China Delivers Armed Drones, Missiles to Serbia, First Deal to Europe

Serbia has reportedly taken delivery of a batch of CH-92A armed reconnaissance drones plus missiles recently, the first time China has exported military-use aviation equipment to a European country and a milestone for Chinese arms firms in the European market, analysts said on Monday. The drones are expected to become some of the most advanced weapons in the Serbian arsenal, as the cost-efficient unmanned aircraft can conduct tactical reconnaissance, precision targeting, ground attack and patrol missions, experts said. Serbian Presiden…

China: PLA’s Upgraded Type 052D Destroyer

Amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Straits with the US military’s increasingly frequent operations in the region, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently held drills in the East China Sea, with the latest, more powerful, anti-stealth aircraft-capable version of the Type 052D destroyer making its first public appearance, according to military reports over the weekend. In early July, a destroyer flotilla affiliated with the PLA Eastern Theater Command Navy conducted training exercises at an undisclosed location in the E…

Tests underway for Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle

A series of tests are underway for India’s first Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) and this will get a boost with the wind tunnel facility coming up here. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is confident that HSTDV, which has already achieved 6.5 Mach, will achieve its aim of scramjet flight for 20 seconds. Mach is commonly used to represent the speed of an object when it is travelling close to or above the speed of sound. V.G. Sekaran, director general (missiles and strategic systems), DRDO, told repo…

China-specific strike corps on table

The cabinet committee on security is to shortly take a call on the diplomatic ramifications of raising a new army formation for the China frontier in the east and the north-east. The cabinet committee on security is to shortly take a call on the diplomatic ramifications of raising a new army formation for the China frontier in the east and the north-east. The defence ministry has all but finalised the plan for a proposed “mountain strike corps” that the army has been wanting for the last two years, and officials believe the financial…

PLA's hospital ship to visit India next month

A hospital ship of the Chinese navy, Peace Ark, will visit India for the first time in August. It signals the initiation of what could be an increased level of interaction between the Indian and Chinese navies in the wake of Defence Minister A K Antony's maiden visit to China. A hospital ship of the Chinese navy, Peace Ark, will visit India for the first time in August. It signals the initiation of what could be an increased level of interaction between the Indian and Chinese navies in the wake of Defence Minister A K Antony'…

India's Naval Aviation: Punching Below Its Weight

Some readers of last week's post on the Indian carrier program contacted me to suggest that I had short changed Indian efforts to develop naval aviation partnerships. Some readers of last week's post on the Indian carrier program contacted me to suggest that I had short changed Indian efforts to develop naval aviation partnerships. In retrospect, I clearly understated the extent to which the Indian Navy has worked with other carrier-operating navies, especially the USN. For example, Indian pilots have been training (with MiG-…

China for freeze on infra development on LAC, India to reject

China has proposed freezing of infrastructure development along the border under a new pact but it is set to be rejected by India which is in the process of building infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control(LAC). China has proposed freezing of infrastructure development along the border under a new pact but it is set to be rejected by India which is in the process of building infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control(LAC). China has made the proposal as part of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) which is und…

India walks the Chinese tightrope

Two important back to back visits to China - the first by the National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and the second by the Union Defence Minister AK Antony - mark the latest moves on the Sino-Indian chessboard.  The first, which took place on June 28-29, on the occasion of the 16th round of Special Representatives talks on resolving the border dispute, was described as "productive, constructive and forward looking." The second, between the defence ministers of the two countries between July 4-6, was seen as being "cord…

Special Representatives of India and China will hold the 16th round of boundary talks in Beijing on Friday, the first such meeting under the new Chinese leadership, to make another bid to move forward on the resolution of the vexed dispute. Special Representatives of India and China will hold the 16th round of boundary talks in Beijing on Friday, the first such meeting under the new Chinese leadership, to make another bid to move forward on the resolution of the vexed dispute. National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, who is the d…

No compromise was made to end stand off with China: Army

On April 15, when Chinese troops put up tents in Ladakh area, they violated the protocol, which led to the stand off. No compromise was made to end the stand off with China in the Ladakh sector, Army's General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, KT Parnaik said on Monday. "Ultimately, the whole issue was resolved with Chinese reverting to the pre-April 15 situation. In doing so, no compromise was made. We didn't give in to any of their unusual demands. No structures were destroyed," Parnaik told reporters …