Page 6 - Defence

85% of acquisition by Army indigenous in nature: Chief General Dwivedi

Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday announced that a whopping 85 per cent of the army's acquisitions are now indigenous, marking a significant milestone in the country's journey towards self-reliance in defense production.Speaking on the growing emphasis on self-reliance, he stated, "85% of the acquisition by the Indian Army is indigenous in nature. Since we have a lot of revenue & capital requirements, starting from UAV, counter-UAV, and aviation we are looking at it in a big way as of now."The Indian Army is also looking to upgrade its existing equipment and platforms, and General Dwivedi emphasised the importance of collaboration with the Indian industry to achieve this goal."We are also looking at ATGMs and MANPATS. These are the issues we are looking at immediately. As far as the upgradation of various equipment and platforms are concerned, we are looking for great support from the Indian industry..," he said.One notable success story is the Advanced Light .

Govt expects stable delivery of GE-powered fighter jets next fiscal year

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) would have the capacity to hand over 16 to 24 aircraft in the fiscal year that starts in April following stable delivery of the engine

Budget 2025: Rs 20k cr Nuclear Mission for small modular reactor, 5 by 2033

Global interest in small modular reactors has been increasing due to their ability to provide flexible power generation and base-load power for a range of applications, says NITI Aayog report

Govt capex rose 8.2% from July-Nov 2024, led by defence, railways, roads

Economic Survey 2025: Government capex on key infrastructure has grown by 38.8% over the past five years

Wars to become more violent, unpredictable in coming times, says Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said emergence of "non-state actors" in many countries and their resorting to terrorism is a "matter of concern". In his address at an event here to mark the 77th Army Day, he also said conflicts and wars will become more violent and unpredictable in the coming times. He also said the government is leaving no stone unturned to transform the armed forces into a modern warfare machine, adding that dynamic geopolitical world order and the constantly-changing character of warfare would have to be kept in mind. "I feel, in coming times, conflicts and wars will become more violent and unpredictable. Unconventional and asymmetrical methods (in warfare) is gradually increasing," Singh said. Without naming any country, he said that emergence of "non-state actors in many countries" and their resorting to terrorism is a "matter of concern". Also, due to the rapid technological advancements, future wars will witness a change to a great extent. Cyber

India to supply LNG to Sri Lankan power plants, connect power grids

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is on a three-day visit to India for bilateral talks centred around economic cooperation, defence collaboration, and energy connectivity

Air Chief Marshal urges flight cadets to uphold ethos, honour of IAF

Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Saturday urged the graduating cadets from the Air Force Academy near here to uphold the ethos, traditions and honour of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He served as the reviewing officer of the Combined Passing Out Parade of the IAF at the Air Force Academy near here. Addressing the cadets, Singh said their career is not only challenging but also honourable. He further said whether in the sky or on the ground, the officers have a vital role to play in operations and should make sure that they understand their role. Exhorting the newly commissioned officers to be future leaders and commanders, the IAF chief said the responsibility should be a motivating factor in their lives. "You are the future leaders and commanders, not just air warriors, and you will chart the destiny of Indian Air Force. Let this huge responsibility not wear you down, but be a motivating factor in your lives," he said. If the young officers let the core va

Syrian insurgents enter 2 central towns, bringing them close to Homs

Syrian insurgents entered two central towns early Friday just north of the central city of Homs, bringing them closer Syria's third largest city, an opposition war monitor and pro-government media both reported. The break into Rastan and Talbiseh came a day after opposition gunmen captured the central city of Hama, Syria's fourth largest, after the Syrian army said it withdrew to avoid fighting inside the city and spare the lives of civilians. The insurgents, led by the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have said that they will march to Homs and Damascus, President Bashar Assad's seat of power. The city of Homs, parts of which were controlled by insurgents until 2014, is a major intersection point between the capital, Damascus, and Syria's coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus where Assad enjoys wide support. Homs province is Syria's largest in size and borders Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. Insurgents are now 5 kilometers (3 miles) away from Homs, according to the Britain-ba

India-US ties need bipartisan support on security, defence: Vivek Lall

Bipartisan support and cooperation on security and defense is the most important dimension of India-US partnership, a top Indian American defense leader said amidst presidential transition. In an interview with PTI, Dr Vivek Lall, Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation, said One of the most important strategic partnerships of the 21st century is that of India and the United States. One of the most important dimensions of this alliance is bipartisan support and cooperation on security and defense, he said. In Jun 2016, the world's largest unmanned deal was advocated by the then president Donald Trump and it was concluded by his successor Joe Biden this year. It is a reflection of the bipartisan support that this relationship's defense and security aspects enjoys, he said. As the capitals of large, vibrant democracies, Washington DC and New Delhi are natural partners and share many of the same broad goals for peace, stability and security throughout the globe, Lall sa

Putin bets big on war: Russia approves $126 billion defence budget for 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a record $126 billion defence budget for 2025, as the ongoing war in Ukraine continues to strain Russia's economy

Lebanon's parl renews army chief's term in 1st session after ceasefire

Lebanon's parliament Thursday renewed the term of army chief Joseph Aoun, who is seen as a potential presidential candidate in next year's vote. The parliament has seldom met since Israel's war with Hezbollah began 14 months ago, and has not convened to try to elect a president since June 2023, leaving the country in a political gridlock. Thursday's session is the first since a US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on Wednesday which has left the Lebanese military responsible for ensuring Hezbollah militants leave the country's south and its facilities dismantled. The army is expected to receive international aid to help deploy troops to deploy in the south to exert full state control there. Gen. Joseph Aoun is seen as a likely presidential candidate due to his close relationship with the international community and his hold on an institution that is seen as a rare point of unity in the country facing political and sectarian tensions. Lebanon has been without a president since ...

India's defence MRO sector set to take off over the next five years

Global OEMs like Boeing, Lockheed Martin partnering with domestic players for world-class facilities

Southeast Asian defence chiefs meet amid maritime disputes with China

Southeast Asian defence chiefs and representatives are meeting in the Laotian capital on Wednesday for security talks at a time of increasing maritime disputes with China in the Asia-Pacific and as the transition to a new US president looms. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was set to join the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations defence ministers in Vientiane, where many will be looking for assurances ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's return to power in January. Austin just wrapped up meetings in Australia with officials there and Japan's defence minister, where they pledged their ongoing support for ASEAN and their "serious concern about destabilising actions in the East and South China Seas, including dangerous conduct by the People's Republic of China against Philippines and other coastal state vessels". In addition to the US, other nations attending the two-day ASEAN meetings include Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and China. Along with the ...

Defence Space Agency conducts maiden 'Exercise Antariksha Abhyas 2024'

Antariksha Abhyas 2024 successfully met its objectives of improving interoperability, fostering mutual understanding and enhancing cohesion between the tri-services and Defence Space Agency

Navy to conduct Sea Vigil-24 coastal defence drill at 'unprecedented scale'

This will be the fourth edition of the Pan-Indian coastal defence exercise, with officials from the National Security Council Secretariat participating for the first time

'Adaptive Defence' doctrine to deal with emerging challenges: Rajnath Singh

Defence minister says interconnectedness as much a blessing as a challenge; if our threats are transnational, so should be our solutions

Phased induction of Indian army's 'Project Akashteer' underway: Report

The phased induction of control and reporting systems under 'Project Akashteer' of the Indian Army is currently underway and out of a total requirement of 455 systems, 107 have been delivered, official sources said on Tuesday. The project aims to deliver a situational awareness and control for the force to ensure safety of friendly aircraft and engage hostile aircraft in contested airspace. Through this project, a cutting-edge initiative designed to automate air defence control and reporting processes by digitising them, the Indian Army is positioning itself at the forefront of air defence technology, ensuring a secure and vigilant airspace over India, a source said. "Project Akashteer's phased induction is already underway. Out of a total requirement of 455 systems, 107 have been delivered, with an additional 105 expected by March 2025. The remaining units will be delivered by March 2027, ensuring comprehensive coverage across the Indian Army's defence units and formations," the ..

India, US commit to strengthen strategic defence ties during key Delhi meet

India and the US held a key two-day military cooperation group meeting ending on Wednesday during which both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding the scope of the bilateral military cooperation with a shared understanding of the dynamic challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region. The 21st edition of India-US Military Cooperation Group (MCG) meeting was conducted from November 5-6 at the Manekshaw Centre here. Senior officials from both countries took the opportunity to review the ongoing initiatives and explore new areas of cooperation. "The meeting covered a wide range of topics, including capacity building, training exchanges, defence industrial cooperation and the advancement of joint exercises that bolster preparedness for conventional and hybrid threats," the Indian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The meeting was co-chaired by Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Lieutenant General J P Mathew, representing India, and Deputy Commander of the US ...

Changes to be made to charter of Civil Defence, Home Guards: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said his ministry will make changes to the charter of the Civil Defence and Home Guards within four months to make it more relevant and useful. Civil Defence and Home Guards will become irrelevant if their roles are not changed in accordance with the present requirements of the country, Shah said while addressing the 14th All India Conference of Civil Defence and Home Guards here. "I believe that keeping in mind the requirements of the country today, there is a need to rethink the role of these two organisations to make them more relevant," the minister said. The changes will be effected in four months, he said, adding that a lot of new things will be added. ".....we will make it relevant and also try to make it useful and work towards bringing a new consciousness, a new life into the movement," Shah said. If the charter of any organisation is not changed for fifty years, both the organisation and charter become irrelevant, he said. "India

Airbus likely to cut up to 2,500 jobs in defence, space divisions: Report

The European planemaker aims to implement the cuts, which represent 7 per cent of its workforce in the Defence & Space unit, by the middle of 2026