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Source:- Defence Ministry cleared 111 military projects worth Rs 1.78 lakh crore under Make in India New Delhi: In the last three years, the Defence Ministry cleared 111 military projects worth over Rs 1.78 lakh crore for producing military hardware under the Make in India in the defence sector. Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre informed the Lok Sabha, “In the last three financial years from 2015-16 to 2017-18, the government has accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to 111 proposals, worth Rs 1,78,900 crore approximately, under `Buy (Indian-IDDM)`, `Buy (Indian)`, `Buy and Make (Indian)` or `Make` categories of capital procurement as per Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), which means Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued only to Indian Vendors.” Furthermore, he stated, “In the same timeframe, 99 contracts worth about Rs 65,471.28 crore have been signed with Indian vendors for the procurement of defence equipment. DPP stipulates a time schedule for completion of the pro

Source:- GSAT-7A and India’s growing military space needs Military space programs made a lot of news in 2018. Obviously, the announcement by the White House to re-establish US Space Command is a major story to end the year. That came six months after President Trump announced his desire to establish a sixth branch of the US military, the Space Force. Without offering any value judgement of his decisions, it could be said that US armed forces are tasked with various military campaigns in different regions of the world and obviously the need for space assets is significant. Whether or not the existing structures are sufficient to manage existing and future military space requirements is an argument for another essay. Countries like Japan, which have a limited security mandate, are keen to increase space-related military investments as well. The defense budget projections for the year 2019 by the Japan Ministry of Defense indicate that they are keen to establish cross-domain expertis, i

Source:- Pakistan’s defence modernisation drive worries India Pakistan’s massive defence modernisation programme is worrying Indian experts in the backdrop of a recent increase in hostilities over the line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. While Indian plans for modernising its defence forces including the induction of French fighter jet Rafale is limping because of bureaucratic red tape and political indecision, the country’s western neighbour is acquiring modern weaponry at a worrisome pace, reports show. Islamabad is set to procure nearly 600 main battle tanks, including the advanced T-90s from Russia, military and intelligence sources reveal. It worries defence experts that Pakistan’s new tanks will have a state-of-the-art fire control system for increased accuracy and range of up to 4 km, an agency report says. Pakistan Army’s shopping list is long and includes 245 Mike-10 150mm SP guns from Italy. It has already inducted approximately 120 such highly accurate guns. The

North Korea could consider a change of approach if the US maintains its sanctions on the nuclear-armed country, leader Kim Jong Un warned in his New Year speech Tuesday after 12 months of diplomatic rapprochement. "If the US does not keep its promise made in front of the whole world... and insists on sanctions and pressures on our republic," Kim said, "we may be left with no choice but to consider a new way to safeguard our sovereignty and interests". Kim was referring to his summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June, when he said he had "fruitful talks" and "exchanged constructive ideas". At the time the two leaders signed a vaguely-worded pledge on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, but progress has since stalled with Pyongyang and Washington arguing over what that means. The North is subject to multiple sets of United Nations Security Council sanctions over it banned nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programmes,

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis bade farewell to the Pentagon on Monday, telling the US military to "hold fast" after he quit over a series of fundamental differences with President Donald Trump. Mattis resigned December 20, after Trump stunned the US establishment by ordering a full troop withdrawal from Syria. "Our department is proven to be at its best when the times are most difficult," Mattis said in a brief memo to the Pentagon, an apparent reference to the turmoil in Washington. "So keep the faith in our country and hold fast, alongside our allies, aligned against our foes." Mattis, a scholar who frequently backs his views with historical anecdotes, also quoted a telegram President Abraham Lincoln sent to General Ulysses Grant in February 1865, near the end of the American Civil War. "Let nothing which is transpiring, change, hinder, or delay your military movements, or plans," the former Marine Corps general quoted Lincoln as saying. H

Raytheon Missile Systems received a $434 million contract for tactical missile modifications, the Defense Department announced. The contract covers 766 AIM-9X Block II and Block II Plus missiles, known as Sidewinders, as well as guidance units, optical target containers and training missiles. Forty-four percent of the modifications to missiles and equipment were ordered by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, with the rest delivered to the governments of Israel, Norway, Qatar, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and the Netherlands. The U.S. Air Force purchased its share of the hardware in a $121 million contract. The Navy's share was $$68 million. The costs of purchases by foreign governments range from $140 million by the United Arab Emirates to nearly $8 million by the Netherlands. The $434,389,104 contract, announced on Friday, is an adjunct to a prior fixed-price-incentive firm contract for procurement of the missiles and equipment. Work will be done in 14 Raytheo

  🇬🇲 2018 ends with news of philatelic items inscribed ' The Gambia ' released by IGPC with a stated date of issue of 31 December 2018. The issue is made up of 2 sheetlets, one containing 4 different stamps and the other 6 different stamps, on the subject of Eagles of Africa. According to Wikipedia all the species featured on the stamps are found in The Gambia. Rated:- ***.   🇸🇬 In addition to the basic stamps on the subject of Nursery rhymes which were mentioned in Blog 1315  Singapore Post also released on 17 October 2018 a pack containing a sheetlet of all 8 stamps and sold for $21.80c. The pack was designed by Andy Koh and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and perforated 13.5. Rating:- **. The sheet was depicted in Blog 1315 but this Blog gives more details about the item.   🇯🇪 In Blog 1354 I illustrated the set of 6 stamps and single stamp miniature sheet due to be released by Jersey Post on 18 January 2018 on the subject of the 1970s. Th

Source:- Unnecessary Rafale row ‘slows down’ purchase of 114 Fighter Jets IAF badly needs The Rafale controversy has apparently slowed down the Indian Air Force’s plan to procure 114 fighter jets, with the process of acquiring them yet to get the necessary ‘Acceptance of Necessity’ from the defence ministry. The IAF has been waiting for new fighter jets since 2000 and its hopes were raised after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in April that India had rolled out the process to procure them, with a ‘Request for Information’ issued. He had promised to speed up the process and not “waste time like the UPA”. However, eight months on, there has been little movement on the critical purchase as the raging political controversy over the Rafale fighter jets deal – with the opposition Congress accusing the Modi government of corruption in the acquisition from France – has thrown a spanner in the works, a top defence ministry source told ThePrint. “The Rafale controversy has led to a fe

Source:- Indigenously made Indian 155mm howitzer Dhanush to face induction shortly India’s indigenous 155m Dhanush howitzer might be inducted shortly as it will be facing the final test in January 2019 after multiple failures.The Dhanush 155mm howitzer comes under Dhanush project and was started by OFB (Ordnance Factories Board) to replace the older 105 mm Indian Field Gun, 105 mm Light Field Gun and the Russian 122 mm guns with a modern 155mm artillery gun. According to Belgium based defence and security magazine, Army Recognition, India’s first indigenous gun will eventually be inducted in February 2019 during a ceremony planned at the School of Artillery in Deolali. And, within the next calendar year, 18 Dhanush guns (155mm/45mm) should be delivered to the Indian Army. The induction is likely to be made after it fullfils general staff quality requirements (GSQR). The Dhanush 155mm towed howitzer, developed by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and manufactured by Jabalpur-based Gu

The Indian Air Force will receive its final Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavylift jet in the third quarter of 2019, sources have confirmed to Livefist , taking the fleet up to 11 aircraft. The last ‘white-tail’ from Boeing’s Long Beach, California facility, is currently being fitted with India-specific systems in San Antonio, Texas, and will join 81 Squadron, ‘Sky Lords’ in August-September 2019. India won a scrappy three-way joust against Qatar and Australia to grab the final airframe in March, though the win was still a bitter one — procedural red tap had constrained the Indian Air Force from procuring at least three of the last few jets to roll out of Boeing’s now shuttered heavy jet shop. Having to settle for just the one, India will be paying $262 million for the last jet. Coming as the contract did months before India and the U.S. signed the foundational Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), the last C-17, like the ten before it, will come without spe

Source:- What are the differences between Sukhoi-35 and MiG-35? Both warbirds are equally as good as one another when it comes to their multirole missions. Both are as equally as agile. The differences is pointed towards the size of the jets. The Su-35 is far bigger, an advance version of the legacy Flanker model. It is able to carry weapons on 12 hard points as compared to the MiG 8 hard points. The Su-35 has an additional 30% more range. In terms of weapons, it could carry a much heavier and bigger weapons than the MiG such as the long range anti ship Brahmos missile as well as the much longer range R-27 missiles. These missiles comes in various sizes which in most instance equates from medium to longer ranges. the MiG on the other hand could carry the smaller R-27 model. Sukhoi Su-35 The Su-35 is similar to the F-15 Eagle in USAF while the MiG-35 (Above) perform the same function as the F-16 Fighting Falcon.The Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E is the top Russian air-superiority fighter in

Source:- 2018: Landmark year for DRDO 2018 was a landmark year for the country’s elite Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as it helped enhance the credibility of India’s nuclear deterrence with most of the indigenously developed missiles and weapon systems tasting success during experimental and user trials. The DRDO and armed forces conducted tests of 20 missiles, including two newly developed systems and advanced version of Pinaka rocket. The missiles, which were put to tests, are Agni-I, Agni-II, Agni-IV, Agni-V, Prithvi-II, Dhanush, BrahMos, Prahar, Astra, Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM), Spike anti-tank (Sant) guided missile, AAD and PDV interceptors, anti-tank guided missile Helina, submarine launched B-05 and Man Portable Anti Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM). Induction of submarine launched ballistic missile B-05, maiden trials of new surface-to-air missile, powered by Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) and MPATGM, completion of first deterrence sea

Source:- Pakistan 50 years behind India in Space Race. Take a look at where Pakistan stands – Pak Media Space is a domain of future conflict, as new warfare seems to be in space rather than on earth; the reason that along with the USA many other countries are catching up in space race e.g. China and off-course Russia. Both of these countries are pursuing expensive space mission programs is an open secret. Even our neighboring country India, as compared to Pakistan, is growing much faster in various space mission programs. It was Zia-ul-Haq regime when Space and Upper Research Commission of Pakistan (SUPARCO) suffered cut in funding to them. While on the other hand, with the expansion in the economy, R & D funds for scientific programs in India have grown with the passage of time. Till the date, Pakistan has been able to launch in total 6 satellite namely BADR-1, BADR-B, PakSAT-1R, iCube-1 and two recently launched satellites called PRSS-1 and PakTES-1A, as compared to 104 satelli

Meteor burst communication is based on using meteors as cryptography assistants. Meteor trails reflect radio waves, which makes them suitable for radio transmissions at distances of up to 2,000 kilometers. Unpredictable nature of meteors makes pose a significant hindrance for signal interception. Associate Professor Amir Sulimov explains, "Each meteor trail forms a kind of a shadow resembling an ellipse on the Earth's surface. All communication stations within that area can tune in on the channel. Meteor trails help determine a specific area where potential malefactors can try to intercept the signal." Traditionally, it was theorized that the longest radius of interception lies along the radio line between legal points A and D, while the shortest radius, conversely, is perpendicular to that axis. "In our research, we are the first to show that this trend may not be persistent in meteor systems, especially on short lines of less than 500 km. Because of the random n