Defense

“The cost negotiating committee is almost finished with the price negotiations of the aircraft. Once it is done, IAF will enter into a deal with the HAL,” a senior IAF official told IANS. As per sources, the deal for 83 Tejas LCA, which are of the Mark 1A variant, is expected to cost the IAF in the range of ₹45,000 crore. The aircraft will have improved serviceability, faster weapon-loading time, enhanced survivability, a better electronic warfare suite and Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar that will significantly enhance its capability.

The country allows up to 49% foreign direct investment (FDI) in defence in the automatic route and it needs government approval to go beyond the cap. This round of liberalisation is expected to raise the limit for automatic clearance to 74% along with relaxation in other conditions. “We are examining what we can offer. What kind of relaxation can be taken up,” the official said.

According to sources, Indian intelligence agencies had been given a clear-cut directive: stop terrorist infiltration to Kashmir at any cost as the cross-border militant groups would try to push in as many cadre as possible in these months. The Army had destroyed three such terror launch pads in the Neelam Valley of PoK with heavy artillery fire and caused significant damage to a fourth one, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said on Sunday.

Al-Qaeda affiliated Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH) had named Hameed Lelhari as its new commander after Zakir Musa’s death in May, 2019. Hamid Lelhari and two of his local associates were killed in an encounter in Awantipora on Tuesday evening. The encounter began in the outskirts of Awantipore as the security forces launched a cordon and search operation following inputs about the presence of terrorists.

Hundreds of Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, generated by ISI’s cyber group, have also been traced by Indian intelligence agencies. A list of such FB pages and Twitter accounts have been forwarded by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology (MEITY). Reliable sources said that MEITY’s cyber laws and e-security group is holding meetings with representatives from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Whatsapp to track and block URLs and groups active in an anti-Indian campaign and activities.

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.