Defense

The Air Marshal was commissioned into the fighter stream of IAF on 06 December 1986. He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Defence Staff Service College (Bangladesh) and National Defence College with more than 3500 hours of flying. The Air Marshal has an extensive flying experience on various aircraft; to name a few; Mirage-2000, variants of Mig, HPT-32, An-32, Avro, Kiran, Jaguar,      IL-78, Hawk and Tejas.

General Dhiraj Seth is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986. Over a distinguished military career spanning nearly four decades, he has had extensive experience across the operational, strategic, capability development and institutional domains, contributing significantly to the Indian Army’s combat effectiveness and long-term transformation.

General Dwivedi said the Army will require continuous induction, upgrades and large-scale replenishment of drones to match future operational needs. The proposed Baaz Battalions will build upon existing Remotely Piloted Aircraft Flights and create a dedicated pool of trained personnel capable of operating and managing drone systems across the wider battlefield ecosystem.

The Lucknow facility has strategic importance because BrahMos is one of India’s most important precision-strike weapon systems. Developed through the India–Russia joint venture between DRDO and NPO Mashinostroyenia, BrahMos Aerospace was created to design, develop, manufacture and market the supersonic cruise missile system.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the revised framework will help accelerate the delivery of critical systems, platforms and technologies developed through India’s defence R&D ecosystem into the Armed Forces. Rajnath Singh said the framework would also strengthen collaboration with industry and academia, while reinforcing the larger vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence technologies.

Named Akshay, meaning Indestructible, the Fast Patrol Vessel embodies the enduring spirit, resilience and unwavering commitment of Bharatiya Tatrakshak towards safeguarding the nation’s maritime interests. The ship reinforces the Service’s resolve to ensure safe, secure and clean seas while protecting India’s vast maritime domain.

The field evaluation reportedly ran across a 72-hour operational window and involved multi-aircraft autonomous tactical cells operating over a simulated contested perimeter of around 20,000 square metres. The drones were tested through rapid tasking cycles and mission scenarios designed to examine coordination, resilience and autonomous decision support.