1. India and Japan announces first joint Air Force exercise
Tags: place in news Defence Summits International News
Reflecting the growing security cooperation between the two sides, India and Japan announced plans for their first air force exercise as New Delhi backed Tokyo’s efforts to reinforce its defence capabilities over the next five years.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- This was announced after the meeting of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with the Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada held in Tokyo, Japan on 8 September 2022.
- Rajnath Singh arrived in Japan after his visit to Mongolia.
- He also participated in India-Japan 2+2 dialogue involving the Defence and Foreign ministers of both the countries. India was represented by External Affairs minister S.Jaishanker and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while Japan was represented by its Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defence minister Yasukazu Hamada.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
India -Japan military exercise :
- At present both the countries conduct Dharma Guardian, JIMEX and Malabar exercise. Japan also participated in the MILAN naval exercise 2022 held in Visakhapatnam.
- DHARMA GUARDIAN-2022, an annual exercise between Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Force was held from 27 February -10 March 2022, Belgaum Karnataka.
- The last edition of the India – Japan Maritime Bilateral Exercise, JIMEX, between the Indian Navy (IN) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), was held in 2021 Arabian Sea from 06 to 08 October 2021.
- The last edition of Malabar exercise was held in 2021 involving the Australian, United States, Japanese and Indian Navy at sea of Philippines and Bay of Bengal.
2. NTPC to Supply Renewable Power to Army’s Western command for next 27 years
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance Defence
India’s largest power company NTPC has signed a long term agreement with the Army’s Western Command to supply 25 MW/year of solar power from the national solar grid of the country for the next 27 years.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- This is the first agreement by the Indian Armed Forces for sourcing power from renewable energy sources,” said NTPC in a Twitter post.
- The Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) was signed at Western command headquarters, Chandimandir, Haryana on 8 September 2022.
- According to a statement issued by the Western Command, the new move will decarbonize upto 38 percent of the energy portfolio of Western Command, apart from accruing a substantial savings to the exchequer.
- The solar energy will be sourced from Sholapur in Maharashtra.
NTPC Renewable energy capacity :
- Presently, NTPC has 2.3 GW of commissioned renewable capacity.
- The NTPC Group plans to achieve 60 Giga Watt of renewable energy by 2032.
- NTPC recently commissioned India’s largest floating solar plant at Ramagundam, Telangana. It is a 100 MW plant.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Command structure of the Indian Army :
- The Headquarter of the Indian Army is at New Delhi with the President being the Commander in Chief of the Army.
- Headquarters of the Indian Army: New Delhi
- Chief of Army Staff: General Manoj Pande
- The Indian Army has 6 operational commands and one Training command. Each command is headed by a General Officer Commanding in Chief with the rank of Lieutenant General.
Command | Headquarters |
Western Command | Chandimandir (Haryana) |
Eastern Command | Kolkata (West Bengal) |
Southern Command | Pune(Maharashtra) |
Northern Command | Udhampur(Jammu ) |
Central Command | Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) |
South -Western Command | Jaipur (Rajasthan ) |
Army Training Command | Shimla(Himachal Pradesh) |
Army Day is observed on 15 January every year.
3. Wildlife Board Approves New IAF Base in Ladakh
Tags: place in news Defence State News
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will soon get a new base in Ladakh.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- According to a report published in the Economic Times on 8 September 2022, the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife, which is led by Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav has approved the proposal.
- The new base will be built on 500 hectares of land in the Changthang sanctuary area, right next to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
- The need to boost the IAF presence in the region was felt after the rapid development of airfields and bunkers by the Chinese along the LAC in the area.
- In June 2020 there was a border clash in Ladakh, between the two armies leading to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and a number of Chinese soldiers.
- The Changthang sanctuary area is a cold desert sanctuary in Leh district. It is home to Tibetan wild Ass, Kiang and the rare black necked cranes.
- Since it is a cold desert sanctuary, permission from the Environment ministry was necessary.
Air Force Airfield in the region :
- The key air base of the IAF is in Leh. It has had Advanced Landing Ground facilities at Fukche since the 1960s besides Daulat Beg Oldie, Thoise and Nyoma.
4. DRDO, Indian Army successfully complete six flight-tests of QRSAM system
Tags: Defence Science and Technology
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army successfully test-fired six flights of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) System from the Integrated Test Area, Chandipur off the Odisha coast on September 8.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The flight tests were conducted by the Indian Army as part of the evaluation trials.
The flight tests were carried out on high speed targets.
These targets were designed for the type of actual threat, in order to assess the capability of the weapon systems in a variety of situations.
This included long-range and medium-altitude targets, short-range targets, high-altitude targets, and targets that were not easily detectable on radar.
The evaluation found the weapon system and its excellent guidance and control to be accurate.
The performance of the system was also confirmed by telemetry, radar and electro-optical tracking systems developed by ITR.
QRSAM weapon system :
It is a short-range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system.
It is primarily designed and developed by the DRDO to provide a protective shield to the moving armoured columns of the Army from aerial attacks.
This weapon system can operate when moving with search and track capability, and can fire at short halts.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) :
It is a premier defence research and development agency under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
It aims to make India self-reliant in critical defence technology and systems.
It was set up in 1958.
Headquarters - New Delhi
Chairman - Samir V Kamat
5. India and UK conducts Counter Ransomware Exercise for 26 Nations
Tags: Defence Science and Technology
India’s National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the UK Government in collaboration with BAE Systems successfully designed and conducted the Cyber Security Exercise for 26 Countries on 6 September.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The exercise has been designed as a part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative - Resilience Working Group.
This is being led by India under the leadership of National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC).
BAE Systems is a leading global manufacturer in the defence, security and aerospace sector.
The exercise is designed to support the mission of CRI.
The exercise gives opportunities for CRI countries to share their perspectives on combating ransomware.
It was facilitated by BAE Systems through the Immersive Labs platform.
The exercise explored the complexity of decision-making around the ransomware response to critical national infrastructure.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Aim of the Exercise :
The objective of conducting this virtual cyber exercise on Ransomware Resilience is to simulate a large, widespread cyber security incident affecting organisations within a country.
Allowing CRI members participating in the exercise to test their ability to respond to a major ransomware incident.
Theme of the exercise :
The theme of the exercise is based on the energy sector in which the respective national cyber crisis management teams of CRI partner nations will have to deal with ransomware attacks on several power distribution companies.
6. Committed to deepen strategic ties with Mongolia: Rajnath Singh
Tags: Defence Person in news International News
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who is on an official visit to Mongolia said that New Delhi is committed to further deepening multifaceted Strategic Partnership with Mongolia.
Rajnath Singh is on a five-day visit to Mongolia and Japan beginning 5 September 2022 with an aim to expand India's strategic and defence ties with the two countries.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Visit to Mongolia :
His visit to Mongolia from 5-7 September 2022 is the first-ever tour to the East Asian country by an Indian defence minister.
He met the Mongolian defence minister Saikhanbayar Gursed in Ulaanbaatar on 6 September 2022.
The Minister also met President of Mongolia, U. Khurelsukh.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
India Mongolia relationship :
India and Mongolia share warm and cordial bilateral relations. Mongolia regards India as its “third” and a “spiritual neighbour”.
The bilateral relationship was upgraded to a Strategic Partnership in 2015 during the historic visit of Prime Minister Modi to the country.
India has provided a loan of USD 1.236 billion to Mongolia to build a 1.5 million metric tonnes oil refinery near Sainshand in southern Dornogovi province of Mongolia.
It is being constructed by India’s public sector Engineers India Limited.
Mongolia :
It is located in North Central Asia.
Capital: Ulaanbaatar
Currency: Tugrik
President: Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh
7. Home Minister launches CAPF's eAwas web-portal in New Delhi
Tags: Defence National News
Home Minister Amit Shah launched the e-Awas web-portal for the Central Armed Police Forces ((CAPFs) in New Delhi on 1 September.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The portal will help in bringing transparency and accountability.
There are seven CAPFs in India under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) assists in internal security and counter insurgency.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) guards critical installations (such as airports) and public sector undertakings.
The National Security Guard (NSG) is a specialized counter-terrorism force.
Apart from this, the remaining four forces are – Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Assam Rifles (AR).
Other functions of CAPF :
Emergency Counter-Operations, Anti-Naxal Operations, Internal Security Operations
VIP Security, Intelligence Agency, Security of Diplomatic Missions Abroad,
Acting as the nodal agency for United Nations (UN) peacekeeping, disaster management, civil action for UN police missions
8. PM Modi commissions INS Vikrant, India’s indigenous aircraft carrier
Tags: Defence
Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned India's first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in Kochi on 2 September.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The aircraft carrier has been built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi at a cost of ₹20,000 crore.
With its commissioning, India has joined a select group (US, Russia, France, the UK and China) of countries that have the unique capability to indigenously design and build aircraft carriers.
The aircraft carrier is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.
The Prime Minister unveiled a plaque to commemorate the induction of INS Vikrant, named after its predecessor, which played a key role in the Navy in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
He also unveiled the new Naval Flag (Nishaan) on the occasion.
INS Vikrant :
INS Vikrant, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1.
It has been designed by the Indian Navy's in-house Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited.
It is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India.
It has been named 'Vikrant' as a tribute to India's first aircraft carrier, Vikrant.
The Indian Naval Ship Vikrant played an important role in the 1971 war.
The 262-metre-long carrier has a full displacement of around 45,000 tonnes which is more advanced than its predecessor.
It is powered by four gas turbines with a total power of 88 MW and has a maximum speed of 28 knots.
The project was executed in three phases of contract between the Ministry of Defence and CSL, which were concluded in May 2007, December 2014 and October 2019 respectively.
9. Cabinet Committee on Security approves Tejas Mark-2 Project
Tags: Defence National News
The Cabinet Committee on Security approved the Tejas Mark-2 Project on 1 September.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The committee has approved Rs 6,500 crore for the design and development of Tejas Mark-2 fighter jet with prototype, flight testing and certification.
This allocation is in addition to the existing Rs 2500 crore sanctioned to HAL.
Features of Tejas Mark-2 fighter jet :
It will be equipped with more powerful GE- F414 engines in the 98 Kilonewton thrust class.
The engine will enable it to extend its flight range and carry additional payloads and weapons compared to the current version.
The payload capacity of Tejas Mark-2 jet will be four tonnes as compared to three tonnes of the current version.
It will also be equipped with an indigenously developed Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which will be a upgraded version of the existing ELTA's EL/M-2032 multi-mode radar.
Significance :
Its importance has increased due to the rapidly dwindling strength of the fighter squadrons of the Indian Air Force and the phasing out of MiG-21 aircraft in the coming years.
This decision will give a boost to indigenous design and development of next generation fighter aircraft.
10. US grounds Chinook chopper fleet over engine fires
Tags: Defence International News
The US military has stopped its fleet of CH-47 Chinook helicopters from flying due to the threat of a helicopter engine fire.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The US military operates approximately 400 Chinook helicopters which are medium-lift, multi-role helicopters manufactured by Boeing.
They perform a variety of tasks in military operations.
The Chinook fleet has been halted by the US military because it is suspected that some of its engines may catch fire.
India's concern :
The Indian Air Force (IAF) too operates a fleet of Chinook helicopters.
The IAF operates a fleet of 15 Chinook helicopters and it has not grounded them so far.
Chinook was inducted into IAF in 2019.
One helicopter of Chinook unit is based in Chandigarh whereas the other is based at Mohanbari airbase in Assam.
The Indian Air Force has sought details from US defence manufacturer Boeing on the reasons for shutting down its entire fleet of Chinook helicopters.
About Chinook Helicopters :
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engined, heavy-lift helicopter.
It is developed by the American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol (later known as Boeing Rotorcraft Systems).
Each helicopter can carry goods and cargo up to 9.6 tonnes.
It can provide assistance during disaster relief, medical, search and rescue missions, aircraft recovery and parachute drops.
