INS Vikrant

• The indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) that will be christened INS

Vikrant, after its decommissioned sibling, can carry a total of 30
aircraft
• Cochin Shipyard Limited, which built the IAC, is expected to fully hand
it over to the Indian Navy in 2022
• The shipborne weapons include Barak LR SAM and AK-630, while it
has MFSTAR and RAN-40L 3D radars as sensors. The vessel has a
Shakti EW Suite.
• As per estimate, India needs three aircraft carriers - one each in
Western and Eastern naval commands, while the third can be docked
for maintenance, if needed. INS Vikramaditya is operational now,
planning to develop the third - INS Vishaal by 2030.
LCA-TEJAS
• Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A variant is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured
state-of-the-art modern 4+ generation fighter aircraft. This aircraft is equipped with critical
operational capabilities of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Beyond Visual
Range (BVR) Missile, Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite and Air to Air Refuelling (AAR) would be a
potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force, IAF.
• It is the first “Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)” category
procurement of combat aircrafts with an indigenous content of 50% which will progressively reach
60% by the end of the programme.
• Tejas, India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, added the 5th generation Python-5 Air-to-Air
Missile (AAM) in its air-to-air weapons capability on April 27, 2021
• Trials were also aimed to validate enhanced capability of already integrated Derby Beyond Visual
Range (BVR) AAM on Tejas.
Cruise Missiles
• A cruise missile either locates its target or has a preset target. It
navigates using a guidance system — such as inertial or beyond visual
range satellite GPS guidance — and comprises a payload and aircraft
propulsion system.
• Cruise missiles can be launched from land, sea or air for land attacks
and anti-shipping purposes, and can travel at subsonic, supersonic
and hypersonic speeds.
• Since they stay relatively close to the surface of the earth, they
cannot be detected easily by anti-missile systems, and are designed to
carry large payloads with high precision.
Ballistic Missiles
• Ballistic missiles, meanwhile, are launched directly into the upper layers of
the earth’s atmosphere. They travel outside the atmosphere, where the
warhead detaches from the missile and falls towards a predetermined
target. They are rocket-propelled self-guided weapons systems which can
carry conventional or nuclear munitions. They can be launched from
aircraft, ships and submarines, and land.
• Intercontinental ballistic missiles or ICBMs are guided missiles which can
deliver nuclear and other payloads.
• Only a handful of countries, including Russia, United States, China, France,
India and North Korea, have ICBM capabilities.
• In 2018, India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni-V,
with a strike range of 5,000 km, from the Abdul Kalam Island.
Hypersonic delivery system
• A hypersonic delivery system is essentially a ballistic or cruise missile that can fly for long
distances and at speeds higher than 5 Mach at lower altitudes.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Monday successfully test-
fired the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), making India the fourth
country in the world after the US, China and Russia to develop such technology.
• Apart from being used as a vehicle for hypersonic and long-range cruise missiles, the
HSTDV is a dual-use technology that will have multiple civilian applications, including the
launch of small satellites at low cost
• This allows it to evade interception from current Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD).
• arms race
• Counter-measures to hypersonics have been envisaged through placement of sensors
and interceptors in outer space.
• weaponisation of outer space would, neverthless, be a distinct possibility once
hypersonic inductions become the norm.
• Hypersonic missiles travel at speeds faster than 3,800 miles per hour
or 6,115 km per hour, much faster than other ballistic and cruise
missiles. They can deliver conventional or nuclear payloads within
minutes.
• They are highly manoeuvrable and do not follow a predictable arc as
they travel. They are said to combine the speed of ballistic missiles
with the manoeuvring capabilities of cruise missiles. The speed makes
them hard to track compared to traditional missile tech.
Anti-satellite missiles

• Anti-satellite missiles (ASAT) can incapacitate or destroy satellites for

strategic military purposes. Several nations possess operational ASAT
systems.
• Other anti-satellite weapons include ground-based jammers to
disrupt the signal from navigation and communications satellites.
• The United States, Russia, and China are among countries pursuing
anti-satellite weapons.
• India had successfully test fired an ASAT knocking off one of its own
satellites 300 km in space. Mission Shakti
Anti Radiation Missile (RUDRAM)
• The RUDRAM is first indigenous anti-radiation missile of the
country for Indian Air Force (IAF), being developed by Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The missile is integrated on SU-30 MKI fighter aircraft as the
launch platform, having capability of varying ranges based on
launch conditions.
• With this, the country has established indigenous capability to
develop long range air launched anti-radiation missiles for
neutralising enemy Radars, communication sites and other RF
emitting targets.
NATGRID,CMS, NETRA
• India’s three main surveillance systems — National Intelligence Grid
(NATGRID), Central Monitoring System (CMS) and Network Traffic Analysis
(NETRA).
• NATGRID allows investigation and law enforcement agencies to access real-
time information from data stored within agencies like the Income Tax
Department, banks, insurance companies, the Indian Railways, and other
offices. There are a total of 21 categories of data that NATGRID has access
to.
• Where the NATGRID has access to real-time data, CMS is centralised
telephone interception provisioning system. . It can bypass the middleman
— the telecom companies — to directly monitor text messages, social
media posts and phone calls.
• NETRA is the third leg of India’s security infrastructure. While the CMS
is tapping into your phone’s network, NETRA is watching everything
you do online — not just on social media.
• It can monitor any text-based messages containing direct messages
on Facebook, within your personal emails or online blogs. Using filters
and keywords, it can identify words even in encrypted messages.
• The underlying logic for developing CMS and NETRA was to monitor
terrorist activities mainly after the terrorist bomb attack in Mumbai
on November 26, 2008.With both of them, the problem again boils
down to a lack of transparency in the absence of data protection
laws.
• CMS and NETRA allow for mass surveillance with the potential to
target large groups of people without a valid reason.
Project Seabird
• INS Kadamba is an Indian Navy base located near Karwar
in Karnataka.
• The first phase of construction of the base, code-named Project
Seabird, was completed in 2005.
• Development of Phase II commenced in 2011.
• INS Kadamba is currently the third largest Indian naval base.
• Development of Phase II commenced in 2011.
• INS Kadamba is currently the third largest Indian naval base.
• After the completion of Phase II-B of the project, INS Kadamba will
be the biggest naval base east of the Suez canal.
Project 75 India (P75I)
• Envisages the construction of six conventional submarines
• India’s current arsenal consists of 14 conventional submarines and
two nuclear-powered submarines.
• Under the strategic partnership model, an Indian shipyard will be
selected by the government, which will also nominate the foreign
original equipment manufacturer (OEM) under the overall arch of
‘Make in India’.
• P75I was first cleared in 2007, but lay dormant until now after
undergoing numerous changes.
• The P75I project is part of a 30-year submarine building plan that
ends in 2030. As part of this plan, India was to build 24 submarines —
18 conventional submarines and six nuclear-powered submarines
(SSNs) — as an effective deterrent against China and Pakistan.
• Of the 14 conventional submarines India currently possesses,
including the Scorpene, only half are operational at any given point of
time. India also has two nuclear-powered submarines — INS Arihant
(SSBN, a ballistic missile submarine) and INS Chakra (SSN, a nuclear-
powered one) leased from Russia.
• state-run Mazagon Dockyard Limited (MDL), which manufactures the
Scorpene submarines, is likely to bag the deal.
P-8I

• American maritime patrol aircraft developed and produced by Boeing

• P-8I is a long-range, multimission maritime patrol aircraft offered by Boeing
for the Indian Navy. P-8I replaced the ageing fleet of the Indian Navy’s
Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft
• The P-8 is designed to conduct long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-
surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
missions. It has a bomb bay that can drop sonobuoys and torpedoes, as
well as hardpoints on its wings for anti-ship missiles.
• The Indian navy has also used the aircraft to conduct search and rescue
missions, including dropping a survival kit and inflatable life raft from the
jet.
SARAS
• India’s indigenous light transport aircraft SARAS
• The design and development of the aircraft is being done by CSIR-
National Aerospace Laboratories, NAL
• SARAS will be 20-25% cheaper than any imported aircraft in the same
category. The improved version will be a 19-seater aircraft instead of
14-seater.
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, HAL has been identified as the
production agency for the military version of SARAS, while the
production of civil version will be given to identified private industries.
• Will be ideal for commuter connectivity under Government of India’s
UDAAN Scheme for variety of applications like air taxi, aerial
search/survey, executive transport, disaster management, border
patrol, coast guard, ambulance and other community services,”
Programme SAMUDRIKA

• Programme SAMUDRIKA aims at the design and indigenous development of a family of

Seven Electronic Warfare Systems meeting the requirements of Navy for different
platforms viz., Ships, Helicopters and Aircrafts, with a firm commitment from Navy for
quantity production and induction of these Systems.
• Seven EW/ESM systems are grouped under two projects namely Ship-Borne projects &
Air-Borne Projects. Ship-borne systems are SHAKTI, NAYAN and TUSHAR. Air-Borne
systems are SARANG, SARAKSHI, SARVADHARI and NIKASH.
• Integrated Radar EW System – SHAKTI Shakti is an Integrated Radar EW System for Capital
ships with Electronic Support (ES) System and integrated Radar Finger Printing System
(RFPS) covering B to K frequency band and Electronic Counter Measure (ECM) System
covering H to K frequency band.
Advanced Chaff Technology by DRDO for Naval Safety

• DRDO has developed an Advanced

Chaff Technology to safeguard the
naval ships against enemy missile
attack.
• Chaff is a passive expendable
electronic countermeasure
technology used worldwide to
protect naval ships from enemy’s
radar and Radio Frequency (RF)
missile seekers.
• The importance of this
development is that very less
quantity of chaff material
deployed in the air acts as decoy
to deflect enemy’s missiles for
safety of the ships.
BrahMos
• The BrahMos (designated PJ-10)is a medium-range ramjet supersonic
cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or
land.
• It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world. It is a joint
venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroyeniya
and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO),
who together have formed BrahMos Aerospace
• The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two
rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.
• It is the world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation.
• The land-launched and ship-launched versions are already in service
• An air-launched variant of BrahMos appeared in 2012 and entered
service in 2019
• hypersonic version of the missile, BrahMos-II, is also presently under
development with a speed of Mach 7–8 to boost aerial fast strike
capability. It was expected to be ready for testing by 2024
• In 2016, as India became a member of the Missile Technology Control
Regime (MTCR), India and Russia are now planning to jointly develop a
new generation of Brahmos missiles with 800 km-plus range and an ability
to hit protected targets with pinpoint accuracy.
• In 2019, India upgraded the missile with a new range of 650 km with plans
to eventually upgrade all missiles to a range of 1500 km.
Project 28
• INS Kavaratti, the last of the four indigenously built Anti-Submarine Warfare
(ASW) stealth corvettes built under Project 28 (Kamorta class), by Garden
Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, was formally inducted into
the Indian Navy
• It joins three other ships of the same class INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt and
INS Kiltan
• induction of the ASW corvettes will be a game changer in the eastern
seaboard, especially with the Chinese submarines trying to make sorties in
the Indian Ocean.
• The ship has high indigenous content with the state-of-the-art equipment
and systems to fight in Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare
conditions.
Operation ‘Sunrise’
• The armies of India and Myanmar carried out a coordinated operation
from in their respective border areas, targeting several militant
groups operating in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam
• Besides the Indian Army, troops from the Assam Rifles were also a
part of the operation.
• In the first phase of “Operation Sunrise”, the Indian Army targeted
members of the Arakan Army, an insurgent group in Myanmar, who
were opposed to the Kaladan multi-modal transit transport project.
The project is viewed as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia.
INDIAN NAVY
• Operation Sankalp. Amidst the increasing US – Iran tensions in the
Gulf region, since June 2019, IN has been undertaking Maritime
Security Operation code-named Op SANKALP in the Gulf Region to
ensure safe passage of Indian Flag Merchant Vessels (IFMVs)
transiting through the Strait of Hormuz
• Operation Samudra Setu. IN ships Jalashwa, Shardul, Airavat and
Magar were deployed from May – July 2020 for Operation Samudra
Setu to undertake repatriation of stranded Indian Nationals in the
wake of COVID-19, from Iran, Maldives and Sri Lanka
• Mission SAGAR and SAGAR-II. INS Kesari was deployed to the
Southern IOR Island nations as part of ‘Mission SAGAR’ for rendering
COVID-19 related assistance from May-June2020.During deployment,
the ship provided medicine stores &medical kits to Maldives,
Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles.
• IN Medical Teams embarked onboard the ships also provided medical
assistance to Mauritius and Comoros.
• As part of the follow up humanitarian outreach mission by India,
Mission SAGAR II, INS Airavat was deployed to deliver 270 MT of
humanitarian aid stores to Djibouti, Massawa (Eritrea), Port Sudan
and Mombasa, Kenya (for South Sudan) from October-November
2020.
EXERCISES WITH FOREIGN NAVIES
• Naseem-Al-Bahr 2020. IN and Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) bilateral
exercise Naseem-Al-Bahr was conducted at/ off Goa from January 07-
10 October 2020.
• INDRA NAVY 2020. IN and Russian Federation Navy (RuFN) bilateral
exercise Indra Navy was conducted in Bay of Bengal from 04-05
September 2020.
• JIMEX 2020. IN and JMSDF (Japan Maritime Self Defence Force)
bilateral exercise JIMEX 2020 was conducted in the Arabian Sea from
26-28 September 2020.
• BONGO SAGAR 2020. IN and Bangladesh Navy (BN) bilateral exercise
Bongosagar 2020 was conducted in North Bay of Bengal from 03-04
October 2020.
• SLINEX 2020. IN and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) bilateral exercise SLINEX
2020 was conducted in the Bay of Bengal from 19-21 October 2020
• MALABAR 2020. Multi-lateral exercise between IN and US Navy
(USN), Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) ships and Royal
Australian Navy (RAN) was conducted in the IOR from 03-06 and 17
November 2020.
• SITMEX 2020. Multi-lateral exercise between IN, Republic of
Singapore Navy (RSN) and Royal Thailand Navy (RTN) was conducted
the Eastern IOR from 21-22 November 2020.
• SIMBEX 2020. IN and Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) bilateral
exercise SIMBEX 2020 was conducted in Eastern IOR from 23-25 Nov
2020.
PASSEX.
• The Indian Navy undertakes Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with friendly
foreign navy units on opportune occasions to enhance inter-
operability and imbibe best practices. Following PASSEXs were
undertaken in 2020:-

• PASSEX with French Navy. PASSEX was conducted between French

Naval Ships Mistral and Geupratte and IN Ships Talwar and Trikand
from 23–24 May 2020 in Gulf of Aden.
• (b) PASSEX with Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF).
PASSEX was conducted between JMSDF training ships Kashima and
Shimayuki and IN ships Rana, Kulish on 27 June 2020 in Eastern IOR.
• (c) PASSEX with United States Navy (USN). PASSEX was conducted
between USN ships Nimitz, Princeton, Ralph Johnson, Sterett and IN
Ships Rana, Sahyadri, Shivalik, Kamorta from 20-21 July 2020 in the
Bay of Bengal.

• (d) PASSEX with Australian Navy. PASSEX was conducted between

Australian ship HMAS Toowoomba and IN Ship Kochi on January 24,
2020. Another PASSEX was conducted between Australian ship HMAS
Hobart and IN ships Sahyadri and Karmuk from 24-25 September
2020 in Eastern IOR.
• Air Defence Fire Control Radar
(ADFCR) in conjunction with
Anti- Aircraft Guns forms a
Ground Based Air Defence
System whose main purpose is
effective point defence against
all air threats at short and very
short ranges during day and
night under all weather
conditions and also in the
presence of enemy jamming.
The radar has been developed as
an indigenous solution against
DAC approval for large quantity
required for Indian Army.
Anti-Tank Guided Missiles
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
successfully carried out joint user trials of indigenously developed
Helina and Dhruvastra Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) from the
Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) in the desert.
• Helina is the Army variant and Dhruvastra is the Air Force variant of
the ALH.
• The Helina and Dhruvastra are third generation, Lock-on-Before-
Launch (LOBL) fire and forget ATGMs that can engage targets both in
direct hit mode as well as top attack mode. The system has all-
weather day-and-night capability and can defeat battle tanks with
conventional armour as well as with explosive reactive armour
Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar
(AESAR) ‘Uttam’
• Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar (AESAR), UTTAM is a
multimode, solid-state active phased array fire control radar with
scalable architecture that can be adapted for various types of fighter
class of aircraft.
• It is capable of tracking multiple targets with high accuracy suitable
for firing missiles with interleaved Air to Air, Air to Ground and Air to
Sea modes for all terrain operation.
Pinaka
• Pinaka is a multibarrel rocket launch (MBRL) system used by the
Indian Army. Developed by the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO), Pinaka integrates state-of-the-art technologies
for delivering superior combat performance.

• Pinaka is produced at an average rate of 1,000 rockets a year at the

Ordnance Factory in Chanda, Maharashtra. The Ministry of Defence
increased the output of the rocket by commencing production at the
Ordnance Factory in Badmal, Orissa.
SMART
• SMART is a missile-assisted release of lightweight Anti-Submarine
Torpedo System for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operations far
beyond torpedo range.
• Most of its flight in the air is covered at lower altitudes with two-way
data link from the warship or an airborne submarine target detection
system