Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the British Royal Air Force (RAF) have joined forces to commence the fifth edition of Exercise Indradhanush. EX Indradhanush – V 2020 is being conducted at Air Force Station Hindan, India, and will conclude on 29 February. The theme of this year’s joint exercise is ‘Base Defence and Force Protection’. It highlights the recent terror threats to military establishments. Indradhanush will allow the IAF and RAF to strategise and share information, as well as learn from each other’s operational experience. Through this exercise, the two airforces can plan scenarios and train on tactics to counter terror threats and protect their installations. Additionally, the forces will share their training philosophies and best practices along with contemporary technologies. The RAF team will include 36 specialised combatants of the RAF Regiment, whereas the IAF team will comprise 42 combatants of the GARUD Force. Source : Airforce Technology

Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar has initiated a discussion wherein MSME vendors will be connected to TReDS These vendors supply all kinds of arsenal and protective military gear such as gloves and helmets to defence forces The initiative aims to help solve working capital financing related issues for such vendors India’s Defence Production Policy of 2018 (DPrP-2018) is a key part of the mission to boost exports and reduce the trade deficit. The Indian government has set a goal of becoming among the top five global producers of the aerospace and defence manufacturing with an annual export target of $5 Bn by 2025. A key role here is being played by the MSME vendors who supply all kinds of arsenal and protective military gear such as gloves and helmets to defence forces. These MSMEs are state-owned suppliers. However, they often struggle to manage their working capital requirements as the contractual payouts to them often get delayed due to limited treasury allocations. Recently an ET report...

The Indian Navy has described its purchase of 24 Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters as a “force multiplier" that will add much needed critical punch to its abilities at a time when the Indian Ocean Region is witnessing increasing security threat due to a proliferation of submarines. The Navy, in a statement, said the contract forthe 24helicopters was signed on 25 February,the second and concluding day of US  President Donald Trump’s visit to India. Trump had in his statement to the media on  Tuesday referred to the Indian acquisition andsaid India would sign contracts worth more  than $ 3 billion for defence hardware with UScompanies. The estimated cost of the Seahawk helicopter deal is $2.6 billion. The Indian army is  expected to sign a pact with US aerospace company Boeing for the purchase of 6 Apache helicopters at an estimated cost of $ 800 million. “These (Seahawk) helicopters are a  replacement for the Sea King helicopters   already decommissioned in...

Stating that all the Indian Naval ships guarding the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea are armed with BrahMos missiles that give only 22 seconds reaction-time to the enemy, Sudhir Mishra, scientist and Director General (BrahMos), DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), said on Friday that these supersonic cruise missiles have given the Navy the capability to “defeat warships of any country.” While speaking on the topic of the “Role of BrahMos in nation building” at an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Ahmedabad, Mishra said, “It is an unmanned aircraft loaded with explosives… A ship usually has a radar that can only see only up to 20 kilometres… the speed of the BrahMos is 970 metre per second. When it is about 20 kilometres away, the enemy gets only 22 seconds to react. It is very difficult to engage a projectile coming with so much speed.” The BrahMos missile has a range of 300 km and a speed of Mach 3. Mishra, who is also the CEO and MD of...

The most recent involvement of the Indian Navy was seen during ‘Operation Sankalp’ when two Indian Naval Ships - INS Chennai and INS Sunayna were deployed in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the wake of heightened tensions between Iran and United States (US). INS Chennai (Kolkata-class stealth guided missile destroyers) Qatar National Library’s highly acclaimed “Qatar, India & The Gulf” exhibition was supplemented by an enlightening talk about a lesser-known aspect of the region’s history. The lecture, delivered by the Library’s Director of Historical Research and Partnerships, Dr. James Onley, explored the history of the Indian Navy’s involvement in the Arabian Gulf since 1612 and its significant role in mapping the shores of Eastern Arabia from the 1760s to the 1860s. The talk was followed by a guided tour of the exhibition, which reveals fascinating insights into the links between the sub-continent and the Middle East.   The most recent involvement of the Indian Navy...

The security personnel had also apprehended four minor recruit cadres of the outfit during the operations. The Indian Army in action in Tinsukia, Assam. Indian Army has busted a recruitment racket of banned outfit group United Liberation Front of Assam Independent (ULFA-I) and apprehended four cadres and four minor recruit cadres in Assam’s Tinsukia district. The troops of the Indian Army and Assam Police had jointly launched an operation at different locations in the Tinsukia district and busted the recruitment racket of ULFA (I) in the past 48 hours. Acting on the reliable input received from sources, army and police jointly launched operations at Makum, Digboi, Kakopathar, Pengeri area and apprehended four hardcore cadres of the banned outfit. The security personnel had also apprehended four minor recruit cadres of the outfit during the operations. The apprehended hardcore cadres were identified as Diganta Gogoi alias Diganta Asom, Khagen Moran, Rana Handique alias Kakoi and Abhijit...

The summer strategy also involves re-occupying some in-depth ‘winter vacated’ posts along the LoC that either cannot be occupied or are not air-maintainable due to the snow. However, even during winters the LoC remains well secured and there are no gaps. An Indian Army jawan at the LoC in Mendhar Sector of Poonch district. The Indian Army has formulated and will begin implementing its ‘summer strategy’ for Jammu and Kashmir that entails a modified re-deployment of troops along the Line of Control (LoC) for foiling infiltration of terrorists and to dominate it, as the passes leading into India will begin opening with the melting of snow in the coming months. The strategy has been made in view of current and emerging security threats such as the regular ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army along the LoC and the infiltration attempts that are expected to happen when the snow melts.  The summer strategy also involves re-occupying some in-depth ‘winter vacated’ posts along the LoC...

The IAF Flight will also bring back some Indian and foreign nationals from some of our neighboring countries who have sought assistance in traveling to India in keeping with Prime Minister Modi’s neighbourhood first policy. Earlier Air India flight brought back nationals of Maldives and Bangladesh along with over 600 Indians from Wuhan. Maldivian nationals who were brought along with Indians by an Air India aircraft from China's coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, at the airport in New Delhi An Indian Air Force (IAF) special flight carrying around 15 Tons of medical assistance comprising masks, gloves and other emergency medical equipment departed for Wuhan, China on Wednesday.  The IAF Flight will also bring back some Indian and foreign nationals from some of our neighboring countries who have sought assistance in traveling to India in keeping with Prime Minister Modi’s neighbourhood first policy. Earlier Air India flight brought back nationals of Maldives and Bangladesh along with ove...

On the first anniversary of the Balakot airstrike, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, the former Chief of the Air Staff, says the force looks back at the operation with "satisfaction".   HIGHLIGHTS India sent warplanes into Pakistan a year ago today Attacked terror camp; op was seen as revenge for Pulwama Pakistan didn't believe India would strike on its soil: Ex-Air chief The man who led India's Air Force at the time of the Balakot airstrike has described it as a "paradigm shift" in IAF operations and said it was meant to tell the enemy: "Ghus kar maarenge, no matter where you are." Exactly a year ago today, India announced it had sent warplanes into Pakistan to attack a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp at Balakot, and killed "a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis". Pakistan denied any casualties. The operation was widely seen as India's retaliation for a suicide bombing claimed by Jaish tha...

Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopter (Photo: Boeing.com) India and US have signed the contract for six Apache helicopters for the Indian Army which follows a contract for 22 helicopters ordered by the Indian Air Force in 2015. While 17 of 22 Apaches have been delivered to India, the remaining five will be delivered to the Indian Air Force by the end of March 2020. Notably, the deliveries for the Indian Army Apaches are planned to begin in 2023. The Apache sale is a hybrid procurement – Direct Commercial Sale (DCS) between Boeing and MoD and Foreign Military Sale (FMS) between the GoI and USG. The FMS contract for the Apache includes munitions, training, aircraft certification, and components includes engines, EO sensors and the radar. The direct commercial sale portion of the contract primarily consists of the aircraft (less engines/sensors), logistic support, spares and services. Indian Army will get the AH-64E Apache configuration – the latest attack helicopter version that the US ...

FinaThese drones are going to help the Indian Navy to expand its monitoring of the Indian Ocean and to further strengthen its surveillance of its coastal boundaries. The drones are for the Indian Army, Air Force and the Indian Navy and the qualitative requirements for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force are in the process of being finalised. (Reuters photo) Preparations are going on to ensure that the deal for procuring for 30 Drones from the US-based General Atomics worth $ 3 billion be inked before the close of this financial year. The three services are expected to get 10+10+10 the MQ-9 Reaper or Predator-B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones, which have already been approved by the US President Donald Trump’s administration. The US administration’s approval includes the sale of armed drones to India and will come equipped with missiles and other systems. The drones are for the Indian Army, Air Force and the Indian Navy and the qualitative requirements for the Indian A...

A look at how India is preparing today for future battles with Pakistan and China. First-ever Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat One day in mid-September 2019, an Indian Army Brigadier commanding around 3,000 soldiers along the 1,126-km Line of Actual Control with China walked across to stiffly shake hands with a Colonel from the People’s Liberation Army during a flag meeting at Bumla. The gesture signalled that India is prepared for war any time and if need be, can give a bloody nose to any of its enemies, irrespective of their size. It was the Brigadier who had asked for the meeting as protocol demanded, to convey a single message: the Indian Army will, for the first time ever, be carrying out a massive war-gaming exercise in its eastern region bordering China, somewhere around 100 km inside Indian territory. It was a sign to prepare for the unexpected—a possible war with the northern adversary. India has made significant changes in its military structure, with the appointmen...

India's plans for a 3rd aircraft carrier may have been torpedoed as the defense chief prioritizes new submarines. This decision will shape the Indian Navy’s strengths and weaknesses at a time when regional players, notably China and Pakistan, are modernizing their navies. The Indian Chief of Defense Staff, General Bipin Rawat, has been quoted as saying "When we know that there would be two aircraft carriers there, and if the submarine force is dwindling, then our priority should be for submarines". In an interview published on February 10 he also cast doubt on the third aircraft carrier. "It will be bought if it is required… but you cannot predict what the situation will be 10 years from now. We don’t know what will happen." The submarine programs are likely to be locally developed nuclear-powered submarines. In particular a fleet of 6 next-generation attack submarines. These will extend the potency and reach of the navy, giving it the same number of nuclear att...