||Rustom-2 UAV akka “Desi Baaz”||

Defence Research Development Organisation  successfully tested its heavy duty, medium altitude, long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle RUSTOM 2 or TAPAS-BH-201(Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance-Beyond Horizon-201) from its test facility center at Challakere in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district on 25 February 2018. DRDO chairman S Christopher, its Director General of Aeronautical System CP Ramanarayanan, DG Electronics and Communication … Read more

Indian Air Force Fighter Jet Tejas to Make Republic Day Debut

India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas will make its debut run in the Republic Day Parade this year, the Indian Air Force (IAF) announced on Thursday. Besides Tejas, the flypast will include Su-30 aircraft in Trishul formation and also a high speed run by a single Su-30, followed by vertical Charlie, which means the aircraft … Read more

India Floats Radar Tender For Light Combat Aircraft

Indian state-owned military aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has floated global bids to procure around 100 state-of-the-art active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar systems for an improved variant of the HAL Mark-I Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), dubbed Tejas Mark-IA, according to local media reports. “The tender in the form of Expression of Interest (EoI) … Read more

Army, IAF ground 280 Cheetah and Chetak choppers for safety checks

The army and air force have grounded their ageing fleets of light-utility helicopters, concerned if the machines were fit to fly after three army aviators were killed in a crash in West Bengal a week ago. More than 280 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, lifeline of troops in high-altitude areas including Siachen glacier, would fly only … Read more

DRDO to continue working on Naval Tejas despite being rejected by the Navy so as to use the experience to develop Fifth generation Aircraft

Despite the Navy junking the aircraft carrier version of the home-grown Light Combat Aircraft, the DRDO would continue working on the plane to develop it into a naval variant of the indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). In a setback to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India programme in defence sector, Navy Chief … Read more

Cabinet Committee gives Approval to buy 12 Dornier aircrafts for Navy

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) today gave its nod to buy 12 upgraded Dornier surveillance aircraft for Indian Navy at a cost of about Rs 2,500 crore. Defence sources said the proposal was first given Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) by the Defence Acquisition Council in October 2014 and has finally been approved by the … Read more

Air Force’s Upgraded Jaguar DARIN III Aircraft Gets Operation Clearance

In a significant milestone for the country’s military aviation sector, the upgraded Jaguar DARIN III twin-seat aircraft has received Initial Operation Clearance (IOC). Deputy Chief of IAF, Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria, who flew the aircraft at HAL airport in Bengaluru recently, announced the satisfactory completion of IOC. Test Pilot of Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment, … Read more

Ecuadorian Air Force puts up its three HAL Dhruv Helicopters for sale

The Ecuadorian Air Force has put up its three Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Dhruv helicopters for sale, which it had acquired in 2009 for its utility transport needs . The announcement was made by the country’s Minister of Defence Ricardo Patiño last week on Thursday. Seven of the light utility twin-engine helicopters were purchased new … Read more

HAL’s Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) Takes its First Flight

India test flew its homegrown light utility helicopter for the first time, giving a boost to its military plane-maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s bid to win large orders from its armed forces for the chopper. The LUH, which is being designed to replace the ageing Chetak helicopters of the armed forces, flew for around 15 minutes … Read more

HAL’s Light Utility Helicopter to take its First Flight Soon

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is looking to test fly Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) this week in Bengaluru, after overcoming a software issue that held back its first flight. “We are now ready to take the chopper in the air. All hurdles have been crossed and now it is only a matter of the right day … Read more

Indian Air Force Will induct Indigenous HTT 40 trainers in Large Numbers

Indian Air Force will induct indigenous HTT 40 basic trainers in “large numbers”, which will boost the capability although it was earlier keen for a Swiss aircraft. The country was looking at having a fighter aircraft under ‘Make in India’ initiative which will be a “big ticket project”, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Raha said … Read more

Saab Joins Hunt for India Partner to Help Modi Overhaul Airforce

Sweden’s Saab AB will join Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. in the search for local partners to help build its fighter jets, as competition increases for a slice of India’s planned $150 billion military modernization. While certain parts of the Gripen E planes will be built in factories fully owned by Saab, other components … Read more

How Exporting LCA-Tejas can be a reality

HAL Tejas

According to latest Indian media reports Srilanka and Egypt have expressed interest in acquiring indigenously developed Light Combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighter jet from India and Defence  Minister Manohar Parrikar too has shown his willingness to sell LCA-Tejas to friendly countries but major hurdles to LCA-Tejas export plans may come from Countries who have provided … Read more

Bad coordination delayed Tejas by a decade: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar

The production of the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was delayed for eight to 10 years because of “shoddy coordination” between the Defence Ministry’s agencies involved and lack of required support, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Friday. “In 2001, when Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, the plane (Tejas) took its maiden flight and … Read more

HAL must be modernized, if Tejas are to be saved: Admiral Arun Prakash

If the recent induction of the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) has received a muted welcome from the IAF, there are very good reasons for it. While the nation and the defence-industrial complex may celebrate a milestone in military indigenisation, the service, charged with the defence of our skies, has much more to worry … Read more