Page 5 - Navy

Indian Navy to commission newly-inducted MH 60R Seahawk helicopter on Wed

The Indian Navy will commission on Wednesday in Kochi its newly-inducted MH 60R Seahawk multi-role choppers that it said would mark a "pivotal moment" in India's defence modernisation journey. The commissioning of the helicopters in the INAS 334 squadron is expected to significantly enhance the Navy's operational capability in the Indian Ocean region which has been witnessing increasing Chinese military forays. The US-manufactured MH 60R Seahawk is a maritime variant of the Blackhawk helicopter. The helicopter is designed for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, search and rescue and medical evacuation among other operations. "The advanced weapons, sensors and avionics suite make the Seahawks ideal for the Indian Navy's maritime security needs, offering enhanced capabilities for both conventional as well as asymmetric threats," the Navy said on Sunday. The Seahawks squadron will be commissioned in the Indian Navy as INAS 334. India signed an agreement with the US for ...

Rajnath Singh to inaugurate new building of Naval War College, Goa on Mar 5

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the new administrative and training building of Naval War College at INS Mandovi near Panaji on March 5, a Navy official said on Friday. Rear Admiral Arjun Dev Nair, Commandant of the Naval War College told reporters that the building will help the institute train officers from all three military services three times more than its current strength. "This modern edifice has been named as 'Chola' in commemoration of the mighty maritime empire of the Chola dynasty. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the new building on March 5 and the ceremony will be attended by senior naval leadership in addition to ex-commandants of the Naval War College," he said. According to him, the College of Naval Warfare was established at INS Karanja in 1988 in Mumbai to impart advanced professional military education to the middle and senior level officers of the Indian Navy. The college was renamed as Naval War College in 2010 and was shifted to ..

3 services worked in 'silos', now they have better coordination: Rajnath

India's annual defence production is expected to touch a whopping Rs 3 lakh crore and exports of military hardware is poised to reach Rs 50,000 crore, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday. In an address at a defence conclave, Singh, delving into structural defence reforms, said the three services used to work in "silos" earlier but now they are ready with better coordination to deal with every challenge jointly. He said capital acquisition projects worth more than Rs 4,35,000 crore have been given in-principle approval in the financial year 2023-24, and the government is aiming for production of high-end systems like aero-engines and gas turbines in India in the next five years. Singh noted that the government has been focusing on jointness among the Indian Army, the Navy and the Indian Air Force that would ensure enhanced coordination in times of "crisis". "Earlier, the three Services used to work in silos. We focused on their integration which was an out-of-the-box ste

Cabinet okays Rs 19,000 cr deal to procure 200 BrahMos missiles for Navy

In a significant move, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has accorded approval for procurement of more than 200 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and associated equipment for the Indian Navy at a cost of around Rs 19,000 crore, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The missiles will largely be deployed on various warships to enhance overall combat capabilities of the Navy, they said. It is learnt that the proposal approved by the CCS entails acquisition of a mix of BrahMos missiles having a range of around 290 km and the latest extended range variant of the weapon with a range of around 450 km. BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, an India-Russian joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms. BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound. The formal contract for acquisition of the missiles is expected to be sealed in the next few months. India is also

Indian Navy will become 'aatmanirbhar' by 2047: Admiral R Hari Kumar

Indian Navy will become "aatmanirbhar" (self-reliant) by 2047, Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Monday and also appealed to industry for help in achieving this goal. He said self-reliance meant manufacturing every ship, submarine, aircraft, and weapon system in India. "The Indian navy is committed to achieving aatma-nirbharta and we have promised the national leadership that we will become completely aatma-nirbhar by 2047, and for that, we will require the help of industry," said the chief of naval staff. He was speaking after inaugurating a manufacturing plant of Nibe Defence and Aerospace, an MSME working on various defence projects, in Chakan. Minister of State for Defence, Ajay Bhatt, was also present. This facility is strengthening our ability to make our own weapon system in the country in line with the national vision for self-reliance, the Navy chief said. "Becoming 'aatmanirbhar' by 2047 means that every ship, submarine, aircraft, and weapon system will be made in India," Adm

India hosts Milan naval exercise, almost 50 countries participating

India on Monday kick-started a nine-day mega naval exercise in Visakhapatnam with participation of around 50 navies that came amid the fractious geopolitical environment including growing global concerns over deteriorating security situation in the Red Sea. Navies from the US, Japan, Australia, France, Bangladesh, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, among others, are participating in the 12th edition of the 'Milan' exercise that is aiming to bolster maritime cooperation among like-minded nations. The exercise commenced with the arrival of 15 warships and one maritime patrol aircraft from friendly foreign countries. From the Indian Navy, nearly 20 ships including aircraft carriers Vikrant and Vikramaditya and nearly 50 aircraft including MiG 29K, Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft are participating in the exercise. Milan is a biennial multinational naval exercise which started in 1995 with the ...

Dredging Corporation Q3 results: Profit jumps over two-fold to Rs 27.22 cr

Dredging Corporation of India Ltd (DCI) on Tuesday posted two-fold jump in net profit at Rs 27.22 crore for the quarter ended December 31, supported by lower expenses. It had reported a net profit of Rs 13.83 crore for the October-December period of 2022-23, the company said in a BSE filing. Total income fell to Rs 266.23 crore from Rs 372.30 crore a year ago. The company trimmed its expenses to Rs 238.52 crore from Rs 358.10 crore a year ago. In a separate statement, the company said its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation & amortization (EBIDTA) in Q3 FY24 was at Rs 69.59 crore as against Rs 59.71 crore in the same quarter last year. "The third quarter witnessed successful completion of several significant dredging projects, contributing significantly to our revenue surge. Our expertise in executing complex projects has solidified the company's position as a preferred partner for clients seeking efficient and sustainable solutions," company's Chairman Madhaiyaan ...

Indian Navy veterans released from death sentence in Qatar; 7 return home

Eight former Navy officers detained in Qatar on espionage charges had their capital punishment commuted to imprisonment following diplomatic efforts by India. Here's what happened

Qatar frees eight Indian Navy veterans jailed on 'espionage' charges

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said seven of them have returned to India and that India appreciates the decision by the Amir of Qatar to enable the release and home-coming of the Indians

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissions INS Sandhayak, warns pirates

INS Sandhayak, the first of four Survey Vessel Large (SVL) ships, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Saturday at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam, in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Stating that the SVL ship will go a long way in obtaining information about the oceans and achieving the twin objectives of protecting the country as well as others, Singh warned that those involved in maritime piracy and smuggling will not be tolerated. The primary role of INS Sandhayak is to carry out full scale hydrographic surveys of ports, harbours, navigational channels, routes, coastal areas and deep seas to enable safe marine navigation. "Many choke points, like the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea etc. are present in the Indian Ocean, through which a large amount of international trade takes place. Many threats remain at these choke points, the biggest being from pirates," Singh said, referring to the Indian Navy's prompt response to rescue ships from pirates. The minister

Coast Guard to celebrate growth in role, power on 48th Raising Day

The force maintains order in international shipping lanes, India's vast seas and 7,500-km shoreline

In separate missions, Navy rescues two hijacked vessels in Arabian Sea

The Indian Navy rescued an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel with 19 Pakistani crew members and a Sri Lankan trawler in two swift operations after armed pirates hijacked the boats in the Arabian Sea amid deteriorating security situation arising out of Iran-backed Houthi rebels targeting various cargo ships in the region. Indian warship INS Somalia rescued fishing vessel (FV) Al Naeemi from 11 Somali pirates off the east coast of Somalia on Monday, in the second such rescue of an Iranian-flagged vessel in the troubled region, officials said. In total, the Indian Navy rescued three hijacked vessels in the Arabian Sea since January 28. "Indian naval ship Sumitra, having thwarted the piracy attempt on FV Iman, has carried out yet another successful anti-piracy operation off the east coast of Somalia, rescuing fishing vessel Al Naeemi and her 19 Pakistani crew from 11 Somali pirates," Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said. The warship had responded to a distress call from FV Iman

India's greater capability warrants its help in difficult situations: EAM

Amid the attack on merchant navy vessels in the Red Sea and deployment of the Indian Navy's ships in the region, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said India's greater capability, its own interest and reputation today warrant that it actually help in difficult situations. The Indian Navy has deployed 10 of its ships in the region, Jaishankar said responding to a question at an interaction at the Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai. India's greater capability, our own interest and our reputation today warrant that we actually help out in difficult situations, he said. We will not be considered a responsible country if bad things are happening around our neighbourhood and we say I have got nothing to do with this, Jaishankar said. On the 'India Out' campaign in Maldives, Jaishankar said at the end of the day neighbours need each other. History and geography are very powerful forces. There is no escape from that, he added. Notably, Indian warship INS Sumitra rescu

Indian Navy rescues 19 Pakistanis, vessel hijacked by Somali pirates

Indian Navy rescue mission: The Indian Navy's operation followed a day after INS Sumitra had successfully rescued a hijacked Iranian-flagged vessel MV Iman from Somali pirates

Indian naval warship near Somalia ensures safe release of hijacked vessel

An Indian naval warship deployed along the east coast of Somalia responded to a distress call regarding hijacking of an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel after it was boarded by some pirates. Navy officials on Monday said that the swift response by the Indian Navy's mission deployed warship INS Sumitra ensured the safe release of the hijacked vessel and its crew. "INS Sumitra, on anti-piracy operations along the East Coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, responded to a distress message regarding hijacking of an Iranian-flagged Fishing Vessel Iman. The vessel had been boarded by pirates and the crew was taken as hostages," Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said. INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel and acted in accordance with the established SOPs to coerce the pirates for safe release of the crew along with the boat, he said. It ensured the successful release of all 17 crew members and the boat, the spokesperson said. The vessel was subsequently sanitised and released for onwar

Indian Navy contains fire onboard missile-hit cargo vessel in Gulf of Aden

The Indian Navy on Saturday contained a fire onboard a commercial oil tanker with 22 Indian crew in the Gulf of Aden while swiftly responding to a distress call from the vessel after it was struck by a missile on the key shipping route that witnessed similar strikes in the last few weeks. Following the Mayday call from the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel MV Marlin Luanda on Friday night, the Indian Navy deployed its guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam to assist the vessel. Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said in New Delhi that after six hours of battling the fire, along with the crew of MV Marlin Luanda, the Indian Naval firefighting team has successfully brought the blaze under control. The missile attack on the vessel reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi militants came amid increasing global concerns over the security situation in the Red Sea as well as the Gulf of Aden. The vessel is operated by UK-based Oceonix Services. The Houthis have been targeting commercial .

Houthi attack: Navy deploys fire-fighting team on board British oil tanker

The Indian Navy on Saturday said its guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam has deployed a team to help fire-fighting efforts on board British oil tanker MV Marlin Luanda which has got 22 Indian and one Bangladeshi crew members. According to foreign media reports, the tanker caught fire after a missile attack by Yemen's Houthi militants, the latest incident linked to the Iran-backed group in the key shipping route Gulf of Aden. On a request from MV Marlin Luanda, INS Visakhapatnam has deployed its NBCD team along with fire-fighting equipment to render assistance to the crew towards augmenting fire-fighting efforts on board the distressed ship, a Navy spokesperson said. "The Indian Navy remains steadfast and committed towards safeguarding MVs (merchant vessels) and ensuring safety of life at sea," the Indian Navy said. The operator of the British oil tanker has said the vessel had been "struck by a missile in the Gulf of Aden after transiting the Red Sea", according to the ...

Defence ministry inks Rs 1,070 cr contract with Mazagon Dock for 14 FPVs

"These multi-role Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV) will be indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by MDL and will be delivered in total 63 months," announced the MoD in a media release

Navy rescues crew after Houthis attack vessel near coast of Yemen

The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and have threatened to target U.S. ships in response to American and British strikes on the group's positions

Stalin writes to EAM to secure release of detained fishermen in Sri Lanka

'I would like to draw your attention to the apprehension of 12 fishermen and three fishing boats by the Sri Lankan Navy on January 13,' CM Stalin stated in the letter