Page 14 - Defence Sector

Bharat Electronics hits new high on strong outlook; zooms 27% in 15 days

In past 15 trading days, the stock of state-owned defence company has surged 27 per cent and zoomed almost 70 per cent in the last six months.

In a first, India posts defence attaches to African states, Philippines

India is deploying 15-16 new attaches to countries such as Poland, Armenia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, and the Philippines

India upgrading strategic military infra in Andaman & Nicobar Islands

The upgrade will enable the deployment of more military forces and provide facilities for a greater number and size of warships, aircraft, troops

UN calls for halt to weapons shipments to Israel on Gaza war concerns

The UN's top human rights body called on countries to stop selling or shipping weapons to Israel in a resolution passed on Friday that aims to help prevent rights violations against Palestinians amid Israel's blistering military campaign in Gaza. The 47-member-country Human Rights Council voted 28-6 in favour of the resolution, with 13 abstentions. The sweeping measure, which takes aim at an array of Israeli actions such as impeding access to water and limiting shipments of humanitarian aid into Palestinian areas, also calls on UN-backed independent investigators to report on shipments of weapons, munitions and dual use items for both civilian and military purposes that could be used by Israel against Palestinians. It is not binding. Western countries were divided, with the US, Germany and others opposing the resolution, several abstaining and some European countries voting in favour. Israel at times joined by the United States has regularly and roundly criticised the council f

Indian Army plans aggressor red team, test-bed units in modernisation drive

A number of foreign militaries employ the opposing force concept, which calls for specialised military units that act as the enemy force in training exercises and war games

The transformation of war

One has to give the US Army credit for trying to be better prepared for war in the future. The Indian Army would do well to follow that example

IAF's Apache attack chopper makes emergency landing in Ladakh; pilots safe

An Apache helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) made an emergency landing during an operational sortie in Ladakh and it sustained damage due to "undulating" terrain and high altitude, the IAF said on Thursday. The IAF said the incident took place on Wednesday and both the pilots on board are safe. It was the first such incident involving an Apache chopper in the IAF, military officials said. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the incident. The IAF had procured 22 Apache attack helicopters and the chopper that had to make the emergency landing was based in the Pathankot Air Force station in Punjab. "An IAF Apache helicopter carried out a precautionary landing during an operational training sortie in Ladakh on April 3. During the process of this landing, it sustained damage due to undulating terrain and high altitude," the IAF said in a brief statement. "Both the pilots on board are safe and have been recovered to the nearest airbase. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to

Amit Kalyani to become Vice-Chairman and Joint MD of Bharat Forge

Auto components major Bharat Forge on Wednesday announced the elevation of Amit Kalyani, son of its Chairman and MD Babasaheb N Kalyani, as Vice-Chairman and Joint Managing Director of the company. The board of directors of the company in its meeting held on April 3, 2024, approved the re-appointment of Amit Kalyani as a whole-time director designated as "Vice-Chairman and Joint Managing Director" for a further term of five years commencing from May 11, 2024 till May 10, 2029, Bharat Forge said in a regulatory filing. Amit Kalyani's present tenure as Joint Managing Director will conclude on May 10, 2024, it added. He was elevated as Deputy Managing Director in 2019 and as Joint Managing Director in 2023. He has been associated with Bharat Forge since 1999, starting his career focusing on operations & manufacturing before moving on to IT and Finance, the company said. Since May 2004, he has been the company's Executive Director and played a key role in strategy and execution of ...

Indian Air Force receives first indigenously designed Crash Fire Tender

The Indian Air Force is promoting indigenisation and has procured many made-in-India items to meet its operational requirements

Hindustan Aeronautics reports highest ever revenue of Rs 29,810 cr in FY24

The company reported that HAL had received fresh manufacturing contracts of Rs 19,000 crore, and repair and overhaul (ROH) contracts of over Rs 16,000 crores during FY24

Defence exports scaled to 'unprecedented heights', says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the country's defence exports have scaled to "unprecedented heights" and crossed Rs 21,000 crore-mark for the "first time" in the history of Independent India. "Delighted to inform everyone that the Indian Defence Exports have scaled to unprecedented heights and crossed Rs 21000 crore mark for the first time in the history of Independent India!," he said in a post on X. The Union minister also said that India's defence exports have reached to the level of Rs 21,083 crore in the financial year 2023-24 which is a "spectacular growth" of 32.5 per cent over the previous fiscal. During an interaction with members of the Indian diaspora in Nigeria in May 2023, the defence minister had emphasised on the government's focus on 'Aatmanirbharta' and the "significant progress" made in defence exports in the recent years towards achieving the objective of "Make in India, Make for the World".

Tri-service exercise 'Tiger Triumph-24' between India, US conclude

The 14-day bilateral tri-service exercise between India and the US, 'Tiger Triumph-24', has concluded, officials said on Sunday. The exercise that began on March 18 aimed at developing interoperability for conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations and refining standard operating procedures to enable rapid and smooth coordination between the forces of the two countries. The Indian Army's contingent comprising one battalion group took part in the second edition of the tri-service exercise in Visakhapatnam and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, along with the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. The closing ceremony of the amphibious exercise was held on board USS Somerset on March 30, a senior official said. The exercise signifies the "robust strategic partnership" between the two countries and was aimed towards sharing best practices and standard operating procedures in undertaking multinational HADR operations. The harbour phase was conducted in Visakhapat

North Korea supplied 7,000 containers of munitions to Russia, says Seoul

North Korea has shipped around 7,000 containers filled with munitions and other military equipment to Russia since last year to help support its war in Ukraine, South Korea's defense minister said Monday. Shin Won-sik shared the assessment at a news conference hours after the South Korean and Japanese militaries said the North fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern waters, adding to a streak of weapons displays amid growing tensions with rivals. Since the start of 2022, North Korea has used Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a distraction to ramp up its weapons tests and has also aligned with Moscow over the conflict, as leader Kim Jong Un tries to break out of diplomatic isolation and join a united front against the United States. U.S. and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of supplying Russia with artillery shells, missiles and other equipment in recent months to help fuel its war on Ukraine, saying that such arms transfers accelerated after a rar

Indian Navy ship, commandos force pirates to surrender, rescue MV Ruen crew

Merchant vessel MV Ruen was hijacked by Somali pirates on December 14

India, Brazil hold first '2+2' defence ministerial dialogue on tech, energy

India and Brazil on Thursday explored ways to expand cooperation in areas of energy, critical minerals, technology and counter-terrorism at their first '2+2' defence and foreign ministerial dialogue. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the talks spanned various key areas of cooperation. "Discussions spanned defence, space, energy, critical minerals, tech, counter-terrorism and regional, multilateral & other issues of mutual interest," he said on 'X'. The dialogue took place in Delhi. It was co-chaired by additional secretary in the external affairs ministry G V Srinivas and joint secretary in the defence ministry Vishwesh Negi. The Brazilian delegation was led by Director at Brazilian foreign ministry Marcelo Camara and Rear Admiral Fernando de Luca Marques de Oliviera.

Women scientists played major role in Mission Divyastra's success

The programme project director Dr Shankari S also played a significant role in the mission's success, defence officials said

Govt signs contract worth Rs 8,073 crore with HAL to buy 34 helicopters

Following the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the Ministry of Defence signed two contracts for a combined value of Rs 8073.17 crore with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bengaluru, on Wednesday, an official statement said.The contracts were signed for the acquisition of 34 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv Mk III along with Operational Role Equipment for the Indian Army (25 ALHs) and Indian Coast Guard (09 ALHs) under the Buy (Indian-IDDM--Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category, marking a significant move towards indigenisation in defence manufacturing.According to the Ministry of Defence, the ALH Dhruv Mk III UT (Utility), the Indian Army version, is designed for Search & Rescue, Troop Transportation, Internal Cargo, Recce/and casualty evacuation, etc. It has proven its performance in high-altitude regions like Siachen Glacier and Ladakh.The ALH Mk III MR (Maritime Role), the ICG version, is designed for maritime surveillance ..

Govt inks deal with AVNL for 693 armament upgrades for combat vehicle BMP2

The Ministry of Defence on Wednesday signed a contract with Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL) for procurement of 693 armament upgrades of infantry combat vehicle BMP2, according to an official statement "This upgrade includes night enablement, gunner main sight, commander panoramic sight and fire control system (FCS) with automatic target tracker under Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) Category," the statement said. The AVNL has developed an "indigenised solution for providing existing BMP 2/2K with night fighting capabilities and FCS based on the integration of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Chennai-developed sight and FCS," it said. The ministry signed the contract with AVNL "for the procurement of 693 Armament Upgrades of Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP2 to BMP2M". The AVNL will produce the "armament upgrades with equipment and sub-systems sourced from indigenous manufacturers", the ministry

India remains world's top arms importer, Pakistan ranks 8th: SIPRI report

India remained the world's top arms importer, but its imports declined by 11 per cent between 2013-17 and 2018-22, according to a report released on Monday by Stockholm-based defence think-tank SIPRI. The decline was linked to a complex procurement process, efforts to diversify arms suppliers and attempts to replace imports with local designs, the report said. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said the five largest arms importers in the world during 2018-22 were India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia and China. The five largest arms exporters were the United States, Russia, France, China and Germany. The imports by Pakistan, the world's eighth-largest arms importer during 2018-22, increased by 14 per cent, with China as its main supplier, the report said. It said France's arms exports increased by 44 per cent between 2013-17 and 2018-22 and most of these exports were to countries in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East. The report said India received 30

Very important milestone: Prez Murmu on first flight test of Agni-5

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday congratulated DRDO scientists for the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile under Mission Divyastra, calling it a "very important milestone" in India's march towards greater geo-strategic role and capabilities. In her message on 'X', the supreme commander of the armed forces said, "The state-of-the-art technology developed indigenously is a firm step in the direction of India becoming Atmanirbhar." "The flight test of Agni V under Mission Divyastra marks a very important milestone in India's march towards greater geo-strategic role and capabilities...I convey my heartiest congratulations to the Team DRDO for this major achievement. I am sure they will keep moving apace in their quest for excellence and self-reliance," she said. The weapon system is equipped with indigenous avionics systems and high-accuracy sensor packages ensuring that the re-entry vehicles reach the target points within the desired accuracy. Based on Multipl