Page 7 - Defence Ministry

Sailor's body missing in INS Brahmaputra fire found after intensive ops

The Defence Ministry in a statement today said the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi had visited Mumbai on July 23 and reviewed the sequence of events

INS Brahmaputra fire: Damage to be assessed, search on for missing sailor

Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, the Vice Chief of the Indian Navy, on Tuesday said the indigenous frigate INS Brahmaputra, which has tilted on its side after a blaze broke out onboard, can be made upright and a damage assessment will be done. He said the sailor who went missing after the fire on Sunday was seen walking out of the ship, and a search is on to trace him. The Navy had, in a release, said a fire broke out on board the multi-role frigate on the evening of July 21 while she was undergoing refit at Naval Dockyard Mumbai. The blaze was brought under control by the ship's crew with the help of firefighters from the dockyard and other vessels in the harbour by Monday morning. The ship experienced severe listing to one side (port side), and despite all efforts, it could not be brought to the upright position, it stated. Talking to PTI at Vasco in South Goa, Vice Admiral Swaminathan said, "It is a sad incident, but the Navy will enquire into it. Whatever corrective measures n

SC seeks Centre's response on Nagaland govt plea to prosecute 30 armymen

The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Ministry of Defence on a plea of the Nagaland government challenging denial of sanction to prosecute 30 Army personnel, who were accused of killing 13 civilians in a botched-up operation to ambush militants in the state in 2021. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, on Monday, took note of the submissions of the state government and issued notices to the Centre and the Union Ministry of Defence. The bench has now fixed the plea of Nagaland on September 3. In April last year, the Central government had denied sanction to prosecute the Army men who were allegedly involved in the botched up ambush at Oting in Mon district of the state. The state government has filed the writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution. A plea under this Article can be filed alleging violation of fundamental rights. The state, which had filed an FIR, claimed it has clinching evidence

ThyssenKrupp JV in fray for building six conventional submarines

The six submarines, powered by air-independent-propulsion (AIP), are being built under a Rs 45,000 crore programme called Project 75-I under the "strategic partner" (SP) acquisition category

Death of 5 Army personnel in J-K's Kathua will not go unavenged: Govt

The killing of five Army personnel in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district will not go unavenged and India will defeat the evil forces behind it, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said on Tuesday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed deep anguish over the killing of the soldiers and asserted that the armed forces are determined to usher in peace in the region. Five Army personnel were killed and as many injured on Monday when a group of heavily-armed terrorists ambushed a patrolling party in Badnota area in Kathua. A massive search operation has already been launched to hunt down terrorists responsible for the attack. "I am deeply anguished at the loss of five of our brave Indian Army Soldiers in a terrorist attack in Badnota, Kathua (J&K)," the defence minister said on X. "My deepest condolences to the bereaved families, the Nation stands firm with them in this difficult time. The Counter Terrorist operations are underway, and our soldiers are determined to

Rajnath Singh condoles deaths of 5 soldiers in Kathua terror attack

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families of five army soldiers who were killed in an ambush by terrorists in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on July 8.In a message on social media platform X, Rajnath Singh said, "I am deeply anguished at the loss of five of our brave Indian Army Soldiers in a terrorist attack in Badnota, Kathua (J & K). My deepest condolences to the bereaved families, the Nation stands firm with them in this difficult time".Rajnath Singh said, "The Counter Terrorist operations are underway, and our soldiers are determined to usher in peace and order in the region"."I pray for a speedy recovery to those who sustained injuries in this dastardly terror attack," he further said.Meanwhile, security has been tightened along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway after five army soldiers were killed in an ambush by terrorists in Kathua district on June 8.An encounter is still underway between troops and ...

FY24 defence production grows 17% to record high of Rs 1.27 trillion

MoD says value of defence production has grown by over 60 per cent in the five years since FY20

Andhra CM Naidu meets Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi today

The meeting comes ahead of the much-awaited full budget of the central government for 2024-25

India logs all-time high defence production value at over Rs 1.26 trillion

According to an official press release by the defence ministry, 79.2 per cent of the production was undertaken by the DPSUs and the other PSUs while 20.8 per cent by the private players

Five soldiers including JCO swept away while crossing river in Ladakh

Five soldiers of the Army are feared drowned after they were swept away while crossing a river in a T-72 tank near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Nyoma-Chushul area in Ladakh early Saturday, officials said. They said the incident occurred near Mandir Morh, 148 kilometres from here, during an exercise around 1 am. The T-72 tank with five soldiers on board sank due to flash floods while they were crossing the river, the officials said. A rescue operation has been launched. Further details are awaited.

Indian Navy bids farewell to UH-3H helicopter after 17 years of service

The Indian Navy on Friday bid adieu to UH-3H helicopter -- a versatile platform that has played a crucial role in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations -- after 17 years of glorious service, officials said. The de-induction ceremony was held at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam. The event was presided by Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command. Veteran officers and sailors of the UH3H squadron graced the event with families reminiscing the yeoman service of the helicopter. The UH-3H helicopter will be replaced by Sea King 42C helicopter at INAS 350 to continue and deliver operational power and capability, a spokesperson of the Navy said in a statement. The de-induction ceremony of UH-3H helicopter marks the end of a remarkable era that introduced innovative capabilities in special operations and search and rescue (SAR) missions, the officials said. The operational role of the UH-3H in the constantly evolving and dynamic maritime environment will .

Budget 2024: How can India achieve Rs 3 trillion defence production goal?

Centre has set annual defence production target of Rs 3 trillion by FY29, which would be an over three-fold jump from current levels

'Enormous damage': China probing two ex-defence ministers at the same time

In the first time in its history, the People's Republic of China has made public corruption probes against two former defence ministers on the same day

MoD approves survey to expand Pune airport's runway to boost int'l ops

The Pune airport is a defence airport wherein commercial aircraft operations are allowed at certain periods of time under the management of the AAI

India, US release fact sheet on MQ-9B deal, co-production initiatives

The drone deal is part of the broader efforts to strengthen defence ties between the United States and India

Restoration of road connectivity to North Sikkim underway, says BRO

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on Saturday said it has mobilised huge manpower and machinery to restore road connectivity to North Sikkim. At least six people have been killed as landslides and heavy rain impacted the Himalayan state severely, damaging properties and disrupting road connectivity, power and food supplies and mobile networks in several areas. Multiple landslides at various stretches, including Dikchu-Sanklang-Toong, Mangan-Sanklang, Singtham-Rangrang and Rangrang-Toong, besides collapse of the vital Sanklang suspension bridge, resulted in the severing of connectivity to North Sikkim, leaving around 1,200-1,500 tourists stranded. "The BRO under Project SWASTIK has swung into restoration efforts by mobilising huge manpower and machinery to restore connectivity to North Sikkim at the earliest," it said in a statement. Heavy earth-moving equipment has been deployed on the Dikchu-Sanklang-Toong Road to restore connectivity, with 10 km of road already being cleared fr

Rajnath Singh takes charge as defence minister; MoD's 100-day plan on track

Welfare of serving and retired soldiers and increased self-reliance in producing weapons and defence systems to be major focus areas of the Ministry of Defence's 100-day action plan

Army again promotes counter-insurgency specialist as chief of staff

Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi will take over as the next chief of army staff on June 30, 2024, continuing the trend of promoting counter-insurgency specialists in the Indian Army

Rajnath is gearing up to deal with Agnipath, reform of theatre command

Under the previous Modi government, Rajnath Singh had assumed the office of the defence minister in June 2019. Prior to that, Singh had been the minister of home affairs since May 2014

MoD inks MoUs with 4 banks to onboard them as 'SPARSH' service centres

The Defence Accounts Department (DAD) of the Ministry of Defence has signed MoUs with four banks to onboard them as SPARSH service centres across 1,128 branches of these banks in the country, officials said. The System for Pension Administration (RAKSHA) or SPARSH is a web-based system for processing pension claims and crediting the pension directly into the bank accounts of defence pensioners without any external intermediary. DAD has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Bank of India, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank in New Delhi to onboard them as SPARSH service centres across 1,128 branches of the four banks, the defence ministry said in a statement. The MoUs will provide last-mile connectivity to pensioners, especially in remote areas where they do not have the technical wherewithal to log on to SPARSH. These service centres will become an interface for pensioners for SPARSH, providing an effective medium to update their profile;