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Defence minister Singh begins his UK tour with visit to Gandhi memorial

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh kick-started his UK tour with a visit to Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Tavistock Square in central London on Tuesday. Singh's visit comes after a gap of 22 years, with the last one by an Indian defence minister to the UK dating back to January 2002. Accompanied by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami and members of his delegation, Singh paid floral tributes to the Father of the Nation at the memorial which dates back to the 20th century. The iconic sculpture of Gandhi in a meditative pose is the site of Gandhi Jayanti and Martyr's Day commemorations by the diaspora. The minister then made his way to Whitehall to inspect a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Horse Guards Parade before a bilateral meeting with his UK counterpart, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps. The two leaders are expected to cover a wide range of defence, security and industrial cooperation issues. Later on Tuesday, Singh will visit the Ambedkar Museum in north London to pa

IAS Samir Kumar Sinha takes over as DG (Acquisition) in Defence Ministry

Senior IAS officer Samir Kumar Sinha has been appointed as Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition) in the Defence Ministry, as part of a bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre. Sinha, a 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is currently working in his Assam-Meghalaya cadre. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment as Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition), Department of Defence, a Union Personnel Ministry order said. Bharat Harbanslal Khera, a 1995-batch IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Chandra Bhushan Kumar will be Additional Secretary as well as Mission Director for the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation's Jal Jeevan Mission. Puja Singh Mandol, currently Joint Director General in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, has been appointed as Additional Secretary i

Rajnath Singh's UK visit first by Indian defence minister in 22 years

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to embark upon a three-day visit to the UK from Monday, seen as significant to the bilateral partnership in the sphere of defence and security as the last ministerial level visit took place 22 years ago. Singh's previously planned visit to the UK in June 2022 was called off by the Indian side for protocol reasons, making next week's tour a highly anticipated one. Besides wide-ranging talks with his UK counterpart, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, Singh is expected to inspect a ceremonial Guard of Honour and undertake visits to Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B.R. Ambedkar memorials in London. A community interaction with members of the Indian diaspora in the UK is also expected to be part of his three-day itinerary. This visit is significant in terms of both optics and substance. In terms of the former, this is the first visit of India's defence minister to the UK in 22 years the last visit was by then defence minister of a previous BJP-led government, .

DefMin providing security escort for container ships around Red Sea

Tankers have been avoiding the Red Sea after the Houthi militant group stepped up maritime attacks against commercial vessels

Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi assumes role of vice chief of Navy

Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Thursday assumed charge as Vice Chief of the Navy succeeding Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh, who became Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the crucial Western Naval Command. Prior to taking charge as the vice chief, Vice Admiral Tripathi was serving as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, he was commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1985. A Communication and electronic warfare specialist, he served on frontline warships of the Navy as signal communication officer and electronic warfare officer. Vice Admiral Tripathi commanded Indian naval ships Vinash, Kirch and Trishul. He has also held various important operational and staff appointments, including fleet operations officer of the Western Fleet at Mumbai, director of naval operations and principal director of network centric operations and naval plans in Delhi. On promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral, he

Defence ministry signs Rs 802 crore contract for military wagons, equipment

The contracts include 697 bogie open military wagons from Jupiter Wagons Limited, and 56 mechanical minefield marking equipment from BEML Ltd

India making defence ecosystem for self-reliance, says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the government is developing a strong base of domestic defence industrial ecosystem to make the country a strategic economy. Addressing the 21st Convocation of Tezpur University here, Singh said his ministry is making all efforts to achieve the target of becoming self-reliant in the defence sector. "Our government is developing a strong base of domestic defence industrial ecosystem to make India a strategic economy", he said. Highlighting the various steps taken by the Ministry of Defence, Singh stressed that for the first time, the import of arms went down while exports rose. "We issued five positive indigenisation lists, under which 509 defence equipment have been identified whose manufacturing will now be done indigenously. "In addition, we have also issued four positive indigenisation lists of Defence Public Sector Undertakings, in which 4,666 items have been identified and these will now be manufactured in our country," he ...

India in 2023 focused on acquiring new military platforms, weaponry

India firmed up defence procurement worth over Rs 3.50 lakh crore in 2023 as the lingering border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh as well as the crises and conflicts around the world kept the military focused on ways to enhance the country's overall combat prowess to firmly deal with any security challenges. India also went on an overdrive in expanding its military engagement with like-minded countries in its neighbourhood and beyond in the face of China's relentless attempts to become a regional hegemon and establish its primacy in South Asia. The Indian troops guarding the nearly 3,500 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) maintained an assertive approach as the eastern Ladakh border spilled into the fourth year even as both sides held several rounds of high-level military and diplomatic talks to resolve it. The face-off between the two of the planet's biggest military forces mainly continued in Demchok and Depsang regions though both sides completed disengagement in several other

Defence Secretary Aramane urges HAL to partner with private players

Hailing the important work being done by HAL, Aramane said, "HAL has received applause at the highest levels and the government trusts your capability to deliver and make the country self-reliant "

Poonch ambush: Security forces initiate fresh searches along IB, LOC

Fresh searches were launched along the border with Pakistan in Samba and Poonch even as cordon and search operations continued for the seventh straight day on Wednesday to track the terrorists involved in last week's ambush that killed four soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has flown to Rajouri to visit ground zero on Wednesday along with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Army chief Manoj Pande to review the security situation following the terror attack. "Security forces are continuing the cordon and search operation to track down the terrorists involved in the ambush on Army vehicles," a senior official told PTI. The operation includes sniffer dogs, surveillance equipment and aerial mechanisms. Additional forces have been deployed to plug seven infiltration routes amid area domination operations in the area. Mobile internet services will remain suspended in Rajouri and Poonch for the fifth day in a row. Security forces and special ..

Rajnath Singh reaches J-K to evaluate security after terror attack

Security has been beefed up in Jammu ahead of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's visit

Rajnath Singh vows to find attackers of navy ships from 'depth of seas'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh promises action against those responsible for the drone attack on merchant navy ship and reassures the public on stringent measures taken to strengthen the Navy

Indian Navy to commission Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer 'Imphal' on Tue

The event marks the formal induction into the Navy of the third of four 'Visakhapatnam' class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy's in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau

Defence ministry seals deal to procure six patrol vessels for Coast Guard

The defence ministry on Wednesday signed a Rs 1,614 crore contract with Mazagon Dockyard Shipbuilders Ltd for procurement of six next generation offshore patrol vessels for the Indian Coast Guard. The acquisition of the platforms is aimed at boosting the Coast Guard's capability towards maritime security, the defence ministry said. "The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Mazagon Dockyard Shipbuilders Ltd on December 20 for the procurement of six next generation offshore patrol vessels for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG)," the ministry said. It said the contract was made under the buy (Indian-IDDM) category at a total cost of Rs 1614.89 crore. Out of the six vessels being procured, four would replace the existing aging offshore patrol vessels and the other two would augment the Coast Guard's fleet. "The acquisition of these major ICG platforms is aimed to boost the ICG's capability and reinforces the increased focus of the Government towards maritime security," the ministry s

Cochin Shipyard, Defence ministry sign Rs 488 cr contract for ship repairs

Cochin Shipyard Limited signed a Rs 488.25 crore contract with the Defence ministry for repair and maintenance of equipment onboard naval vessels

India successfully flight tests indigenous high-speed flying-wing UAV

The Defence Ministry on Friday said a successful flight trial of an indigenous high-speed flying-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was carried out in Karnataka's Chitradurga that propelled India into an elite club of nations to have the technology to produce such a platform. The autonomous flying wing technology demonstrator has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). "The DRDO has successfully carried out a flight trial of autonomous flying wing technology demonstrator, an indigenous high-speed flying-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from the aeronautical test range in Chitradurga," the ministry said. The successful flying demonstration of this autonomous stealth UAV is a testimony to maturity in the technology readiness levels in the country, it said. "With this flight in the tailless configuration, India has joined the elite club of countries to have mastered the controls for the flying wing technology," the Defence Ministry said. Defence

Defence ministry signs over Rs 5,300 cr deal with Bharat Electronics Ltd

The defence ministry on Friday sealed an over Rs 5,300 crore deal with state-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) for procurement of electronic fuzes for the Indian Army for a period of 10 years. An electronic fuze is an integral component of medium to heavy calibre artillery guns which provide sustained artillery firepower for military operations. The ministry said the fuzes are being procured for usage in artillery guns which are capable of lethal engagements in various kinds of terrain including high-altitude areas along the northern borders. It said the aim of the project is to build up ammunition stocks to minimise imports. "The Ministry of Defence on December 15 signed a landmark contract with Bharat Electronics Ltd, Pune for procurement of electronic fuzes for the Indian Army for a period of 10 years, at a total cost of Rs 5,336.25 crore," it said. "As part of the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' vision, this contract has been signed for ammunition procurement under 'manufacture of ammuni

Ammunition manufacturing: MoD inks Rs 5,336 cr contract with BEL

The 10-year contract between the defence ministry and BEL has been signed for the procurement of electronic fuzes for Indian Army

Defence ministry approves Rs 2,800 crore rockets for Pinaka weapon system

The Defence Ministry's Defence Acquisition Council's recent meeting had cleared the proposal for the acquisition of two types of these rockets, known as Area Denial Munition Type 2 and Type-3