Indian Navy's Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) Project achieves another milestone as 'Androth', the second of the eight Arnala class ships, was launched on 21 March 2023 by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) at their Kolkata shipyard. The ceremony, presided over by Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, witnessed the ship making its first contact with the Hooghly River at 2:30 PM.
Paras Defence and Space Technologies Limited, a leading provider of high-precision products and turnkey solutions to the defence and space sector, announced yesterday that it has secured an order worth ₹64 crores for the Avionics Suite of Saras MK-2 Aircraft from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru.
Air India, the state-owned airline now owned by the Tata Group, has announced a second round of an early retirement scheme for employees in less than a year since the takeover. The voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) was reported on 4 November 2022 as part of the airline's plan to trim staff costs and bring in a younger workforce.
Amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding the introduction of ballistic helmets for Sikh troops, the Central Government declared on Friday [17 March 2023] that all pilots of fighter aircraft and combat helicopters, as well as soldiers deployed in areas anticipating enemy attacks or defending critical installations, are required to wear full protective gear for personal safety.
The SIPRI report highlights India's endeavours to reduce reliance on a single supplier and domestically produce major arms as the critical factor that has led to declining arms imports. Furthermore, SIPRI notes that the country's convoluted and time-consuming arms procurement process, as laid out in the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 (DAP 2020), has impeded its ability to import arms.
Even though declining demand for private jets after the pandemic waned and many high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) returned to commercial flights, top corporations and wealthy individuals in India continue to purchase business jets or sign timeshare deals with aircraft operators.
The Ministry of Defence's Acquisition Wing organised a one-day workshop on 'Simplification of Trial Processes for Defence Equipment' at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi. The workshop was designed to facilitate an open exchange of ideas among all stakeholders involved in the trials of defence equipment before their induction into the armed forces. The event is in line with the government's Make in India vision.
A United States Navy replenishment ship, USNS Matthew Perry, arrived for repairs at Larsen & Toubro's (L&T) Kattupalli shipyard in Chennai, India, on March 11. This marks the second time a US Navy vessel had docked at the Indian shipyard for repairs, following a similar instance in August 2022 when the dry cargo ship Charles Drew underwent minor repairs for over 11 days.
India's search for a military-grade armed remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) seems to have ended with successfully testing the PALM-400 (precision attack loitering system), a game-changer for India's defence capabilities. Developed as a joint venture between AVision Systems (Israel), UVision Air Limited, and Aditya Precitech Private Ltd (APPL), the RPV underwent stringent parameter testing, including motion control, motor control, signal integrity, and navigational accuracy, at the highest altitude in Sikkim.
Concerns have been raised over the country's strategic partnership (SP) policy. There is a prevailing view that the failure of the SP policy could result in OEMs manufacturing in India on their own, which is a shortcut that could undermine efforts to foster self-reliance.