DEFENCE NEWS [January 2020]

2020 DEFENCE NEWS – January

 

EXERCISE
EXERCISE NAME	VENUE /PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES	KEY NOTES
12th 'Naseem-Al- Bahr' naval Exercise	Mormugao Port, Goa. India & Oman	2 ships of the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) arrived at Mormugao Port in Goa to participate in the 12th edition of the Indo-Oman bilateral naval exercise 'Naseem-Al-Bahr'. The meaning of the biennial exercise Naseem-Al-Bahr that has been conducted since 1993 between India and Oman is sea breeze. Among the Indian Navy ships (INS) Beas and Subhadra are participating while 2 naval ships of the RNO i.e, RNOV (Royal Navy of Oman Vessel) Al Rasikh and RNOV Khassab are participating.
19th Annual Joint Exercise ‘Sahyog- Kaijin’	Chennai, Tamil Nadu. India & Japan	Japan Coast Guard (JCG) Ship ‘Echigo PLH08’ has arrived Chennai on a five-day goodwill visit to participate in the Exercise ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ which began on January 16, 2020. With the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Admiral Takahiro Okushima, Commandant, Japan Coast Guard (JCG) and Director General (DG) Krishnaswamy Natarajan, DG of Indian Coast Guard witnessed the 19th edition of ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ exercise.
inged Raider	northeastern theatre	Indian Army (IA) conducted its biggest airborne exercise ‘Winged Raider’. The exercise comprised of more than 500 soldiers of Special Forces troops in the northeastern theatre and involved all kinds of air transport platforms of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The name Winged Raider was chosen due to its multidimensional nature of the exercise and demonstrated the operational readiness of paratroopers. The exercise involved soldiers parachuting from the C 130 Hercules, C 17 Globemaster and Dhruv helicopters both day and night.
SAMPRITI-IX	India & Bangladesh	As part of ongoing defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh, 9th edition of the joint Indo-Bangladesh military exercise named SAMPRITI-IX will be conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya from February 03-16, 2020. Both nations will work together in a counter terrorism environment under the United Nations (UN) charter. A Command Post Exercise (CPX) and a Field Training Exercise (FTX) will be conducted during SAMPRITI-IX.
TESTING
MISSILES NAME	TESTING LOCATION	FEATURES
Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) K-4	Visakhapatnam coast in Andhra Pradesh	The 3,500 Kilometer range missile is developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The test was carried out from an underwater platform in the sea. India is the fourth country after the United States (US), Russia, China to launches SLBM of 3,500 kilometer range. Apart from K-4, BO-5 is the other underwater missile with a strike range of 700 kilometers which is being developed by India.
Ghaznavi, Nuclear- Capable surface-to- surface ballistic missile (SSBM)	Islamabad, Pakistan	The Ghaznavi missile strike targets upto a range of 290 km (kilometers). Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan’s army mentioned that the Training launch was part of Field Training Exercise of Army Strategic Forces Command.

 

DEALS, MoUs

Indian Navy Signs MoU for offshore Data with Geological Survey of India

Indian Navy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) for sharing seabed sediments data, products and expertise for Naval application in Meteorology and Oceanography. Two heads Commodore AA Abhyankar, Head of Indian Navy’s Oceanology and Meteorology Directorate and N Maran, Deputy Director General of GSI have signed the MoU on 21st of January 2020. Mangaluru based Marine and Coastal survey division has mapped 2.1 Million square kilometre of Exclusive Economic Zone and has a vast repository of offshore data.

 

Russia to deliver five S-400 air defence systems to India by 2025

Russia has announced to deliver 5 units of S-400 air defence systems to India by 2025 on the lines of $5.43 billion deal inked during the 19th edition of India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit held in New Delhi in 2018. The announcement was made by Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin. Indian Armed forces will also receive the 1st batch of 5,000 Kalashnikov rifles in 2020 itself. Apart from this, 60 Ka-2267 helicopters will be supplied to India as well as 140 helicopters of the same type will also be produced. Union Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Shri Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will visit Russia on March 22&23 to attend the Russia-Indian-China(RIC) trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to be held in Vladivostok, Russia Read full details here:

 

ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE NEWS

IAF chief formally inducted Dornier 228 aircraft into No. 41 Squadron in New Delhi

Indian Air Force Chief Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria formally inducted the light utility aircraft Flight Inspection System (FIS) Dornier 228 into the No. 41 'Otters' Squadron at a ceremony at the Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi. A contract has been signed by Indian Air Force (IAF) for purchasing 14 Dornier aircraft in 2015, which are flight inspection system planes, for Rs 1,090 Crore from state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

 

Visakhapatnam to host naval exercise 'MILAN' in March 2020

The Vishakapatnam city of Andhra Pradesh will host International naval exercise ‘MILAN’ in March 2020. The theme of the exercise for the year 2020 is ‘Synergy Across the Seas’. Milan exercise which will be hosted by Eastern Naval Command (ENC) aims to enhance professional interaction between foreign navies and also make use of the best practices in the maritime domain. 41 navies of different countries were invited so far, of which 30 navies have confirmed their participation in MILAN 2020.

 

Defence Ministry approves procurement of military hardware worth Rs. 5,100 crore

The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh approved the procurement of military equipment from indigenous sources worth over Rs. 5,100 crores. The procurement of military equipment includes sophisticated Electronic Warfare Systems designed by the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) also approved the prototype testing of trawl assemblies designed by the DRDO for T-72 and T-90 tanks and to the construction of six conventional submarines for Navy in India.

 

Rajnath Singh dedicated 51st K9 Vajra-T guns to nation; $26 billion turnover by 2025 in Defence Production

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicated 51st K9 Vajra self-propelled Howitzer gun made by L&T (Larsen & Toubro) private sector Limited at Hazira in Gujarat to the Nation. The Government has set a target to achieve a $26 billion turnover in the aerospace and defence industry by 2025 which provides employment to 2- 3 million people. The indigeneous built K9 Vajra gun weighs 50 tonnes and can fire 47-kilogram bombs at targets up to a distance of 43 kilometers distance target. In April 2017 L&T and Hanwa Techwin of South Korea signed a contract to manufacture 100 k9 Vajra-T guns worth Rs.4500 crore.

 

Indian Army to induct Artillery gun 'Sharang' by March 31, 2020

Indian Army (IA) has announced to induct 1st batch of 18 indigenously upgraded 'Sharang' artillery guns by March 31, 2020. The announcement was made by the Programme Coordinator of Sharang, Brigadier Jayant Kar. The contract to upgrade the Sharang artillery gun was undertaken by Gun Carriage Factory (GCF) in Jabalpur with the help of state-owned ordnance factories, and teams from the Army and DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation).

 

INS Kavaratti is set to be delivered to Indian Navy by the Defence PSU GRSE

INS Kavaratti, the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvette was built by Defence Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) for Indian Navy under the project P28. INS Kavaratti is the 104th warship constructed by GRSE. Under Project P28, Kavaratti is the last of the four ASW stealth Corvettes delivered to Indian Navy, which were 'INS Kamorta' in July 2014, 'INS Kadmatt' in November 2015 and 'INS Kiltan' in October 2017. All these four corvettes are named after islands of Lakshadweep and Arabian Sea.

 

DRDO to showcase indigenously-developed military systems at DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow UP

The 11th edition of ‘DefExpo 2020’ will be held from February 5 to February 9, 2020, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh with the theme “India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub”. It will be organized by the department of defence production, Ministry of Defence. During the exhibition, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will display its various indigenously-developed military systems and technologies with the theme of the event “Digital Transformation of Defence”.

 

2020 Defence News -February

 

EXERCISE NAME	VENUE / PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES	KEY NOTES
Matla Abhiyaan	Sunderban region in Kolkata, West Bengal	Indian Navy has carried out 5-day coastal security exercise with the aim to create awareness about the coastal security to the local community & understand the navigational complexities in the Sunderban delta waters.
11th Edition of DefExpo-2020	Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh	Organized by Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence with a support of Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP), for the first time from 5th to 9th Feb 2020. It’s main theme was “India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub” with focus on “Digital Transformation of Defence”. This expo is also termed as “Mahakumbh of defence manufacturing companies”. The last two days of the expo was opened for public.
2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise-2020 (BIMSTEC DMEx- 2020)	Bhubaneswar/Puri, Odisha	From 11-13 February, 2020 with themes “A cultural heritage site that suffers severe damage in the Earthquake” & “Flooding or Storm”. Organized by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), on behalf of the Government of India, BIMSTEC DMEx-2020 was inaugurated by Chief Minister Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik on Feb 11, 2020. While Minister of State (Home), Nityanand Rai launched field training exercise scheduled on 12th February, 2020 at Ramachandi Beach, District-Puri, Odisha. The first similar kind of exercise took place in 2017. It was attended by Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Bhutan and Thailand were not participated in the exercise.
Anti-hijack	Visakhapatnam Airport, Andhra Pradesh	The Anti-hijack exercise was conducted to create a mock situation using a naval Dornier aircraft by INS Dega, (a naval air station of the Indian navy). The main objective of the exercise was to test the plans and procedures handled by various agencies during hijack threats.
AJEYA WARRIOR- 2020	Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom(UK). Indian Army and United Kingdom (UK) Army	Kingdom(UK) Army AJEYA WARRIOR-2020 will be conducted at   Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom(UK) from February (13 to 26) 2020. 120 Army Individuals each from Indian and United Kingdom Armies will participate in this Exercise and the Next Edition will be conducted in India, vice-versa. The Main Aim of this Exercise is to conduct Joint Training Operations with High number of Soldiers and also giving Special Importance on Counter Terrorists operation in Urban and Semi Urban Areas.
Indradhanush-V	Air Force Station Hindan in Uttar Pradesh (UP). India-UK (United Kingdom)	A 5-day long 5th edition of India-UK (United Kingdom) bilateral  air exercise “Indradhanush-V” 2020 between Indian Air Force (IAF) and British Royal Air Forces (RAF) held at Air Force Station Hindan in Uttar Pradesh (UP). ‘Base Defence and Force Protection’ was the focus of this year exercise. 36 specialised combatants from RAF Regiment & 42 combatants of the GARUD Force from IAF team participated in this exercise. The 4th edition of the Indradhanush was held in the UK from July 21,-30, 2015.

 

TESTING

 

MISSILES NAME	TESTING LOCATION	FEATURES
Pranash, Ballistic missile		The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is developing Pranash, a new 200Km strike range ballistic missile which will be the advanced version of Prahaar, with the strike range of 150Km. Pranash is a single stage solid propellant surface-to- surface missile. Prahaar is a short range Ballistic missile having a strike range of 150 Km and it can carry the nuclear warheads up to 200Kg. It is a solid propellant surface to surface missile which can travel at the speed of Mach 2.
Ra’ad-II, Cruise missile	Land and Sea	Pakistan successfully completed the flight test of the air launched cruise missile Ra’ad-II with a range of 600 km significantly boosting the military’s “deterrence capability” on land and at sea. Ra’ad-II weapon system is equipped with state of the art guidance & navigation systems ensuring of engagement targets with high precision. Ra’ad-II missile is planned to be attached to Mirage aircraft or F-16 fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force.
Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft (PHASA)- 35	Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Woomera range in South Australia	High Altitude Long Endurance vehicle (HALE), Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft (PHASA)- 35 has the potential to remain airborne for a year is the First ever long endurance solar-powered unmanned aircraft which has successfully completed its maiden test flight and it developed by BAE systems in collaboration with Prismatic Ltd.PHASA-35. It has a wingspan of 35 metres and can carry upto 15 Kilos. PHASA-35 can be used for fire detection, maritime
		surveillance and Border protection, etc. The flight trial is conducted at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Woomera range in South Australia.

 

 

DEALS, MoU’s

 

New Delhi hosts Ministerial-level defence dialogue 2020 between India & South Korea

The Ministerial-level Defence dialogue 2020 between India and South Korea was held at South Block in New Delhi, where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Jeong Kyeong-doo, Minister of National Defense of South Korea discussed many important issues & affirmed to deepen bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries. In 2019, Singh had visited South Korea & had inked 2 MoUs(memorandum of understanding) to further boost defence cooperation.

 

U.S. approves sale of Integrated Air Defence Weapon System to India

The United States of America, President Donald Trump’s Administration has approved the sale of an Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) to India for an estimated cost of USD 1.867 billion announced by the Defence Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) part of United States Department of Defence. This proposed sale will upgrade India’s Air Defence Technology and also to strengthen the US-India Strategic relationship and India also purchased 13 MK45 Naval guns and related Equipment at a cost of USD 1.0210 billion.

 

India-Russia defence deals set to cross USD 16 billion

The defence deals between India and Russia are set to cross USD 16 billion (approximately Rs.1.151 lakh crores) as India signed 14 MoUs (Memorandum of Understandings) with Russia during the defexpo 2020 that covered development and production of land, naval and systems and hi-tech civilian products, and separately contracts signed for the production of Kalashnikov rifles, Kamov helicopters and S-400 air defence systems. Russia was the largest foreign Exhibitor at the Defexpo held from February 5-9,2020 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

 

ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE NEWS

 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced to create 10 more Defence Attache posts

Union Minister of Defence (MoD) Shri Rajnath Singh has announced to create 10 more defence attaches (DA) posts to 10 different countries. This has been done to strengthen India’s defence diplomacy. The govt has announced a new scheme to promote defence exports through these DAs. Funds have been allocated to promote exports to 34 countries. Aprt from this, new offices have been opened by the defence Public Sector Units (PSU) for liaison officers in different countries like Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar and Oman.

L&T MBDA Missile Systems sets up missile integration facility in Coimbatore,Tamil Nadu Engineering & Construction Company L&T (Larsen & Toubro Limited) and European defence major MBDA Missile Systems have set up a missile integration facility in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (TN). L&T MBDA Missile Systems (LTMMSL) has set up the assembly,’inert’ integration (without explosives) and testing the Missile Subsystems & Weapon launch systems.

 

In a 1st, HAL to make advanced armed UAVs with Israeli Company

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company will sign a partnership pact with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) at the upcoming DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP) to manufacture advanced Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) in India for the 1st time.

Navy to get third Scorpene submarine in December 2020

Nicolas de La Villemarque, Vice President (VP) of India, Asia & Pacific of Naval Group reported that the 3rd Scorpene submarine, Karanj, will be delivered to the Indian Navy by Dec.2020 and all 6 sub-marine deliveries would be completed by 2022. The Scorpene submarine is to be equipped with the AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) system from 2023. It replaces the diesel-electric propulsion system of non- nuclear vessels.

 

INS Jamuna initiated Joint Hydrographic Operations off Sri Lanka

Indian Navy’s Sandhayak class Hydrographic Survey Ship, INS (Indian Naval Ship) Jamuna (J16) arrived Colombo, Sri Lanka to carry out Joint Hydrographic Survey off the South West Coast of Sri Lanka. The ship commanded by Captain HA Hardas has been deployed to Sri Lanka based on a mutual agreement.

 

Indian Army Major Anoop mishra develops world’s 1st bulletproof helmet that can stop AK-47 firing

In a vital development, a Major in the Indian Army, Anoop Mishra has developed the world’s

1st bulletproof helmet which can stop an AK-47 bullet round from a distance of as less as 10 meters. The helmet is developed under the Indian Army’s “Abhedya” project. In addition to bulletproof helmet, the Indian Army’s College of Military Engineering, in association with a private firm, has developed India’s first and world’s cheapest gunshot locator, which can detect the exact location of the bullet from a distance of 400 meters.

 

Indian Army & Private firm developed the World’s Cheapest Gun Shot Locator “Parth”

The Indian Army’s College of Military Engineering (CME), Pune, Maharashtra, jointly with a private firm developed gunshot locators named as “Parth”. The device is much cheaper than the imported ones. Major Anoop Mishra displayed the Parth gun shot locator at DefExpo 2020 held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP). Parth gunshot locator costs around Rs 3 lakhs which is less than the imported ones, which costs around Rs 65 lakhs. It can detect the exact location of the bullet from a distance of 400 meters.

 

India to get Peninsular & Air Defence Command by next 2021, theatre commands by 2022

In order to deal with future security challenges, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat has proposed Peninsular Command by merging Western and the Eastern Command of the Indian Navy. It will be under the operational control of the Navy Chief and will have air assets and support from the army. It will be rolled out by the end of 2021.

      Theatre Commands by 2022: Instead of having separate commands for every service, the CDS is working on having a joint or theatre command, by the year 2022, which can carry out all war- fighting formations under a single commander.

      Air Defence Command by 2021: The other proposed command is the Joint Air Defence Command that will roll out by 2021. It will have air assets such as missiles from the army. The navy will also be a part of it. Its aim is timely implementation of orders in case of aerial attacks.

 

IDSA renamed as Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses

The Central Government has renamed Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) as Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in order to “honour the commitment and legacy” of late Manohar Parrikar. Late Manohar Parrikar was a former defence minister and Padma Bhushan awardee. The Defence Minister chairs the Executive Committee of the IDSA Institute. Late Parrikar was Defence Minister from November 9, 2014 to March 14, 2017 & initiated several reforms in the Ministry. He also served as Chief Minister (CM) of Goa from March 14, 2017 to March 17, 2019.

Indian Army is set to Get New Headquarters – the Thal Sena Bhawan in Delhi Cantonment Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone of the Army Headquarters new building “Thal Sena Bhawan” in Delhi Cantonment. Thal Sena Bhawan, the multi-storeyed complex adopting Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA-5 rating) norms, designed like a “rising sun” and spread over nearly 39 acres. At present, the Army headquarters is split into 8 pockets across New Delhi such as South Block, Sena Bhawan, Hutments Area, R.K.Puram, Shankar Vihar etc., and the new building accommodates Army headquarters in one place ensures that they can work under one roof.The cost of the project will be in excess of Rs 700 crore and will be constructed within 5 years.

 

GRSE delivers 4th Anti-Submarine warfare corvette INS Kavaratti to Navy

Kolkata based defence PSU (Public Sector Undertakings) GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers ltd.) has delivered its fourth and Last Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette (ASWC) INS (Indian Naval Ship) Kavaratti to Indian Navy under Project-28. The first 3 ships under project-28 are INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt and INS Kiltan(Participated in EX-MALABAR) are delivered to Indian Navy by GRSE, Only INS Kavaratti and Kiltan have the unique feature of superstructure made of carbon-fibre composite material & it is for the 1st time in India that such composite material is being integrated with steel hull of a ship, and GRSE is the 1st shipyard in India to have successfully achieved this task.

 

 

2020 DEFENCE NEWS – March

 

EXERCISE

EXERCISE NAME	VENUE / PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES	KEY NOTES
SAREX-2020	Vasco, South Goa	Indian Coast Guard (ICG),an armed force that protects India’s  aritime interests,has conducted a 2-day 9th edition of national level search and rescue exercise ‘SAREX-2020’ based on the theme  armonization of Maritime and Aeronautical Search and Rescue (HAMSAR)’ in the sea at Vasco,South Goa district from March 5-7,2020. It was  Inaugurated by Dr. Ajay Kumar, IAS, Secretary (Defence), Ministry of Defence. For the 1st time, it was attended by 3 pillars of national SAR mechanism i.e. Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Ministry of Defence.

 

TESTING

MISSILES NAME	TESTING LOCATION	FEATURES
Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB)	Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii	The United States (US) Navy and Army has successfully tested its common hypersonic glide body (C-HGB), a first unarmed prototype of a hypersonic missile which can carry nuclear warheads. The test was carried out at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii and was monitored by Missile Defense Agency (MDA) of US Department of Defence i.e. The Pentagon. C-HGB flew at five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) to a designated impact point. Russia’s “Avangard hypersonic missile” is world’s 1st hypersonic missile.

 

 

DEALS, MoU’s

 

India & US signed Rs 1200 crore deal for missile protection suites for new Boeing-777 VVIP planes

India signed Rs.1,200 crore deal with the United States to procure the missile protection suites for two new Boeing-777 VVIP(Very Very Important person) planes during 2 day visit of US President Donald Trump to India. The missile protection suites will be code named as ‘Air Force One’ and it will be expected to arrive India in middle of 2021 to begin VVIP planes. The aircraft will be operated by Indian Air Force pilots trained by Air India, which already maintained four Boeing 777 planes earlier.

 

DAC gives green signal to procure Tejas Mark 1A fighter aircraft and defence equipment: Amendment in DPP 2016 approved

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the procurement of 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF), marking a boost to the government’s flagship “Make in India” programme. The proposal will now be sent for consideration of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). This was the first meeting of DAC after the separation of duties between the Department of Defence (DoD) and the Department of Military Affairs (DMA).

 

 

Ministry of Defence signs Rs 880 crore contract for Negev 7.62X51 mm Light Machine Guns with Israeli Weapons Industries

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has given his approval to the Acquisition Wing of Ministry of Defence for a capital acquisition contract with Israeli firearms manufacturer Israel Weapons Industries (IWI). The contract enables the procurement of 16,479 Negev 7.62X51 mm Light Machine Gun (LMG) worth Rs 880 crore. The weapons are procured under the Fast Track Procedure (FTP).

 

 

ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE NEWS

 

Permanent commission to women in Indian Navy: SC

The Supreme Court bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud directed the Centre to grant permanent commission to serving women officers in Navy within three months with increments. This is following the decision of the apex court in favor of granting commission for women in Indian Army. A permanent commission entitles an officer to serve in the Navy till he/she retires unlike Short Service Commission (SSC), which is currently for 10 years and can be extended by four more years, a total of 14 years. Also, SC said women and men has same efficient & there should not be any discrimination based on gender.

Armed Forces spends Rs 26.12 crore in legal expenses

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has informed that a total of Rs 26.12 (26,12,30,810) crore is spent as legal expenses by the Armed Forces (Army, Navy & Air Force) from April 2019- February 2020.

New draft defence procurement Procedure 2020 unveiled, aims to boost indigenization; introduced ‘leasing’ category

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh proposed a new Draft “Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2020” featuring promotion of indigenous manufacturing. The proposed DPP 2020 comes into effect from April 1, 2020 and remain in force till March 31, 2025. The draft for DPP 2020 has been finalized by a high-level committee headed by Apurva Chandra, Director General (DG) Acquisition, Ministry of Defence that was set up in August 2019. DPP 2020 will replace DPP 2016.

India and France conduct joint patrols for the first time

India & France conducted joint patrol for the 1st time from the Reunion Island in February 2020 by P-8I aircraft with French Navy personnel to maintain the security of international maritime routes for trade and communications. Till now India carried CORPAT only with neighbouring countries also India rejected the offer of US to conduct similar joint patrol.

 

 

2020 DEFENCE NEWS – April

EXERCISE

EXERCISE NAME	VENUE / PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES	KEY NOTES
Exercise NCC Yogdan	-	National Cadet Corps (NCC – Under Ministry of Defence) has offered its volunteer cadets to assist the civilian authorities to fight COVID-19 under ‘Exercise NCC Yogdan’. Only senior division cadets above 18 yrars can be part of the initiative and they will be employed in small cohesive groups of 8 to 20 under the supervision of Permanent Instructor Staff or/and an Associate NCC Officer activities.
itch Black 2020	-	The premier multilateral air combat training Exercise Pitch Black 2020 which was scheduled from July 27 to August 14 is cancelled by Australia due impacts of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The next edition is scheduled in 2022. Pitch Black is a biennial 3-week multinational large force employment exercise conducted primarily from RAAF Base Darwin and RAAF Base Tindal. In 2018, India participated the exercise for the first time.

 

 

ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE NEWS

 

IAF transports 6.2 tons of essential medicines to Maldives under ‘Operation Sanjeevani’

Indian Air Force (IAF) has launched ‘Operation Sanjeevani’ and air-lifted 6.2 tonnes of essential medical supplies to Maldives via transport aircraft C-130J as assistance in fight against the virus. India has already sent a 14-member Rapid Response Team of doctors and specialists to Maldives to set up a viral testing laboratory. In addition, 5.5 tons of essential medicines were presented as gifts to the Maldives by the Government of India (GoI).

 

2020 DEFENCE NEWS – May

TESTING

MISSILES NAME	TESTING LOCATION	FEATURES
USS Portland (LPD-27)	-	The amphibious transport dock ship, USS Portland (LPD-27) of the United States (US) Navy successfully destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a solid-state laser “Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD)” from Pacific. The exact location of testing has not been specified by the US Navy. It was the first system-level implementation of a high-energy class solid-state laser to disable an aerial drone aircraft.

 

DEALS, MoU’s

 

Defence Ministry signs contract with Tata Power SED for Phase-II of Modernisation of Air Field Infrastructure

The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has signed a contract of nearly Rs 1,200 crore for phase II of modernisation of Air Field Infrastructure (MAFI) of 37 airfields for Indian Air Force (IAF), Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) with Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division (TPSED).

 

ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE NEWS

 

Indian Navy’s ‘Samudra Setu’ to bring stranded Indian citizens from Maldives; Air India will evacuate from other 12 nations

Indian Navy has launched Operation “Samudra Setu” (Sea Bridge) to bring back 1000 Indians from Maldives. In this regard, Indian Navy has sent two India Naval Ships (INS) named INS Jalashwa and INS Magar on May 5, 2020 to Maldives capital Malé to commence the first phase of the evacuation operations of Indians stranded abroad from May 8, 2020.

 

 

Indian coast guard ship sachet, interceptor boats C-450 and C-451 commissioned: Rajnath Singh Union Defence minister Rajnath Singh has commissioned the indigenously-built Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Sachet, the 1st in the series of five offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), and Interceptor Boats (IB’s) C- 450 and C-451 in Goa. The ICGS Sachet is indigenously designed and built by Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) & The interceptor boats are designed and built by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Shipyard.

 

Indian Navy commissions 7th ship of MK IV class Landing Craft Utility ‘IN LCU L57’ at Port Blair Lt. General PS Rajeshwar the Commander-in-Chief of Andaman & Nicobar Command, has commissioned the 103rd Landing Craft Utility (LCU) MK IV class vessel ‘INLCU L 57’ (Yard no: 2098) into the Indian Navy at Port Blair in a low-profile ceremony. It was the 7th in the series of 8 such vessels being indigenously made by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) for the Navy.

 

DRDO’s RCI develops ‘AINA’ AI-based Attendance Application

The DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) laboratory, The Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, Telangana has developed an AI (Artificial Intelligence)-based Attendance application (AINA) which allows non-contact based personnel verification, using facial features of the person in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

Indian Navy made breathable PPE kit “NavRakshak”

Indian Navy made “NavRakshak” (Naval Protector) PPE kit made with innovative breathable fabric material, to provide comfort to healthcare workers working against COVID-19 pandemic wearing multi- layered coverall PPE treating patients in the hot and humid condition for more than 12 hours. The patent of this cost-effective PPE developed by Indian Navy is filed by the Intellectual Property Facilitation Cell (IPFC) of the Ministry of Defence.

 

IAF operationalised its 2nd squadron No. 18 ‘Flying Bullets’ with the indigenous LCA Tejas Mk-1 Final Operational Clearance

The Indian Air Force (IAF) operationalised its 2nd squadron No. 18 ‘Flying Bullet’ equipped with Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas (Mk-1) Final Operational Clearance (FOC) at its Air Force Station in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. This Sqn is designed by the Aircraft Development Agency (ADA) under DRDO and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bengaluru & is the only Param Vir Chakra Sqn of the IAF.

Western Naval Command sets up Ultraviolet sanitisation Bay at the Naval Dockyard

The Indian Navy has set up an Ultraviolet (UV) sanitisation Bay at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai to decontaminate the coveralls, tools, personal gadgets, masks, cloths and other items of the workers who will resume their works after the lock down in the Dockyards and other naval establishments to control the spread of COVID-19.

 

2020 DEFENCE NEWS – June

 

ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE NEWS

Airborne Rescue Pod for Isolated Transportation (ARPIT) inducted by the Indian Air Force ARPIT (Airborne Rescue Pod for Isolated Transportation) was designed, developed and inducted by the Indian Airforce (IAF) for the evacuation of critical patients with infectious diseases from high altitude area, isolated and remote places. The design requirements are developed on the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) and Centre for Disease Control (CDC), USA. The IAF is inducting a total of 7 ARPITs.

DRDO Develops Dry Heat Treatment Chamber “GermiKlean” to Sanitise Uniforms of Security Force

The sanitising dry heat treatment chamber “GermiKlean” – developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Saveer Biotech Limited to sanitise the uniforms of the security forces. The sanitising chamber was developed to satisfy the requirements of the Delhi Police to sanitize their uniforms, canes, cane shields, helmets etc. The chamber is designed to sanitise 25 pairs of uniforms in 15 minutes. The chamber is placed at the Parliament Street Police Station.

Indian Navy Inducts Advanced Torpedo Decoy System ‘Maareech’ Indigenously Developed by DRDO labs-NPOL & NSTL

Indian Navy inducted an Advanced Torpedo Decoy System (ATDS) namely ‘Maareech’ that is capable of being fired from all frontline warships. The design and development of this ATDS have been done by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) labs viz. Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi, Kerala and the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. On the other hand, the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a Defence Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), would undertake the production of this decoy system.