Current Affairs
Hindi

DRDO successfully flight tests Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon 

The Defence and Research Development Organization (DRDO) yesterday successfully flight tested the Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW), from an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft. 
●    SAAW, an indigenously designed and developed 120 kg. class smart weapon, developed by DRDO, is capable of engaging ground targets with high precision up to a range of 100 kms. 
●    The light weight high precision guided bomb is one of the world class weapons systems.
●    The captive and release trials were tracked by Radar and Telemetry ground stations at ITR during the entire duration of the flight. The performance of all systems were satisfactory with all the mission objectives achieved.
●    Secretary, Department of Defence (R&D) & Chairman, DRDO, Dr S. Christopher, congratulated DRDO and the IAF teams for the successful mission.
●    Scientific Advisor to RM and DG (Missile and Strategic Systems), DRDO, Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, lauded the scientific community of the DRDO for their efforts towards the design and development of this state-of-the-art smart weapon within the set time frame.

Read More
Read Less

DRDO's Nuclear Capable Cruise Missile Nirbhay Fails Another Test

India's cruise missile Nirbhay has failed in its test flight today. Three out of four of its test flights have failed, sources said. 
●    The test was carried from India's Integrated Missile Test Range on the coast of Odisha.
●    Nirbhay's previous tests have only been partially successful. The subsonic missile was first tested in March 2013, but its flight had to be aborted midway when it veered off course.
●    The missile, designed and developed by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), is expected to strengthen India's air defence capability.
●    A terrain-hugging missile, Nirbhay can fly almost at the level of tree-tops to evade detection by radars. 
●    It was built to identify and strike targets in heavily populated areas with pin-point accuracy and is capable of carrying of carrying a nuclear warhead.
●    With a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, Nirbhay is considered an equal to the Tomahawk missile of the US.

Read More
Read Less

Malabar Exercise - India, Japan, US to focus on anti-submarine warfare

India, Japan and the US are set to focus on "anti-submarine warfare" by deploying "different machines" during the next round of their marine wargames named the Malabar Exercise, amidst increasing presence of Chinese underwater vessels in the strategic Indian Ocean region. 
●    The three countries will come together in the Indian Ocean for the 21st edition of the Malabar exercise - Malabar 2017, aiming for a "bigger" and "more complex" exercise than before.
●    Vice Admiral Aucoin met Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lamba and other senior officers to chalk out the dates and strategy of the exercise, likely to be held after the monsoon. 
●    Vice Admiral Aucoin, who spoke on a number of issues, said he was looking forward to the implementation of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement between India and the US. 
●    The US commander also spoke out against militarisation of the strategic South China Sea region, through which an annual trade of USD 5 billion flows. 

Read More
Read Less

Navy inducts four types of indigenous Sonars

Navy today formally inducted four types of indigenously developed sonars that will boost its underwater surveillance capability.
●    Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, handed over the sonars to the Navy, praised the force along with DRDO and said he expects more synergy in the coming days.
●    The systems have been designed and developed by NPOL, a Kochi based laboratory of DRDO.
●    With the induction of these four systems, the underwater surveillance capability of the Indian Navy will get a boost.
●    Abhay is an advanced active-cum-passive integrated sonar system designed and developed for the smaller platforms such as shallow water crafts and coastal surveillance/patrol vessels.
●    It is capable of detecting, localizing, classifying and tracking sub-surface and surface targets in both its active and passive modes of operation.
●    Indian Navy has proposed to induct this SONAR on three of the Abhay class ships.
●    Intensifying the command over the high seas is the Humsa -UG that is designed for upgrading the existing Humsa sonar system.
 

Read More
Read Less

10th Indo-Nepal Joint Exercise 'Surya Kiran' Commences

Indo-Nepal joint military exercise Surya Kiran-X commenced on 31 October 2016 at Army Battle School, Saljhandi, Nepal. 
●    The exercise will conclude on 13 November 2016.
●    The joint military exercise is the tenth in the series of such exercise between the two nations.
●    The Surya Kiran series of exercises are being conducted annually, alternatively in Nepal and India.
●    In the series of military training exercises undertaken by India with various countries, Surya Kiran series with Nepal is the largest in terms of troop’s participation.           
●    Indian Army is represented by the elite Kumaon Regiment.
●    Jabar Jung Battalion of Nepal Army is participating in the tenth edition of the joint exercise on behalf of Nepal Army.
●    The aim of the exercise is to conduct battalion level joint training with emphasis on Counter Terrorism in mountainous terrain.
 

Read More
Read Less

Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, NM takes over as Director General of Naval Operations

Vice Admiral SN Ghormade assumed the charge of Director General Naval Operations at the IHQ MoD (N). The Flag Officer was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 Jan 1984. 
●    He is a graduate of National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, Pune, United States Naval Staff College at Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island and the Naval War College, Mumbai. 
●    In addition to a specialisation in Navigation and Direction within the Navy, the Admiral holds a M Phil in Defence and Strategic Studies from University of Mumbai, MSc Defence and Strategic Studies from University of Madras and Master Degree in Personnel Management from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (University of Pune).
●    The officer is the recipient of the Nau Sena Medal in 2007 by the President of India and Commendation by Chief of Naval Staff in 2000.
 

Read More
Read Less

India Signs up for Second Russian Akula Class Nuclear Attack Submarine

In a deal reportedly worth close to $2 billion, India is set to acquire a second Akula 2 nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia.
●    The contract for this, which has been unannounced so far, was finalised in Goa along with a slew of other defence deals worth more than $5 billion which have been made public.
●    According to Alexei Nikolski, a columnist with the reputed Russian daily Vedomosti, "According to a source in the Russian defence industry, the long discussed lease to transfer a multipurpose Project 971 nuclear submarine to India from the Russian Navy was signed in Goa."
●    The Indian Navy already operates an Akula 2 class nuclear submarine, INS Chakra (formerly known as K-152 Nerpa), which was leased from Russia and commissioned on April 4, 2012 after India paid for its completion and sea-trials.


 

Read More
Read Less

India's Nuclear Triad Complete : INS Arihant Inducted

India on 18 October 2016 completed its nuclear triad by inducting country's first indigenously-constructed nuclear submarine INS Arihant into service.
●    INS Arihant was formally commissioned by Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba in August 2016.
●    INS Arihant is the lead ship of India's Arihant class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.
●    The 6000 tonne vessel was built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Centre in the port city of Visakhapatnam.
●    It was launched on 26 July 2009, the anniversary of Vijay Diwas (Kargil War Victory Day) by the then Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh.
●    After fitting out and extensive sea trials, on 23 February 2016, Arihant was confirmed as ready for operations, and was quietly commissioned in August 2016.
●    It first of the expected five in the class of submarines designed and constructed as a part of the Indian Navy's secretive ATV project.

Read More
Read Less

India, France ink deal for 36 Rafale Jet planes

India and France on 23 September 2016 inked the 7.8-billion Euro deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets. 
•    As per the deal, the aircraft will be equipped with latest missiles and weapon system like Meteor and Scalp.
•    The 7.8 billion Euro deal is crucial for the Indian Air Force and is expected to give India the dominant status in the air. 
•    The deal was signed in New Delhi by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian.
•    The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon is its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 kilometre.
•    During the Kargil war, India had used a BVR having 50 kilometre range. 
•    The delivery of this aircraft will start in 36 months and will be completed in 66 months from the date the contract is inked.
•    As per reports, the deal comes with a saving of nearly 750 million Euros than the one struck during the previous UPA government, which was scrapped by the Narendra Modi government.
 

Read More
Read Less

Indra 2016 : India-Russia Joint Military Exercise Begins

The eighth edition of India-Russia Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’ begun in the Ussiriysk District in Vladivostok, Russia. 
•    The main focus of this edition of the joint exercise is on Counter-Terrorism Operations in semi mountainous and jungle terrain under United Nations Mandate.
•    To achieve interoperability in joint operations, troops from both sides would acquaint themselves with the respective approach to such operations. 
•    A comprehensive training programme spanning eleven days has been drawn up for the purpose.
•    Brigadier Sukrit Chadah is leading the Indian contingent of 250 soldiers from the Kumaon Regiment while the Russian army is being represented by 250 soldiers from the 59th Motorised Infantry Brigade.
•    Indra series of bilateral exercises is one of the major bilateral defence cooperation initiatives between India and Russia since 2003. 
•    The Indian contingent is scheduled to return to India on termination of the Exercise in the first week of October 2016.
 

Read More
Read Less