General Awareness

DEFENCE - August 2019

Aug 2019

Sep 24, 2022

Two Diving Support Vessels of Indian Navy Launched in Visakhapatnam

The Indian Navy got two Diving Support Vessels (DSVs), indigenously built by Hindustan Shipyard Ltd, Visakhapatnam.
Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, was the chief guest at the launching ceremony. The vessels were launched by Kala Hari Kumar, President of the Navy Welfare and Wellness Association (NWWA).
The first of its kind indigenously designed vessels are 118.4 metres long, 22.8 metres at the broadest point and will have a displacement of 9,350 tons.
These ships would be deployed for deep sea diving operations. Additionally, with Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) embarked, the DSVs are designed to undertake submarine rescue operations, in case a requirement exists. Furthermore, these ships will be capable of sustained patrolling, conducting search and rescue operations and carrying out helicopter operations at the high seas.
The contract for the construction of the two vessels was signed with the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in 2018.

Sep 23, 2022

Defence Ministry Signs MoU with Bank of Baroda, HDFC Bank under SPARSH- System for Pension Admini...

The Defence Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding, MoU, with Bank of Baroda and HDFC Bank under the SPARSH- System for Pension Administration initiative with an objective to cover seventeen lakh, defence pensioners, across the country.
Defence Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar said that seventeen lakh pensioners out of the total thirty-two lakh defence pensioners would be added with SPARSH by the end of this month. The remaining pensioners would be brought at the earliest. The Defence Secretary highlighted that the average time in pension settlement has come down significantly to about 16 days.
The Ministry said that the MoU would onboard more than 14 thousand bank branches as Service Centres to provide an effective medium for pensioners to perform profile update requests, register grievances and seek redressal, pensioner data verification and many more. It mentioned that so far, the SPARSH initiative has crossed one million pensioners onboard mark and disbursed 11 thousand 6 hundred crore rupees in the 2021-22 fiscal year.

Sep 22, 2022

Indian, United States Coast Guard Hold Joint Exercise Abhyas

The Indian and U.S. Coast Guards held a joint exercise 'Abhyas-01/22' off the coast of Chennai, an exercise to acquaint themselves with each other's capabilities and strengthen their working relationship.
The exercise focussed on enhancing inter-operability in the field of maritime search and rescue (SAR), boarding operations and other enforcement duties.
The joint exercise involved various fleet manoeuvres, a scenario of the hijacking of a vessel and the subsequent rescue of its crew in a coordinated joint anti-piracy operation, interdiction of the pirated vessel, a coordinated joint boarding operation, a SAR demonstration and external fire-fighting to salvage burning ships.

Sep 20, 2022

IAF Set to Retire MiG-21 Squadron by September End

The Indian Air Force is set to retire its Srinagar-based MiG-21 squadron 'Sword Arms' by September end that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was a part of when he had downed an F-16 combat aircraft of Pakistan a day after the Balakot strike in February 2019.
Sword Arms' is one of its four remaining squadrons of ageing MiG-21 fighter jets.
As per reports, the remaining three squadrons of MiG-21 will be phased out by 2025.
The MiG-21 jets were inducted into IAF over four decades ago and many of these planes were lost in crashes.

IAF's Project Cheetah: Indian Defence Companies to Equip Israeli Heron Drones

The Israeli Heron drones would be equipped with strike capabilities as part of the Indian Air Force's Project Cheetah under the Make in India programme. The Project Cheetah aims to improve the Indian Air Force's fleet of Israeli-made Heron unmanned aerial vehicles with stronger communication capabilities and long-range missiles that can hit enemy sites.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is the key driving force behind the project that will also see the Israeli Navy and Army's drones upgraded with strike capabilities and enhanced surveillance and reconnaissance pods.
The three services have relied for years on Searcher II and Heron UAVs from the Israeli Air Force for surveillance and reconnaissance.

INS Tarkash Takes Part in Joint Maritime Exercise with Nigerian Navy

Indian Navy warship INS Tarkash which is currently mission deployed in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), took part in a Joint Maritime Exercise with Nigerian Navy Patrol Ships.
The Nigerian Navy Patrol Ships which participated in the naval exercise as a part of the deployment were NNS Kano, Osun, Sokoto and Nguru.
The exercise provided an opportunity to strengthen interoperability between the Indian and Nigerian navies in various facets of maritime operations like anti-piracy, assistance to vessels in distress, SAR drills, and anti-air and anti-surface operations. It also helped enhance skills for naval interdiction and counter-piracy operations.
The exercise marked India and Nigeria's first joint operational deployment in support of anti-piracy operations in the GoG.

Sep 19, 2022

BSF's First Female Camel Riding Squad to be Deployed in Rajasthan & Gujarat

BSF's first female camel riding squad is ready to be deployed along the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The squad will participate for the first time in the BSF Raising Day Parade on 1st December. This Squad will be the first of its kind in the world.

Anti-submarine Ship INS Ajay Decommissioned after 32 Years of Service

INS Ajay, an anti-submarine warfare corvette of Western Naval Command, was decommissioned on September 19 after 32 years of service.
Commissioned in the freezing temperatures of Poti Shipyard of erstwhile Soviet Union, which is presently in Georgia, the ship was decommissioned in Mumbai.
During its service, INS Ajay was operating as part of the 23rd Patrol Vessel Squadron under the operational control of Flag Officer Commanding, Maharashtra Naval Area. The ship's primary role was in anti-submarine warfare and with its formidable armament of long-range torpedoes and anti-submarines rockets, the submarine hunter successfully discharged its role of keeping the coasts safe.

Army Leaders from 24 Nations Belonging to Indo-Pacific region participate in IPAMS in Dhaka

The Army leaders from the 24 nations belonging to the Indo-Pacific region gathered in Dhaka for the Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar (IPAMS) and gave a message of unity and collective commitment. They also expressed concerns about the security and prosperity of the world's most consequential region.
The largest land forces conference in the Indo-Pacific region was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh. It came to a close with participants expressing optimism for continued peace and stability in the region.

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