Category: Defence

New Delhi: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) must place India’s national security requirements ahead of commercial interests and accelerate deliveries of the Tejas Mk1A fighter aircraft to rebuild confidence within the Indian Air Force (IAF), retired Air Marshal Diptendu Choudhury has said. Speaking ahead of Air Force Day, Choudhury criticised the delays in the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft programme, stressing that HAL needs to strengthen its manufacturing capacity and meet its contractual commitments. The IAF had ordered 83 Tejas Mk1A aircraft in February 2021, with initial deliveries originally expected by March…

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New Delhi: Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL) has completed the delivery of 450 Nagastra-1R loitering munitions to the Indian Army, marking a significant milestone in the company’s indigenous defence manufacturing programme. According to the company, the delivery fulfils an order placed by the Army in June 2025 under its emergency procurement mechanism. The procurement followed technical evaluations designed to assess the system’s compliance with the Army’s operational requirements. SDAL stated that four companies participated in the evaluation process, but its system was the only one to meet all the…

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New Delhi: India is moving closer to strengthening its warship air-defence capabilities with the indigenous Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM), developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). According to the DRDO’s latest annual report, developmental trials of the system’s Multi-Function Radar have been completed, paving the way for User Evaluation Trials (UET). The progress marks an important step towards equipping Indian Navy warships with an advanced, domestically developed system to counter aerial threats at short ranges. The VL-SRSAM is designed to engage hostile aircraft, drones and…

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New Delhi: Honeywell Aerospace expects to deliver four additional TPE331-12B turboprop engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) by the end of 2026, a move expected to support production of India’s indigenous HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The planned shipment will take Honeywell’s direct engine deliveries to HAL this year to eight. The supplies form part of a $100 million contract signed in July 2022 for 88 engines, covering both direct deliveries and the progressive transfer of manufacturing capabilities to India. Under the agreement, Honeywell is…

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New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is pursuing an ambitious modernisation roadmap for the next two financial years, prioritising the acquisition of 114 multi-role fighter aircraft, new transport planes and advanced helicopters to strengthen its operational capabilities. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh has indicated that several major defence procurement contracts are expected to be signed by the end of the current financial year, with additional programmes progressing over the following two years. 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft in Focus The proposed acquisition of 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) is a…

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Jodhpur: In a strong endorsement of India’s indigenous aerospace capabilities, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh flew a solo sortie in the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1 at the Jodhpur airbase, marking a significant moment ahead of his retirement on October 31, 2026. The flight took place against the backdrop of Exercise Tarang Shakti, a multinational air exercise bringing together advanced aircraft and personnel from several air forces. The sortie highlighted the Indian Air Force’s continued focus on indigenous defence technology and the strategic…

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New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) faces a growing challenge in maintaining combat strength as it prepares for the possibility of simultaneous threats from China and Pakistan. Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs), also known as loyal wingmen, could offer a cost-effective way to expand operational capability without relying exclusively on additional manned fighter jets. At his recent Air Force Day press conference, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh stressed the need for the IAF to induct at least two fighter squadrons annually to prevent its combat strength from declining further. The…

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New Delhi: Russian state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec has reportedly offered its TKB-1167 ‘Bizon’ anti-drone system to the Indian Army, pitching the platform as a potential solution to the growing threat posed by small, low-flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Designed to intercept agile aerial targets that can evade conventional air-defence systems, the Bizon combines high-volume machine-gun fire with automated target tracking and specialised ammunition intended to improve interception accuracy and reduce ammunition consumption. The system’s combat module features four 7.62mm PKT machine guns with a reported combined rate of fire of…

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New Delhi: French aerospace company Safran has proposed a joint development approach for the 120kN-class fighter engine planned for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Mk2, drawing on the co-development model being used for the Aravalli helicopter engine. Safran India CEO and Country Head Jetendra Gavankar, speaking at DEFCON 2026, indicated that the partnership structure developed for the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) engine could provide a framework for future cooperation on the AMCA powerplant. Under the proposed arrangement, Indian and French engineers could share design and development responsibilities on a…

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