Page 9 - Defence Ministry

Those who opposed Lord Ram in India faced downfall, says Rajnath Singh

Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh claimed on Wednesday that whoever in India has opposed Lord Ram has faced downfall, which is what has happened to the Congress and CPI(M) in the country. Singh alleged that both the parties, which are allies in the INDIA bloc, do not understand the importance of Lord Ram or the festival of Ram Navami. "They have created hurdles in celebration of Ram Navami. We all know that whosoever has ever opposed Lord Ram faced downfall in the country. That is what has happened to Congress and CPI(M)," he alleged at an election meeting. He also claimed there was no difference in words and deeds of the BJP which was the most credible political party in the country. However, the words and deeds of the Congress and Communist parties were different. The minister also expressed confidence that the BJP will win seats in double digits from Kerala in the Lok Sabha polls. The Lok Sabha elections will be held in Kerala on April 26 and the results will be declared on June

HAL gets Rs 65K cr MoD tender for 97 more Tejas Mark 1A fighter jets

Total number of Tejas fighters set to exceed 200

India successfully conducts test flight of Agni-Prime ballistic missile

Agni-Prime anticipated to replace older generation missiles and significantly enhance the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces

Disengagement, de-escalation is the way forward, says Rajnath Singh

The minister complimented the forces for the high standard of operational preparedness and capabilities

Department of Defence Production issues notification to rejig DGQA

This arrangement, coupled with automation and digitisation of standardised QA processes, is likely to significantly improve the engagement of the defence industry with DGQA

IAF chief spells out vision to transition into future ready aerospace force

IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari visited the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Tamil Nadu's Wellington on Friday and told a group of officers about the IAF's vision to transition into a "contemporary and future ready aerospace force". The IAF chief also highlighted the significant air power lessons derived from existing conflicts such as Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas conflict, the defence ministry said in a statement. In his address to them, he also covered the challenges confronting the IAF, its capability development plan and jointmanship, it said. He addressed the student officers from the Indian armed forces and friendly foreign countries undergoing the 79th Staff Course and the permanent staff of DSSC. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari "spelt out the transition of IAF into a contemporary and future ready aerospace force". He reiterated the vision as spelt out in the IAF doctrine, which envisages an agile and adaptive air force to provide decisive aerospace ...

Rajnath Singh, Lloyd Austin discuss defence ties between India, US

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday spoke over the phone with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin to discuss on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues amidst a "growing momentum in major defence partnership" between India and the US. During the call, Austin and Rajnath "lauded progress on bilateral defence initiatives following the 5th annual US-India 2+2 ministerial dialogue in November 2023, including US support for India's military modernisation, initiatives to drive forward the US-India roadmap for defence industrial cooperation, strengthening maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region, and India's support for the rule of law in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waterways, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder said. Austin held the call with Singh to discuss "growing momentum in the major defence partnership between the US and India in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region", he said. The two leaders also applauded recent announcements ...

MoD inks Rs 2,890-cr contract with HAL for upgrade of 25 Dornier aircraft

The defence ministry on Friday inked a contract worth over Rs 2,890 crore with state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for mid-life upgrade of 25 Dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy. Under the project, the HAL will incorporate state-of-the-art avionics systems and sensors onboard the aircraft. The defence ministry said the project will be implemented within six and half years. "The ministry of defence signed a contract with the HAL on March 15 for mid-life upgrade (MLU) of 25 Dornier aircraft along with associated equipment for the Indian Navy at a cost of Rs 2,890 crore," an official readout said. "The MLU for Dornier aircraft includes an upgrade to incorporate state-of-the-art avionics systems and primary role sensors," the ministry said. It said the upgrade would significantly enhance the operational capability of the Dornier aircraft. "The upgrade would significantly enhance the operational capability of the Dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy to perform pri

Rajnath approves expanding NCC to 2 mn cadets, build 'future leaders'

Plan will make NCC the world's largest uniformed youth organisation

Tri-service military exercise 'Bharat Shakti' to be held at Pokhran

Stage is set in the arid terrain of Rajasthan's Pokhran for the mega exercise 'Bharat Shakti' on Tuesday, which will demonstrate the prowess of indigenously manufactured defence equipment of the three services. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to witness the integrated tri-service firepower and manoeuvre exercise that will be held for about 50 minutes. The country's top military brass will also be present on the occasion. LCA Tejas, ALH Mk-IV, LCH Prachand, mobile anti-drone system, BMP-II and its variants, NAMICA (Nag Missile Carrier), T90 tanks, Dhanush, K9 Vajra and Pinaka rockets are among the platforms that will be demonstrated. 'Bharat Shakti' will demonstrate the prowess of indigenously manufactured defence equipment of the three services, Additional Director General, Army Design Bureau, Major General C S Mann had told reporters here on Saturday. It will showcase the "shock and awe" impact that the armed forces seek to achieve in an operational situation with manoeuv

Mission Divyastra: India's Agni-V missile makes maiden flight with MIRV

Equipped with MIRV technology, the indigenously developed missile carried four to six dummy warheads capable of striking widely-separated targets

MoD buys indigenous anti-drone tech worth Rs 200 cr from Big Bang Boom

A win for the homegrown IDEX startup, promoting indigenous technology

Country's growth can't be imagined without development of farmers: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the country's growth cannot be imagined without the development of farmers and villages, and asserted that the Modi government was standing shoulder to shoulder with the cultivators. Addressing a mega farmers' rally at Government Science College ground in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur, he also targeted the previous Congress dispensation in the state, accusing it of indulging in corruption and derailing its development. "...I am the son of a farmer and hail from a village. Farmers can yield gold from the soil with their efforts and hard work. My government is standing shoulder to shoulder with farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre has been taking several steps for the welfare of farmers," the minister said. Without the development of farmers and villages, the growth of the country cannot be imagined, he said. "In America, one bag of urea fertilisers is available for Rs 3,000...India is the only where urea is being provided .

Navy requests change in rank nomenclature to accommodate female sailors

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar on Tuesday said they have approached the Defence Ministry for an approval of changing the nomenclature of various ranks as they now have women sailors also. He also expressed hope that since gender neutrality has been introduced in the Indian Navy, it will have a woman chief in 30-35 years. He was addressing mediapersons during the inauguration of a new administrative building of the Naval War College (NWC) at Verem in North Goa. "We follow all roles, all ranks. Hoping that 30-35 years down the line we will have a woman chief of naval staff speaking to you all," Admiral Kumar said. The Navy already has a woman commanding officer of a ship based in Goa, he noted. "Recently, we have got a consensus from all the people concerned and we have taken it with the ministry for approval for changing the rank nomenclature, like leading seamen, seamen class I, seamen class II, because now we have got women sailors also," he said. "Women cannot be sea

Defence ministry signs 5 military procurement deals worth Rs 39,125 cr

The defence ministry on Friday inked five military procurement deals worth Rs 39,125 crore. Of the five contracts, one was with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for procurement of aero-engines for MiG-29 aircraft, according to the ministry. Two contracts were firmed up with Larsen & Toubro Limited for the procurement of close-in weapon system (CIWS) and high-power radar. Two other deals were finalised with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited for the procurement of BrahMos missiles. "These deals will further strengthen indigenous capabilities, save foreign exchange and reduce dependency on foreign-origin equipment manufacturers in future," the ministry said.

India's defence budget masks capital allocations to each service

The only way to estimate the capital allocation for each service is to calculate the allocations to each service over the preceding decade

Rs 3 trn by FY29: Rajnath lays down ambitious defence production target

The defence minister also raised the annual export target for aerospace and defence services and production to Rs 50,000 crore in the same time frame

HAL, DRDO to begin Rs 60,000 crore Sukhoi fighter jet fleet upgrade

The project aims to enhance the aircraft's capabilities with new radars, mission control systems, electronic warfare capabilities, and integration of new weapon systems for the Indian Air Force

Mega defence expo to be organised in Pune between Feb 24-26: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said a mega defence expo will be organised by the state government in Pune from February 24 to 26. Speaking to reporters here, he said the state government has requested Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to attend but a confirmation on whether he would visit has not been received as yet.

Defence ministry clears procurement of military hardware worth Rs 84,560 cr

The procurement proposals were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh