News , articles and essays on Indian Defense
Indian aerospace company Raphe mPhibr is taking its ambitions into the Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance UAV segment with a new 1.5-tonne-class unmanned aircraft reportedly powered by a domestically developed 250 kW, or roughly 335 hp, piston engine. The platform has emerged as Raphe’s contender for India’s massive programme to acquire 87 MALE UAVs, a procurement valued at more than ₹30,000 crore.
The new capability is particularly important because the launch and recovery mechanism is one of the most critical elements of a submarine rescue system. During an emergency, it must safely lower the rescue vehicle into the sea and recover it after the DSRV completes its mission.
HAL sought a specialised robotic solution for the design, development, supply, installation and proving of a robotic drilling system for LCA aircraft wings. A tender for the requirement was floated in early 2026, confirming that the project forms part of HAL’s effort to modernise the Tejas manufacturing process.
Modern ejection seats are among the most safety-critical systems aboard a combat aircraft. They must detect or respond to an emergency, propel the pilot clear of the aircraft, stabilise the seat, deploy recovery systems and separate the aircrew safely across a wide range of altitudes and speeds.
The company designs sensing, processing, communications and guidance systems encompassing thermal-imaging cores, weapon sights, surveillance equipment, targeting systems, missile seekers, fire-control equipment and embedded vision systems. Tonbo describes itself as a defence-electronics OEM specialising in electro-optical/infrared, or EO/IR, technologies, with systems intended for soldiers as well as land, naval, airborne and missile platforms.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the AMCA Core Integration & Flight Testing Centre at Puttaparthi in Sri Sathya Sai district on May 15, 2026.
Koizumi briefed the Prime Minister on progress in bilateral defence cooperation and reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to expanding security ties with India. Modi also referred to discussions held with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit in July 2026 and welcomed the steady momentum in the defence relationship.
The Visakhapatnam-based Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL) has signed agreements covering a Submarine Fired Decoy (SFD) with defence public sector company Bharat Dynamics Limited and technology linked to the fabrication, installation and commissioning of LM2500 gas-turbine systems with Hyderabad-based Vertex Engineering Systems Pvt. Ltd. DRDO confirmed the agreements through an official announcement.
The Indian Army has demonstrated the ability of its newly inducted AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to operate from unconventional locations, with the combat helicopters carrying out landing and take-off drills on a highway in forward areas of Rajasthan near the India-Pakistan border. The exercise marks another step in the operational integration of the Army Aviation Corps’ Apache fleet into the western theatre.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh co-chaired the meeting with Jeremy Pocklington, Permanent Secretary at the UK Ministry of Defence. The discussions covered ongoing bilateral defence initiatives, emerging areas of industrial collaboration and the broader security environment.
