General Awareness

DEFENCE - July 2020

Jul 2020

Aug 24, 2020

India Plans to Buy Radiation Detection Equipment to Enhance Internal Security

The government is looking to buy radiation detection equipment (RDE) to deter and detect illicit trafficking of radioactive materials across international borders. Border crossings, integrated check posts (ICPs) and land ports will be equipped with RDE to stop any smuggling of material needed for a nuclear device or radiological dispersal device.
The move will lead to a significant enhancement of India's internal security abilities as border checks have so far focused on detecting counterfeit currency, drugs, arms and ammunition, and explosives, said a senior government official, who did not wish to be identified. The government issued a request for interest (RFI) on August 21, a copy of which has been seen by ET, for seeking inputs on system requirements and technical information for procuring RDE. India has ICPs at Attari, Jogbani, Raxaul, Agartala, Petrapole and Moreh which see cross-border trade and movement of passengers.
The government has sought information from bidders on the experience from places the world over where RDE has been installed and is actually under use. The US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, for example, has been helping many countries combat the smuggling of radioactive material at important international border crossing points with such equipment, including at the Friendship Bridge connecting Afghanistan to Uzbekistan.

Aug 22, 2020

Will MICA-IR Boost Firepower of Sukhoi-Su30MKI?

According to media reports, the Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi-Su30MKI jet for the first time test-fired MICA IR a dual waveband imaging infrared seeker version of the framed multi-mission air-to-air missile which is standard on the recently acquired Dassault Rafale and Mirage 2000-5 fleet but for the first time MICA IR has been tested from a Russian origin jet, which has some Post Balakot Air combat operations link as per sources close to idrw.org.
In 2012, IAF had placed orders for 490 Mica infrared and radar-controlled air-to-air missiles for its Mirage-2000-5 fleet and in 2016 it was for the first time test-fired from an upgraded Mirage-2000-5 aircraft marking successful integration into the fleet. 36 Dassault Rafale will also be equipped with the same MICA-IR-RF air-to-air missile which is will be supplemented with superior air dominance Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM).
Vympel R-27T and Vympel R-73 are Medium and short-range infrared homing (heat-seeking) air-to-air missile which has been integrated on the Sukhoi-Su30MKI but both lacked superior range like seen in MICA-IR which also will be seen as a substitute to the Vympel R-27T which are prone to poor performance issues and also have a lower inflight shelf life. While the official range of MICA-IR is still classified it has been advertised as 80km but some experts suggesting it has been capped to 60km for the infrared version but it does create a sense of fear in the rival camp due to its unique stealthy interception capability provided by its silent seeker.

Aug 21, 2020

Iran Unveils Ballistic Missile Named After Assassinated General Qassem Soleimani

Iran exhibited two new weapons- a cruise missile and a surface-to-surface ballistic missile named after the slain top general Qassem Soleimani.
The surface-to-surface missile, called martyr Qassem Soleimani, has a range of 1,400 km, and the cruise missile, called martyr Abu Mahdi, has a range of over 1,000 km.
Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were both killed outside Baghdad's international airport in a U.S. strike.
Iran has also presented a fourth-generation light turbo-fan engine that will power its advanced drones. A production line of its domestically produced "Owj" engine for the Iranian-made twin-seat Kowsar fighter jet was also inaugrated.

Aug 20, 2020

German Military Hardware Major Rheinmetall to Invest in UP Defence Corridor

German military and security hardware/technology major Rheinmetall is looking to invest in the Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor, for which memorandums of understanding (MoU) with 23 private companies entailing investment of Rs. 50,000 crore have been signed so far.
Rheinmetall Group is Europe's foremost supplier of defence and security ware, and is a partner of the armed forces of Germany and its NATO allies. It is gradually transforming into a global player with a series of acquisitions and setting up of foreign subsidiaries.
As part of the 'Invest UP' theme, UP investment promotion and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Sidharth Nath Singh held a virtual conference last evening with Susanne Wiegand, CEO of Rheinmetall Electronics Division, and Fabian Ochsner, CEO, Rheinmetall Air Defence, in view of their proposed investment.
Singh assured the German Group that the Yogi Adityanath government would provide full support to potential investors in conducting business in the state, while highlighting the 'abundant investment' avenues in UP, availability of modern infrastructure, skilled manpower and incentives.

Successfully Test Fire of First Rockets Produced by Private Sector

In a major boost for Make in India, the first ever rockets fully manufactured by the private sector have been successfully test fired by the army, signalling that single source dependency on Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) will soon be a thing of the past.
The Pinaka rockets were tested at a firing range in Pokharan and achieved the desired results by accurately hitting targets. The rockets have been manufactured by the private sector after a technology transfer agreement with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Six Pinaka rockets were test fired as part of the final developmental trials. The rockets have been manufactured by Economic Explosives Ltd (EEL) and are the first munition of its kind made by the private sector in India. They are also a success story for DRDO that has been engaging with the private sector to transfer manufacturing technology for home developed systems.

Aug 19, 2020

US and South Korea Begin Joint Military Drills

South Korea and the United States began annual military exercises following a coronavirus delay, with the drills likely to infuriate the North which has long considered them rehearsals for invasion.
The drills come as tensions remain high between Seoul and Pyongyang after the North blew up an inter-Korean liaison office on its side of the border in June and threatened military measures.
The Combined Command Post Training will run until August 28 and "focus on the maintenance of the combined defence posture" between the two countries.

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