While Pakistan enjoys rough parity with India in legacy weapon systems, it is beginning to enjoy superiority in drone warfare, thanks to the RPVs supplied by China, explains Ajai Shukla.
The sleek 3.8 metre high missile has a striking range of 25 to 40 km.
Out of its 47 operational satellites, India currently has six to eight satellites which are used entirely for military purposes.
For the second time in a month, the Block II version of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile with a striking range of 290 km, successfully hit its target during a test at the Pokhran firing range on Sunday. After today's test, officials said the development phase of the Block II version of the missile was over and it was ready for induction in the Army. They said the mission objectives of the test had been completely fulfilled.
The main objectives of test-firing were to validate safe separation of the missile from the parent aircraft, effect of missile plume on engine air-intake, functionality of store management system, including safety interlocks, effect of missile plume on composites structures and handling quality assessment during missile launch.
The Akash missile systems have over 96 percent indigenous components and the weapon can hit targets at a range of 25 km.
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.
India is almost ready with its undersea launch version of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile and wants the navy to help in preliminary test trials by the end of the 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.
Although the credit for acquiring the technological skill must be given to India's outstanding nuclear scientists, the decision to go nuclear was a political one that entailed clarity of vision, courage and resolve, points out Rup Narayan Das.
The missile will be capable of shooting down enemy ballistic missiles, aircraft, helicopters, drones, surveillance aircraft and AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) aircraft from a range of around 70 km.
The trails were conducted without a helicopter in direct and top attack mode.
'These medicines will ensure that our brave soldiers do not suffer from unwanted blood loss while being taken to a better healthcare from war zones'
After a comprehensive analysis is undertaken to find the reasons of this incident, "we will build an elaborate plan to avert any potential tragedy going forward", Rawat said.
The fresh negotiations with Israeli authorities concerned for procurement of the two Phalcon AWACS come in the midst of India's bitter border row with China in high-altitude eastern Ladakh.
The 290km range missile is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads.
India on Thursday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 km
'With India's growing capabilities in the space sector, this creates promising opportunities for enhanced collaboration and market access.'
What President Kalam told young scientists at DRDO.
Akash was aimed at a target attached to Lakshya, the pilotless target aircraft.
India's Tryst with the Atom: Unfolding the Nuclear Story by O P Sabherwal reveals details hitherto unknown about India's nuclear programme.
The defence minister has 20 months to learn the military's ethos, culture and to publicly bat for an organisation that feels increasingly marginalised and underappreciated.
The National Security Strategy document should flag all major issues concerning security strategy and provide guidelines to concerned departments to work out suitable action plans. Since the global and regional geopolitical canvas is dynamic, the NSS document should be deliberated at length before formulation and should be reviewed periodically, recommends Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
The vertical approach was one of the at least five options on which preparatory work had begun some days back, as anxiety mounted over the fate of the men trapped in the under-construction tunnel on Uttarakhand's Char Dham route.
According to sources in the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency, under the Department of Space, delivery of hardware by the industry was hit due to the lockdown imposed in several States to contain the pandemic in recent months.
In line with the government's vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', the ministry of defence on Thursday signed contracts with Indian shipyards for the acquisition of 11 next generation offshore patrol vessels and six next generation missile vessels at a cost of nearly Rs 19,600 crore, officials said.
"The amended second draft (known as DAP) has since been finalised by the review committee driven by tenets of defence reforms announced as part of the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' and has been placed in the public domain," the ministry said.
While there were concerns about the security aspect of drones, top government officials were of the view that restricting the drone industry would stifle a sunrise sector which holds significant promise for future, reports Arindam Majumder.
As an aerospace scientist, Kalam worked with India's two major space research organisations --DRDO and ISRO.
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.
The company will supply the drug to major government as well as private hospitals across India, Dr Reddy's said in a regulatory filing.
An increase in the farmer income support scheme PM Kisan Nidhi, the introduction of a 'robot tax' to fund reskilling of people who lose their jobs to artificial intelligence (AI), and a reduced income-tax (I-T) to bring relief to the middle classes - these are some of the items in the Budget wish list submitted by Sangh Parivar affiliates to Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman. Representatives of the affiliates of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), such as the farmer organisation Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS); trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS); Laghu Udyog Bharati, which works for micro and small industries; and Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), which works on economic and policy issues, met the FM and other officials over the last couple of weeks as part of the pre-Budget consultations.
The surface-to-surface tactical missile was blasted off from a canister strapped to the ground launcher from launch complex 4 of the Integrated Test Range in the APJ Abdul Kalam Island around 12.10 pm.
The massive exercise code-named Iron First 2016 would involve the participation of 181 aircraft departing from multiple bases, and demonstrate a synchronized aerial ballet that would showcase its deadly combat capability over the entire spectrum of aerial operations.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday said there was no controversy in the sacking of Avinash Chander as Defence Research and Development Organisation chief and it was he who recommended that the position should be held by someone from a "slightly younger generation" and not by someone on contract.
The VL-SRSAM, which DRDO developed for the Indian Navy, was fired from a warship at a high-speed aerial target mimicking incoming enemy aircraft.
A drug developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) may reverse the heart damage caused by a protein in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a study conducted in fruit flies and mice has found.
'No country can ever be free to make its choices and remain independent if it continues to wear borrowed plumes,' warn Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd) and Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
India on Monday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile, which has a strike range of 350 km, as part of a user trial for the defence forces.
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