How To Prevent Fishing In Troubled Waters

In view of the increase in threat perception in the Indian Ocean Region, the Indian Navy needs to prepare for conflict by scoping out the adversary before it comes within sniffing distance. Maritime surveillance provides commanders and sailors with accurate, timely and actionable intelligence, writes Rakesh Krishnan Simha

EDUCATION AS NATIONAL SECURITY

India’s educational system is falling into the danger of leaving the country behind countries with higher educational and innovation standards. This has adverse implications for Indian security, warns AMIT GUPTA

THE GRAND EXTRAVAGANZA IN LUCKNOW

The 11th edition of DefExpo was the largest defence exhibition ever organized on Indian soil in terms of number of exhibitors, area and achievements. Various live demonstrations were also put up for the visitors at Gomti riverfront and at the venue in Vrindavan Yojana. The investment commitments worth ₹50,000 crores will generate 3 lakh job opportunities for the youth in the state, reports AMARTYA SINHA

ASAT SYSTEMS INDIA'S REQUIREMENTS

While satellites are an important aspect of the application of space technology to military needs, it is also important to recognise the increasing possibility of the deployment of anti-satellite weapons and possibly space-based weapons in the medium to long-term future. SANJAY BADRI MAHARAJ spells out India’s ASAT journey

WAY FORWARD FOR KASHMIRI PANDITS

KANWALJIT SINGH TALWAR suggests ways to undo India’s largest internal displacement

A PEERLESS WARRIOR BRIGADIER SANT SINGH, MVC*

Sant is remembered as a loving husband, father who held that honesty, integrity, loyalty, compassion and trust were non-negotiable. A lifelong teetotaler, he was a deeply religious man who modeled himself after Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the saint-soldier founder of the Khalsa, writes RAJ MEHTA

WHY ‘MAKE IN INDIA' COMES UNSTUCK

Since independence, India has been one of the world’s largest importers of weapons. From high altitude socks for the Indian army to aircraft carriers for the Indian navy and almost everything in between is imported in hard currency from abroad. Though the Modi government has taken up ‘Make in India’ with a lot of intent, time has come for a clear roadmap to achieving that goal. This road map involves five elements, reports NINAD D SHETH

LOOKING BEYOND EFEXPO 2020

It is important that the festivity of DefExpo 2020 is supplemented by some honest, serious and sustained thinking on what needs to be done for digital transformation of defence, argues AMIT COWSHISH

Chief Of Defence Staff First Among Equals?

As the country waits for its first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Prakash Katoch warns that any half-hearted implementation of the idea will be a sheer waste and argues why the CDS is vital not only for providing single point military advice to the Cabinet but also to usher in synergy vertically and horizontally among the three Services with full operational powers

DRDO SUCCESSFULLY TEST FIRES PINAKA MARK-2

Pinaka Mark-2 missile system developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was successfully flight-tested from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast at 12:00 PM IST on December 19, 2019.

TIME FOR A STRONGER POWER PUNCH

At a time when the country is increasingly facing a multi-front scenario, it will be prudent to conclude that the Indian Army’s artillery modernisation needs a massive thrust from the incumbent union government, writes AMARTYA SINHA

THE AUSTRALIAN LESSON

Determined to modernise its defence forces, the Australian government, in collaboration with its indigenous industries, has taken a decisive step in strengthening its air-defence system, writes DEBALINA GHOSHAL

RECONSIDERING THE CHINA OPTION

For India, engagement with China, not confrontation with it, is the better way of dealing with, argues AMIT GUPTA

INDIA'S MILITARY SATELLITE OPTIONS

There is a growing requirement for dedicated military early-warning satellites, given the missile threats from both China and Pakistan, argues SANJAY BADRI MAHARAJ

COMING OUT OF CHOPPY WATERS

After centuries of stagnation, India’s shipbuilding industry is making a comeback with the Indian Navy leading the way. While warship production is proceeding at a brisk pace, it is the merchant shipbuilding sector that has the greatest promise and needs to be revived, argues RAKESH KRISHNAN SIMHA

Boosting Soldier Lethality

While infantry weapons’ modernisation is a very long and tedious process, a good beginning has been made under the ‘Make in India’ programme, writes Amartya Sinha

Challenges Of F-21 Through ‘Make In India'

Though it is a wonderfully proven and affordable fighter aircraft, Ambika Gupta argues why it makes better sense for the F-21’s manufacturer Lockheed Martin to build C-130 Super Hercules transporters, MALE surveillance and combat UAVs in India

Assad Will Be The Real Beneficiary

By launching a military operation against Kurdish forces inside Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is inadvertently delivering a hands-down victory to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s political aspirations, explains Manish Rai

Weapons That Killed Baghdadi

Operation Kayla Mueller was one of the most daring US Special Forces raids in recent military history, which took out ISIS Chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. AMARTYA SINHA explains the tactics and weapons used in killing the world’s most dreaded terrorist.

The Welham Initiative

The Dehradun-based school has taken the lead in inculcating pride in the country’s military. Indeed, a laudable goal, writes SANJAY AGARWAL

K-4 Test Will Put India In Top 5

DRDO’s K-4 SLBM (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile) is all set to undergo a long-awaited test-firing. If the test goes through, it will validate all necessary technologies necessary for executing a long-range strike through the ‘second-strike’ arm of India’s nuclear triad.

Insurgencies Of North East

Drawing from his vast military experience, SHOKIN CHAUHAN outlines the evolution of the violent agitations in strategically the most sensitive region of the country

India's Military Special Forces

While the training and motivation levels of Indian Special Forces are unmatched, there are serious deficiencies in equipment which may prove to hinder their effectiveness in the long-term. To streamline planning for various SF contingencies, synergise their operations and draw optimum benefit from their specialist capabilities, it would make sense to ensure that all SF units in the three services are raised, equipped and trained to the same standards, argues SANJAY BADRI-MAHARAJ.

Combat Over Kargil - How The IAF Emerged On Top

The defining takeaway from Kargil is that it was innovation on the fly and superior tactics that helped the IAF dominate the skies over Kargil. Had the service been pressed into battle early, the war would have finished a lot sooner, and hundreds of Indian casualties could have been avoided, reminds Rakesh Krishnan Simha.

Dogfight Dukes

Individually, the Dassault Rafale and Sukhoi-30 are powerful fighters, but together they are a dramatic force multiplier that will transform the IAF’s war fighting tactics; the combo is bad news for India’s enemies, writes Rakesh Krishnan Simha

A Journey Of Wonder Embraer At 50

It all started with a modest but persistent dream: to produce aircraft in Brazil, a country of one of the most creative aviation pioneers – Alberto Santos Dumont.

It's Not Just About Combat Aircraft

Much of the attention that is focused on the Indian Air Force scrutinises the IAF’s combat aircraft fleet and its decline from a peak of 39.5 combat squadrons. Insufficient attention is paid to the other important, indeed, vital elements of the IAF which include the air defence network of radars and missiles, the transport and helicopter fleets and the aircraft used therein. These are all worth examining on their own merit, write Sanjay Badri Maharaj

IAF In Transition Challenges Ahead

For becoming truly potent and able to deal with a two-front war, the Indian Air Force requires 50 squadrons with modern weapons. To achieve all this, the IAF needs a capital budget that is over ₹60,000 crore a year for two decades, argues ANIL CHOPRA.

Fighter Jets For The IAF

India has invited bids for the purchase of 114 fighter jets, valued at more than $15 billion and currently the world’s largest deal in play. AMIT GUPTA explains how to choose wisely and quickly.

It's Not Just About Combat Aircraft

Much of the attention that is focused on the Indian Air Force scrutinises the IAF’s combat aircraft fleet and its decline from a peak of 39.5 combat squadrons. Insufficient attention is paid to the other important, indeed, vital elements of the IAF which include the air defence network of radars and missiles, the transport and helicopter fleets and the aircraft used therein. These are all worth examining on their own merit