ASB Thermal Battery: The Power of Reliability

A Review of Advances in Thermal Battery Technology
New generations of Aeronautic systems demand high power capabilities, even for miniaturised defence systems. The modern power source requires being more robust to cope with higher velocity and environmental conditions, more reliable due to the high costs of modern systems,

Friendship to Partnership

Historical Background
To grasp the intricacies of Indo-French relations in the field of defence and security, it is necessary to first have a look at some issues which may seem unrelated, but which will help us to understand the historical background and get clearer perspectives on the future.

India’s Borders

Unending Threats and Challenges
With a landmass of sub-continental proportions, India occupies a predominant strategic position in Southern Asia and dominates the northern Indian Ocean with a coastline that is 7,683 km long, and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that is over two million square km in size. India’s land borders exceed 15,000 km which it [...]

Defence Industry

It is almost seven years since the first set of major policy changes were promulgated by the Government to give a fillip to our stagnating and moribund defence industry.  The fundamental underpinnings to the policy changes were two: firstly, bring in the private sector; and secondly, opening the door for foreign companies by permitting up [...]

India’s Quest for Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence

On 06 Dec, 07 indian scientists launched an indigenously developed solid fuel rocket called the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor from Wheeler island to destroy a Prithvi target missile launched earlier from the Interim Test Range at Chandipur 72 Km to its North.

India Russia: Strategic Relations

The India-Russia strategic relations with its embedded military ties have been, in the past 15 years, buffeted by the turbulence of international upheavals and domestic events. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war have quite dramatically altered the dynamics of this strategic relationship.

Indian Navy: Challenges Beyond The Horizon

The Currency of Power
In the mid-1980s many commentators predicted the end of the role of military force as the “currency of power”. Subsequent decades were however marked by global changes that significantly altered the distribution of international power. Radical shifts in the status of erstwhile subjugated states, the empowerment of newly developed and developing nations, [...]

Indian Energy Security

Setting the Right Priorities
Talking about energy security has become a fashion. Every now and then there is a conference on the subject or someone writes a scholarly article. The flavour of the season could be “equity oil” (buying stakes in oilfields overseas) or it could be “renewables ” such as Solar

Indian Hypocrisy And Security

For any cogent action against a potential or a festering problem, the rudimentary requirement for decision makers is to be convinced that there is a problem, and then define its import. This simple prerequisite, nevertheless, eludes India’s decision makers.

IDR Interview: Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State for Defence Production

  “…it is not correct to state that the progress of participation of  the private sector in defence production has been stalled.”

The process of opening the Indian defence industry to the private sector commenced in 2001. It gathered pace with the constitution of the Kelkar Committee. In the recent past, the Ministry of Defence has [...]

IDR Interview: Lt Gen S S Mehta, Director General, CII

  “…all competencies in the country, both in the public and the private sectors must be optimally harnessed.”

With a membership of close to 7500 manufacturing companies, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has been in the forefront in the promotion of defence-industry partnership. It has strived hard to bring various stake holders in the defence industry [...]