The Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence System on July 24, 2024. The target missile and the interceptor were launched from Launch Complex-IV (Dhamra) and Launch Complex-III (Chandipur) respectively. The target, though not officially revealed, is said to be a Prithvi-II ballistic missile. The Prithvi series of missiles have also been previously used in testing Phase-I BMD systems such as Advanced Air Defence (AAD – Ashwin). Phase-I BMD focused on intercepting ballistic missiles of range up to 1500km. Phase-II of BMD is intended to develop and field interceptors capable of engaging targets of…
Author: Surya Pratap Singh
The Defence Acquisition Council accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of Next Generation Corvettes (NGC) at an estimated cost of approximately 36,000 crore INR (4.5 Billion USD) on 6th June 2022. The Indian Navy recently issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) in May 2024 to invite eligible shipyards to manufacture eight Next Generation Corvettes. Four shipyards are expected to be in the race for building NGCs, namely – Mazagon Dock, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Larsen and Toubro, and one unnamed shipyard. The contract will be divided between two shipyards to reduce the induction time of the eighth…
A steel Cutting ceremony was held at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) on 10 April 2024 for the first Fleet Support Ship for the Indian Navy. The Defence Secretary, Flag Officer Commander in Chief, Eastern Naval Command, and other senior Indian Navy officials attended the ceremony at Visakhapatnam. The Ministry of Defence signed the contract with HSL on 25 August 2023 for five Fleet Support Ships (FSS) for the Indian Navy at an overall cost of approximately 19,000 crore INR (2.3 Billion USD). The delivery of ships to the Indian Navy is scheduled to commence in August 2027, followed by one…
US-owned Marshall Island flagged Merchant Vessel Genco Picardy was hit by a one-way attack UAV launched by the Houthis at approximately 11:00 PM (IST) on 17 Jan 2024. The Genco Picardy was transiting through the Red Sea when it beaconed a distress call at 11:11 PM (IST). INS Visakhapatnam, a destroyer mission deployed for anti-piracy patrol in the region, acknowledged and intercepted the ship following the distress call. The vessel was intercepted at 00:30 AM (IST) on 18 Jan 2024 to assist. MV Genco Picardy, with 22 crew (09 Indian), reported 0 casualties and fire under control. “Indian Naval EOD…
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India has successfully carried out a flight test of the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator, an indigenous high-speed flying-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), from the Aeronautical Test Range at Chitradurga in Karnataka. The UAV, dubbed as “SWiFT”, is a scaled-down technology demonstrator for India’s Indigenous Unmanned Strike Air Vehicle (IUSAV) that is under development. SWiFT was designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), one of the 52 laboratories of DRDO. The aircraft had its first flight in July 2022, where it featured a vertical stabilizer to support in-flight maneuvers as…
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) is an Indian Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) under the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Chairman and Managing Director of GRSE shared information regarding the ongoing and future projects of the Indian Navy, as well as the future outlook for the company in its Q2 FY24 concall on 17th November 2023. Ongoing Projects GRSE has the second-largest order book of the 4 DPSU shipyards, standing at over 23,700 crore INR (2.76 billion USD) in September 2023. The order book consists of four Indian Navy projects, one project encompassing six Patrol Vessels for the…
Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) cleared a 30-year-long procurement programme to acquire 24 attack submarines for the Indian Navy in 1999. The aim of the first two projects is to equip the Indian Navy’ submarine arm with modern attack submarines, as well as create an ecosystem in India to design, develop, and manufacture modern submarines. A Brief History Of Submarines In India The first submarine inducted by the Indian Navy was a soviet built foxtrot class submarine, christened ‘INS Kalvari’. Four Kalvari class submarines were procured initially in late 1960s with a follow-on order of four additional Foxtrots under ‘Vela…