Indian Defence Review

What really ails HAL

HAL has been in the news a lot lately, particularly due to the Rafale controversy on its quality and pricing issues. I do not intend to even touch on this controversy since I doubt anyone, outside of the loop, has any authentic information on how and why of this deal, except for what is said by various debaters on TV...

Disclosing Operation Kabbadi (September, 2001): An Immature Idea

Disclosing Indian Army’s aborted plan to launch “Operation Kabaddi” in September 2001 with an objective to end cross border infiltration in India’s premier national daily (The Hindu, 22 January) was perhaps an immature idea[1]. Based on Professor Happymon Jacob’s book titled “Line of Fire: Ceasefire...

The Brexit conundrum and the limited options for Theresa May

The time is running out for the British Prime Minister Theresa May as the March 29, 2019 deadline for Britain to leave the European Union(EU) is approaching. Her Brexit deal has fallen on the floor of House of Commons. She has, however, managed to survive a ‘No Confidence Vote’ after her Brexit deal was defeated by...

The Brexit conundrum and the limited options for Theresa May

Decoding Pentagon Report on China January 2019

Amidst sequential escalation of US-China ‘Heated cold war’, Pentagon has released a new report on 16 January 2019, airing US concerns about China’s growing military capability highlighting a contingency about a possible attack against Taiwan. This is sequel to the coercive/threatening speech of Chinese President Xi...

Talking to Pakistan

Both Omar Abdullah heading the National Conference (NC) and Mehbooba Mufti heading Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in J&K have been batting for India to talk to Pakistan and initiate dialogue with Hurriyat separatists. In September last year, India had agreed to a meeting between foreign ministers of both countries...

What really ails HAL

Light Combat Helicopter Demonstrates Unique Capability; Completes Weapon Trials

The Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) indigenously designed and developed by HAL achieved a unique milestone by successfully carrying out air to air missile firing on a moving aerial target. During the tests conducted in integrated test range at Chandipur, Odisha recently, Wg Cdr Subash P John, VM (Retd), test pilot, Col...

Dragon’s Flight: China’s Advances in Aerospace Technology

China’s leaders recognise that aerospace mastery is critical if it is to become a military superpower. The dragon is closing the technology gap with the US and Russia and it is likely to take a lead in niche areas before long. In future, America will probably judge the capability requirements of its armed forces –...

Disclosing Operation Kabbadi (September, 2001): An Immature Idea

A New Messiah in Kashmir!

Shah Faesal recently quit Indian Administrative Service (IAS). He has been since much in news, primarily because he is a Kashmiri Muslim and belonged to the J&K cadre wherein he served for 10 years. His topper status in the UPSC has also been no less ascribed to his mystique and his being even touted as...

Neglecting Border Infrastructure is Dangerous

With general elections approaching fast, there is news once again about plans for border infrastructure, albeit these are still on paper. This time the media on January 13, 2019 has quoted the recently released Central Public Works Department (CPWD) Annual Report (2018-19) stating the government plans to construct...

6 predictions for the Surveillance industry 2019

Artificial Intelligence For all the attention and discussion, you could be forgiven for thinking that artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing every industry and sector. Though for the more cynical (and with reference to the Gartner Hype Cycle) you may feel that a lack of demonstrable applications of AI...

Mini-UAV to Aerospace: AD solutions to tackle Multi-Dimensional Air Threat

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are aircraft that do not carry any crew, but rather, are operated remotely by human operators, or autonomously via pre-programmed software or robots. UAVs vary widely in size and capacity, and have become increasingly prevalent. Their use has increased exponentially...

LUH Clears 6 KMs Altitude Flight, Looks for High-altitude Cold Weather Trials

The Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) has achieved an important milestone of flying at 6 km altitude here in Bengaluru, recently. The chopper was flown by Chief Test Pilot Wg. Cdr. (Retd) Unni K Pillai and Test Pilot, Wing Cdr (Retd) Anil Bhambhani. The flight was carried out under the envelope expansion tests and flying...

Myanmar: Army Announces Cease-fire for four months

On 21st December, in a surprise move , the Army Chief Gen. Hliang announced a four-month ceasefire of operations in...

Preventing the Next 26/11: Intelligence and India's Security Apparatus

There is a long-standing debate on the role, means, and end goals of intelligence. Is dissemination the purpose? Do...

Kashmir: The Victim of a Non-Linear Conflict Trap

Strategy of Conflict Trap Civil wars have replaced conflicts between states as the most pervasive and violent armed struggles in the world. The conflict in Kashmir is also a by-product of the unending and forever war between India and Pakistan. The more extended the conflict, the greater the complexity. The most logical question should be: How did we get here? There is no simple answer to this...

Why is Iraqi Kurdistan Strategic for India?

India is one of the largest importers of oil and petroleum products across the globe. Being a developing nation and with a population of approximately over 1.2 billion, the demand for crude oil and allied products is at its peak. As a prudent consumer of oil, India is dependent...

China Prepares for War

On January 8, the Chinese State-owned Global Times reported that some units of the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) stationed in Tibet have been equipped with a new vehicle-mounted howitzer to boost China’s combat capability and improve border security. The...

Russia-India Relationship Perspectives Beyond 2018

Russia-India relationship beyond 2018 in terms of perspectives does not offer the same optimism and generate the same fizz as it did till before the disintegration of the Former Soviet Union. Geopolitically and in terms of strategic embrace, Russia at turn of Millennium swung...

Kashmir's Separatist Movement: Rising Challenges, Shrinking Relevance

J&K’s separatist leaders are under pressure to keep their political relevance intact in the aftermath of the outbreak of violence beginning July 2016. Despite their personal and ideological differences, three top separatist leaders–Yasin Malik, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq– were led to establish the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) in late-2016 to streamline street protests and galvanise a united front regarding...