India, Russia to hold 13-day mega military exercise in Volgograd
India and Russia will carry out a 13-day mega military exercise with a focus on counter-terror operations in the Russian city of Volgograd from August 1, the Indian Army said on Tuesday. It said the 12th edition of the "Indra" exercise will be yet another "milestone" in strengthening the bilateral security cooperation and will serve to reinforce the longstanding bond of friendship between India and Russia. The Army said 250 personnel from each side will participate in the 12th edition of the joint military exercise. "…
US Army triggers competition for future long-range assault aircraft
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has launched its future long-range assault aircraft competition, quietly releasing a request for proposals limited to two industry teams. The service has also homed in on a schedule to deliver FLRAA prototypes after debating two different options to stay on schedule. The service weighed the option of pursuing both prototype builds for the airframe and the weapons systems at the same time, or on slightly separate schedules, which would have meant the difference between delivering full prototypes to the Army by the s…
Antony Blinken US Secretary of State arrives in India
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday evening with a focus on the expansion of bilateral ties between India and US , regional issues including Afghanistan, global terrorism, Indo-pacific, among other issues with Indian officials. On Wednesday, the US top diplomat will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. This will be Blinken's first visit to India after assuming the office. In the defence domain, both sides are expected to explore ways and means to deepen their collab…
Navy keen on 3rd aircraft carrier to retain edge over China, even as 2nd delayed yet again
NEW DELHI: The commissioning of India’s second aircraft carrier has been delayed till September next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While reconciling to this setback, the Navy remains all the more keen to push its case for a third aircraft carrier as well as two new fighter squadrons to counter China’s expanding footprint in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). As the US recently displayed in the South China Sea, much to China’s discomfort, nothing projects raw combat power like an aircraft carrier strike group (CSG) capable of moving o…
Experts say boosting home-grown drone industry will generate millions of jobs
At a time when India’s government looks to boost home-grown manufacturing and self-reliance, drones are a key focus area. While India imports sophisticated drones that are meant for the Armed Forces, there are various purposes for which home-grown options have proven their mettle. Indigenously designed and developed drones have displayed their capability in spraying disinfectants across crowded, inaccessible areas in Covid-19 hotspots and also recently in the fight against locusts. Experts who work in the field also believe that the scal…
Russian defence sector companies keen on technology transfer
NEW DELHI: A number of Russian defence firms has broadly agreed to facilitate speedy repair and overhaul of Russian-origin military platforms in India and manufacture their spare parts through joint venture and technology transfer with Indian companies. It has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that the supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time affecting maintenance of military systems procured from that country. Indian defence firms held extensive deliberations with Russian giants for…
Seven months on, India-US logistics pact suffering from bottlenecks
NEW DELHI: The much-ballyhooed logistics pact between India and the US , which will allow reciprocal access to each other's military bases for refuelling, repair and maintenance of warships and aircraft, is yet to enter into force despite being inked seven months ago. Slow decision-making, bureaucratic bottlenecks and complex accounting procedures, much more from the Indian side than the US one, have held up the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) from becoming operational till now. Sources, however, say the I…
Examining the Case for Complete Transfer of Technology
A common refrain in the Indian defence sector is that all defence procurement contracts should contain the clause for full Transfer of Technology (ToT). India ’s Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) itself mentions “comprehensive” ToT and “complete” ToT as a requirement in numerous places.2 The fact remains that full ToT has remained elusive. As a case in point, while the Russian T-90 tank contract in 2001 was touted as a successful example of full ToT, a few years later reports surfaced that the ToT was incomplete.3 In tune with…
Indian Air Force: Upgraded Jaguar DARIN III Aircraft Gets Operation Clearance
BENGALURU: In a significant milestone for the country's military aviation sector, the upgraded Jaguar DARIN III twin-seat aircraft has received Initial Operation Clearance (IOC). Deputy Chief of IAF , Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria, who flew the aircraft at HAL airport in Bengaluru recently, announced the satisfactory completion of IOC. Test Pilot of Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment, Wing Commander V Prabhakaran was his co-pilot. HAL Chairman, T Suvarna Raju said the aircraft is now equipped with world class avionics s…
Howitzer gun deal will enhance defence ties with India: US Ambassador
NEW DELHI: The government’s decision to buy 145 M777 155mm/45-calibre ultra-light Howitzer battlefield guns from BAE Systems under the Foreign Sales Military route with the US will further enhance defence ties between both the countries, according to US Ambassador to India Richard Verma. The deal was approved by the Defence Ministry in June and the letter of agreement or LoA was signed on Wednesday between both the governments. “Indian industry will partner with the US defence subsidiary of BAE Systems to locally assemble, integr…
US approve bill of USD 900 million Aid to Pakistan and 1.2 billions more in coming year
The bill limits the overall amount available for reimbursement to USD 1.1 billion, of which USD 900 million is available for reimbursement to Pakistan . The US House of Representative has passed a defence bill that pledges USD 900 million in economic and other assistance to Pakistan, a significant portion of which is dependent of a Pentagon certification that the country is taking demonstrable steps against the dreaded Haqqani Network. The US National Defence Authorisation Act for fiscal year 2017 was passed in the House of Represent…
Pakistan sending envoy to meet Donald Trump’s transition team
Trump is scheduled to take the oath on January 20 but he has already set up a provisional team, encouraging foreign leaders and officials to visit his headquarters in New York for familiarisation meetings. Pakistan has decided to send an envoy to the US to hold meetings with Donald Trump’s transition team, two days after a “productive” telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the President-elect. Pakistani Prime Minister’s special assistant for foreign affairs Tariq Fatemi will visit the US this weekend to m…
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