Recent 6 months news in Defence

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has signed three contracts with the IIT Bombay to indigenously develop AI-driven predictive maintenance technologies.

This initiative includes the development of a digital diagnostic health index for the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft fleet. The Su-30MKI is a twin-engine, multi-role fighter aircraft developed by Sukhoi, Russia, and customised for India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

The Government of India has signed an agreement to export BrahMos missiles to Vietnam in a deal valued at ₹6,000 crore ($629 million).

This agreement strengthens bilateral defence and strategic cooperation between the countries. Vietnam is the second overseas buyer of the BrahMos missile system, after the Philippines.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have successfully conducted flight tests of the indigenous RudraM-II Air-to-Surface Missile. The missile was launched from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft off the Odisha coast.

The RudraM-II is a solid-propelled, high-speed, air-launched system designed for the Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD). It is capable of neutralising enemy surveillance radars, communication hubs, and tracking stations, with an operational strike range of 300 to 350 km.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, which is India’s first indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft project.

The government-funded programme has an estimated prototype development cost of ₹15,000 crore, covering the development of 5 flying prototypes and 1 structural test aircraft.

For the first time, the MoD has excluded Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) from the manufacturing process and invited private sector participation. A 650-acre greenfield manufacturing facility and the Core Integration and Flight Testing Centre of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) are being developed at Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, in collaboration with the selected private partner.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the private defence manufacturing complex of the NIBE Group in Shirdi, Maharashtra. The project involved an investment of over ₹5,000 crore.

Additionally, the Minister has approved the establishment of four defence corridors in Pune, Nashik, Ahmednagar, and Nagpur to strengthen the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem of India.

The Indian Army (IA) has launched ‘Q-FORCE’, an integrated digital application designed to streamline logistics and sustainment management by integrating multiple logistics and inventory platforms across diverse operational terrains.

Additionally, the IA has introduced ‘Kautilya’, an AI-powered command intelligence platform.

General NS Raja Subramani has assumed charge as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of India. He succeeds General Anil Chauhan.

Prior to this appointment, he served as the Military Advisor at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and is recognized as an expert on security matters concerning Pakistan and China.

The Nibe Group has signed a Joint Venture (JV) with Israel-based Elbit Systems to establish manufacturing facilities for advanced energetic materials and propellants in India.

The JV will manufacture products including Nitro Cellulose, Nitro Glycerine, and various propellant bases like single base, double base, and triple base.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath have inaugurated the ‘Nausena Shaurya Vatika’ in Lucknow. Built at a cost of ₹19 crore, this Open-Air Display Museum is spread over 2 acres and is dedicated to the spirit, valour, and prowess of the Indian Navy.

The museum showcases artefacts and weapon systems from the INS Gomati, which was decommissioned in 2022 after 34 years of service.

Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan has assumed charge as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Western Naval Command (WNC). He succeeds Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with South Korean Ministers Ahn Gyu-back and Lee Yong-cheol in Seoul. He also chaired the India-ROK Defence Industry Business Roundtable in Seoul to foster bilateral defence cooperation.

During the visit, India and the ROK exchanged an MoU to enhance cooperation in defence cyber security and defence information sharing. Additionally, two agreements were signed between Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Hanwa Co Ltd to facilitate collaboration between the defence industries of both nations.

India successfully tested the 'Suryastra' Universal Rocket Launcher system at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha, on May 28, 2026.

Developed by Pune-based Nibe Limited in collaboration with Israel's Elbit Systems, the system is India's first indigenous universal multi-caliber rocket launcher. The system demonstrated exceptional precision during the trials, with its tactical and strategic variants hitting targets at ranges of 150 km and 300 km, respectively.

NIBE Ltd (NIBE Ltd) has successfully conducted trials of its Vayu Astra-1 Loitering Munition (LM), which features a 100-km operational range. The trials were conducted at Pokhran in Rajasthan and Joshimath (Malari) in Uttarakhand under the No-Cost, No-Commitment (NCNC) model.

The Vayu Astra-1 is based on an Israeli-designed loitering munition system developed in collaboration with Elbit Systems. Under the NCNC model, NIBE Ltd managed the technology, conducted the demonstrations, and bore all operational and technical validation costs.

The DRDO has successfully completed the final deliverable configuration development trials of the indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3. The trials were conducted in both Air-to-Ground and Air-to-Air modes at the National Open Area Range (NOAR) near Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.

The ULPGM-V3 is a lightweight (12.5 kg) fire-and-forget missile with an extended standoff range of up to 10 km. It is to be noted that the missile is a upgrade over its predecessor V1 (free-fall) and V2 (propulsion-added) configurations.

Group Captain KK Venugopal (Retired) from the Executive Group of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has become the first Indian test pilot to be elected as a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) in the United States of America (USA).

It is to be noted that he was previously decorated with the Vayu Sena Medal (VSM) in 2004.

The aerospace division of Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL) has signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh government to establish the first private-sector Marine Gas Turbine (MGT) Repair, Overhaul, and Indigenous Development Complex of India in Visakhapatnam.

The facility will span 80 acres within the AP Defence Manufacturing Corridor developed by the aerospace division of BFL. The complex will be co-located with the Naval Dockyard, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Eksila, and the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) Headquarters in Visakhapatnam.

Tonbo Imaging has secured a contract from the Indian Navy under the ADITI 3.0 innovation framework to integrate and commission a High Power Microwave (HPM) system for naval platforms.

The project aims to develop and integrate HPM-based directed-energy capabilities for maritime warfare to effectively counter electronic and unmanned threats.

Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace (FWDA), a deep-tech defence company, has announced that its flagship AI-powered Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) named ‘Kaal Bhairava’ will be manufactured at its first international production facility in Portugal.

The initiative is a part of ‘Operation 777’ which aims to establish seven global headquarters across 77 countries. The project is being developed in collaboration with SKETCHPIXEL, a European company specializing in advanced fighter jet simulation systems (including those for F-16 aircraft).

India has successfully conducted consecutive trials of the “Suryastra” Universal Rocket Launcher system from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha. The system is developed by Pune-based NIBE Ltd (NIBE) in collaboration with Elbit Systems, Israel.

The demonstration was carried out as part of a ₹293 crore Indian Army (IA) procurement order under the Emergency Procurement window. The Tactical Variant of the system has a range of 150 km and achieved a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of 1.5 m, while the Strategic Variant has a range of 300 km and achieved a CEP of 2 m.

India has successfully test-fired the Agni-1 missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha. The test was conducted under the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) to validate all operational and technical parameters of the system.

Agni-1 is an indigenous, single-stage, surface-to-surface Short Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM) powered by solid propellants. Designed for rapid deployment via road or rail mobile launchers, the missile has an operational strike range of 700-900 km and is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear warheads.