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This year’s exercise places particular emphasis on preparing the two armies to operate together in mountainous and semi-mountainous terrain while integrating infantry formations with surveillance systems, autonomous platforms and contemporary battlefield technologies.
Developed by DRDO’s Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur, the Low Cost Plug-n-Play Thermal Target System, or LC-TTS, has been placed under DRDO’s Transfer of Technology programme. The technology was published for industry participation on September 10, 2026, with two licences currently available.
For India, the reduction in Chinese troop levels has therefore not translated into any relaxation of military readiness. The Ministry said Indian Army deployments across all sectors of the LAC remain robust, well positioned and prepared to deal with emerging contingencies.
NATO formally recognised this change in 2019 when it declared space its fifth operational domain, alongside land, sea, air and cyberspace. NATO now describes space-based communications, navigation, intelligence and missile warning as essential components of modern military operations.
The Ministry of Defence describes the engagement as the “Longest Surface to Air Kill” and places it within the Indian Air Force’s wider integrated air-defence operations during the four-day confrontation between May 7 and 10, 2025.
The technology has reached Technology Readiness Level 3, meaning the underlying concept has been demonstrated experimentally but remains well short of a production-ready aircraft system. IIT Madras has nevertheless moved the invention into its technology-transfer portfolio and is offering it for licensing, indicating that the research is now being positioned for possible industrial development.
The two SWiFT-K prototypes have reportedly completed High-Speed Taxi Trials at the Aeronautical Test Range at Challakere. These trials are an important step before flight testing because they allow engineers to examine acceleration, braking, steering, ground stability, structural behaviour and flight-control responses as the aircraft approaches take-off speed.
The significance of the programme lies not simply in producing another artillery system. A mature electromagnetic gun could eventually occupy the space between conventional long-range artillery and expensive guided missiles, delivering high-velocity kinetic projectiles over considerable distances without depending upon the large chemical propellant charges required by traditional guns.
TiHAN and the Andhra Pradesh Drones Corporation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding under which the IIT Hyderabad hub will serve as a technical and knowledge partner for the Drone City and the wider drone ecosystem being developed in the state.
The logistics network forms part of the broader Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. The partnership was announced at the Quad Leaders’ Meeting in 2022, with guidelines subsequently established to improve coordination among the four countries during regional disasters.
