Kautilya

The army is examining an internal proposal to turn this historically significant and India’s easternmost inhabited area into the next summer destination, said officials. It is through this place, Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh, eight kilometres south of the LAC, that one of Brahmaputra’s tributaries, Lohit, enters India and meanders into the Lohit valley, dividing its west and east banks. Though sparsely populated, the Kibithu sector, with its tall mountains running along the banks of the river, is home to the largely Meyor inhabited Dong village, where the sun rises between 3.30 am and 4 am during summer.

“We will have to restart the process of procuring the avian radars, but they will definitely be procured. Initially, we had few choices among the vendors. But now, there will be more choices with many indigenous players in the market,” a senior IAF officer, who didn’t want to be named, instructed LiiStudio.

The 155 mm/39-caliber howitzers, which can be sling-loaded to helicopters and swiftly deployed to high-altitude areas, are likely to be inducted by the year-end, the first officer said. India ordered 145 howitzers from the United States for $750 million in November 2016.

MBDA’s Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the 36 Rafale jets being procured by India at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. “India will get new capabilities with Rafale aircraft which the country never had before. Both Scalp and Meteor missiles will be game changer for Indian Air Force,” MBDA’s India chief Loïc Piedevache told PTI here.

Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’ 51 Squadron will be awarded unit citation by Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria for thwarting Pakistan’s aerial attack and shooting down their F-16 fighter aircraft on Feb 27, earlier this year. The number nine squadron, whose Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft carried out the Balakot aerial strikes on February 26 during ‘Operation Bandar’, will also be awarded.