US Ambassador to India Richard Rahul Verma has recently stated that the US-Pakistan relationship is “complex”, while US relations with India are more broad-based. In saying so, Verma will be acutely aware that the US - Pakistan relationship is already on the trajectory towards becoming far more complex with Pakistan being inexorably subsumed by China, the CIA-ISI relationship notwithstanding. With China gearing up to establish an oceanic front in the Gwadar-Omari-Karachi region, a future US - China Cold War-like situation may be ine…

DAC clears mounted gun system for Indian Army

New Delhi, Nov 22:  The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) Saturday cleared the acquisition of the 155mm/52 caliber mounted gun system for India Army for Rs.15,700 crore, an official said here. The proposal entails procuring 814 gun systems. The decision was taken at the DAC meeting chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. It was the first DAC meeting chaired by Parrikar. The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in Goa wants Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to look at acquiring landd from defence and armed forces in the state, s…

India Evolving as a Global Hub in Defence Manufacturing

Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar visited DRDO ’s Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex during his visit to Hyderabad today. He visited the integration centre at Research Centre Imarat (RCI) and reviewed ongoing missile technologies and related Programmes. Dr S. Christopher, Secretary, DD&D and Chairman DRDO alongwith Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, SA to RM and Director General, Missiles and Strategic Systems briefed the Defence Minister on various technological developments.  Shri Parrikar congratulated all DRDO scientists for th…

What DRDO have achieved in 2016: A look back at a year: Section 1

The Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO ) has had a busy year, and we look back at some of the most innovative technological solutions developed for the armed forces over the course of 2016. HAL Tejas The Indian Air Force inducted two Tejas aircraft into its 45th Squadron on July 1. The Light Combat Aircraft were jointly developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). The aircraft can take up a variety of roles in combat, and are supersonic. India has been developing…

Indian Army ready to teach a lesson to Pakistan, waiting for Modi's permission

Panaji: The Army is eager to teach a lesson to enemy of the country and it is just waiting for permission from the government, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in Panaji on Sunday. "The morale of the Army has gone up. Army wants to teach lesson to our enemy. They are just waiting for permission from the government...We gave them permission two-three times," Parrikar said during BJP's campaign meeting in Vasco. His statement came days after Pakistan conducted a military exercise in a strategically located area in…

India needs more submarines than 24 currently planned: Defence Ministery

NEW DELHI: Calling for a rethink of its submarine building programme, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said India should look for greater numbers than the existing plan of constructing 24 such vessels.  Referring to the existing 30-year submarine building plan that envisages construction of 24 submarines, including both nuclear and conventional, Parrikar said India needed a longer term plan till 2050. The existing plan ends in 2030.  He also said that the strategic partnership model is in the last stage and once brought ou…

‘Will decide fast on minesweeper deal’

PANAJI: In what may well be his first significant announcement as the country's defence minister, Manohar Parrikar, on Friday, promised to take a decision on the 2,300 crore deal to acquire eight Mine Counter-Measures Vessels or minesweepers from South Korean firm Kangnam Corporation for the Navy as quickly as possible. "The anti-mine vessel (deal) got stuck because of some clause in the contract which said they have appointed an agent though they have not paid money. But they (the firm) have not been blacklisted," said …

'India have Paid over 1 Lakh Cr Rs for Defence Acquisition in last 5 years

India has directly paid over Rs one lakh crore to foreign firms for acquisition of equipment for the armed forces during the last five years, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said today. The government, he said, constantly reviews the security scenario and accordingly decides to induct appropriate defence equipment. This is a continuous process undertaken through procurement from various indigenous as well as foreign vendors to keep the armed forces in a state of readiness, he said, adding that procurement from indigenous vendo…

Jean-Yves Le Drian(French Defence Minister) is to visit India

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will arrive in  India  on a three-day visit later this month to hold talks with his counterpart  Manohar Parrikar  during which the issue of the multi-billion dollar deal for Rafale combat aircraft is likely to come up.  He will arrive in India on November 30 and hold a series of meetings with top defence and government officials the next day. Defence sources said the meeting with Parrikar will take place at the Army Battle Honour Mess rather than at the South Block.  This will be Parrika…

India, US Finalise New Ties on Defence Cooperation

Indian Defense News: I ndia and the US have finalised a new Framework Agreement on Defence Cooperation which would replace the existing deal which expires in June, government has said. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, said that a dialogue has been established between India and the US under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) for co-development and co-production of unique and exceptional technologies of mutual interest. Defence Technology and Trade Initiative is an …

Indian Defense News: Indian Army short of 10,000 officers

New Delhi: The Army is facing a shortfall of nearly 10,000 officers while the Navy is facing a shortage of about 1,800. Also, 644 officers have taken premature retirement from the Army since 2012. In the Navy, the figure stood at 343 while in the Air Force, it was 441. Giving the details, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Lok Sabha in a written reply today that some of the major reasons for shortage in armed forces include increase in authorised strength due to new accretions in force level from time to time and availability…

India: Considering hotline between Indian, Chinese army HQs

India is "seriously considering" establishing a hotline connection between its and Chinese military headquarters, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Tuesday told parliament. "It is being seriously considered to establish a hotline connection between the military headquarters of India and China . This is as per the provisions of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement 2013 between the two countries," Parrikar told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply. "The establishment of a hotline between military headquart…

MoD to take final call on mega aircraft project for private sector

NEW DELHI: The government will decide on Saturday whether to press ahead with the Rs 13,000 crore mega project for the private sector to supply 56 medium transport aircraft to the IAF despite only a single bidder, the Tata-Airbus consortium, being in the fray.    Though the defence acquisitions council (DAC) chaired by Manohar Parrikar will take the final decision, MoD sources on Tuesday said the "emerging dominant view" is that green signal should be given to the crucial project designed to promote Indian private sector…

INS Sindhuratna mishap: Seven Indian naval officers found guilty of omission

New Delhi: Seven naval officers were found guilty following a probe into the fire that occurred on board submarine  INS Sindhuratna  earlier this year, which left two personnel dead. Disciplinary action against these officers has been initiated at the Western Naval Command headquarters, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. "The BOI report in case of INS Sindhuratna has found seven officers culpable of various acts of omission and commission," he said, as per PTI.

DoT-Defence Spectrum Deal a Model to Emulate

The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) and the defence ministry have been able to thrash out their differences over the spectrum allocation, which has been hanging fire for the last four years. This follows a meeting between defence minister Manohar Parrikar and telecommunication minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Possibly, they were nudged to do so by prime minister Narendra Modi. Soon after taking over as PM, Modi had publicly mentioned the case of government departments fighting one another and even in courts of law. This dispute migh…

Russian Air Chief holds talks with top Indian defence brass

Russian Air Force Chief Colonel Gen Viktor Nikolaevich Bondarev today held talks with top Indian defence officials after arriving here on three-day visit to India. During his stay, he will visit the Su-30 warplane squadron, which was last week cleared for flying after being grounded for a month following a crash.  Bondarev called on Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar andmet with Indian Air Force Chief Air Marshal Arup Raha and Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh.  His visit coincides with the arrival of an 18-member Russian Air Force team at A…

Indian Army's gun arsenal to be revived in big way

The Modi government is planning to modernise the Indian Army’s artillery gun arsenal in a big way. Sources said the government could be considering acquisition of over 800 of the 155mm 52-calibre artillery guns at an estimated cost of Rs 15,750 crore. The proposed acquisition could come up before the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) now headed by new defence minister Manohar Parrikar at Saturday’s crucial meeting. Most of the guns are expected to be manufactured in India as part of the Modi government’s strong push for indigenisation. …

India, France Agree to Finalize Rafale Deal by Spring

NEW DELHI — India will fast-track the finalization of the US $12 billion plan to purchase 126 Dassault Rafale jets, according to a senior Indian Defense Ministry official, almost three years after India made Dassault its preferred bidder. The news follows Monday evening talks between India n Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his visiting French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian. The India n MoD official refused to give details on how the two sides will resolve differences holding back the finalization of the negotiations in the…

India likely to order 106 more Pilatus aircraft to train pilots,

NEW DELHI: India is likely to go in for 106 more Swiss Pilatus PC-7 basic trainer aircraft (BTA), the bulk of which will be produced domestically, to help train rookie IAF pilots in a project worth around Rs 7,000 crore.   This comes after defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics' attempt to develop its own BTA called HTT-40 failed to pass muster with the defence ministry. First, it would have been much more expensive than the Pilatus BTA already being inducted by IAF. Second, it would have not met the timelines specified long ago. So, the de…

Deal for S Korean minesweepers to be scrapped

NEW DELHI: India is all set to scrap the long-pending deal for South Korean mine countermeasure vessels (MCMVs), which are highly-specialized smallish warships that detect, track and destroy enemy mines to keep shipping traffic safe, due to allegations of agents having vitiated the entire selection process. Instead, in recognition of Navy's critical operational requirement for MCMVs, the defence ministry will "nominate" defence PSU Goa Shipyard (GSL) to build eight such specialized vessels with foreign collaboratio…