Barely a month after carrying out successful tests of Interceptor missiles, India is in talks with a leading American aerospace firm to apparently seek collaboration to develop a robust ballistic missile defence (BMD) system.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia, defence ministry's top acquisition council on Thursday cleared the purchase of an estimated Rs 40,000 crore Russian S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems, besides giving the go-ahead to other projects worth over Rs 25,000 crore.
Plans are afoot to test India's missile defence shield in November, V K Saraswat, leading scientist at Defence Research and Development Organisation, said on Friday.
Nishant is one of the few UAVs in the world in its weight-class capable of being catapult launched and recovered by using parachute, thus eliminating the need for a runway as in case of conventional take-off and landing with wheels, a DRDO release said in Bangalore on Friday.
Following in the footsteps of the US Armed Forces, the Indian Army soldiers will soon be armed with laser guns to help take on militants without even firing a single shot.
A day after the BrahMos missile was test-fired, the Defence Research and Development Organisation on Tuesday said there were some minor hitches during the trial. The problems occurred in the last stage of the test, which was conducted in the Pokhran ranges of Rajasthan on a new version of BrahMos missile on Tuesday, DRDO officials said.
"If you have a laser based system on an airborne or seaborne platform, it can travel at the speed of light and in a few seconds, we can kill a ballistic missile coming towards us," DRDO's Air Defence Programme Director V K Saraswat told PTI in New Delhi.
India on Saturday successfully test-fired its interceptor missile off the Odisha coast, achieving a significant milestone in the direction of developing a two-layered Ballistic Missile Defence system.
India is ready to export missiles to countries whose names are cleared by the government, top DRDO scientist S Prahlada has said, disclosing that trade inquiries have been received from at least five nations. Though Prahlada did not name the missiles, which could be offered in world market but sources said that India could place Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile Brahmos and recently tested surface-to-air missile Akash for sale.
India on Monday successfully test-fired its indigenously built nuclear-capable intermediate range Agni-I ballistic missile, capable of hitting a target 700 km away, from a test range off Odisha coast as part of a user trial by the Army.
In a major technology leap, Indian defence scientists are ready to go ahead with the first full test flight of its indigenously developed air to air beyond visual range missile, ASTRA. The test-flight from an IAF Sukhoi fighter aircraft could be undertaken "anytime in the next 45 days", top DRDO officials said.
'Let us remember that Make in India for defence must not be our goal.' 'The goal is to have a strong military to help the nation protect its identity and assert its will.'
Under the next phase of missile development programme, the DRDO was working on Long Range Surface-to-air Missiles (LR SAM), which have a range of 70 km, with international collaboration, Prahlada said but declined to name the countries with whom the joint research will be done.
The IAF faces a 'fighter gap' of 13 squadrons. The IAF would be caught seriously short in a two-front war -- the worst-case planning contingency in which China and Pakistan attack India simultaneously, points out Ajai Shukla.
With this second successful test-firing, India now joins a select group of nations having intermediate range ballistic missiles with range up to 3,000 km. The missile will give the nation the capability to target cities in China like Beijing and Shanghai. The success of Agni-III paves the way for India to build its truly intercontinental range missiles Agni-IV with a range of 5000 km in the near future.
The sleek missile having 4000 km strike range is a two stage missile. It is 20 metre-long weighing 17 tonnes.
Another proposal of the army and the IAF for the procurement of 55 low level light weight radars was also cleared by the DAC for Rs 419 crore.
The rail ministry has fitted 7,000 bio-toilets and the target is to fix 30,000 for the year.
Indian Navy will soon test fire a long-range surface-to-air missile, jointly developed by India and Israel, aiming to enhance its capabilities against incoming missiles, aircraft and drones.
After rising to the ranks of Lt Generals in the army and Air Marshals in the IAF, a woman is now set to head the country's key missile project. 45-year-old Dr Tessy Thomas, one of the around 200 women scientists and technicians working for the DRDO, has been cleared to be appointed to the post of project director of the upgraded version of the 2000 km-long nuclear capable Agni-II missile.
Agni-I missile is equipped with sophisticated navigation system which ensures it reaches the target with a high degree of accuracy and precision.
Even though the Health Ministry and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have been insisting that there is 'no solid evidence' of community transmission so far, the government has started scaling up health infrastructure to deal with any situation.
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi on Monday called for greater synergy between the Indian Air Force and industry and research organisations to ensure that the airspace superiority of the country was not compromised.
The vessel will be used to carry out technical trials of underwater weapons and systems.
The defence minister said the country needed a "second Green Revolution" to meet the challenges of feeding the growing population
The Bengaluru skies dazzled with somersaults and stunts by metal birds.
France has asked India for early finalisation of the long-pending Rs 30,000-crore project for joint production of short-range surface-to-air missile (SR-SAM) systems.
India succefully test-fired a 3,000-km Agni-III missile on April 12 this year.
Defence Research and Development Organisation scientists have traced the possible fault that caused the failure of the first test of Agni-III missile on July 9 and are addressing it, DRDO Director General M Natarajan said.
The vehicle can attain a maximum speed limit of 25 km per hour and is the first of its kind in the small variants of bullet proof vehicles.
The Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged irregularities in the purchase of Israeli Barak missile systems has also pointed a finger at a former navy vice chief,
The indigenously developed pilot-less target aircraft was test-fired from the Chandipur Intermediate Test Range.
The missile targeted a floating object supported by the pilot-less target aircraft 'Lakshya', defence officials said.
Nirmala Sitharaman has a God given opportunity to orchestrate a transformation in India's defence capabilities. One hopes she has her own counsel and does not overly let the PMO run her ship, says Group Captain Murli Menon (retd).
The army confirmed that they will buy 12 Nishant Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for reconnaissance and surveillance operations, a top Defence Research and Development Organisation official said on Friday.
Highly placed sources said the test firing could take place any time this month.
The development and trials will continue and the rocket is expected to enter service any time now.
With the indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant set to be launched for sea trials in few weeks, India will soon complete its nuclear triad giving it the capability to respond to nuclear strikes from sea, land and air-based systems.
The Centre for Airborne Systems, DRDO's Bangalore-based unit, has revived the airborne early warning system programme, which was scrapped in 1999 following a crash of the rotodome radar-fitted Avro aircraft near Arakkonam in Chennai.
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