Current Affairs September 2017 - Defence
News 1 - SAAB, Adani join hands for defence manufacturing
Swedish defence giant SAAB and Indian conglomerate Adani group have announced a collaboration in defence manufacturing entailing billions of dollars of investment, mainly eyeing a contract for single-engine fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.
The partnership is aimed at producing single engine fighter jets and other defence products for India under the country's recently unveiled strategic partnership model. SAAB plans to set up a world-class design and manufacturing facility for Gripen jets in India and it would like to export the aircraft to various markets globally if the Indian government allows it to do so.
News 2 - ICG Ship Varuna handed over to Sri Lanka Coast Guard at Kochi
Varuna, formerly an Indian Coast Guard Ship was formally handed over to Sri Lanka Coast Guard at Kochi.
The ship was decommissioned in Aug 23, 2017 and was part of India Coast Guard for the last thirty years. Initially the ship was operated from the base port Mumbai and then re-based to Kochi.
It was also part of a number of successful missions. The Sri Lanka Coast Guard has named it SLCG-60.
News 3 - Indo-Lanka Joint Naval Exercise SLINEX 2017
The seventh edition of India-Sri Lanka joint maritime naval exercise with the Indian navy, SLINEX 2017, was held near Vishakhapatnam from 7th to 14th September.
Sri Lanka Navy's offshore patrol vessels, SLNS Sayura and Sagara joined at Port of Visakhapatnam to participate in the joint maritime naval exercise. A complement of 368 Sri Lanka Navy personnel comprising 43 naval officers and 60 mid-shipmen took part in the exercise. SLINEX 2017 focussed on fleet work, seamanship, communication, replenishment at sea as well as helicopter operations. SLINEX is biennial bilateral maritime exercise.
News 4 - India-Nepal joint military exercise, Surya Kiran
The 12th edition of Nepal-India joint military exercise 'Surya Kiran' was conducted in Rupandehi district of Nepal. This is a battalion level joint exercise between the two armies. Around 300 troops of both countries participated in this exercise. The exercise focussed on counter-terror operations in mountainous terrain by facilitating interoperability.
The Surya Kiran series of Exercises are being conducted annually, alternatively in Nepal and India. The Surya Kiran is the largest joint exercise in terms of troop participation.
News 5 - India and Japan agree to collaborate in defence production
India and Japan have agreed to collaborate closely in defence production, including on dual use technologies. The two countries resolved to ramp up overall military engagement under the bilateral special strategic framework. The two sides also agreed to commence technical discussions for research collaboration in the areas of Unmanned Ground Vehicles and Robotics.
The two sides also agreed to ramp up counter terror cooperation, besides deepening engagement among navies, air forces and ground forces of the two countries.
News 6 - India and the US conducted joint military exercise ‘YUDH ABHYAS 2017’
A joint military training exercise Yudh Abhyas − 2017 was conducted at Joint Base Lewis McChord, which is in Washington, USA. The exercise is one of the largest joint running military training and defence corporation endeavours between India and USA. This will be the 13th edition of the joint exercise hosted alternately between the two countries.
Yudh Abhyas provided an opportunity to the armed forces of both countries to train in an integrated manner at Battalion level with joint planning at Brigade level and learn from each-other’s experiences of planning and execution of operations.
News 7 - Indian Army to induct women in military police
The Indian Army will induct 800 women in the military police, with a yearly intake of 52 personnel per year, with a yearly intake of 52 personnel per year. Currently, women are allowed only in select areas such as medical, legal, educational, signals and engineering wings of the Army.
The women will be inducted as junior commissioned officers and jawans. They would help investigate gender-specific allegations and crime. The armed forces account for around 3,500 women officers, all of whom are in non-combat roles.
News 8 - ATGM Nag successfully flight tested twice by DRDO in Rajasthan
India has indigenously developed a 3rd generation Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) called as Nag, which has been successfully flight-tested twice by DRDO in Rajasthan.
The ATGM Nag missile has successfully hit both the targets under different ranges and conditions with very high accuracy. With these two successful trials and the test, which was conducted in June, the complete functionality of Nag ATGM along with the launcher system NAMICA has been established.
This also marked the successful completion of development trials of the Nag Missile.
News 9 - Defence minister flagged off women's circumnavigation expedition
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman flagged off the Navika Sagar Parikrama by an all women crew of Indian Navy aboard Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini. INSV Tarini is skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi and the crew comprises Lieutenant Commanders Pratibha Jamwal, P. Swathi and Lieutenants S. Vijaya Devi, B. Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.
The expedition will be covered in five legs, with stopovers at Fremantle, Australia; Lyttleton, New Zealand; Port Stanley, Falklands; and Cape Town, South Africa. It is expected to be complete in around 160 days. The crew will collate meteorological, ocean and wave data for accurate forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department and subsequent research and analysis by research and development organisations.
News 10 - India-Russia to conduct first tri-services military exercise, INDRA 2017
India and Russia will hold a major tri-Service 'Indra' combat exercise for first time in October 2017. The exercise will be held in Russia. It will include assets and work force from the Army, Navy and IAF.
Around 350 Indian Army personnel will participate at the mega exercise. This is for the first time both the countries will carry out a tri-services exercise. It also India's first tri-services exercise with a foreign country.
Russia has been a long-standing defence partner of India and both the countries are now eyeing to further deepen the ties.
News 11 - DRDO announces development of indigenous Trawl system for clearing landmines
R&DE (Engrs), a premier system-engineering laboratory under Armament & Combat Engineering (ACE) cluster of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has recently undertaken the design and development of Trawl System for the minefield area in the battle zone to meet the operational requirements of Indian Army.
Trawl System is employed for breaching of land mines and creating a vehicle safe lane. It is capable of breaching a variety of land mines including passive and active influence mines.
News 12 - Development trials of Astra air-to-air missile successful
The final Development Flight Trials of Astra − Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile (BVRAAM) were successfully conducted over the Bay of Bengal, Off the Coast of Chandipur in Odisha. Seven trials were conducted against the Pilotless Target Aircrafts (PTA) successfully.
The missile has been designed to be capable of engaging high-speed targets at short range, up to 20 km in tail chase mode and long range, up to 80 km in head-on chase mode as per DRDO.
News 13 - Indigenous Artillery Gun sets a new record in range
Defence Research and Development Organisation in union with the Bharat Forge Limited of Kalyani Group, Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division and Mahindra Defence Naval System, has developed indigenous artillery gun, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System to set a new world record in range by hitting targets at a distance of 48 km.
This newly developed gun system has better mobility, better auxiliary power mode, 52 calibre towed artillery gun, more-advanced communication system and has registered the longest ever distance of 48.074 kms.
News 14 - First Scorpene Submarine INS Kalvari Handed Over to Navy
INS Kalvari, the first of the six Scorpene-class submarines, being built in India as part of technology transfer from France, was delivered to the Navy. INS Kalvari is the first indigenously built submarine in 22 years. It has a range of 12,000 km. It is named after the dreaded Tiger Shark, a deadly deep-sea predator of the Indian Ocean.
These six Scorpene-class submarines are being built under Project-75 by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd at a project cost of Rs. 23,652 crores. The other two Scorpenes are INS Khanderi and INS Karanj.
News 15 - Indian Coast Guard’s interceptor boat launched
A new interceptor boat (V-409) built by Bharathi Defence and Infrastructure Limited (BDIL) was launched to give a boost to coastal security.
The 28-metre long, V-409 interceptor boat has aluminium hull and fitted with new generation of Arneson Surface Drive (ASD), which is propelled by two powerful diesel engines of 1650 KW each.
The Rs. 18 crore vessel can operate in shallow waters. The vessel has the capability of attaining very high speed in a very short duration and can operate in shallow waters.
News 16 - Indian Navy commissions Water Jet Fast Attack Craft
INS Tarasa, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft was commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. INS Tarasa is the fourth and last of the follow-on Water Jet FAC's built by GRSE, Kolkata. The other three are INS Tarmugli, Tihayu and Tillanchang.
INS Tarasa is 50 m long and powered by three waterjets with a speed of over 35 knots. It is armed with a 30 mm main gun and a number of light, medium and heavy machine guns. It is ideal for missions like coastal surveillance, EEZ Patrol, law enforcement as well as non-military missions.
News 17 - BDL signs contract for supply of Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile to the Indian Army
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has signed contract with Research Centre Imarat (RCI) for supply of Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles to the Indian Army. The contract was signed for production, deliveries and product support of MRSAM system for the Indian Army.
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) is one of India's manufacturer of ammunitions and missile systems. It was founded in 1970 in Hyderabad, Telangana. BDL is the nodal agency for the production of Missiles developed by India.
News 18 - Indian Air Force signed a MoU with Jamia Millia Islamia University
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Air Force (IAF) to provide vertical and academic mobility to its personnel and officers.
The MoU records mutual intent for academic collaboration between JMI and IAF for academic and technical advancement and progression of IAF personnel and officers. It would facilitate admission of defence personnel in second or third year Graduation/Post Graduation/Doctorate programme through the medium of distance learning.
News 19 - Indo-US commenced joint exercise Yudh Abhyas 2017 at Washington
Exercise Yudh Abhyas − 2017, a joint military exercise between Indian and US armies commenced at Joint Base Lewis McChord, which is in Washington, USA. During the two week long exercise, soldiers from both countries will have to show their tactical skills in counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations under a joint brigade headquarter.
Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in UN Peacekeeping Operations. Experts from both sides will hold detailed discussions to share their experience and expertise on varied operational topics.
