India on Friday successfully test-fired indigenously-developed anti-tank guided missile systems, 'Helina' and 'Dhruvastra', paving their induction into the Army and the Indian Air Force respectively, officials said.
It was decided that the senior-most Army officer in a state would get in touch with the chief minister to understand the requirement and take forward the process, including offering to treat civilians wherever possible
The Republic Day parade, which will begin at around 1030 am, will be a unique mix of the country's military prowess and cultural diversity, depicting the country's growing indigenous capabilities, Nari Shakti and emergence of a 'New India'.
Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said the major defence equipment that were imported included helicopters, aircraft radars, rockets, guns, assault rifles, missiles and ammunition.
I suggest we build a Vigyan Mandir (Temple of Science) with the ambience of a place of worship, so that it becomes a destination for pilgrims. We should embed on its walls bronze plaques describing each scientist mentioned here along with about a dozen of our ancient mathematicians, recommends Professor Kalyan Singhal, historian of science and technology.
Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria flew a Tejas single-seater light combat aircraft MK1 FOC fighter during his visit to IAF and flight test establishments and facilities of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru.
There was no word on the much-anticipated procurement of 26 naval variants of Rafale fighter jets by India from France.
The army has long been deficient in artillery, the modern battlefield's most lethal killer, says Ajai Shukla.
According to HAL, "this is the biggest ever order that HAL has placed on any Indian company boosting 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' campaign."
India has over 4,000 medium tanks, but not a single light tank. It remains to be seen whether the Ladakh face-off with China galvanises a change, observes Ajai Shukla.
In a major boost to its military might, India on Wednesday successfully test-fired surface-to-surface strategic missile Agni-5 that can strike targets at ranges up to 5,000 km with a very high degree of accuracy, officials said.
Around 6,000 security personnel will be deployed and a total of 24 help desks will be set up in the New Delhi district for those who attend Republic Day celebrations, the police said.
The HSTDV is capable of powering missiles to attain a speed of around Mach 6 or six times the speed of sound, the officials said, adding only a very few countries like the United States, Russia and China have such a capability.
The key platforms that India has been exporting are Dornier-228 aircraft, 155 mm Advanced Towed Artillery Guns (ATAGs), Brahmos missiles, Akash missile system, radars, mine protected vehicles, armoured vehicles, Pinaka rockets and launchers, ammunition, thermal imagers and various components of avionics and small arms.
President Droupadi Murmu will lead the nation in celebrating the Republic Day, and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be the chief guest at the ceremonial event.
A preview of many of the tableaux, some of which are still being constructed or given finishing touches, was held at the Rashtriya Rangshala Camp in the city.
Deshmukh denied the allegations raised against him by Singh during questioning and told the officers that they were an attempt to malign the image of the state government, sources said.
They said members of Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party urged committee chairman Jual Oram to allow a discussion on the Agnipath scheme, arguing it has huge implications and required parliamentary scrutiny, but were denied from doing so.
The Indian Army has initiated this proposal worth around Rs 1,000 cror Swathi WLRs and it is planned to be put for consideration by a high-level defence ministry meeting.
On the shopping list: Light tanks, anti-tank guided missiles, UAVs, assault rifles, fighter aircraft.
India on Monday successfully flight-tested its indigenously developed SMART torpedo system, which DRDO said will be a "game changer" in anti-submarine warfare, marking yet another milestone in strengthening the country's maritime strategic capabilities, defence sources said.
The indigenous howitzer gun that was used for the ceremonial salute on Monday has been designed by the Centre-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
All equipment from the Army which were part of the Republic Day celebrations are made-in-India, Chief of Staff Delhi Area Maj Gen Bhavnish Kumar had earlier said.
In his address at the 41st Defence Research and Development Organisation Directors Conference, he also said the development of weaponry and other systems should be done keeping "future warfare" in mind.
Chakraborty, who appeared before the CBI for the first time, left the Defence Research and Development Organisation guest house complex in Santacruz a little after 9 pm, said an official.
The new BrahMos missiles will be 'dual-role capable', which means warships can fire them at targets on land as well as at enemy warships.
A land-attack version of the missile was test-launched from Launch Pad-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR). An air force variant was fired from an IAF fighter jet over Bay of Bengal.
The idea of weaponization got a fillip from an unexpected quarter. In the last week of October 1985, Rajiv met US President Ronald Reagan. Reagan told Rajiv, 'Pakistan has already made a bomb.' When Rajiv started talking about disarmament, the US president cut him short, 'Don't talk theory, think of your own protection.'
Slamming the Navy for finalising a deal for MiG 29K naval fighter aircraft without their weapons package, a Comptroller and Auditor General report Thursday said the maritime force has now chosen a missile with an "unsatisfactory track record" in the Indian Air Force.
DRDO chief G Satheesh Reddy Reddy is the first Indian to be appointed Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
It said the ATGM has been developed with a capability to launch from multiple platforms and is currently undergoing technical evaluation trials from 120 mm rifled gun of MBT Arjun.
The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is the world's fastest operational system in its class and recently the DRDO has extended the range of the missile system from the existing 298 km to around 450 km.
The trails were conducted without a helicopter in direct and top attack mode.
Banning the import of platforms that are already being built in India serves little purpose.
The defence ministry on Thursday sealed a contract to procure 118 main battle tanks Arjun for the Indian Army at a cost of Rs 7,523 crore, in a major move to boost its combat capabilities.
Her brother Showik Chakraborty was also called by the CBI for the fourth day in a row for questioning in the case, the official said.
It will be inducted into the IAF inventory at a ceremony in Jodhpur in presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and chief of air staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari.
'When a Project Director is appointed, the whole organization -- including the Chairman ISRO -- works for his success. It is a lesson that has been of abiding value all through the other projects I have worked on,' recalls the late President, one of the earliest pioneers at ISRO.
It will be ready for field trials by the end of December, the government told the Lok Sabha.
The missile is India's first indigenously developed anti-radiation missile that has speed of Mach two or twice the speed of sound.
