Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

The contract is pegged ar $200 million and is reportedly valid for three years. The Indian Army has leased four Heron TP medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Israel as a part of its emergency procurement programme. The development comes at a time when India and China have just begun disengagement from one of the most prolonged stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).  This is the second significant contract under the provisions of the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 (DAP 2020). The Indian Navy had, under the same provisions, contracted SeaGuardian MALE UAVs from the United States. According to a report in Janes, the contract is pegged at $200 million. The report cited that the lease is valid for three years and extendable up to two years.  Contract signed at a time when tensions along LAC were still ongoing The lease for the UAVs was granted in mid-January when the LAC standoff was still ongoing. The standoff ended just l...

India had signed a contract with Israel Weapons Industries (IWI) on March 19, 2020 to procure 16,479 LMGs under Fast Track Procedure. With the disputed border with China and Pakistan active at the same point of time, the guns will add more firepower to the deployed frontline troops. The Negev 7.62X51mm Light Machine Gun is a combat proven weapon and currently used by several countries around the globe. This LMG will greatly enhance the lethality and range of a soldier vis-a-vis the presently used weapon. Indian Army received first lot of consignment of 6,000 quantities in mid January this year in Mumbai. The guns have been shifted to Jabalpur and is undergoing proper inspection. The rest of the guns is expected to arrive by March end of this year. Under government's 'Make in India' initiative, rest of the requirement of the Indian Army is being met by Indian industry and currently is at pre-trial stage. "Field Evaluation Trial (FET) scheduled this month," sources ...

Navy has already placed an order for SMASH 2000 Plus systems, which turn assault rifles into smart weapons, enabling first-shot hits and anti-drone operations. Representational image of Israeli firm Smart Shooter's SMASH 2000 Plus system deployed on a rifle | By special arrangement Israeli defence firm Smart Shooter, whose new-age fire-control system turns assault rifles into smart weapons, is looking to set up a manufacturing plant in India, eyeing more contracts besides the one it has already bagged from the Indian Navy. The Navy had last month gone in for an unspecified number of ‘SMASH 2000 Plus’ systems, which are already in use by Israeli and American special forces, apart from some other countries. The Army and the Border Security Force are evaluating it for anti-drone operations. The system features a built-in targeting algorithm that can track and hit multiple targets at first shot, including drones. “We have got the permission from our defence ministry, and we are willing...

In a major boost for the surveillance capabilities of Indian Air Force along the borders with China and Pakistan, DRDO is making six new ‘Made in India’ planes. These would be built on passenger aircraft flying with Air India. In a major boost for the surveillance capabilities of Indian Air Force along the borders with China and Pakistan, DRDO is making six new ‘Made in India’ planes. These would be built on passenger aircraft flying with Air India. “As per the plans the six new aircraft would be made in India by the DRDO and would be provided to the Air Force in the Rs 10,500 crore project which is expected to be cleared soon at the topmost level.” The six new aircraft would be known as the Airborne Early Warning and Control Block 2 planes that would be better equipped than their predecessor NETRA plane and provide 360-degree coverage deep inside the enemy territory during missions, said officials. To build the AEW&C system on the existing aircraft from the Air India fleet, th...

The contract, awarded by the defence ministry, is expected to increase operational effectiveness with quicker and more accurate strike abilities against drones. The Indian Navy has gone in for an unspecified number of Israeli, cutting-edge fire control systems that tackle drone threats from close range besides improving a soldier’s accuracy and speed of hitting targets. The defence and security establishment said that while this is an initial order, the Army along with the Border Security Force are already in talks with Israeli firm Smart Shooter. A statement released by the firm Tuesday said it had been awarded a contract for the supply of its SMASH Fire Control Systems to the Indian Navy by the defence ministry. The contract calls for the supply of Smart Shooter’s SMASH 2000 Plus fire control systems, which will be installed mainly on AK-47 and AK 203 rifles. SMASH is a kind of electro-optic sight system. “SMASH 2000 Plus provides an inimitable hard-kill solution against the growing ...

The Arab World in a geopolitical sense no longer exists; the  Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO) leadership may have to think of a one-state solution. The two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict envisages an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, west of the Jordan River. Words have meanings that are used and misused. A few weeks ago, someone with evident limitations fulminated against a category of faiths depicted as ‘Abrahamic’ . Around the same time, the global media gleefully proclaimed the newly minted ‘Abraham Accord’ to describe a happening of political significance. Both expressions sought to trace it to the proper name, Abraham, a patriarchal entity who flourished in the Second Millennium BCE, is revered by three religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — and whose followers today account for a little over 55% of the world’s population. Mention is also made alongside of a group of languages as Semitic — principally Arabic, He...

Israeli manufactured ‘Phalcon’ AWACS aircraft of the Indian Air Force. (Pic by Michael Sender/Wikipedia) In a move to bolster the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) surveillance capabilities, India is going to sign the long pending deal to acquire two additional Israeli-made PHALCON airborne early warning and control systems (AWACS) aircraft from Israel, The deal valued at around $1 billion presently, was derailed at least a couple of times in the past due to the high costs involved. The report quotes several highly placed sources as stating that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is all set to give its final nod to the deal after extensive inter-ministerial consultations. The deal would entail acquisition of the two AWACS, with the Israeli PHALCON early-warning radar system mounted on Russian Ilyushin-76 heavy-lift aircraft, which will be delivered in three to four years. The two new Phalcons will add to the existing three Phalcon AWACS acquired by IAF between 2009-2011 under a $1.1 bi...

President Trump said Thursday that Israel and the United Arab Emirates have entered into a “historic peace agreement” that will establish full diplomatic ties between the two countries, with Israel reportedly agreeing to stop its annexation of the West Bank, territory that Palestinians have sought for their future state. PM of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited UAE twice KEY FACTS A joint statement by Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed said they hope the "historic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East.” “Now that the ice has been broken I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates,” Trump said from the Oval Office Thursday. The Washington Post reported that the UAE is the first Gulf Arab state to achieve diplomatic ties with Israel, and the third Middle Eastern country to have done so, following Egypt and Jordan. For the UAE, the agreement helps promote its reputation a...

The Indian army is set to acquire 200 pieces of RQ-11 UAV, which can fly up to 10 kilometers at an altitude of 500 feet and speed up to 95 kilometre per hour. Representative Image The Indian army has set its eyes on acquiring hand-launched, remotely controlled unmanned aerial vehicle Raven from US and state-of-the-art Israeli Spike Firefly “loitering” ammunition to add lethality to its ground infantry apart from long-range precision artillery shells with a range of over 40 kilometres. While the army is sharpening the teeth of its infantry, the air force will get five Rafale multi-role fighter jets from Paris this month, with another four to be used for training in France. The five fighter jets will be based at Ambala. The Indian navy is all set to commission its second ballistic missile-firing nuclear submarine, INS Arighat, later this year. According to people in South Block aware of the development, the army is set to acquire 200 pieces of RQ-11 UAV, which can fly up to 10 kilometers...

The Army is planning to convert its famous 61st Cavalry, the only active serving horse cavalry regiment in the world, into a regular armoured regiment with tanks. It has sparked outrage among purists in military circles, who assert the “short-sighted step will destroy a glorious historical tradition”. A senior officer at the Army headquarters, confirming the move to TOI on Thursday, said the aim was to transform the Jaipur-based 61st Cavalry into “a combat force” from its present role of being “largely a ceremonial unit” that also engages in sporting activities like polo. “But the cavalry’s 200-odd horses, some in Jaipur and the others in Delhi, will be retained,” he said. Sources, however, said the commanding officer (CO) of 61st Calvary, which is likely to be rechristened the 61st Armoured Regiment at Jaipur, will have three “independent squadrons” of tanks under him. “The horses are likely to be moved to Delhi to set up an ‘equestrian excellence node’ or something,” said a source. T...