1. Astra Mk1: Govt places order for first indigenous BVR missile
Tags: Defence
The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with the Hyderabad-based public-sector Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) for supply of the Astra Mark-1, at a cost of Rs 2,971 crore, for deployment on fighter jets of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
About Astra Mk-1 Missile
It is a beyond visual range (BVR), air-to-air missile (AAM).
It has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and manufactured by Hyderabad-based Bharat Dynamics Limited.
The project was officially launched in the early 2000s.
It has a range of over 100 km and 20 km altitude.
It will be deployed on fighter jets like Indian Air Force's Sukhoi-30 MKI and Tejas and Navy's MiG-29K.
The contract worth Rs 2,971 crore for the Astra Mk1 will be completed in six years.
Currently, India imports similar missiles from Israel, Russia and a few other manufacturers.
The Astra Mk-1 has a range of about 110 km, the Mk-2 with a range of over 150 km is being developed and a longer range Mk-3 variant is being envisaged.
Strategic significance
The missile has been designed based on the requirements specified by the IAF for BVR as well as close-combat engagement.
Its capability provides large stand-off ranges to get fighter aircraft.
It can neutralise adversarial air assets without exposing them to unfavourable air defence measures.
It is technically and economically superior to many such imported missiles.
2. India, China reviews situation along LAC during 24th WMCC meeting
Tags: International Relations Defence
The 24th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on 31 May.
The Indian delegation was led by the Additional Secretary, (East Asia), Ministry of External Affairs and the Chinese delegation was led by the Director General, Department of Borders and Oceans, Ministry of External Affairs.
Both sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of Indo-China border areas.
Since the last meeting of the WMCC in November 2021, both sides have held the 14th and 15th meeting of Senior Commanders in January and March 2022 respectively.
Both sides exchanged views on the current situation along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.
They agreed to continue discussions through diplomatic and military channels to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC.
They agreed to hold the 16th Round of Senior Commanders' Meeting to achieve the objective of complete elimination of all friction points along the LAC in the Western Sector.
About WMCC
It was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination for the management of India-China border areas.
The aim was to exchange views on strengthening communication and cooperation between border security personnel from both sides.
It is headed by joint secretary-level officials from both the countries.
The mechanism was first suggested by Wen Jiabao in 2010.
3. GRSE launches Indian Navy survey vessel ‘INS Nirdeshak’
Tags: Defence
'Nirdeshak', the second of the four Survey Ship (SVL) projects under construction for the Indian Navy, was launched on 26 May 2022 at Kattupalli, Chennai.
Nirdeshak is the second ship in the four survey vessel project under construction by Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in association with L&T Shipbuilding.
The first class ship 'Sandhyak' was launched on 5 December 2021 at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.
Of the four SVL ships, three are being partially constructed at L&T at Kattupalli under a collaborative approach between GRSE and L&T Shipbuilding.
The ship was launched by Sarbani Dasgupta, wife of Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.
It is named after the erstwhile Nirdeshak , who retired from the Indian Navy in December 2014 after 32 years of illustrious service.
These ships are built from indigenously developed DMR 249-A steel by Hull Steel Authority of India Limited.
With the capacity to carry four survey motor boats and an integrated helicopter, the primary role of the ships will be to undertake full scale coastal and deep water hydrographic surveys of ports and shipping channels.
About Indian Navy
The Indian Navy was organised in the year 1612 AD as the war-fighting army of the East India Company under the name Indian Marine.
In 1685 AD, it was renamed as "Bombay Marine".
On 8 September 1934, the Indian Legislative Council passed the Indian Naval Discipline Act and the Royal Indian Navy emerged.
Navy Chief - Admiral R Hari Kumar
Deputy Chief of Naval Staff- Vice Admiral Satish Namdev Ghormade
Indian Navy Day - 4th December
Recently the Navy's indigenous warships INS Surat and INS Udayagiri have been launched at Mazagon Dockyard in Mumbai.
4. Rajnath Singh undertakes sortie in submarine INS Khanderi at Karwar Naval base
Tags: Defence
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a sea flight on the Scorpene-class submarine INS Khanderi at Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka on May 27.
The Scorpene class submarine INS Khanderi was built at Mazagon Docks in Mumbai and was commissioned in September 2019.
The Indian Navy is operating four submarines of this class, of which two others are expected to be inducted by the end of 2023.
Indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant will soon be inducted to strengthen the country's maritime security and guarantee peace and security in the Indian Ocean region.
During the sea flight, the combat capability and offensive prowess of the submarine was demonstrated to the Defence Minister.
About INS Khanderi
It is the second of six submarines being built as part of Project 75 of the Indian Navy.
The first was Kalvari.
It is a diesel-electric attack submarine that was designed by the French naval defence and energy company DCNS.
It is manufactured at Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai.
It can perform a variety of missions, such as anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance, etc.
Khanderi is named after the island fort of the Maratha forces, which played an important role in ensuring their supremacy at sea in the late 17th century.
5. Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022
Tags: Defence National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate India's biggest drone festival-Bharat Drone Mahotsaw 2022 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on May 27.
The Prime Minister will interact with farmer drone pilots and also witness an open-air drone demonstration.
The 'Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022' is a two-day event being organised on May 27 and 28.
Drones will be showcased by over 70 exhibitors at the exhibition.
Drone pilot certificate, product launch, flight demonstration, demonstration of Made in India drone taxi prototype etc. will be organised in the festival.
Several industry leaders, government officials, foreign diplomats, representatives of public sector entities, private companies and drone startups will participate in the festival.
What is a drone?
Drones are also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or unmanned aircraft.
A drone is a flying robot that can be controlled remotely or can fly independently using software-controlled flight technology in its embedded systems.
It works in conjunction with onboard sensors and a global positioning system (GPS).
Drones first came to the market in the 1990 and were developed by the military.
Drones can be used for surveillance, situational analysis, crime control, VVIP security, disaster management, etc.
It offers benefits to almost every sector of the economy, including national defence, agriculture, law enforcement, and mapping, among others.
The Central Government has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme of Drones and Drone Components.
6. Captain Abhilasha Barak becomes first woman combat pilot in Army
Tags: Defence Person in news
On May 25, Captain Abhilasha Barak from Haryana became the first woman officer to join the Army Aviation Corps as a Combat Aviator.
She was awarded the prestigious wing along with 36 other Army pilots by the Director General of Army Aviation and the Colonel Commandant during a ceremony in Nashik.
About Captain Abhilasha Barak
She is an alumnus of The Lawrence School, Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh.
She completed her B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Delhi Technological University in 2016.
She joined his first job in Deloitte, USA.
In 2018, she was inducted into the Indian Army from the Officers Training Academy, Chennai.
While serving with the Corps of Army Air Defence, he was selected by President Ram Nath Kovind as a contingent commander for the presentation of colors for Army Air Defence.
After completing his training from Officers Training Academy, Chennai in 2018, she joined the Army Aviation Corps.
About Army Aviation Corps
Established on 1 November 1986, the Army Aviation Corps was first deployed in Jaffna in 1987 in India's fight against the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) in what is known as 'Operation Pawan'.
This corps flies Chetak and Cheetah helicopters developed by HAL.
Presently, this Corps and its helicopters are serving in high altitude areas like Siachen Glacier.
It is one of the youngest corps of the Indian Army and operates a fleet of helicopters like Chetak, Cheetah, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Dhruv and Rudra.
Apart from attack, these helicopters also play a major role in observation, reconnaissance operations, evacuation of casualties, drop of goods or relief material as well as relief and rescue operations.
7. Indian Navy – Bangladesh Navy Bilateral EX Bongosagar Commences
Tags: International Relations Defence
The third edition of the Indian Navy (IN) - Bangladesh Navy (BN) bilateral exercise 'Bongosagar' began on 24 May 22 at Port Mongla, Bangladesh.
The harbor phase of the exercise is scheduled from 24-25 May followed by a sea phase in the North Bay of Bengal from 26-27 May.
Indian Navy ships Kora, an indigenously built Guided Missile Corvette and Sumedha, an indigenously built offshore patrol vessel, are participating in the exercise.
The Bangladesh Navy is represented by BNS Abu Ubaidah and Ali Haider, both guided missile frigates.
The harbour phase of the exercise
This includes professional and social interactions and friendly sportings, besides strategic level planning discussions on the conduct of exercises at sea.
The sea phase of the exercise
It would facilitate ships from both the navies to participate in intensive surface warfare drills, weapon firing drills, seamanship evolutions and coordinated air operations in a tactical scenario.
About Bongosagar bilateral exercise
Its first edition was held in 2019.
Its aim is to develop interoperability and joint operational skills through the conduct of a wide spectrum of maritime exercises and operations.
8. DRDO And Indian Navy Test-Fire New NASM-SR Missile
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the maiden flight test of the indigenously developed “Naval Anti-Ship Missile-Short Range" or NASM-SR.
It was launched from Indian Navy helicopter Seaking 42B from DRDO‘s Interim Testing Range, Balasore in Odisha on 18 May 2022.
According to DRDO, the NASM-SR would be a 380 kilogram projectile with a maximum range of 55 kilometres that will be deployed to replace the previous Sea Eagle missiles on Indian Navy Sea King helicopters.
In a tweet, Indian Navy said, this firing is a significant step towards achieving self-reliance in niche missile technology and reaffirms the Indian Navy’s commitment to indigenization.
The Naval Anti-Ship Missile-Short Range has been developed in association with Defence Research and Development Organisation,
It is the first indigenous air-launched Anti-ship missile system for the Indian Navy.
The missile employed many new technologies, including an indigenously developed launcher for the helicopter, state-of-the-art navigation system and integrated avionics.
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: G. Satheesh Reddy
9. Indian Navy dedicated two warships Surat and Udayagiri
The nation witnessed a historic event in the history of the indigenous warship building on May 17, 2022, when two frontline warships of the Indian Navy were commissioned.
These are the warships Surat, which is the destroyer of Project 15B and the other is Udayagiri, which is a frigate of Project 17A.
Both were launched simultaneously at Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh was the chief guest in both these programs.
The Project 15B class ships are the next generation stealth guided missile destroyers of the Indian Navy, commissioned by Mazagon Docks Ltd. Made in Mumbai.
Destroyer, Surat:
'Surat' is the fourth ship of the Project 15B Destroyer class, which has been developed with several modifications to the P15A (Kolkata class).
It is named after Surat, the commercial capital of Gujarat and the second largest trading centre in western India after Mumbai.
Frigate, Udayagiri:
Udayagiri is named after a mountain range in Andhra Pradesh. This is the third frigate of Project 17A.
Complying with the P17 frigates (Shivalik class), they are equipped with modified stealth characteristics, advanced weapons, sensing equipment and platform management systems. 'Udayagiri' is an incarnation of the old 'Udayagiri', which was a Leander class ASW frigate.
Important Facts:
A total of seven ships are being built under the P17 programme, out of which four are being built at MDL and three at GRSE.
15B and P17A, both ships were indigenously designed at the Directorate of Naval Design (DND).
During the construction activities at the shipyard, about 75 per cent of the orders for equipment and systems were received by indigenous companies, which included micro, small and medium enterprises.
10. Lt Gen Gajendra Joshi takes over as GOC Strike 1
Tags: Defence Person in news
Lieutenant General Gajendra Joshi has taken over the charge of new General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Strike 1 or 1 Corps.
He took over the reins of 1 Corps from Lt Gen MK Katiyar.
Lt Gen Gajendra Joshi had vast operational experience in the form of operations in Sri Lanka during Operation Pawan.
He was actively involved in counter-insurgency operations as a Battalion Commander in South Kashmir and as a Sector Commander in Manipur.
He has commanded a division along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
His staff experience includes appointments to the General Staff Officer-Grade 1 (Operations) of the Mountain Division, Colonel General Staff (Operations) at Corps Headquarters in the High Altitude Area, Military Operations at Army Headquarters and Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence.
About Strike 1 or 1 Corps
I Corps is a military field formation of the Indian Army.
Its headquarter is in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
It was established on 1st April 1965.
It was launched in the Sialkot sector.
The Corps retaliated during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
In the 1971 war against Pakistan, corps 1 took part in the Battle of Basantar.
Currently it is a 'Strike Corps' within the Indian Army's Central Command.
Central Command headquarters is at Lucknow.
