Page 2 - Defence

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka plans to downsize military by half by 2030

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said last year that military strategy reforms were needed to gear the island's army to face new challenges

Participation of girls on rise in NCC, says DG Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh

Participation of girl cadets in the National Cadet Corps (NCC) has more than doubled in the last one decade, DG NCC Lieutenant General Gurbirpal Singh said on Friday. As NCC cadets from all over the country gathered in the national capital for the annual Republic Day camp, the DG NCC gave an overview of the activities undertaken by the cadets across the country, including in the Puneet Sagar Abhiyan under which more than 200 tonnes of plastic waste has been collected from different water bodies. "The participation of girl cadets in the NCC is increasing every year," the DG NCC said. Lt Gen Singh said the ratio of women in the NCC was around 13 per cent in 2010, which has gone up to around 35 per cent this year. "Some states have a higher ratio of women cadets. States like Delhi, Kerala, and north eastern states have higher numbers of girls, with some states having almost 50 per cent girl cadets," he said. Talking about the future plans of the NCC, Lt Gen Singh said training is bei

Logistics, defence see MoUs worth Rs 16,400 crore in Uttar Pradesh

The agreements were inked recently with the companies incorporated in the US and Canada, a senior government official said

Defence ministry approves capital procurement proposals worth Rs 84,328 cr

The defence ministry on Thursday approved the procurement of a number of military platforms and weapons including light tanks, anti-ship missiles and long range guided bombs at a cost of Rs 84,328 crore to boost combat capabilities of the armed forces. The procurement proposals were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement came amid a spike in tensions between India and China after troops from the two sides were engaged in a clash along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Yangtse in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh. Sources said the light tanks and mounted gun system are set to be deployed in high-altitude forward areas including along the LAC. The defence ministry said the DAC accorded approval for 24 capital acquisition proposals which include six for Indian Army, six for Indian Air Force, 10 for Indian Navy and two for Indian Coast Guard, adding the total value of the ..

Defence chiefs of US, India discuss global security, bilateral cooperation

Seeking to deepen US-India military ties, the defence chiefs of the two countries have shared their assessments of the regional and global security environment and discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation and interoperability. The call between US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Mark A Miley and his Indian counterpart Chief of the Indian Defence Force Gen Anil Chauhan took place amidst increased tension between India and China on the border. The two military leaders shared assessments of the regional and global security environment and discussed ways to deepen bilateral military ties and interoperability, Joint Staff Deputy Spokesperson Joseph R. Holstead said on Wednesday in a readout of the call. The US and India share a strong military-to-military relationship under the US-India Major Defence Partnership," Holstead said, adding that India plays a "key role" in maintaining a free Indo-Pacific. "India is a key regional leader and an important partner in maintaining a free and open

Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems rolls out 100th surface-to-air missile kit

KRAS is a joint venture set up by Israeli company, Rafael, in partnership with Kalyani Strategic Systems

Japan to jointly develop 'next-genenration' fighter jet with UK, Italy

Japan announced on Friday that it will jointly develop its next-generation fighter jet with the UK and Italy as Tokyo looks to expand defence cooperation beyond its traditional ally, the United States. The Mitsubishi F-X fighter jet will replace the aging fleet of F-2 that Japan previously developed with the United States. Japan's F-X and Britain's Tempest, a successor to the Eurofighter Typhoon, will be combined into the next-generation combat aircraft for deployment in 2035. The deal will give Japan greater support in countering China's growing assertiveness and allow Britain a bigger presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Friday's fighter jet announcement came four days after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced spending targets aimed at building up Japan's military capability, including a huge boost in defence spending over the next five years. To meet the five-year spending total of 43 trillion yen (USD 316 billion), the government will need an extra 4 trillion yen (USD 30 ..

Navy to open all branches for women from next year: Chief of Naval Staff

The Indian Navy is looking at opening all its branches for women from next year, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference a day ahead of the Navy Day, Admiral Kumar also said that the first batch of around 3,000 'Agniveers' has been inducted and it included 341 women. In December last year, Navy officials said 28 women officers were deployed on board around 15 frontline warships, including aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, and the number is set to go up. "The first batch of Agniveers have already reported. About 3,000 Agniveers have joined out of which 341 are women. This is a landmark event for us because for the first time, the Navy is inducting women sailors. We have been inducting women officers for about the last 16-17 years, but this is for the first time that we are inducting women sailors," Admiral Kumar said. He said the Navy will open all its branches to women officers from next year. "Come next year, we are looking at wo

French Armed Forces Minister to visit India on Sunday for defence dialogue

Minister Lecornu will also meet National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, Ajit Doval for discussions on regional security issues and our close cooperation in combating terrorism

The Rs 40,000-crore defence challenge

Boosting defence exports requires a major emphasis change. Instead of focusing on low-value consumables such as ammunition, India needs to concentrate on high-value, complex combat platforms

Adani Defence and Aerospace to acquire Air Works for Rs 400 cr

Air works is the oldest MRO in India with presence across 27 cities, 6 maintenance bays and 900-plus maintenance experts

Quiet authority: Meet Gen Anil Chauhan, India's new Chief of Defence Staff

Lt Gen Anil Chauhan is known to express his views frankly, not necessarily adopting the conventional approach

A shift towards indigenisation: 'Make in India' fortifies defence spending

An analysis of defence capex over the past 12 years shows a noticeable shift towards indigenisation

Why 'Make in India' in defence may be leaving India vulnerable to threats

India's air force, army, and navy can no longer import some critical weapons systems to replace aging ones, the officials said

Planet Scuba India ropes in CREST to manufacture dive equipment in India

The company will introduce CREST Diving to DRDO's DEBEL and will aim to make India an alternative to China as a manufacturer of dive equipment

Atmanirbhar push: PM Narendra Modi for innovation in defence products

"The world is seeing that India is changing. There is hope from India and the reason is the skills of 1.3 billion Indians," the PM said

India-France defence partnership strong, in line with Atmanirbharta: MEA

The context of defence partnership is defined in case of our two countries by not just trade in different platforms, but it also extends to co-development, co-designing, co-manufacturing," MEA said

Rethinking innovation in defence

Revitalising public R&D could transform innovation, and give meaning to our doctrine of strategic autonomy

Bengaluru can be defence hub to meet needs of India, nations: Bommai

Bengaluru would evolve as a major hub of defence research and production, meeting the defence needs of not only India but of its friendly nations too, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said

Airbus rides on self-reliant India at DefExpo 2022

This will be the first time an Indian private company will be wholly manufacturing an aircraft in India