Weapon Platforms
THE LIGHT COMBAT AIRCRAFT MARK-II: INDIA’S QUEST TOWARDS BALANCING REGIONAL AIR COMBAT CAPABILITIES
The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark-II is the flagship, under-development product of the LCA Program, that was itself conceived in the early 1980s. While the Program itself has been afflicted…
By Brig Arvind Dhananjayan (Retd)
INVOLVEMENT OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN INDIAN FIGHTER JET PRODUCTION
A recent Indian defence committee has recommended increasing private sector participation in military aircraft manufacturing to enhance the Indian Air Force's capabilities. The committee, led by the defence ministry's top…
By Air Marshal Anil Khosla (Retd)
THE RAFALE-MARINE DEAL FOR INS VIKRANT: TAILORMADE CARRIER FIREPOWER
13 July 2023. India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of 26 Rafale-Marine (Rafale-M) F4 Multi-Role Carrier-Borne Fighters (MRCBF) (including 22 single-seater and 4…
By Brig Arvind Dhananjayan (Retd)
AERO INDIA 2025 CONCLUDES: A KALIEDOSCOPE OF SELF-RELIANCE AND STEALTH FIGHTERS!
The 15th edition of Aero India, ‘Aero India 2025’ (AI-25) was held from February 10 to February 14, 2025, at Yelahanka Air Force Base, Bengaluru (the venue for all previous…
By Brig Arvind Dhananjayan (Retd)
A DESTROYER, A STEALTH FRIGATE AND A SUBMARINE: LETHAL ADDITIONS TO INDIA’S NAVAL MIGHT!
The Hon’ble Prime Minister (PM) of India, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated three frontline men-o-war of the Indian Navy (IN) in an impressive ceremony at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on…
By Brig Arvind Dhananjayan (Retd)
INDIA’S QUEST FOR AN INDIGENOUS NAVAL FIGHTER
The first Indian naval air station, INS Garuda, was commissioned in May 1953. However, it wasn't until 1959 that naval aviation received its first fighter, the Hawker Sea Hawk. This…
By Cdr Sandeep Dhawan (Retd)
FIRST-PERSON VIEW DRONES: LETHAL ASSETS IN MODERN WARFARE
As the world continues with unabated fervour in describing the exploits of ‘First-Person View’ (FPV) Drones (FPVD) in the Russia-Ukraine War and the Israel-Hamas/Hezbollah standoff, it may not be out…
By Brig Arvind Dhananjayan (Retd)
INDIA’S JOURNEY IN FIGHTER AIRCRAFT DESIGN & MANUFACTURE: CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES
India’s fighter aircraft production journey reflects a blend of significant achievements and persistent challenges. The licensed production of platforms like the Mig-21, Sukhoi Su-30MKI and SEPECAT Jaguar has strengthened the…
By Air Marshal Anil Khosla (Retd)
IN QUEST OF ENHANCED AIRBORNE CAPABILITY
Airborne troops are the elite of a nation's military. They comprise paratroopers who parachute from fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, specializing in high-risk high return missions to favourably change the course…
By Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia (Retd)
ARE MANNED FIGHTERS REALLY REDUNDANT
The widespread combat employment of drones in the Ukraine war has caught the technology driven imagination in many quarters. Coupled with the less-than-optimal employment of air power by the Russian…
By Air Marshal (Dr) Diptendu Choudhury (Retd) PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM
RUSSIA’s MISSILES: A KNIFE AT EUROPE’s THROAT!
November 21, 2024, 5:17 AM. An ‘Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile’ (IRBM) fired from Russia hit a major Ukrainian military-industrial site used for manufacturing missiles/ armaments in Dnipro, a town in Eastern…
By Brig Arvind Dhananjayan (Retd)
ZHUHAI AIRSHOW: SHOWCASING THE DRAGON’S MILITARY MIGHT!
The 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (CIAAE), also known as Airshow China, and the only international airshow in mainland China, was organised in Zhuhai city-prefecture in the coastal…
By Brig Arvind Dhananjayan (Retd)
