Page 9 - Defence Ministry

Indian Coast Guard detains Iranian fishing vessel with 6 Indian crew

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has detained an Iranian fishing vessel with six Indian crew off the coast of Kerala, the defence ministry said on Monday. The vessel was detained on Sunday following a swift "sea-air" coordinated operation by the ICG, it said. The ministry said the crew alleged that the "Iranian sponsor" of the vessel ill-treated and deprived them of basic living conditions and confiscated their passports. Initial investigation revealed that the owner of the boat was an Iranian national who had contracted the Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, it said. "The Indian Coast Guard detained an Iranian fishing vessel, with six Indian crew, west of Beypore off the coast of Kerala late on May 5. The swift sea-air coordinated operation involved the ships and aircraft of the ICG," the ministry said in a statement. "After intercepting the boat, an ICG team boarded the vessel and thoroughly investigated it to check the involvement of any anti-national activity," it said. "Initial .

India flight tests missile-assisted torpedo release system off Odisha coast

India on Wednesday successfully flight tested the supersonic missile-assisted release of torpedo (SMART) system from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast, a defence official said. The system was launched around 8.30 am from the ground mobile launcher. Several state-of-the-art mechanisms such as symmetric separation, ejection and velocity control have been validated in this test, the defence official said. SMART is a next-generation missile-based light-weight torpedo delivery system, designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to enhance the anti-submarine warfare capability of the Indian Navy far beyond the conventional range of lightweight torpedo, he added.

Vice Admiral K Swaminathan assumes charge as vice chief of Indian Navy

Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, known for his expertise in communication and electronic warfare, on Wednesday assumed charge as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. He was serving as Chief of Personnel at the naval headquarters in his previous assignment. Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, who took charge as the 26th Chief of the Naval Staff on Tuesday, was serving as the Vice Chief of the force. After taking charge as the Vice Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Swaminathan paid homage to the fallen heroes at the National War Memorial. In his illustrious career, he commanded missile vessels INS Vidyut and INS Vinash, the missile corvette INS Kulish, guided missile destroyer INS Mysore and the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The Vice Admiral was commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1987 and is a specialist in communication and electronic warfare. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham, the UK, the College

Military strength, capabilities essential to prevent wars, says Army chief

The current geo-strategic landscape is characterised by a change that is taking place at an "unprecedented" scale and speed, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said on Tuesday while asserting that military strength and capabilities are necessary to prevent wars. Addressing an event here, Gen Pande also said the recent global developments have underscored that the security of the nation can neither be outsourced nor be dependent on the largesse of others. Recent geopolitical powerplays have displayed that where national interests are concerned, countries will "not hesitate" to go to war. These developments have reaffirmed the relevance of hard power, he said. The Army chief took part in the AIMA National Leadership Conclave and spoke on 'Hard Power: Modernising Forces through Self-reliance'. He said the overall rise of a nation can be said to occur when there is a significant and continuous increase in its "comprehensive national power". While "economic power" is the fountainhead of the gr

Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi appointed as next chief of Indian Navy

Prior to taking over as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, VAdm Dinesh K Tripathi served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command

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.