Defense

The roots of Ghatak go back to the older AURA concept—short for Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft—which emerged as India’s attempt to build a stealthy strike UCAV rather than just a surveillance drone. A 2016 Lok Sabha reply the Ministry of Defence stated that a proposal for the UCAV “Ghatak” programme and the development of a gas turbine engine for it had been submitted through official channels after review by a high-power committee chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser.

One of the more important industrial signals in the delivery is the improvement in build timelines. Dunagiri is the fifth Project 17A ship delivered to the Navy in the last 16 months, and the programme appears to be gaining construction efficiency as experience accumulates.

Designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by GRSE to Indian Register of Shipping classification rules, Sanshodhak is meant for full-scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys, including surveys of harbour approaches, port channels and navigational routes. Its mission profile also extends beyond navigation support, since the vessel is intended to collect scientific and geophysical data that can be used for both defence and civilian applications.

By naming Swayam Raksha Kavach in the 2025 contract, the MoD signalled that the newest Tejas standard is being defined as a more modern indigenous combat-systems stack.

Designed and constructed by GRSE in accordance with the Classification Rules of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), the ASW SWC class is intended to strengthen the Navy’s capability to operate in shallow coastal waters against underwater threats. The delivery of Agray adds further momentum to India’s efforts to expand domestically built frontline and support naval platforms under the broader push for defence self-reliance.

In essence, Vayu Baan is designed to be released from a helicopter or transport platform in flight, stabilize after the drop, unfold into autonomous flight, and then execute a pre-designated mission. That mission could range from target detection and battle-space surveillance to direct target destruction, giving the launch platform a new stand-off option in contested air and land environments.

Virupaksha is a multimode, multifunction Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar intended for the Indian Air Force’s Su-30MKI upgrade programme.

The exercise saw participation from 12 countries — Bangladesh, France, Indonesia, Kenya, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Timor-Leste — reflecting the growing emphasis on regional coordination and shared maritime responsibility in one of the world’s most strategically important oceanic spaces.

Technically, the OSA-AK is a Soviet-origin short-range, low-altitude tactical surface-to-air missile system from the 9K33 Osa family, known in NATO reporting as the SA-8 Gecko.

In media reporting during the May 2025 escalation, the Indian Air Force publicly stated that it had used “CUAS, PECHORA, SAMAR and AD guns,” presenting Pechora as an active part of the defensive umbrella during Pakistani drone incursions.