The Indian Navy (IN) has decommissioned its fleet of 'Sea King Mk42B' helicopters, also known as the ‘Flying Frigates’, after 36 years of service.
The fleet, operated by the Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS 330), concluded its service with a final ceremonial flight from INS Shikra, the base of the Western Naval Command (WNC) in Mumbai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commissioned three indigenously built naval ships INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak, and INS Agray, at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust in Kolkata.
These frontline warships were designed by the Warship Design Bureau of the Indian Navy and manufactured by the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE), with over 75% indigenous content.
INS Dunagiri is a Project 17A stealth guided-missile frigate equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) systems. INS Sanshodhak is a Sandhayak-class Large Survey Vessel (SVL). INS Agray is an Arnala-class anti-submarine shallow water craft.
The DRDO has conducted three consecutive flight tests of its integrated multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system. These trials, executed from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha, demonstrated the system’s capability to intercept long-range (5,000 km) and medium-range (2,000 km) missiles using two advanced interceptor missiles.
Additionally, the maiden flight test of the indigenous Naval Anti-Ship Missile–Medium Range (NASM-MR) was also successfully conducted.
The Indian Army and the Indian Navy have signed a Memorandum of Association (MoA) on Affiliation in New Delhi. The agreement aims to strengthen inter-service cooperation, operational cohesion, and jointness among the armed forces.
It seeks to institutionalise structured professional exchanges, operational familiarisation, joint activities, and coordinated multi-domain operations between the two services.
Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd) has been appointed as the 3rd Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of India. He succeeds General Anil Chauhan, whose extended tenure ends on 30 May 2026. Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan is appointed as the next Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) and will assume command on 31 May 2026. He succeeds Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi.