Defense

The twin firings, done on October 21 and 22, were carried out as part of routine official training.
According to a IAF tweet, the missiles “engaged the designated mock targets close to 300 kilometres away”.
“A direct hit on the target was achieved in both cases. The firing of the missile has enhanced the IAF’s capability to engage the grounds targets with pin-point accuracy from a mobile platform,” it said.

INS Sayhadri (F-49), a Shivalik-class stealth multi-role frigate; and INS Kiltan (P-30), a Kamorta-class anti-submarine warfare corvette will dock at Pier 15, said Lt. Cmdr. Maria Christina Roxas, acting director of naval public affairs office. The warships will be in the Philippines from Oct. 23 to 26. It is expected to conduct various confidence-building measures with its Philippine Navy counterparts.

While the respective headquarters of the three services are studying each other’s governing Acts, passed by Parliament, they are also looking at international practices, including the American Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 that made sweeping changes to the Department of Defense by reworking the command structure of the US military, defence sources told ThePrint.

According to Defence PRO, Rajasthan, Colonel Sombit Ghosh, the tactical exercise involved integrated employment and firing of all arms including artillery guns, rockets, tanks, helicopters and air resources. The Army aptly demonstrated the ability to hit hard and swiftly with precision, with the accuracy of multiple rocket launch systems and K-9 Vajra 155 mm Howitzer being particularly noteworthy.

The defence minister was in Ladakh, along with Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat, to inaugurate a strategically located bridge across the Shyok River which will provide easy connectivity with the Daulat Beg Oldi sector along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. “Ladakh has tremendous potential in tourism. Better connectivity in Ladakh would certainly bring tourists in large numbers. The Siachen area is now open for tourists and tourism.

The proposal to acquire two regiments of the Akash Prime missiles which can be deployed in high altitude areas to counter China and Pakistan would be discussed at the meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council scheduled to be held today. The Akash missile system has been developed in India by DRDO and has proven to be highly successful in the defence forces.

Work on the radar stations to plug the Maldives into India’s coastal radar chain is progressing fast. “Two of the stations are functional and the third is in an advanced stage. It should be fully linked by January,” the sources added. Sources pointed out that the two Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) given by India were of “great service”. They were flying round the clock for medical evacuation and search and rescue.

According to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, DTTI came about to expedite the scope of cooperation on defence technology that become narrow due to the presence of differing bureaucratic processes and legal requirements. Essentially, DTTI is an initiative to provide “increased US senior level oversight and engagement to get beyond these obstacles.”

Existing intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) re-entry vehicles also travel at those superfast speeds, but the hypersonic glide vehicles now in development are far more manoeuvrable, making their tracking and interception nearly impossible. Hypersonic weapons are specifically designed for increased survivability against modern ballistic missile defence systems. These missiles are capable of delivering conventional or nuclear payloads at speeds not imagined hitertoo over long ranges.