CATEGORIES

Key India-Russia Defence Deals

This checklist of big-ticket defence programmes shows how critical Russian weapons systems are to maintain India’s military primacy in the region.

Asymmetric Warfare Two Can Play The Game

India is in the unique and unfortunate position of being targeted by a large number of terrorist movements with ample foreign backing. The country’s political and military leadership must employ innovative ways to meet and combat the newly evolving patterns involving non-state actors and asymmetric warfare.

Shaping Or Disrupting The World System?

There are many strong leaders in Europe, Japan, Turkey, Iran and Israel who are influencing the happenings in the world and working in alliance with each other. However, four leaders – Trump, Xi, Putin and Modi – and their interactions and strategies are going to be more significant in shaping the future world order, writes VIJAY KUMAR KAUL, explaining these four leaders’ world views, governance systems, domestic and foreign strategies.

Fighting Terror With Corporate Sector

Given the corporate sector’s presence in almost every sphere of India’s economy and in particular its increasing presence in the critical infrastructure and information technology sectors, there needs to be a revised and updated relationship between the government and the corporate sector in respect of meeting internal security challenges, argues.

The Indo-Pacific A Narrative Of Overture And Reluctance

As an idea, the “Indo-Pacific” promises a lot, but the problem with it is that there is no real consensus among the promoters of the idea over its economic, political and military dimensions, argues AMIT GUPTA.

Anti-Armour Weapons A Work In Progress

While anti-armour weapons have undergone a massive technological and generational transformation in the last seven decades, India is yet to catch up with the world in terms of volumes. The possibility of a two-front war scenario with Pakistan and China notwithstanding, it is time for the newly-elected NDA-3 government to do the needful towards building a robust ecosystem for precision-strike weapons development and manufacturing in the long run, writes Amartya Sinha

Enhancing Firepower Through Private Sector

By placing private arms manufacturers at the heart of its mission to transform India into an industrial power, the Modi government is trying to usher in a new era for the country’s defence industry.

Need For A Supportive Eco-system For The Defence Industry

While indigenous industry must be given preference over imports, local products should be competitively priced because the defence budget cannot be made to sustain and bankroll an inefficient local production regime. Unless an indigenous product is priced attractively with a developed eco-system, mission ‘Make in India’ will remain a pipe dream, argues MRINAL SUMAN

India's Battle Tank Upgrade Programmes to Boost Fleet Capabilities

With Arjun's future in doubt and the Indian Army's Armoured Regiments looking for futuristic combat vehicles, it is now clear that the upgrade programmes for the T-72s and T-90s are the first steps taken to ensure the force levels are maintained and the combatedge remains intact

Operational Requirement Leads to Indian ICV Upgrade Programme

Geopolitics takes a look at the Indian Army’s quest to upgrade its Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) fleet with anti-tank guided missile systems and new engines

India-Russia Gets Into Tight Defence Embrace

The US may have emerged as the single largest defence supplier to India over the last decade with nearly $17 billion worth of deals in its kitty, but Russia has certainly overtaken at just one summit meeting between Modi and Putin

Modi's Defence Budgets A Flat Trajectory

It is not possible for India to sign new defence contracts for more than `50,000 crore in 2018-19. There are hardly any funds for expediting the ongoing infrastructure development projects and capital acquisitions, building up the war wastage reserves beyond the Minimum Acceptable Risk Level (MARL), or giving a leg-up to the Make-in-India projects in defence. The dreary trajectory of defence budget since 2014-15 puts paid to the demand for creation of Cyber, Space and Special Forces commands, which is far below the trajectory of the demand projected by the armed forces and other departments, laments AMIT COWSHISH

India Successfully Tests - Two Missiles Long Under Development

The DRDO has been rapidly validating its long-pending missile projects such as the Nag ATGM and the QR-SAM to enable the Indian Armed Forces to fight better and defend more efficiently. A Geopolitics report

GRSE - Sets Revenue Targets, Aims For Higher Status

Kolkata based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers is now executing five shipbuilding projects for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard and aims to get a 'Schedule-A' shipyard classification from the Government of India to boost its financial powers and thereby bag more orders from within and outside the country. A Geopolitics report

Meteor BVR Air-To-Air Missile

Outstanding features of the Meteor missile include a variable flow, solid fuel ducted ramjet (SFDR) motor, that gives the missile the capability to effectively engage targets at long range, an X-band active seeker, a two way data link, and the ability to obtain mid-course target updates from third party sensors

Indian Navy Is Recognised As A Predominant Force In Indian Ocean And Beyond

NAVY CHIEF ADMIRAL SUNIL LANBA, PVSM, AVSM, ADC tells Geopolitics how the Indian Navy is preparing itself to be a force of the future.

India's 212-warship Target For 2027 Is Far Away

India's responsibility as a net security provider for the Indian Ocean region is huge. The only force that is capable of taking up that responsibility is the Indian Navy. Being a maritime nation primarily, India needs a strong navy that befits its size, geographical location and global stature,argues this report from Geopolitics bureau.

Army Prepares for Induction of Apache Next

The 22 Apache Longbow helicopters are one of the most advanced multi-role combat helicopters, featuring all-weather and night-fighting features.

Imperative Need for a Comprehensive National Security Strategy

A comprehensively formulated National Security Strategy reflects the national will to protect and promote national interests pertaining to security and dissuades adversaries from attempting to play mischief and also provides guidance to all stakeholders on policies related to national security, writes GURMEET KANWAL

Whither Indian Navy

Coupled with bureaucratic sloth and political myopia, India’s naval capability is on the wane. The much delayed Scorpene class is expected to enter service shortly and all six ships of the class will probably be available by 2030, but the successor Project 75I is still to get off the ground.

Minesweeper Build Up by Indian Navy To Protect Its Assets

The Indian Navy has repeatedly sounded alarm over delays in the acquisition of mine counter measure vessels as its fleet is down to just six ageing Karwar-class of minesweepers.

Brahmos Displays Its 450-Km Reach

The revelation that the BrahMos supersonic missile can and does reach targets far beyond the 400-km range has finally established the long unspoken truth about its capability. This can become a game-changer in the South Asian security context. A report.

Indian Pinaka Ready For Export

A truly ‘Made in India’ product, the Pinaka weapon system has made rapid strides. Today, the ‘guided’ version has a range of over 70 km. That means India can now use it to carry out surgical strikes across the Line of Control. It is no wonder that a few nations have shown their interest to acquire the weapon system from India. A detailed report.

Hal Poised For Huge Growth As It Prepares For Ipo

Disinvestment approved, the country’s only state-owned aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is ready to go public and in the process become a global giant aerospace manufacturer. While the move will make the organization nimble and competitive, it will be more efficient and professional in its approach to operations.

Indian Defence Needs Lean Mean Fighting Machine

Some time ago, the Prime Minister expressed the view that our armed forces should be driven by technology and not by an increase in numbers. LT GEN VINOD BHATIA points out where and how the numbers could be reduced to make our forces lean and mean.

Time To Redraw Strategic Frontiers

There can be no ethics or morals in the unjust ‘war’ that Pakistan and China are waging against India, since both adversaries have chosen to violate the basic principles of a just war.

Ashok Leyland Revs Up With Lockheed Martin Tie-up

Ashok Leyland, India's third largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, aims to expand its presence in defense transportation far beyond the ubiquitous Stallion and Super Stallion vehicles. The Hinduja group company recently won an order for supply an undisclosed number of Mine Protected Vehicles (MPV) competing against Tata Motors, and has bid to supply Light Specialist Vehicle (LSV) and Light Armoured Multi-purpose Vehicle (LAMV), the former developed in cooperation with Lockheed Martin. AMANDEEP SINGH, Head Defence, Ashok Leyland shares future plans with Geopolitics readers.

India's Continuing Search for Special Vehicles for Forces

Indian armed forces are checking out several options available, both from the domestic and foreign industry, to provide a means of quick transport to small teams for specialist operations by its troopers. The search is on for different types of special vehicles, reports GEOPOLITICS Bureau.

Revisiting the Option of Common Army-navy Weapons

Now that the government has given its nod to start tri-service combat operations, VICE ADMIRAL PRADEEP CHAUHAN argues the need to pursue weaponcommonality between the Armed Forces in general and the Army and the Navy in particular.

L&T-Hanwha Guns to Change the Way Armoured Battle Is Fought

The Modi government picked up the ropes from where the previous government left off on the artillery modernisation programme that is now already over a decade-and-a-half-old and has pushed ahead with guns' contracts with the best in the industry. These procurements are likely to change the way Indian artillery formations fight their wars in the future, reports GEOPOLITICS Bureau.