Page 3 - Defence News

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia sign defence pact: 'Attack on one is attack on both'

During Shehbaz Sharif's visit, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement which expanded defence cooperation, including training, exercises and intelligence sharing

Defence minister approves new framework to rationalise revenue procurement

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a new framework to streamline, simplify and rationalise the revenue procurement process for the military. The Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025 also aims to foster jointness among the three services and help in maintaining the highest level of military preparedness through expeditious decision making process for revenue procurement, an official readout said on Sunday. "It (DPM) will ensure timely availability of requisite resources to the armed forces and at appropriate cost," it said. Defence Minister Singh approved the DPM that will "further streamline, simplify, enable and rationalise the revenue procurement process in the Ministry of Defence and cater to the emerging requirements of the armed forces in the era of modern warfare", it said. The ministry said ease of doing business has been further strengthened in the document, which aims to boost Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence manufacturing and technology. "The objective

Indian Army, Navy hold high-altitude combat diving training in Sikkim

During the training, participants carried out open circuit air diving, closed circuit pure oxygen diving, dives up to a depth of 17 metres in extreme cold-water conditions, and combat night diving

DRDO transfers three advanced materials technologies to industry partners

The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has transferred three advanced materials technologies to industry partners, the defence ministry said on Thursday. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO, Samir V Kamat recently handed over the Licensing Agreement for Transfer of Technology (LAToT) documents to the industry partners at an event. DRDO's Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) in Hyderabad has transferred three advanced materials technologies to the industry partners, the ministry said. Further strengthening DRDO's collaborative ecosystem, an MoU was also signed between DMRL and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Civil Aviation for utilising the lab's experience, facilities and capabilities to support the bureau's activities, it said. The event for the handing over of LAToT was organised at DMRL, Hyderabad, on August 30, the ministry said in a statement. The technologies transferred include "manufacturing of ..

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence to visit Andamans on Aug 27

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence under the chairmanship of BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh will visit Port Blair on Wednesday, an official said. The committee will review the preparedness of India's only tri-command at Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the visit, the official said on Tuesday. The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), is the only tri-services command in India, and it aims to bring greater synergy among the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. Apart from Radha Mohan Singh, nine Members of Parliament Shashank Mani, Virendra Singh, Shaktisinh Gohil, Naresh Bansal, Lumba Ram, Jagannath Sarkar, Muzibulla Khan, Sanjay Singh and S Jothimani will visit the archipelago. An official said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence will be accompanied by five officials from the Lok Sabha and one senior Defence official, including Juby Amar (Director and secretary to the delegation). During the visit, the committee will be welcomed by Lieutenant General Dinesh Singh R

Inaugural India-New Zealand defence strategic dialogue held in Delhi

The inaugural edition of India-New Zealand Defence Strategic Dialogue was held here on Tuesday with an aim to discuss security perspectives and further bolster bilateral cooperation, officials said. The meeting was co-chaired by Joint Secretary (International Cooperation), defence ministry, Amitabh Prasad and Head of International Branch, Ministry of Defence, New Zealand, Kathleen Pearce. "Both nations expressed satisfaction at the ongoing defence cooperation and identified means to enhance the existing areas of collaboration, especially in the fields of training, capability building, defence industry, maritime security and multinational cooperation," the Indian defence ministry said. The co-chairs also articulated steps in the direction of emerging areas of cooperation and issues pertaining to global commons, officials said. "The Indian side complimented New Zealand for its successful command of CTF-150 in which five Indian Navy personnel were also deputed as staff. Both sides als

Iran founds new Supreme National Defence Council after attacks by Israel

Iran founded a new defence council after attacks in June by Israel and the US, Iranian state media reported Monday. Iran's Supreme National Security Council, the country's highest security body, made the decision to establish the Supreme National Defence Council, which will be headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian, the report said. The council will handle defensive plans and improve the capabilities of Iran's armed forces. Members will include the speaker of Parliament, the head of the judiciary and the chiefs of military branches and related ministries, the report said. The defence, intelligence and foreign ministries are expected to be council members, although the report did not provide those details. Iran's decision follows a 12-day air war by Israel and the US that led to the deaths of nearly 1,100 people including military chiefs and commanders. A ceasefire has been in force since shortly after the airstrikes targeted Iran's major nuclear facilities. Iran had a similar counc

HAL, GE near finish line to power LCA Mk2 with made-in-India engine

Companies sign manufacturing licence agreement, completing the technical negotiation stage covering the transfer of 80% of engine technology

SCO should improve mechanisms to respond to security threats: Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday told the foreign ministers of the SCO member states that the grouping should improve mechanisms to respond to security threats and challenges, and build a solid security barrier. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was among the foreign ministers and heads of standing bodies of the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) whom Xi met here ahead of their meeting in Tianjin. Xi said that over the past 24 years since its founding, the SCO has always upheld the Shanghai Spirit, grown into a mature and robust organisation, and demonstrated strong vitality. He stressed that in the face of a turbulent and changing international landscape, the SCO must stay focused and confident, act efficiently and play a more proactive role in injecting greater stability and positive energy into the world. Xi said China has always prioritised the SCO in its neighbourhood diplomacy, and is committed to making the organisation more substantive and stronge

UK engineering team arrives in Kerala to repair stranded F-35 jet

After remaining stranded here for about a month following a technical issue, a British Royal Navy fighter jet was on Sunday moved to a designated facility for British engineers to assess it, airport sources here said. An engineering team from the UK arrived at the international airport here on Sunday to assess and repair the British Royal Navy F-35B Lightning fighter jet which made an emergency landing at the airport nearly a month ago. A British High Commission spokesperson confirmed the arrival of the engineering team at the airport. "A UK engineering team has deployed to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to assess and repair the UK F-35B aircraft, which landed following an emergency diversion," the spokesperson said in a statement. It further said that the UK has accepted the offer of a space in the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility of the airport, and are in discussions to finalise arrangements with relevant authorities. "In line with standard procedure, th

DRDO lab conducts trials of software-defined radio, communication system

A unit of the Defence Research & Development Organisation has "successfully" carried out field trials of a compact software defined radio (SDR) and a key communication system, reinforcing the commitment of the organisation in developing indigenous and mission critical communication solution for the national security, officials said. The trials were done by Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL), Dehradun in Joshimath area of Uttarakhand. "Both the systems demonstrated robust and reliable performance meeting the user defined operational benchmarks," the DRDO said in a post on X on Tuesday. The trials were conducted in close coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs, central armed police forces (CAPFs) and other agencies, it said. "DEAL, Dehradun successfully carried out the field trials of SDR Manpack and Compact Transhorizon Communication System (CTCS) in Joshimath, Uttarakhand. The trials were conducted in close coordination with MHA/CAPFs/DLIC user agencies and ..

Looking beyond Europe: Nato defence spending hike could impact exporters

The Nato decision is a response to fears of security threats from Russia, which is enhancing its war capabilities and apprehensions that the US cannot be relied upon to defend Europe

Nato countries commit to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged that it was not easy for European countries and Canada to find the extra money, but said it was vital to do so

Reliance Defence bags export order worth ₹600 cr from Germany's Rheinmetall

The deal with Rheinmetall will support Reliance's plan to be among India's top three defence exporters and includes a major investment in a facility in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra

MoD signs contracts worth ₹1,982 cr to upgrade Army counterterror ops gear

The Ministry of Defence has placed the orders under an emergency-purchase procedure for future counterterrorism operations

Putin meets Iranian Foreign Minister in Moscow, condemns US strikes

Putin met Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow, denounced US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites as unjustified, and reaffirmed Russia's diplomatic and nuclear cooperation with Tehran

India believed to have 'slightly expanded' nuclear arsenal in 2024: Report

Nearly all of the nine nuclear-armed states, including India and Pakistan, continued intensive nuclear modernisation programmes in 2024, upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions, according to a report by a global think-tank. India is believed to have once again "slightly expanded" its nuclear arsenal in 2024 and continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery systems, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a statement. Pakistan also continued to develop new delivery systems and "accumulate fissile material" in 2024, suggesting that its nuclear arsenal might expand over the coming decade, it said. The think-tank on Monday launched its annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security in SIPRI Yearbook 2025. The statement on the release of its yearbook also makes a reference to the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan. The four-day military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighb

Bharat Forge, Turgis Gaillard sign MoU for manufacturing AAROK MALE UAV

AAROK is a MALE class UAV capable of flying between 10,000 and 30,000 feet and remaining airborne for up to 48 hours, aiding surveillance and strike operations

Datanomics: Private-sector collaboration to drive self-reliance in defence

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently said that India's annual defence production reached an all-time high of ₹1.46 trillion in FY25, nearly doubling from ₹0.74 trillion in FY17

UK unveils defence strategy embracing AI, drones, nuclear capabilities

The new defense strategy warns that the threats the UK faces "are more serious and less predictable than at any time since the Cold War