General Awareness

DEFENCE - January 2021

Jan 2021

Mar 10, 2021

India to Buy US Armed Drones

India plans to buy 30 armed drones from the U.S. to boost its sea and land defence as tensions persist with neighbours China and Pakistan.
India will approve next month the $3 billion purchase of 30 MQ-9B Predator drones manufactured by San Diego-based General Atomics, the officials said, asking not to be identified speaking with the media. The deal would add to India's military capabilities as the drones it has now can only be used for surveillance and reconnaissance.
India is emerging as a strategic defence partner for the U.S., particularly in countering Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean and some areas of Southeast Asia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is in the midst of a 10-year, $250 billion military modernisation.
The MQ-9B drone can fly for about 48 hours and carry a payload of about 1,700 kg.

Indian Navy Signs Contract with Suryadipta Projects

The Indian Navy has signed a contract with Suryadipta Projects to construct 11 ammunition-cum-torpedo-cum-missile (ACTCM) barges.
Suryadipta ProjectsPrivate Limited is a Thane-based MSME.
Delivery of barges is scheduled to commence from May 22. The ACTCM barges will be inducted in Indian Navy to undertake the mission needs for embarking or disembarking ammunition, torpedo, missile, etc. it mentioned.

Mar 09, 2021

Quad, France and UAE Join Hands in 2 Naval Exercises to Dominate Indo-Pacific

The Indian Navy, its partners in the QUAD grouping, and, its strategic allies France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be part of complex interoperability exercises involving carrier strike groups, anti-submarine warfare aircraft and attack submarines in April– a move aimed at projecting their dominance from the Persian Gulf to the Malacca Straits.
The UAE will be joining India and France for the first time in a trilateral naval exercise in the strategically important Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in late April under the Varuna banner. This is scheduled between April 25 and 27.

Lightweight Torpedo Test-fired Successfully

The indigenously-instrumented Advanced Light Torpedo (TAL), developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), succesfully cleared its maiden flight trial with a parachute system from the Indian Navy's Ilyushin Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft.
This was the country's first such trial where the indigenous lightweight torpedo was fired from a fixed-wing aircraft.
The lightweight torpedo was designed, developed, produced and inducted into services a decade ago and is used against underwater platforms as part of anti-submarine warfare.

Indian Army Leases 4 Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles from Israel

The Indian Army has leased four Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for possible deployment along the 3,488 km India-China border.
The four medium-altitude long endurance UAVs are expected to be delivered to the Indian Army between August and December 2021.
The lease agreement for the four UAVs was signed mid-January using the emergency powers given to the armed forces to speed up military purchases. The lease period is for three years.

Mar 08, 2021

Indo-Uzbek Military Exercise Dustlik-II

The second edition of the joint India-Uzbekistan military exercise Dustlik-II will be held in India from March 10 to 19.
The 10-day joint field training exercise will see army personnel from India and Uzbekistan take part in drills for counter-terrorism operations.
According to the Indian Army, this engagement will enhance military cooperation between the two countries.
The first edition of the exercise, Dustlik-I was held in Uzbekistan, near Tashkent, from November 3-13, 2019.

INS Karanj to be Commissioned

Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karanj, which will be commissioned on March 10, is the third of the six Kalvari-class diesel electric submarines to start functioning in the navy since 2017.
There will be 39 personnel onboard when the submarine works in shifts. They have been specially trained for a long period to serve on the submarine for months, which is quite a challenging task.
Before Karanj, INS Kalvari and INS Khanderi have been commissioned in the Indian Navy in 2017 and 2019, respectively. If everything goes as planned, the navy aims to commission remaining three submarines as scheduled. Karanj sailed for over 100 days as part of trials before being commissioned.

Australia Ends Defence Cooperation with Myanmar

Australia has suspended its defence cooperation with Myanmar and is redirecting humanitarian aid because of the military takeover of the government and ongoing detention of an Australian citizen.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said that Australian diplomats only had access to economic policy adviser Sean Turnell twice since he was detained in early February.
Australia announced that it had suspended a defense training program with Myanmar worth about 1.5 million Australian dollars ($1.2 million) over five years. The program had been restricted to non-combat areas such as English-language training.

Mar 06, 2021

DRDO Joins Exclusive Club after Long-range Air-to-air Missile Test

A successful test of the technologies that go into a solid fuel ducted ramjet (SFDR) has propelled the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) into an exclusive group of manufacturers that can build long-range air-to-air missiles (AAM) capable of shooting down enemy aircraft hundreds of kilometres away.
The DRDO has already impressed the Indian Air Force (IAF) with its home-grown Astra medium-range AAM. The IAF is planning to equip the Tejas Mark 1A fighter with the Astra Mark 1, enabling it to strike airborne targets at ranges of 60-70 km.

India Ready to Sell BrahMos, But Exports Remain Hostage to Concerns over CAATSA

The ominous shadow of US sanctions on Russian defence entities looms ominously over India's plans to fast-track the export of BrahMos cruise missiles which are being locally manufactured in collaboration with Moscow.
India is in advanced talks with several countries, especially the Philippines, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), amongst others like Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa to sell them the BrahMos missile system.
But its export remains hostage to unresolved concerns over the US's Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions or CAATSA, which has the potential to hobble all such sales via arbitrary embargoes.

Mar 05, 2021

Indian Army Begins Training of Turkmenistan Special Forces

The Indian Army's Special Forces Training School began the training for Turkmenistan Special Forces to help them build their combat capabilities. The Turkmenistani paratroopers will be trained in 'Combat Free Fall' as a precursor to a series of customised courses which will assist in their capability enhancement.
A unique institution in itself, the Special Forces Training School (SFTS) is located in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh. It is responsible for providing training to the Indian Army's Special Forces.
The Special Forces of the Indian Army have over time earned immense respect and reputation of being one of the finest Special Forces in the world due to their professionalism, operational expertise and sacrifice.

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