1. Indian Navy Signs White Shipping Information Exchange agreement with New Zealand Navy
Tags: Defence
India Navy has signed a White Shipping Information Exchange agreement with the Royal New Zealand Navy during the visit of Chief of Naval Staff(CNS) Admiral Hari Kumar to New Zealand from 29 September to 01 October 22.
The White Information Shipping Exchange will facilitate closer collaboration towards enhancing shared Maritime Domain Awareness and will promote greater transparency in the maritime domain.
What is White shipping information
White shipping information refers to exchange of relevant advance information on the identity and movement of commercial non-military merchant vessels.
The Indian Navy needs to be aware about the movement of various types of ships like fishing boats, merchant vessels etc. Passing though the Indian region.
Being aware of the identity of the ships passing through the region helps the Indian Navy in identifying any potential threat from the sea ..
Awareness about the identity of the vessel by the Navy is called Maritime
2. Armenia becomes the first country to buy Pinaka rocket system from India
Tags: Defence International News
India has signed a $250 million agreement with the former Soviet republic of Armenia to supply indigenously developed multi-barrel rocket launcher Pinaka and other munitions .This is the first time the Pinaka system is being exported from India.
Earlier in 2020 India supplied four Swathi radars worth $43 million to Armenia.These are weapon locating radars that can track incoming artillery projectiles and pinpoint the location of enemy gun positions for counter-action.
Pinak has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and manufactured by Indian private firms. It is an artillery system where multiple rockets are fired simultaneously from a single platform.The Pinaka system has been deployed at the forward position in Ladakh along the border with China.
The government of India wants to increase its defence export and has set an export target of Rs 35,000 crore by 2025.
Armenia
It was part of the former Soviet Union which gained its Independence in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It is a European country in Transcaucasia.
Capital : Yerevan
Currency : Dram
Prime Minister: Nikol Pashinyan
3. Swedish defence firm SAAB announced to manufacture Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon in India
Tags: National Defence National News
Swedish defence firm Saab on 28 September announced its plan to set up a manufacturing facility in India for the Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon system under the NDA government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative to bolster indigenous defence manufacturing.
Important facts
Production at the new facility is expected to begin in 2024, with the name of the production site yet to be disclosed.
Manufacturing will be carried out by Saab FFV India Pvt Ltd, a new subsidiary wholly owned by SAAB.
This will be the company's first manufacturing facility for the Carl-Gustaf M4 outside Sweden.
The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) was manufacturing the Carl-Gustaf M3 with a range of up to 1,200 metres under a tie-up with Saab.
Saab will continue its partnership with Munitions India Limited (MIL) and Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) for the manufacture of Carl-Gustaf arms and its ammunition.
About Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon systems
Carl-Gustaf M4 is a shoulder-fired weapon system with a range of 1,500 metre.
It weighs less than seven kilos and is under one metre in length.
It helps soldiers with a multitude of missions they may have to accomplish on the battlefield.
This weapon system has been in service with the Indian Army since 1976, and its earlier M2 and M3 variants have been produced in India.
4. Government appoints Lt General Anil Chauhan as the Chief of Defence Staff
Tags: Defence Person in news
The Government of India has appointed Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who shall also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs with effect from the date of his assumption of charge and until further orders.
The post of the CDS was vacant after the death of the first CDS, General Bipin Rawat, was killed in a helicopter crash on December 8, 2021. General Rawat took over the CDS post on 1 January 2020.
Lt Gen Anil Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
- The post of the Chief of Defence staff was created by the government on the recommendation of the Kargil Review Committee headed by K. Subramanyam.
- The CDS is a 4 star General whose rank is the same as the chief of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
- He is the military adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority (chaired by the Prime Minister), which handles India’s nuclear arsenal.
- He will ensure the integration of land-air-sea operations through the eventual setting up of theatre commands.
- The CDS remains in office for the period mentioned by the government or retires after attaining the age of 65 years.
- He is not eligible to hold any government office after demitting (resigning) as the CDS.
5. Sixth anniversary of Surgical Strike
Tags: National Defence Important Days National News
The nation celebrates the sixth anniversary of surgical strike on 28 September.
Important facts
On 28 September 2016, the Indian Army launched surgical strikes against terrorist camps situated in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Eleven days after the Uri attack, in which 18 soldiers lost their lives, the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes on the intervening night of 28 and 29 September 2016, in which terrorists inflicted heavy losses.
The Indian Army, including commandos of various units of the Para (Special Forces) stationed in Jammu and Kashmir, raided several positions across the border.
With this action, India gave a befitting message that if needed, it can cross the border and attack terrorist hideouts.
What is a Surgical Strike?
A surgical strike or surgical operation is a military attack carried out only for the purpose of destroying a designated military target.
In a surgical strike, every effort is made to cause less damage to the surrounding construction, vehicles, buildings or other public.
Such an action requires tremendous coordination between the government, intelligence agencies and security forces.
India has conducted surgical strikes against insurgent groups in Myanmar in 2015 and terror launch pads along the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 2016.
6. DRDO successfully tests Very Short Range Air Defence System Missile
Tags: Defence
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two successful test flights of Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missiles on 27 September 2022 from a ground based portable launcher at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha.
VSHORADS is a Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPAD) designed and developed indigenously by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories and Indian Industry Partners.
MANPAD is being developed by the DRDO for the Indian Army. . VSHORAD is the soldier’s last line of defence against enemy combat aircraft and helicopters in the multi-layered air defence network.
The Army, which has for long been looking for new portable air defence systems, has inducted a small number of Igla-S systems recently bought from Russia under emergency procurement.
7. Indian Navy participates in multinational ‘Kakadu 2022’ exercise in Australia
Tags: Defence
The Indian Navy participated in the Multinational Maritime Exercise Kakadu 2022 hosted by Royal Australian Navy in Darwin from 12 to 25 Sep 2022.
The Navy’s Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8I and Frigate INS Satpura participated in the exercise.
34 aircraft from over 20 nations participated in the exercise.
P81 Planes
12 P8I planes have been bought by India from the United States of America. It has been manufactured by Boeing.
P8I is an aircraft designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
8. Rohini RH-200 Rocket
Tags: Defence Science and Technology
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is planning the 200th consecutive successful launch of the Rohini RH-200 sounding rocket.
About Rohini RH-200 Rocket
The RH-200 is a two-stage rocket capable of climbing to an altitude of 70 km.
The first and second stages of the RH-200 are driven by solid motors.
The '200' in the name refers to the diameter of the rocket in mm.
Other Rohini variants - RH-300 Mk-II and RH-560 Mk-III.
Over the years, the RH-200 rocket used a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based propellant.
The first RH-200 to use a new propellant based on hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) was successfully flown from TERLS in September 2020.
Since the inception of the RH200 rocket, both solid stages are processed using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based propellants.
About Sounding Rocket
These are one- or two-stage solid propellant rockets used for exploration of the upper atmospheric regions and for space research.
Rockets are used to launch instruments 48 to 145 km above the Earth's surface.
The first sounding rocket to be launched from Thumba was the American Nike-Apache, which was launched on November 21, 1963.
The ISRO launched its own version, Rohini RH-75 in 1967.
ISRO has so far launched more than 1,600 RH-200 rockets.
9. INS Tarkash at Port Gentil, first-ever visit by an Indian Navy ship to Gabon
Tags: Defence International News
The Defence Ministry said on 26 September that INS Tarkash has visited a port in Gabon as part of an ongoing deployment in the Gulf of Guinea for anti-piracy patrols.
Important facts
This marks the first visit by any Indian Naval Ship to Gabon.
During its stay in port, the ship and its crew will participate in official and professional interactions as well as sport fixtures.
Their professional interactions will include discussions and exercises on firefighting and damage control, medical and casualty evacuation issues, and dive operations.
Apart from this, yoga sessions and social interactions are also planned.
About INS Tarkash
INS Tarkash is a state-of-the-art stealth frigate of the Indian Navy.
It is built by Yantar Shipyard at Kaliningrad, Russia.
It is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors capable of addressing threats in all three dimensions.
The ship incorporates the latest stealth features such as low radar, infra-red, acoustic and magnetic signatures, making it difficult to detect at sea.
The ship is part of the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command.
About Gabon
It is a country on the west coast of Central Africa.
Prime Minister - Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda
President - Ali Ben Bongo Ondimba
Capital - Libreville
Official Language - French
10. President inaugurated ₹208-crore rocket engine manufacturing facility in Bengaluru
Tags: Defence Science and Technology National News
President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Integrated Cryogenic Engines Manufacturing Facility of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru on 27 September.
Important facts
The facility will promote self-reliance in manufacturing high-thrust rocket engines and will fulfil ISRO's desire to manufacture rocket engines.
It has been constructed over a 4,500 square metre space and houses over 70 high-tech tools and testing facilities for the production of cryogenic (CE20) and semi-cryogenic (SE2000) engines for Indian rockets.
This facility (ICMF) will complete the entire rocket engine manufacturing for ISRO under one roof.
An MoU was signed with ISRO in 2013 for setting up a Cryogenic Engine Module production facility in the Aerospace Division of HAL.
It was later amended to set up ICEMF in 2016 with an investment of Rs 208 crore.
This was later updated in 2016 to allow setting up of ICMF with an investment of ₹208 crore.
HAL has said that it will start production of the module by March 2023.
Manufactured by HAL Aerospace Division
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV),
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV MK-II),
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk-III),
Stage integration for GSLV Mk-II
Cryogenic engines
Cryogenic engines are the most commonly used engines in launch vehicles worldwide.
Only France, China, Japan, Russia and the United States have mastered cryogenic technology because of the complexity of the cryogenic engine.
India became the sixth country to develop a cryogenic engine in 2014, when GSLV-D5 was successfully flown using a cryogenic engine.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
It was set up as Hindustan Aircraft Limited by Walchand Hirachand in 1940 at Bangalore (now Bengaluru), Karnataka.
It was taken over by the government of India and merged with Aeronautics India limited and was renamed as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 1 October 1964.
Its main business is to design, develop, manufacture, repair and overhaul of aircraft, helicopters, engines and related systems like avionics, instruments and accessories.
It comes under the Ministry of Defence.
Headquarters: Bengaluru
