Trials of the Rafale Marine fighter aircraft are being carried out in Goa by the Indian Navy. The trials are for the modifications to the aircraft required for carrying out operations from the Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, Defence officials said on Wednesday.
A French sailor's use of a fitness app has exposed the location of France's aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, raising serious security concerns amid rising tensions in the West Asia region, a report from a French newspaper said.
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh has voiced concerns over significant delays in inducting new combat jets, including the Tejas aircraft, which are impacting the Indian Air Force's depleting fighter squadron strength. He stressed the need for annual induction of 36-40 jets to address the gaps and discussed ongoing procurement plans like the MRFA deal and future strategies for combat aircraft and theatre commands.
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of Air Staff, has expressed significant concern over the inordinate delays in inducting new combat jets, including the indigenous Tejas aircraft, stating that these delays are severely impacting the Indian Air Force's depleting fighter squadron strength. He highlighted the need for 36-40 new fighter jets annually to address these gaps and voiced worry over Pakistan's collaboration with China on a fifth-generation fighter jet.
Experts' worries intensified after Pakistan commissioned its first Chinese-built Hangor-class submarine, PNS Hangor, last month.
French naval commander expresses concern over China expanding its maritime influence in the region.
The defence ministryh has "initiated efforts" to join the sixth-generation fighter aircraft development programme, Future Combat Air System (FCAS), spearheaded by the French government, and sought from it the roadmap to acquire such aircraft, a parliamentary panel has said.
A French Navy has rescued eleven Indian sailors from suspected pirates at the mouth of the Gulf of Aden. According to a media release of the Embassy of France in New Delhi, the rescue operation took place on January 18 off the coast of Oman.
King Charles III reaffirmed the enduring strength of the US-UK alliance, underscored NATO's centrality to global security, and shared light-hearted moments with President Donald Trump during a White House state dinner.
British armed forces, including Royal Marine Commandos, intercepted the Russian shadow fleet oil tanker SMYRTOS in the English Channel, marking the UK's first such operation. The action aims to disrupt Russia's funding for its war in Ukraine, with the UK government highlighting the shadow fleet's role in sustaining Moscow's military efforts.
Equipped with torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets, the first of the Mahe-class anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft (ASW SWC) was delivered to the Navy on October 23.
Which are the world's most vital straits, important to shipping?
If approved, the fighters would help the IAF to build its reducing squadrons, especially after the MiG-21 was decommissioned last year.
'There's an urgent requirement, particularly for the Indian Ocean region, as China's naval presence grows, and with Pakistan also acquiring more submarines.'
Indian women aren't just attending global fashion weeks; they're owning them and representing our country on the biggest platforms.
In his first major national address since hostilities began, Trump said the ongoing military campaign, dubbed 'Operation Epic Fury', has delivered 'swift, decisive, overwhelming victories'.
Navies of India and France recently took part in a joint exercise aimed at enhancing interoperability between the two navies.
The Indian Defence Ministry has approved the procurement of 114 Rafale fighter jets from France, a significant step towards bolstering the Indian Air Force's combat capabilities. The decision comes ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India.
'India was not obliged to protect the Iranian ship.' 'Once the Iranian ship left Indian waters, she was on her own.' 'Guilt tripping India is wrong.'
'The additional Rafales will be from a vastly improved version compared to the 36 acquired for the IAF under the 2016 deal.'
What we are watching is something different: A fog manufactured and maintained by the people who started the war, so that the question of why it was started never has to be answered, observes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the war in the Middle East.
In their talks, Modi and Merz are likely to deliberate on trade and investment ties as New Delhi is looking at deepening economic engagement with Europe against the backdrop of Washington's 50 percent tariff on Indian goods, people familiar with the matter said.
An impressive flypast consisting of four Rafale, five MiG 29-Ks and one Hawkeye was witnessed by Vice Admiral P Ajit Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, Alexandre Ziegler, the French Ambassador to India and nine French Navy dignitaries on board the French Carrier Charles De Gaulle.
The 22nd edition of the India-France bilateral naval exercise Varuna was conducted from September 2 to September 4, 2024 in the Mediterranean Sea.
Fight on toward goals that keep receding, or exit with most objectives unmet. Trump is agitated, his poll numbers falling below the Plimsoll line, his base fractured between those who back the war and those who remember that he campaigned on ending them.
If the oil infrastructure is attacked by the United States, the whole area could be flooded with oil, spilling into the Persian Gulf.
The proposal, expected to be worth over Rs 2 lakh crore, including the indigenous content of more than 60 percent, is expected to be taken up for discussion by the Defence Procurement Board headed by the defence secretary in the next few weeks.
'If there is a big enough order, then we would bring the assembly line for the M88 engine and other critical equipment to India.'
The first project that is being negotiated is for the procurement of three Scorpene submarines, which will be jointly constructed by state-run Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and French defence major Naval Group.
"In this edition of Varuna, the French Navy is being represented by ships from the French carrier strike group, including the aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, destroyers FNS Forbin and FNS Tourville, supply ship FNS Meuse and nuclear powered submarine FNS Amethyste," Navy officials said in New Delhi.
"INS Nirdeshak--a survey ship of the Indian Navy, has arrested nine sea pirates 240 nautical miles off the coast of Seychelles with the help of French and Spanish navies there between the night of April 26-27," Navy officials said Delhi.
India sent an aquanaut 5,000 metres deep into the ocean in a first-of-its-kind expedition in partnership with France, as part of preparations for India's ambitious Deep Ocean Mission.
The sealing of the mega deal came three weeks after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the procurement.
Naval Group's announcement comes a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris where he is scheduled meet recently re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron.
In a first-ever such accident, a British and a French nuclear submarine, both carrying nuke warheads, collided in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, but there was no loss of life.
Glimpses of the fifth Kalvari-class submarine INS Vagir in Mumbai on Friday, January 20, 2023, ahead of its commissioning ceremony.
The aircraft deal worth around Euro 5.5 billion was cleared by the defence acquisition council just before the visit of the Indian Prime Minister to France as the state guest for their Bastille Day parade this year in July.
What was the aim of Operation Sindoor? Why was the operation halted so soon? asks Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
Varuna, the naval exercise between the Indian and French navies, got underway in the Arabian Sea on Thursday, March 31, 2022.
'We will see whether there were losses or not, and whether the war aims were achieved. When the truth comes out, some may well be surprised,' says Dassault CEO.
