Indian Defence Review

Another Face Off With PLA in Pangong Tso Area

Another face off between an Indian Army patrol and PLA occurred north of Pangong Tso Lake on September 11, 2019, which some media reports describe as “scuffle”. Media quoting an unnamed source says, “Indian soldiers were on a patrol when they were confronted by PLA soldiers, who strongly objected to their...

Autonomous Aerial Weapons & Platforms

The modern military drone was the brainchild of John Stuart Foster Jr., a nuclear physicist and aero modeling hobbyist, who in 1971, had the idea that these models could be applied to building weapons. He drew up plans and by 1973, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) had built two prototypes. They were...

370 and Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir

Top ten Sri Lankan cricketers have refused to play T20 series in Pakistan owing to security reasons, yet Pakistan was unabashed in going to the UNHRC complaining about India’s human rights violations in the ‘Indian State’ of Jammu and Kashmir. It may be underscored that the Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah...

Another Face Off With PLA in Pangong Tso Area

370 and Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir

US-Taliban Deal will not reduce Af-Pak flux

Media reports of mid-August 2019, quoting Taliban sources, had stated that US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will be over in 14 months, which possibly was keeping in mind that President Donald Trump was intent on the withdrawal before next US presidential election slated for November 3, 2020. But the quantum of troop...

Creating the CDS – Not the What but the How

Two recent announcements by the government – creation of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) for the armed forces and merger of public sector banks – though diametrically opposite in context, have a common concept; bringing about synergy so that the whole is more than the sum of the parts. While the merger of banks being...

Indian Air Force inducts eight Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters

Boeing formally handed over eight of 22 AH-64E Apache helicopters to the Indian Air Force at the Air Force Station, Pathankhot. Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, Chief of Air Staff, officers from the Indian Air Force and officials from Boeing attended the induction ceremony. The Apaches arrived at the Air Force Station,...

Drone Swarms: The Emerging Air Threat

The threat posed by drones has been acknowledged from the time the first drone took to the air. Efforts have been made ever since to counter the slow, low flying objects, if not to shoot them down. From a rudimentary defence provided by a shotgun used to shoot down a drone overhead to sophisticated Counter Unmanned...

Integrating Madrassa Education

It is no secret that the deep state of Middle East and the West were behind the installation of Mohamed Morsi as President of Egypt following the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. Morsi led the ‘Freedom and Justice Party’ launched by the radical Sunni-islamists outfit ‘Muslim Brotherhood’, which latter described as...

Government is determined to strengthen democracy and usher development in J&K

“We as a nation, as a family, have taken a historic decision. A system due to which brothers and sisters of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh were deprived of many rights and which was a big obstacle to their development, that system has been done away with,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the Nation on...

Depoliticizing Kashmir is the way out

Upturning of a plethora of Kashmir political rubble accumulated over seventy years is the sum and substance of Governor’s recent interview to some pressmen. It is for the first time that the Governor has demystified the inscrutable facade of Kashmir politics. Some commentators will call it a browbeating....

Autonomous Aerial Weapons & Platforms

Russian Helicopters presents Mi-171A2 and Ka-226T intended for India at EEF

As part of its joint exposition with the Buryat Republic, Russian Helicopters Holding Company (part of Rostec State Corporation) will present its latest civilian helicopter Mi-171A2 and Ka-226T light-weight multi-purpose helicopter, which are planned to be supplied to India, at the Eastern Economic Forum in...

Rafael expands operations in India and announces New Facility with Astra

Astra Rafael Communication System (ARC), a Joint Venture between Astra Microwave Pvt Ltd. and RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. of Israel, inaugurated their state-of-the-art facility at Hardware Technology Park, Hyderabado. The occasion was graced by Shri G Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble Minister of State, Home Affairs, in...

Credible Deterrence must remain Leitmotif of India’s Security Policies

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day announcement on August 15 about the institution of a Chief...

‘No First Use’ is Not Sacrosanct: Need a Theatre-Specific Posture for...

What would be the response of India if it comes across credible intelligence that Pakistan is preparing to launch...

India and France: Enduring, reliable partners

India undoubtedly needs all its energies, resources and friends to fight on these two separate fronts. L’Affaire Rafale had been in news in the national press for months thanks to the then leader of Opposition, who alleged hanky-panky in the intergovernmental deal signed between India and France for acquiring 36 off-the-shelf Rafale multi-role fighter planes. Of course, l’Affaire was just...

J&K: What Pakistan can do and how India should respond

The change in status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir carried out in the most legitimate and constitutional manner is essentially an internal matter of the Indian nation. What is galling here is the undesirable and disgusting interference that is being attempted by neighbouring...

India must rethink its Balochistan Policy

That Balochistan, the resource-rich southwestern province of Pakistan, has never been in the news nor captured global attention the way that Kashmir has is perhaps testimony to the PR capabilities of the Pakistani deep establishment. Or is it that since Balochistan was not an...

Appointment of Chief of Defence Staff: A Historic Decision

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rousing Independence Day address delivered from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort covered many issues relating to reforms and development in India. Among the several key announcements made by the Prime Minister was the creation of the post of...

Kashmir As "Disputed Territory" Bogey Fades into History- 2019

Kashmir as ‘Disputed Territory’ bogey nauseatingly maintained by Pakistan ever since 1947 and permissively perpetuated by past Indian Governments due to political timidity faded into history on August 05 2019 when PM Narendra Modi BJP Government steered through Indian Parliament by overwhelming majority for abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of State into two Union Territories. In 2019, it must be understood that in terms of...