Recent 6 months news in Defence

Union Minister Rajnath Singh has launched several digital and financial management initiatives during the 279th Annual Day of the Defence Accounts Department (DAD) held at DRDO Bhawan in New Delhi.

As part of the event, the System for Accounting and Knowledge Sharing Management (SAKSHAM), which serves as the bill audit and payment system of the DAD, was integrated with the Indian Army Financial Information System (IAFIS).

The Treasury Single Account (TSA) system was operationalised through the Payment Routing and Integrated System Management (PRISM) platform and integrated with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) e-KUBER system. A revamped National Compilation System (NCS) was also introduced to function as a unified platform for the accounting and compilation of overall defence expenditure.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh has launched “INS Surya” (FSS-1), the first indigenously designed and built Fleet Support Ship (FSS) of the Indian Navy (IN), at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL) in Visakhapatnam.

He also initiated the keel laying of FSS-5, marking the start of construction for the fifth ship in the series. Infrastructure at HSL has been upgraded with a a 300-tonne Goliath crane. These facilities will support the construction of vessels up to 45,000 Deadweight Tonnage (DWT).

The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract worth ₹661.5 crore with BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd (BAPL) in New Delhi for the procurement of BrahMos Fire Control Systems (FCS) and Launchers for the Indian Navy vessels.

The acquisition is made under the “Buy (Indian-IDDM)” (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category. It is to be noted that the equipment to be supplied must have a minimum indigenous content of 68%.

The Joint Military Exercise between India and the UAE named ‘MOUNTAIN GUARDIAN 2026’ has commenced at the Foreign Training Node in Uttarakhand.

The Indian contingent is composed of troops from a Bhairav Battalion, while the UAE Army is represented by a Mountain Infantry Battalion. A total of 92 personnel are participating in the exercise.

INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish have participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Maritime Exercise (AIME 2026) held in the Philippines. The exercise was conducted under the theme “Anchored in Trust, United at Sea”.

The 24th edition of the annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy (IN) and the French Navy named “VARUNA” was conducted at the Toulon Naval Base in the Mediterranean Sea, France.

The IN was represented by INS Trishul (F43), a modernised Talwar-class guided-missile stealth frigate, while the French Navy participated with multiple frontline units.

The 9th edition of the joint military exercise named “KAZIND-2026” between India and Kazakhstan is held in Oskemen, Kazakhstan.

The Indian contingent has 60 personnel, led by a battalion of the Garhwal Rifles, while the Kazakhstan contingent is represented by 60 personnel primarily from its Land Forces.

The 10th India-Republic of Korea Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) on Defence Industries and Logistics Cooperation was held in New Delhi.

During the meeting, both nations reviewed ongoing bilateral cooperation in defence industries and logistics and discussed avenues to expand defence ties.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a contract worth ₹586 crore with Accurate Industrial Controls Pvt Ltd (AICPL) for the procurement of 3,257 Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) for T-72 and T-90 tanks of the Indian Army.

In another contract, the MoD has signed an agreement valued at ₹810.79 crore with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) for the procurement of 160 Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapons (SAT-SAAW) and associated equipment for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has commenced the operational phase of the multilateral air exercise named “Tarang Shakti 2026” at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

The exercise, themed “Power in Partnership”, witnessed the participation of seven Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs): Australia, the USA, the UAE, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It builds upon the successful inaugural edition of the exercise held in 2024.

DRDO has partnered with the CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI) for a ₹50 crore project to develop indigenous advanced lightweight bulletproof glass for armoured vehicles.

The four-year project is currently at an advanced stage and is being executed within DRDO laboratories. The initiative aims to transition the technology from laboratory development to large-scale manufacturing with an industry partner to be selected by DRDO.

The 18th edition of the annual joint military exercise between India and Mongolia named “Nomadic Elephant 2026” is held at the Foreign Training Node (FTN) in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.

The exercise involves 45 personnel each from the Indian Army (representing a battalion of the Arunachal Scouts) and the Mongolian Armed Forces.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh has unveiled several policy initiatives at the ‘VIMARSH 2026’ DRDO-Industry Synergy Meet held in New Delhi under the theme ‘Varta se Vikas’.

During the event, 9 Licensing Agreements for ToT (LAToTs) were handed over to 13 manufacturing partners. DRDO also signed a contract with the Quality Council of India (QCI) for the implementation of the ‘System for Advance Manufacturing Assessment and Rating’ (SAMAR) version 2.0.

A group of scientists led by Dr Meena Mishara has developed indigenous Gallium Nitride (GaN) Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) technology for high-frequency defence applications, was unveiled.

The bilateral air exercise “Veer Guardian 2026” between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) has concluded at the Air Force Station Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

The exercise aimed to enhance interoperability and strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations. Su-30 MKI, Rafale, and indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas of the IAF and F-2A fighter aircraft of the JASDF participated in the exercise.

India has successfully flight-tested its first indigenous long-range one-way attack drone named ‘KAL’ at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Rajasthan. Developed by the Noida-based IG Defence, the loitering munition (kamikaze drone) is designed for one-way strike missions.

The drone features an operational range of up to 1,000 km and a payload capacity of 50 kg. It is capable of fully autonomous flight at an altitude of up to 5,000 m using a navigation suite that combines multi-band Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Inertial Navigation Systems (INS).

Matangi, an indigenous Autonomous Surface Vessel (USV) developed by Sagar Defence Engineering, has successfully completed a 1,500 km (850 nautical miles) open-ocean voyage from Mumbai to Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.

The voyage, which was completed with zero human intervention (no captain or crew on board), was flagged off by Union Minister Rajnath Singh. The mission was conducted under the ‘Swavlamban’ initiative of the Indian Navy to foster self-reliance. The vessel is controlled by an indigenously developed AI-driven operating suite named ‘Genesis’.

The West Bengal government has approved a proposal by the DRDO to establish a new weapon and missile testing range at Junput village in Purba Medinipur district. Situated along the Bay of Bengal coast, the facility will be the third major missile-testing hub for the DRDO.

Existing testing infrastructures include the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha (at Chandipur and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island) and the Navdurga Missile Test Range (NMTR) currently being developed at Nagayalanka, Andhra Pradesh.

Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL) has partnered with the US-based Pratt & Whitney Canada to assess the feasibility of incorporating advanced turboprop engines into the High-Altitude, Long-Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) programme. The HALE UAV is currently being developed by the DRDO.

The 13th edition of the bilateral maritime exercise between India and Sri Lanka named “SLINEX-26” is held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

INS Kavaratti (an indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette) and INS Jyoti (a Fleet Tanker) of the Indian Navy (IN) and SLNS Sindurala of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) participated in the exercise to enhance maritime cooperation and interoperability.

The Table Top Exercise (TTX) under the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) has concluded at the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The exercise focused on strengthening coordinated responses to illegal maritime activities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).