Defense

Chief of Defence Staff General N. S. Raja Subramani is understood to be preparing to present the proposed framework to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Following consideration by the Ministry of Defence, the proposal would require approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security before the new command architecture could be implemented. General Subramani assumed charge as India’s third Chief of Defence Staff in May 2026, succeeding General Anil Chauhan.

INS Mahendragiri has joined the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet, also known as the Sunrise Fleet. The frigate will strengthen India’s maritime combat capabilities along the eastern seaboard and extend the Navy’s operational reach across the Indian Ocean Region.

The new drones are expected to support the Indian Army’s Artillery arm. Their primary battlefield role will be deep precision strikes against targets such as enemy artillery positions, command nodes, logistics points and other high-value tactical assets. Reports also say these systems have been designed with resistance to jamming and spoofing, reflecting lessons from recent conflicts where electronic warfare has become central to drone operations.

The partnership represents a successful combination of Indian ship design and construction with specialised New Zealand propulsion technology. Indian shipyards built the vessels, integrated their weapons and sensors, and adapted them for domestic operational requirements, while HamiltonJet supplied the waterjet systems that provide speed, acceleration, shallow-water mobility and exceptional manoeuvrability.

The proposed facility is expected to be a blow-down type trisonic wind tunnel capable of aerodynamic testing across the speed range from Mach 0.2 to Mach 4.5. This means the tunnel can support testing in three major flight regimes: subsonic, transonic and supersonic. For missile and aircraft designers, this is a critical capability because modern aerospace vehicles experience very different aerodynamic behaviour as they move from low-speed flight to the shock-wave dominated supersonic region.

According to WDMMA, the Indian Air Force currently has an active inventory of 1,716 aircraft, covering fighters, helicopters, transports, trainers, support aircraft and future procurement categories. The IAF has been given a TruVal Rating of 69.4, while the U.S. Air Force holds the benchmark score of 242.9.