Aerospace and Defence News

MILITARY AVIATION
Northrop Grumman and EADS Unveil Euro Hawk UAV 14 October 2009
On October 08, US aerospace major Northrop Grumman and Germany’s EADS Defence & Security together unveiled Germany’s first unmanned reconnaissance aircraft – the Euro Hawk, which resembles the US UAV Global Hawk. Equipped with signal intelligence mission system developed by EADS Defence & Security, [...]

IDR Interview: Admiral Nirmal Verma, Chief of the Naval Staff

 “The Indian Navy has been designated as the authority responsible for overall maritime security”
Arihant and Sea based Nuclear Deterrent
One of the most significant events in the recent times has been the commissioning of India’s nuclear submarine in July this year, even if she has a way to go before attaining op status. India has declared [...]

IDR at the DefExpo 2010

Women in the Armed Forces: misconceptions and facts

The recent debate about the induction of women in the armed forces has been highly skewed and shallow. An issue that critically affects the fighting potential of the armed forces has been reduced to ‘equality of sexes’ and ‘women’s liberation’. Many ill-informed observers have trifled such a sensitive matter by terming it as ‘conquering the [...]

Unprepared and Unwilling

The creeping invasion by authoritarian regimes will engulf Asia by 2020 as democracies continue to retreat. India is unprepared and unwilling to safeguard the Asian democratic space.
The growing clout of totalitarian regimes coupled with the non-state actors is set to shrink the democratic space in Asia. If the onslaught is not reversed, by end of [...]

Peace with Pakistan: an idea whose time has passed

A leading indian english language  newspaper has chosen to begin 2010 by stirring up controversy. It has run a series of editorials advocating peace initiatives with Pakistan, despite the manifest unwillingness of Islamabad to punish the perpetrators of 26/11. What might have begun as a practical joke by the newspaper’s editorial staff

Pitfalls in Arms Procurement Process

Modernization of armed forces is a very capital intensive and long drawn process wherein the armed forces first identify their needs and then acquire the same through some rather complex procedures.

Defence Offsets: Proving Detrimental to the Services

Post Kargil, indian defence imports had been ranging between three to six billion dollars annually whereas defence exports had been stagnating at meagre 50 million dollars an year. Despite India’s best efforts very little headway was being made on the export front. As a last resort, a proposal was mooted in 2004 to coerce foreign [...]

The killers’ mace of the dark visitors

In February 1999, The PLA Literature and Arts Publishing House in Beijing released a fascinating book written by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, two Senior Colonels of the People’s Liberation Army. The title of the book was Unrestricted Warfare [available on Lancers Publishers website]1.

Maoist Threat and Politics

The previous issue of the Indian Defence Review carried a letter from a serving air force officer Group Captain RK Prasad to the Home Minister of India. The officer and his family had been mentally and financially tortured by their own countrymen, who like to call themselves ‘Maoists’. The younger brother of Gp Capt Prasad [...]

Defence Purchases: time India asserts itself

Press reports have been highlighting Russian refusal to deliver aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov at the contracted price and within the agreed delivery period. It is demanding more money on the plea that the Russian technicians had underestimated the quantum of work required to restore the fire-ravaged ship.

Arihant: the annihilator

The launching of the Arihant by the Prime Minister (PM) on 26th July 2009 has hopefully, at last, partially lifted the top security veil over the Advance Technology Vessel (ATV) Project. In that light, to the extent feasible,

Securing Maritime Lifelines

Characterised by globalisation, the present times bear a new flavour for international relations. The economic liberalization undertaken by states has led to a frenzy of commercial interactions amongst them and their increased participation in global arrangements like International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Helicopter Operations

Aviation historians delight in tracing the concept of the helicopter to Leonardo di Vinci or even earlier to some vague drawings in China that date back to an era before Christ. Be that as it may, for India the helicopter age started in the mid 1950s when a couple of Sikorsky helicopters flew in the [...]