Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Defence

  • India to upgrade defence PSUs

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    Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched modernization and upgradation of defence public sector undertakings and Ordnance Factory Board infrastructure on Monday as part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat (self reliant India) initiative. Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a clarion call for Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan and his 5-I formula of Intent, Inclusion, Investment, Infrastructure…

  • US military developing hypersonic jet

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    Giving more teeth to its combat prowess, the US military is reportedly developing a hypersonic jet plane that could soar at up to five times the speed of sound….reports Asian Lite News. The jet will be faster than a bullet, which generally travels at Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound. The new hypersonic…

  • France to supply technology for BrahMos

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    By Ranvir Nayar  France has agreed ‘in principle’ to India’s request for a crucial internal guidance technology to be provided by French company Safran (Sagem) for the BrahMos missiles. The issue was discussed in a bilateral meeting between the French Minister of Defence Jean-Yves Le Drian and visiting Indian Minister of State for Defence Production…

  • Putin plans to modernise Russia’s nuclear arsenal

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    Amidst the growing tensions with the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that this year a new generation of inter-continental ballistic missiles will be added to the country’s nuclear arsenal. “This year 40 new generation inter-continental ballistic missiles will enter duty. They are capable of penetrating the most sophisticated anti-missile defence systems,” Putin said at…

  • Sikh student can keep his turban in US army

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    By Arun Kumar  A Sikh college student will be able to join the US Army, without being forced to cut his hair, shave his beard or stop wearing his turban thanks to a Washington court ruling…..Reports Asian Lite News. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled last week that the Army violated Hofstra University student…

  • Pakistan ‘rattled’ by Myanmar strike: India

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    India said the its surgical attack on militants in Myanmar has left Pakistan “rattled”, while intelligence inputs warned that retaliatory attacks were possible in the northeast…reports Asian Lite News. The Congress, meanwhile, accused ministers of blowing their trumpets too loudly, while the BJP said the opposition party was trying to belittle the success. On a…

  • Gurkha’s mark 200 years of service to British Crown

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    The Queen and other members of the Royal Family  joined hundreds of Gurkhas marking the regiment’s 200 years of service to the British Crown. The event, in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, is the highlight of a year of celebrations marking the anniversary. The evening featured battle re-enactments and musical performances…

  • US defence secretary arrives in India

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    India and the US are set to sign a high-level Defence Framework Agreement, as US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter arrived in India on a three-day visit. The 10-year agreement that will steer bilateral ties in the defence sector, which was renewed during the visit of US President Barack Obama in January, is set to…

  • US launches secret space plane X-37B

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    The US Air Force’s mysterious X-37B space plane was launched  for its fourth secret space mission. The reusable, unmanned X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle lifted off atop an Atlas V rocket at 11:05 a.m. from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The US Air Force did not say how long the X-37B will remain in orbit, but each of…

  • US-India defence cooperation approved

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    By Arun Kumar  Reflecting the solid bipartisan support for building US-India relationship, the US House of Representatives Friday passed a key measure calling for expansion of US-India defence cooperation. In addition to urging an overall expansion in defence ties, an amendment to the FY2016 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) specifically calls for the US to…

  • World of Tanks Presents Tankfest 2015

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    Wargaming is proud to announce they will be sponsoring Tankfest, one of the world’s best displays of historic armored vehicles, for the fifth consecutive time. Held every June 27–28 at The Tank Museum at Bovington, Tankfest will see over 15,000 people from across the country and the globe flock to the Museum. With guest vehicles…

  • Excel London to host Defence Show

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    The platform, systems and technology suppliers exhibiting this September at London’s Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) event have solutions that meet the needs of major procurement programmes being staged by Asian nations.  This fact is evidenced by Malaysia, where the Army has plans for new light observation helicopters, together with light attack, and transport…

  • Rafale deal will be quick one: Parrikar

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    The multi-billion dollar Rafale fighter jet deal is expected to be a “quick one” because trading parties involved are two governments, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said here. He also confirmed that he and Jean-Yves Le Drian will set the ground for negotiations when the French Defence Minister arrives in India this week. “We have already…

  • India tops list of drone-importing nations

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    By Chaitanya Mallapur  The decision by India’s National Disaster Response Force to use drones to help Nepal map the scale of devastation caused by last month’s earthquake indicates how India has enthusiastically taken to these pilot-less aircraft — the so-called eyes in the sky. With 22.5 percent the world’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imports, between…

  • Boost Indian Navy’s combat power: US think tank

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    With the US and India agreeing to explore the joint development of India’s next-generation aircraft carrier, a leading think tank has suggested US offer India latest technology to help increase Indian Navy’s combat power. “While the Indian Navy has already begun design work, wide-ranging cooperation with the United States has enormous potential,” Ashley J. Tellis,…

  • India successfully test fires ballistic missile

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    India  successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile, with a range of over 3,000 km, from a base in Odisha, an official said. The surface-to-surface missile was fired from a launch complex at the Inner Wheeler Island off the coast of Dhamra in Bhadrak district, about 200 km from here. “It was a user trial.…

  • US approves $952 mn military hardware to Pakistan

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    By Arun Kumar    The Obama administration has notified the US Congress it’s selling Pakistan $952 million worth of attack helicopters, air-to-surface missiles and other military assistance saying it will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The State Department has approved the sale saying the “helicopters and weapon systems will provide Pakistan with…

  • Diversification of army helped Indian democracy

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      India’s well-timed decision post independence to control and diversify its army helped preserve its democracy, or it could have ended up like Pakistan which has seen three army coups post independence. Yale university professor Steven I. Wilkinson, in his book “Army and Nation: How India’s Founders Made its Army Safe for Democracy” – writes…

  • Pakistan has more nukes than India

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    By Arun Kumar    Pakistan had about 120 atomic weapons, 10 more than India, in its nuclear arsenal last year, according to a new interactive infographic unveiled by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Designed by the Bulletin, founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who had helped develop the first atomic weapons in the…

  • L&T shortlisted for submarine deal

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    Larsen and Toubro and Pipavav Defence, in which Reliance Infrastructure of Anil Ambani Group is acquiring a majority stake, have been shortlisted for the Rs.60,000-crore potential contract to build six submarines for the Indian Navy, sources said. “Project 75i, as we call it, is for purchasing six next-generation submarines with air independent propulsion (AIP) system…

  • India’s defence spend hiked to $40 billion

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      India’s defence spend was Saturday hiked a modest 7.74 percent to Rs.246,727 crore ($40 billion), with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley declaring that “defence of every inch of our land is above everything else”. Presenting the budget for 2015-16 in the Lok Sabha, Jaitley said the government was following a policy of transparency and quick…

  • HAL to make light utility choppers

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    State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will make military and civil variants of light utility helicopters (LUH) for the Indian and global markets, a top official said Thursday. “We are setting up a greenfield facility near Tumakuru to manufacture LUHs in the three tonne class for which there is a huge potential demand in the domestic…

  • British army won’t shrink below 82,000: Cameron

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron has given an “absolute guarantee” against cutting the size of the country’s army, following speculation that the government was mulling a force of just 60,000, media reported . The Guardian reported that under current plans, the army would shrink to 82,000 personnel by 2020, with the number of reserves due…

  • Modi greet troops on Army Day

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi  greeted the officers and the troops of the Indian Army on the 67th Army Day, and said they “ensured protection of our territorial integrity” and “fought the scourge of terrorism”. Extending his greetings to officers, soldiers, veterans, civilians, ex-Servicemen and their families, President Mukherjee said: “Our army has consistently displayed…

  • The mirage of defence indigenisation

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    By Avishek Rakshit  While the hike in defence sector FDI to 49 percent and the ‘Make in India’ campaign have opened up newer possibilities for both indigenised equipment makers and joint ventures with foreign partners in the defence segment, the MSMEs are hamstrung by their inability to meet defence tender parameters and shortcomings in technology…

  • Indian soldiers short of boots, ski masks

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    By Anjali Ojha It’s yesterday once more as 53 years on, Indian Army soldiers in the icy Himalayas, to go by a parliamentary panel’s report, suffer a crippling shortage of snow boots, ski masks and ammunition, among others – precisely the cause of the crushing defeat inflicted by the marauding Chinese forces in 1962. Parliament’s…

  • N- submarine Arihant begins sea trials

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    By Gulshan Luthra   India’s first nuclear attack submarine Arihant began sea trials on Dec 15 with naval personnel and defence scientists onboard showing both caution and confidence. The 6,000-tonne boat, equipped with an 80MW Indian-designed and built pressurised water reactor, sailed out of the Shipbuilding Centre (SBC) at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam in Monday…

  • Indian military short of officers

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      The Indian armed forces are short of 9,845 officers, and the government said Tuesday that it had taken several steps to overcome the situation. The highest shortage, as of July 1 this year, was in the army: 7,899 officers, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Rajya Sabha. This was followed by the navy (1,499…

  • India tests n-capable Agni-IV missile

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    “The test firing was successful. The missile crossed over more than 3,500 km,” Ravi Gupta, director (Public Interface) at DRDO, said. It was the first user trial of the long-range, nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface Agni-IV. The operation was carried out by the Indian Army’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC). The two-stage, 17 tonne and 20-metre tall Agni-IV missile…

  • India wary of assertive China: IAF chief

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    With the strategic gravity shifting from west to east, especially to Asia and Asia Pacific, “India faces security challenges in the region due to an assertive China and an intrusive Pakistan”, the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, said . “The situation is not good for the environment, as peaceful rise of China remains…

  • Considering hotline with Chinese army HQs: Parrikar

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      India is “seriously considering” establishing a hotline connection between its and Chinese military headquarters, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told parliament. “It is being seriously considered to establish a hotline connection between the military headquarters of India and China. This is as per the provisions of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement 2013 between the two…

  • INS Vikrant fades into history

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    By Quaid Najmi  India’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, which was built for the British Royal Navy as HMS Hercules in 1943 and which saw action during the India-Pakistan war in 1971, is being finally broken up after a glorious history of 71 years. The HMS Hercules, a Majestic-class light fleet aircraft carrier, was built…

  • Maritime security a priority: Modi

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    In a historic speech in the Australian parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi  termed Australia a major partner of India in “every area of our national priority” and called for closer economic and security cooperation between the two, including in maintaining maritime security. Modi, the first Indian prime minister to address the Australian parliament, said both…

  • N- capable Dhanush successfully test fired

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    India  successfully test fired its nuclear capable Dhanush missile from a warship off the Odisha coast hours after conducting a training launch of Prithvi-II missile from a military base in the state, a senior defence official said. Dhanush was test fired from a naval ship off the coast of the state over the Bay of…

  • Parrikar sets priorities

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    Newly-inducted Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said indigenisation of defence manufacturing and higher transparency are his top priorities. Defence Secretary R.K. Mathur, army chief Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag, navy chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan, and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha were present to welcome Parrikar. “I will take forward the work that (Arun) Jaitley ji…

  • Parrikar new defence minister

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi effected a reshuffle of some ministries and allocated portfolios to 21 new ministers, giving defence to Manohar Parrikar, railways to Suresh Prabhu, information and broadcasting to Arun Jaitley and moving Harsh Vardhan from health to science and technology. A Rashrapati Bhavan communique said that Prabhu will be the new railways…

  • N-capable Agni-II missile test fired

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      India test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-II strategic ballistic missile from a military base in Odisha, a defence official said. The test was conducted from Wheeler’s Island in Bhadrak district, around 200 km from here, by army personnel as part of routine user-trials, M.V.K.V. Prasad, director of the Integrated Test Range,said. “The test was successful,” he…

  • Parrikar next defence minister?

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      Media reports emanating from New Delhi suggesting Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar would be the country’s new defence minister have created ripples in the state. The summoning of Parrikar, state party president Vijay Tendulkar and organising secretary Satish Dhond to Delhi for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah…

  • INS Arihant n-sub’s sea trials by December

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    In a major boost to indigenisation of defence manufacturing, India’s first nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarine INS Arihant will head out for sea trials by the year-end. “INS Arihant will be ready for sea trials by the end of this year,” an official aware of the developments relating to the 6,000-tonne submarine said, speaking on condition…

  • India readies to test indigenous ICBM

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    India is readying for the full-fledged test-firing from a canister of an indigenous long-range missile that carries a one-tonne nuclear warhead and can target cities as far as Beijing. The previous two launches of the 5,000 km Agni-5 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with dummy warheads have been from open mobile launchers. The canisterised version has…

  • India clears defence procurement from Israel

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    The defence ministry cleared big ticket defence deals worth Rs.80,000 crore which include Israel’s guided anti-tank missile Spike, sources said. Spike missiles were chosen instead of the US’ Javelin missiles, for which Washington had lobbied hard. India will be buying over 8,000 missiles worth Rs.32,000 crore. The decision was taken at a meeting of the…

  • India test-fires sub-sonic missile Nirbhay

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     India  successfully test-fired its indigenously-developed nuclear-capable, sub-sonic long range cruise missile ‘Nirbhay’ from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha’s Baleswar district. The sub-sonic missile, which has a capacity to hit targets at a distance of 1,500 km, was successfully test fired at 10.03 a.m. Friday, said B.K. Das, additional director of Chandipur…

  • Modi meets top military officers

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top military officers at the defence ministry War Room here at a time when tension continues along the border with both China and Pakistan. The Combined Commanders’ Conference is the first meeting of the prime minister with all top commanders, including the three service chiefs. The three service chiefs…

  • Will Modi reform defence or bite the bullet?

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    By C. Uday Bhaskar  Former Indian Navy chief, Admiral D.K. Joshi, who had resigned in February this year after a number of accidents on naval platforms, has dwelt on the background to his unprecedented decision in an extended media interview and in the process shed much needed light on the deeply embedded institutional flaws that…

  • INS Arihant, other critical assets in Vizag safe

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    India’s first indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant and other “critical assets” in the Bay of Bengal are safe from the devastation wrought by cyclonic storm Hudhud in the southern port city of Visakhapatnam, an official said Wednesday. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) spokesman Ravi Gupta told India Strategic (www.indiastrategic.in) today that “adequate precautions had…

  • Navy suffer huge loss in Vizag

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    The Indian Navy has suffered a loss of Rs.2,000 crore due to the severe cyclonic storm Hudhud, which wreaked havoc on Andhra coast Sunday, said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Naidu Tuesday told reporters that the “navy suffered a loss of Rs.2,000 crores” and the cyclone has caused huge losses to various institutions in the…

  • Modi interacts with army & NSA chiefs

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday interacted with army chief General Dalbir Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at the Air Force Day reception here against the backdrop of continuous ceasefire violations by Pakistan. He also mingled with guests and posed for photographs at “At Home” hosted by air force chief Arup Raha to mark…

  • India, US special forces train together in India

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    An India-US military exercise, underway in Uttarakhand, has seen combined training between detachments of both armies’ special forces as well as given a platform for both sides to share their experiences in UN-mandated counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism missions, a defence ministry release said Monday. “Yudh Abhyas 2014” brought together troops of a mountain brigade of Indian Army and…

  • Modi & Netanyahu discuss defence

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      With India-Israel ties on the upswing after Narendra Modi’s election, the prime ministers of the two countries met in New York to discuss boosting cooperation, with the Israeli prime minister saying “sky is the limit” for this cooperation. An official statement issued by the Indian Prime Minister’s Office said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,…

  • SO WHAT’S THE NEW INDO-PAK EQUATION

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    Bikram Vohra analysing the issue of “war and proxy-war” as India and Pakistan prepare to celebrate 68th Independence Day Indian Prime Minister Modi deflected from the importance of the scheduled Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary talks by resetting the parameters of the relationship between two neighbours who have not been neighbourly for 70 odd years. And, besides…