Defense

The army is examining an internal proposal to turn this historically significant and India’s easternmost inhabited area into the next summer destination, said officials. It is through this place, Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh, eight kilometres south of the LAC, that one of Brahmaputra’s tributaries, Lohit, enters India and meanders into the Lohit valley, dividing its west and east banks. Though sparsely populated, the Kibithu sector, with its tall mountains running along the banks of the river, is home to the largely Meyor inhabited Dong village, where the sun rises between 3.30 am and 4 am during summer.

“We will have to restart the process of procuring the avian radars, but they will definitely be procured. Initially, we had few choices among the vendors. But now, there will be more choices with many indigenous players in the market,” a senior IAF officer, who didn’t want to be named, instructed LiiStudio.

The 155 mm/39-caliber howitzers, which can be sling-loaded to helicopters and swiftly deployed to high-altitude areas, are likely to be inducted by the year-end, the first officer said. India ordered 145 howitzers from the United States for $750 million in November 2016.

MBDA’s Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the 36 Rafale jets being procured by India at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. “India will get new capabilities with Rafale aircraft which the country never had before. Both Scalp and Meteor missiles will be game changer for Indian Air Force,” MBDA’s India chief Loïc Piedevache told PTI here.

Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’ 51 Squadron will be awarded unit citation by Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria for thwarting Pakistan’s aerial attack and shooting down their F-16 fighter aircraft on Feb 27, earlier this year. The number nine squadron, whose Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft carried out the Balakot aerial strikes on February 26 during ‘Operation Bandar’, will also be awarded.

The IAF is also finalising with Russia the procurement of 12 more Sukhois to replace the ones lost in crashes, which will be built by defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics, as well as 21 additional MiG-29 jets that will cost around Rs 230 crore each. “The Sukhois will be upgraded in near future to further enhance their operational capabilities,” said IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria. The IAF has so far inducted over 250 of the 272 Sukhois originally contracted in batches from Russia for well over $12 billion, with the bulk of them being licensed-produced by HAL.

Over 3,000 people attended a mega medical camp organised by the Army on Saturday in a remote village in Reasi district of Jammu & Kashmir, a defence person said

Asked about the threat potential of drones especially in the aftermath of such an attack on oil refineries in Saudia Arabia recently as part of the new way of asymmetric warfare, the IAF chief had anticipated such a challenge and we are also procuring sensors and other equipment to thwart any attack. He said the IAF is also aware of incidents in Punjab where drones were used to drop weapons by Pakistan.

Sqd Ldr Khanna was one of four IAF personnel to have been murdered by Yasin Malik on 25 January 1990 in the Kashmir Valley. Malik is presently being tried in a number of cases involving terror funding and also the murder of the IAF personnel. The decision to engrave Sqd Ldr Khanna’s name at the National War Memorial was taken by the IAF in the last week of September, under the former air chief marshal BS Dhanoa.

On October 8, the defence minister is scheduled to meet the French President Emmanuel Macron. After the meeting, Singh will proceed to Bordeaux to participate in the Rafale fighter jet handing-over ceremony at Merignac along with French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly. Singh will also perform the ‘Shastrapuja’ on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami and fly a sortie in the Rafale fighter jet.