The MiG-21 episode demonstrates that procurement is always strategic.
Choices about what aircraft to acquire, who builds them, who supplies the spares, who trains the pilots and technicians are decisions with political consequences lasting for decades.
'When global politics has some intervention on the core software one uses, and if you are cut off from your own data in critical workflows, sovereignty is no longer optional. It becomes a necessity.'
Neither the BJP, nor the Congress before it, made any manifesto commitments on defence spending, even though allocations have plummeted from 4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the late 1980s to less than 2 per cent today, points out Ajai Shukla.
Who else will take on the might of Microsoft, Google, and Amazon if not the Adanis, Ambanis, Birlas, or Tatas?, asks R Jagannathan.
The CII Business Summit 2025's inaugural session witnessed a rousing standing ovation and a felicitation ceremony for the defence top brass sending a strong message about India's rising military industrial complex and hghlghting that security is a top-of-the-mind issue for India Inc.
The $1.2 billion in-space manufacturing market is expected to grow and be worth more than $20 billion by 2033.
Ten Indian construction workers were rescued from a West Bank village where they had been held for over a month after being stripped of their passports. Palestinians lured the workers to the village with the promise of work and then took their passports and tried to use them to cross into Israel. The workers were rescued in an overnight operation led by the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority, the IDF, and the Justice Ministry. They have been transferred to a safe location until their employment status is determined.
India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable short range ballistic missiles Prithvi-II and Agni-I from an integrated test range off the Odisha coast, demonstrating its strategic deterrence capability. The test-firing of the missiles, conducted by the elite Strategic Forces Command, validated all operational and technical parameters.
Whether Trump will actually press ahead with the oil sanctions remains unclear, since keeping Russian oil out of the world market risks high oil prices which could boomerang on the US economy and be damaging politically for Trump, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
China accounts for about 70 per cent of global rare earth mining and nearly 90 per cent of rare earth magnet production, making it a dominant player and giving it significant leverage in global supply chains.
The defence ministry said 98 per cent of the total procurement worth Rs 2.23 lakh crore will be sourced from the domestic industries.
The government plans to establish a fully indigenous manufacturing ecosystem with an annual production capacity of up to 6,000 tonnes. The scheme is expected to run for seven years, according to official documents.
Leaders of Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan agreed to strengthen their ties for the mutual benefit of their peoples, as well as for regional peace and prosperity. The understanding was reached at the Pakistan-Turkey-Azerbaijan trilateral summit in Lachin, Azerbaijan, attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alongside presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ilham Aliyev. Azerbaijan announced a USD 2 billion investment in Pakistan's economy. Turkey expressed support for the ceasefire between Pakistan and India and hopes that it evolves into permanent peace.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the "execution model" for the indigenous development of a fifth-generation deep penetration advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) for the Indian Air Force. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) will execute the programme through industry partnership, with equal opportunities for both private and public sectors. The project is a major step towards "Aatmanirbharta" (self-reliance) in the aerospace sector and is expected to cost around Rs 15,000 crore.
'If Washington has to balance Chinese power, she will have to turn to the third biggest power in the world which is India.' 'The United States and India will have to work together in order to keep Chinese ambitions in check.'
Nearly 70% of autoimmune disease patients in India are women. Doctors have observed that autoimmune diseases are far more common among women, especially between the ages of 20 and 50, when hormonal and lifestyle factors are most active.
'There are times when India should stand up without hesitation and voice its indignation over the US' pressure tactic. This is one such moment,' asserts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'When you have the best market at your doorstep, international diversification is a distraction.'
The deployment of the UK's "most advanced naval capabilities" has been flagged by the UK ministry of defence as a "decisive step" in bolstering UK-India security ties.
In his address, Jaishankar warned that those who condone nations that sponsor terror will find that it "comes back to bite them".
But private Indian defence firms prefer to do business with the West. Indian CEOs say they encounter difficulties in obtaining full and timely payment from Russian partners.
'India is a top-tier security partner for Australia and we continue to prioritise practical and tangible cooperation that directly contributes to Indo-Pacific stability.'
DRDO's failures over the decades have contributed significantly to India becoming the world's biggest weapons importer, points out Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
Access to India's defence market must be made conditional -- available only to those who are ready to make a long-term commitment in India, argues Ajai Shukla.
Bollywood has come out in full support and shown solidarity to Indian army by postponing film releases and several events post the deadly Pahalgam attack and India's Operation Sindoor
Embraer sees a lot of opportunities in India in the commercial and business jets as well as military aircraft and eVTOL segments, its CEO Francisco Gomes Neto has said as the Brazilian seeks to strengthen its foot print in the fast growing Indian market. Besides, the company is in talks with IndiGo and Air India to explore the possibility of selling its E-2 aircraft, which can have up to 146 seats.
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.
Last month, Bhatt said Kalashnikov AK-203 rifles for Indian armed forces were under manufacturing and testing stage at an Indo-Russian joint venture at Korwa in Uttar Pradesh.
The Israel-Iran conflict has entered a 'decisive phase' after the United States bombed three major Iranian nuclear sites Sunday morning, feel strategic affairs experts with some of them arguing it was Washington, DC's 'responsibility' to not get involved in the military standoff.
The attacks against the Pakistani air force have taken them at least five years back and caused great damage to them and their Chinese and Turkish inventory of weapons.
'The biggest point of contention is market access for US agricultural and dairy products.'
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has defended a doctor arrested in connection with cough syrup deaths in Madhya Pradesh, attributing the incident to failures in the drugs regulatory system.
Stepping up defence cooperation, India and the US are poised to unveil a roadmap for industries in the sector to partner closely in co-production, co-development and maintaining supply change during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US beginning June 21.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan emphasizes the importance of self-reliance in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) for India, citing recent global conflicts and Operation Sindoor as examples of their strategic importance.
India would neither succumb to the Americans on issues of national security, such as its defence ties with Russia, nor cede ground on its domestic interests in the agriculture and dairy sectors.
India-US relations, like Rome, were not built in a day, nor can they be demolished in a day.
All said and done, when the new global order emerges, India can only remain with the democracies, asserts Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
While the peacetime stranding of a foreign fighter jet is rare in India, the F-35 -- a military asset of a foreign country with which India has strategic relations -- was being guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force, the agency responsible for security at Indian airports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron have called for enhancing trade and investment ties between their countries and committed to further deepening their engagement in the Indo-Pacific. They discussed a full spectrum of bilateral relations, including key global and regional issues, and stressed the urgent need for reform in the United Nations Security Council. The leaders also underscored their commitment to ensuring the global AI sector can drive positive social, economic, and environmental outcomes.
With demand for information-technology (IT) services in North America still sluggish, Europe has become a source of optimism for Indian companies because it is delivering steady gains over the past two years and continuing to outperform in the latest quarter. Yet analysts caution a full-scale revival will require a rebound in the United States (US), particularly in manufacturing, retail, and BFSI (banking, financial services, and insurance), because Europe contributes only about a third of the revenues.
In the past three years, India have spent about $10.5 billion on military hardware and software, making it the largest arms importers in the developing world, the industry body Assocham said in a paper on Avenues for Private Sector Participation in Defence.
