vehicles developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory, Visakhapatnam, in November 2025

The LRGR-120 has an increased range of about 120 kilometres (km) from the previous 40-50 km along with guided accuracy

Pinaka long-range guided rocket (LRGR-120)

Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi said Tehran wants to oversee shipping traffic through the waterway, warning that Iran could move ahead with its own plans if no agreement is reached with Oman

Vessels anchored around Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman on June 22

Bloomberg

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would fulfil its commitments if Washington does the same, as US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Doha for talks

Steve Witkoff

Iran says no talks with the US are scheduled, clarifying its delegation's Qatar visit is unrelated and that priority remains implementing the existing MoU

us iran, us flag, iran flag

Ships are moving through the Strait of Hormuz again, yet Iran's opposition to UN-backed routes shows the conflict has shifted to control over maritime access

Strait of Hormuz, vessel, oil tanker

A return to diplomacy would follow several days of strikes and counterstrikes since an Iranian projectile hit a cargo vessel in the Strait of ​Hormuz on Thursday

US-Iran, Iran, US

Sanctions and blockades are used as nonconventional tools to apply force

A satellite image showing smoke billowing at Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia after a reported attack, following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the Iran war on April 8, 2026 (Photo: Reuters)

The geoeconomic battlefield

'This is the need of the hour'

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

The Ukrainian military shoots down a missile during a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, in January 2026 (Photo: Reuters)

Sustaining the costly offensive

The United Arab Emirates' Opec exit could open doors for India

A silver lining

The US-Iran 'virtual' conflict spotlights the growing impact of cognitive warfare

Memes at war

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The military lessons for India from West Asia include preparing for protracted wars, interviewees say

Munitions placed near a B‑1B Lancer military aircraft at RAF Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, on April 7, 2026

Conflict call

Precision-guided missiles matter more than ever

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, jointly developed by the DRDO and Russia’s NPOM, is the world’s fastest precision-guided weapon

Pin-point power

India needs low-cost interceptors to confront the new dynamics of drone warfare

A Sting interceptor drone flies during a training in Ukraine in April 2026

Attrition's new rule

The West Asia conflict has presented a paradox for the future of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor

A CCTV footage of smoke rising from the Haifa oil refinery in Israel after a reported Iranian attack on March 19, 2026

The promised gateway

Undersea drones

How predictive AI is changing outcomes in conflict

The hyperwar is here

Private players call for the government to identify 'national champions' in defence buying

Private defence firms have made gains in producing armoured vehicles and light tanks, exemplified by the K9 Vajra-T self-propelled tracked artillery gun (centre), developed through collaboration with foreign partners in India

Slender hopes of mindset shift

A summit finds that countries are being pragmatic in the pursuit of national interests

Raisina Dialogue, Diplomacy, Defence and geopolitical news

Pallbearers of the 'liberal order'

Gaps in India's surveillance fleet highlight serious vulnerability in a conflict situation

Netra airborne electronic warfare and control, a specially modified ERJ-145 aircraft fitted with indigenous sensors (PHOTO: IAF)

India's missing eyes in the sky

India's defence modernisation hinges on an ecosystem of military-grade semiconductors

Some materials and modules of the gallium nitride chips (Photo: AGNIT Semiconductors)

A silicon gap

satellites, operational satellites, orbit, India

A Dark Matter

The strategic side of India-US ties is largely unaffected. So far

Personnel from the Indian and the US armies interact during Exercise Yudhabhyas held in the United States in 2025

On the mend or not

India needs many more warships, but must first choose between consolidation and competition in shipbuilders

An Indian Navy ship at the Mazagon Dock in Mumbai

A fork in the road for defence shipyards

The US pressure has cast a shadow on India's strategic bet on the Chabahar Port

Chabahar is an important component of the INSTC (PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK)

The Iran quagmire

Inside China's military upheaval: Power struggle or consolidation?

India's armed forces are adopting artificial intelligence. Analysts urge advancing it

A device for underwater domain awareness that uses AI or machine learning and goes through voluminous data (Photo: Ministry of Defence)

The future in the present: AI in the armed forces

With Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's capture, the United States reasserts its pre-eminence in Latin America

Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted for a courthouse appearance to face multiple charges,including narco-terrorism, in New York City on January 5, 2026 (Photo: Reuters)

A return to spheres of influence in Venezuela

The army has found an answer to China's rapid build-up of infrastructure and military installations on the border

Indian Army personnel assembling the 3D-printed structure (Photo: Indian Army)

3D-printed military structures dot the Himalayas

India's Global South ambition runs up against China's power - making coalition-building, not solo leadership, the more realistic path

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa during the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 7, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

How India can lead the Global South

From power grids to payments, India's digital backbone is increasingly under strain

Cyber suraksha exercise in June 2025 (Photo: PIB)

Cyber war without a strategy

Industry insiders expect the government to push military modernisation much further - and faster

The Indian Air Force light combat helicopter Prachand performs during the Aero India airshow in Bengaluru on February 13, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)

Inside the next Defence budget

Why winter gear is central to building  the country's Himalayan deterrence

Breakdown of the Himkavach (Photo: DRDO; Graphics: Blueprint design desk)

Holding the frigid ground

From Chola naval power to Curzon's imperial spectacle and today's Indo-Pacific contest, the Indian Ocean has long shaped Asia's politics, trade, and ideas

Subhas Chandra Bose transfers in a rubber raft from a German to a Japanese submarine in the Indian Ocean in April 1943 (Photo: Netaji Research Bureau, Kolkata)

A geopolitical history of the Indian Ocean arena

Naval mines have re-emerged as potent instruments of modern conflict but India is not immune to their destructive power

INS Kozhikode (M-71), a Karwar-class minesweeper commissioned in 1988, carrying out mine-laying and clearing operations before it was decommissioned in 2019 (Photo: Indian Navy)

Exploding sleeper cells of the sea

Building a pipeline of world-class defence technologies needs greater coherence among the military, academia and industry

Missing synergy

What India's Integrated Rocket Force would mean for deterrence, doctrine, and defence

Representational image (Photo: Shutterstock)

A long shot

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DPSUs post profits; R&D and exports remain weak

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