Page 13 - Defence

600 'Vibhav' anti-tank mines with safety mechanism inducted into Army

Six hundred indigenously-manufactured self-neutralising anti-tank mines, known as "Vibhav", have been inducted into the Army to provide mobility kill against all enemy armoured vehicles, officials said on Monday. The anti-tank mine is made of new-age plastic, which gives it adequate strength and durability to withstand the requirements of storage, handling and operating in varying field conditions, they added. "It (the 'Vibhav' anti-tank mine) is already in production. It has been completed. It is now in demand. It has been inducted into the Indian Army. Six hundred mines have been inducted (recently)," an official of the manufacturing company told PTI. Designed and developed completely indigenously in a joint venture with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in India, "Vibhav" is a point-attack anti-tank munition, the officials said. They said the mines are designed to provide mobility kill against all enemy armoured vehicles. "Made from new age plastic, the m

BEL bags Rs 2,118.57 crore order from Cochin Shipyard for various equipment

Bharat Electronics Limited received an order of Rs 2,118.57 crore from Cochin Shipyard Limited for supply of various equipment consisting of sensors, weapon equipment, fire control systems and communication equipment for six numbers of next generation missile vessels and class of anti-surface warfare corvettes for Indian Navy. This project will have participation of Indian electronics and associated industries, including MSMEs, which are sub-vendors of BEL, Bengaluru-headquartered BEL said in a statement on Friday. The equipment manufactured by BEL are part of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' programme. The company has also received additional orders worth Rs 886 crore since the last disclosure on August 25 and the said orders pertain to upgrade of AFNET SATCOM N/W, upgrade of Akash missiles with RF Seeker, inertial navigation system and other equipment with accessories and spares, among others. "With this, BEL has in all received orders worth Rs 14,384 crore till now in the financial year .

MoD approves capital acquisition proposals worth about Rs 45,000 crore

Proposals also cleared for the avionic upgrade of Dornier-228 aircraft; procurement of Dhruvastra Short Range Air-to-Surface Missile; and 12 Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft

Larsen & Toubro announces tie-up with BAE Systems for all-terrain vehicles

BAE Systems and L&T have upgraded the BvS10 to meet the specific requirements of the Indian Armed Forces. The company said this new variant will be known as the "BvS10-Sindhu"

Taiwan says it spotted 22 Chinese warplanes, 20 warships near the island

Taiwan said Tuesday it spotted 22 Chinese military aircraft and 20 vessels near the island over the previous 24 hours, as Beijing steps up its military activities in the area. Over the weekend, the United States and Canada sailed warships through the Taiwan Strait in a challenge to China's sweeping territorial claims. On Monday, China sailed a naval formation led by its aircraft carrier Shandong, about 70 miles (110 kilometres) to Taiwan's southeast. The vessel was expected to conduct drills simulating aircraft, submarine, warship and land attacks, according to Chinese state media. Thirteen of the Chinese military aircraft reported on Tuesday had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial demarcation zone between China and Taiwan, according to Taiwan's defence ministry. China claims Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, as part of its territory to be reunited by force if necessary. Over the past year, Beijing has stepped up military activities around the island, including

New Delhi-Buenos Aires ties solid: Argentina prez on defence partnership

Prez Alberto Fernandez, who is in the national capital and is attending the G20 Summit, further praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi a leader who has been recognized across the world

With 23-fold increase, Indian defence exports reach Rs 16,000 crore mark

The Indian indigenous defence industry has achieved the success in expanding exports with sale of major defence systems including the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles

Maritronics India to manufacture specialised equipment for defence sector

Marine equipment and spare parts supplier Maritronics India on Monday announced its foray into specialised equipment manufacturing for the defence sector. The company, in a statement, said it is in the process of setting up its own manufacturing facility in Chennai, which is expected to start production in the next one year. This is a significant step towards reducing dependency on imports in the defence sector, which often get impacted owing to geopolitical uncertainties, it said. To strengthen its manufacturing capabilities, the company has signed an initial pact with Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) to jointly develop and market navigation, communication, and automation equipment for marine vessels for the domestic defence market. "We are confident that the integrated communication and navigation systems developed by us will become a significant asset for the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard," Maritronics India Pvt Ltd Director Venkatesan N said. The systems are expected to be manufacture

India, US hold 20th edition of Military Cooperation Group meeting in Hawaii

The 20th edition of the India-US Military Cooperation Group (MCG) meeting was held on August 30-31 in Hawaii, US, with the discussions focusing on defence cooperation mechanisms between the two nations, the Defence Officials said.The meeting was co-chaired from the Indian side by Lt Gen Johnson P. Mathew and Lt Gen Stephen D. Skelenka, Deputy Commander of American Indo-Pacific Command.The discussions focused on new initiatives under the ambit of existing bilateral defence cooperation mechanisms & strengthening the ongoing India-US defence engagements, the Defence officials added."The senior leaders discussed opportunities for continued integration to strengthen interoperability and #Readiness to maintain peace and stability in the #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific," the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).According to the official readout of the 20th U.S.-India Military Cooperation Group the 20th MCG aimed at further strengthening military-to-military ...

Will continue to support allies, proud to have welcomed 115,000 Afghans: US

Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, marking the conclusion of two years since the end of the war in Afghanistan, has said that the US will "continue to push to help resettle our Afghan allies".

Iran warns Israel that it will face retaliation for its airstrike on Syria

Iran's foreign minister condemned Wednesday an Israeli airstrike on the international airport of the Syrian city of Aleppo, saying such attacks would eventually face retaliation. Hossein Amirabdollahian made his comments during a news conference in the Syrian capital, Damascus, where he was beginning a two-day visit. On Monday, an Israeli airstrike damaged Aleppo's airport, putting the runway out of service. The airport has been targeted several times this year, including two attacks in March that also put it out of service. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. Often the strikes target Syrian military forces or Iranian-backed groups. Tehran has been a main backer of the Syrian government since a 2011 uprising turned into full-blown civil war. It has sent thousands of Iran-backed fighters to Syria, helping to tip the balance of power in the favour of .

North Korea launches ballistic missiles toward sea after US flies bombers

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Wednesday night, its neighbours said, hours after the US flew long-range bombers for drills with its allies in a show of force against the North. The launches, the latest in the North's barrage of weapons tests since last year, came amid ongoing annual US-South Korean military exercises that North Korea regards as a rehearsal for invasion. There were no reports of damages caused by Wednesday's launches. But observers say North Korea likely aimed to demonstrate again it has missiles capable of striking key targets in South Korea in protest at its rivals' military exercises. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the North Korean missiles both travelled about 360 kilometres before landing in the waters of the Korean Peninsula's east coast. It said the missiles were launched from the North's capital region. The Joint Chiefs of Staff called the launches a grave provocation that threatens ...

Defence ministry clears Rs 7,800 cr acquisition including LMG, helicopter

The defence ministry on Thursday approved capital acquisition proposals worth approximately Rs 7,800 crore that included procurement of electronic warfare suite for Mi-17 V5 helicopters. The proposals were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The defence ministry said the proposals approved by the DAC included one on procurement of 7.62x51 mm Light Machine Gun (LMG) and another on acquisition of weapons MH-60R helicopters of the Indian Navy. "A Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting, held under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals worth approximately Rs 7,800 crore," the ministry said in a statement. "To enhance the efficiency of the Indian Air Force, the DAC has granted AoN for procurement and installation of Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite on Mi-17 V5 helicopters under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category," it said. The EW suite will be procured f

CBI arrests Canada-based businessman in defence espionage case: Official

The CBI has arrested a Canada-based businessman in connection with a defence espionage case in which a journalist and a former Navy commander were held in May, officials said on Tuesday. Rahul Gaggal, a businessman who had taken Permanent Residency in Canada in 2019, was arrested in the case when he landed here on Monday, they said. He has been sent to four days of custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by a special court, the officials said. The agency had earlier arrested freelance journalist Vivek Raghuvanshi and former Navy commander Ashish Pathak for allegedly collecting sensitive information on defence matters and passing them on to foreign intelligence agencies In its charge sheet filed before a special court here last month, the CBI had named Raghuvanshi and Pathak as accused in the alleged violation of the Official Secrets Act and related offences, the officials said. Raghuvanshi and Pathak were arrested on May 16.

Elon Musk told Pentagon that he spoke to president Putin directly: Report

Musk made the comments during an October conversation with Colin Kahl, then the Pentagon's top policy official, about Ukrainian forces losing connection to Space X's Starlink service

First long-range side swing revolver launched, can hit targets up to 50 m

The country's first long-range side swing revolver 'Prabal' with "twice the range of other revolvers" was launched on Friday for civilians and arms dealers. Manufactured by the state-owned enterprise Advanced Weapons and Equipment India (AWEIL) based in Kanpur, the Prabal revolver boasts of a firing range of up to 50 metres, officiating director Rajiv Sharma said. Sharma said the .32 bore revolver is capable of accurately hitting targets up to 50 metres away. "This range is more than double that of other revolvers currently in production, establishing Prabal as a frontrunner in the field of long-range handguns," he added. "The feature that sets Prabal apart from its counterparts is the incorporation of a side swing out cylinder. This innovative design element eliminates the need to fold the firearm for cartridge insertion, simplifying the reloading process and enhancing user convenience," he said. Sharma said the single and double action 'Prabal' revolver weighs 675 grams (excludi

Niger's neighbours out of options as defence chiefs plan military force

Regional countries are facing a crisis of legitimacy as they run out of options and time to restore democratic rule in Niger after soldiers ousted the president last month, say analysts. Defence chiefs from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, are meeting in Ghana Thursday to discuss Niger's crisis after a deadline passed for mutinous soldiers to release and reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face military intervention. Bazoum was overthrown in July and remains under house arrest with his wife and son in the capital, Niamey. This is the first meeting since ECOWAS ordered the deployment of a standby force last week to restore constitutional rule in the country. It's unclear if or when troops would intervene. A force would likely consist of several thousands soldiers from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Benin and could take weeks or months to prepare, say conflict experts. ECOWAS has a poor track record in stemming the region's rampant coups: neighboring Burkina Faso and Mal

Murmu to launch advanced stealth frigate, de-addiction campaign in Kolkata

President Droupadi Murmu will visit in Kolkata on Thursday, during which she will launch an advanced stealth frigate for the Indian Navy and a de-addiction campaign. Murmu will launch the 'Vindhyagiri' at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd's (GRSE) facility on the banks of Hooghly river, further propelling India's maritime prowess, a defence official said. This is the sixth of seven ships being built under 'Project 17 Alpha' for the Navy. The first five ships of the project were launched between 2019 and 2022. This is the third and last stealth frigate that the Kolkata-based warship maker was contracted to build for the Navy under the project. The official said that 75 per cent of orders for equipment and systems of P17A ships are from indigenous firms, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The state-of-the-art ship will be fitted with the latest gadgets and undergo extensive trials before being handed over to the Indian Navy for commissioning into ...

India gained new strategic strength in recent years: PM in I-Day speech

India has gained a new strategic strength in recent years and the country's borders are now more secure than ever, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, in his Independence Day address from the ramparts of Red Fort. The prime minister said a number of military reforms are being undertaken to modernise the armed forces and make them young and battle ready to deal with the future challenges. He also reiterated the government's unwavering resolve to ensure national security amid the current global security scenario. "India has gained a new strategic strength in recent years and today our borders are more secure than ever," Modi said. The prime minister also emphasised that the people of the country feel safe today as there has been a drastic decline in the number of terrorist attacks. When the country is peaceful and secure, new goals of development are achieved, he said. The prime minister also referred to the 'One Rank One Pension' scheme and said it was implemented by his

Army bought weapons worth Rs 7,300 cr from domestic firms to counter China

Another Rs 7,000 crore worth of orders is in the final stages of procurement and is likely to be completed in the coming weeks