The Tejas (above) is an essential stepping stone towards building the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (Part 4 of a four-part series on the Tejas fighter)   By Ajai Shukla HAL, Bengaluru Business Standard, 31st May 24   The US has its F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, Russia has its Sukhoi-57, China has its J-20 Chengdu and J-31 Shenyang – all of them 5th-generation (Gen-5) combat aircraft, built to rule the skies.   The Indian Air Force (IAF) isn’t ready to be left behind. With the experience gained from building the Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), New Delhi is pushing its ..read more

A key challenge in developing the Tejas Mark 2 fighter is increasing the capacity of its mission computer and flight software   (Part III of a four-part series on the Tejas)   By Ajai Shukla HAL, Bengaluru Business Standard, 30th May 24   The order book of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) remains the envy of India’s defence industry, standing at Rs 94,000 crore at the end of the Financial Year 2023-24. That is more than three times the company’s turnover of Rs 29,810 crore last year.   The order book includes 83 Tejas Mark 1A fighters, contracted with the Indian Air Force ..read more

Part 2:  With 180 Tejas Mark 1A on order, HAL boosts production capacity in Nashik to 12 fighters annually Part 2 of a 4-part series: “Soaring Tejas”   By Ajai Shukla HAL, Bengaluru Business Standard, 29th May 24   Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the lead integrator of the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), is grappling with an unusual predicament: a problem of plenty.   Plenty of orders, that is. After taking more than two decades to build and induct the first 40 Tejas Mark-1 fighters, HAL must now produce and induct the next 180 Tejas Mark 1As – the ..read more

Part 1 of a 4-part series: “Soaring Tejas”   With the order for Tejas Mark 1 fighters nearly fulfilled, attention turns to meeting the Tejas Mark 1A specifications     By Ajai Shukla HAL, Bengaluru Business Standard, 28th May 24   With the Indian Air Force (IAF) having placed a Rs 48,000 crore order for 83 indigenous Tejas Mark-1A light combat aircraft (LCA) on Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in February 2021, the Bengaluru-headquartered aerospace manufacturer is gearing up to deliver the first improved variant of the fighter this year.   With the first Tejas Mar ..read more

Azad will start delivering fully integrated advanced turbo engines by early 2026   By Ajai Shukla Business Standard, 24 May 24   Hyderabad based precision engineering company, Azad Engineering Limited (Azad), has secured a prestigious contract from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to function as a production agency for engines designed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), Bengaluru.   GTRE, the premier engine-design laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has a record of failure in designing and developing high-powered aero engines, suc ..read more

Currently, soldiers, sailors and airmen are governed in accordance with their respective service acts – Army Act 1950, Navy Act 1957 and Air Force Act 1950   By Ajai Shukla Business Standard, 11th May 24   The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has taken an important step towards the uniform implemention of military justice across the joint-service organisations being created by merging army, navy and air force elements into Inter-Services Organisations (ISOs).   On Friday, an MoD notification stated: “The Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Act has been notif ..read more

Vibrant Villages Programme urges border people to remain resident in border areas (Above: Traditional bamboo bridge over the Siang River)   By Ajai Shukla Business Standard, 10th May 24   Addressing a national meet on “Emerging Technologies in Infrastructure Development,” in the capital on Thursday, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane emphasised on the need for self-reliance in every field to deal with future challenges.   Organised by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the two-day event saw the Armed Forces, academia, industry and DRDO focu ..read more

 Anti-drone tech firm, Zen Technologies, announces leap in financial results By Ajai Shukla and Bhaswar Kumar Reflecting a secular upswing in the earnings and profitability of indigenous defence firms, Hyderabad-based anti-drone technology and defence training solutions provider, Zen Technologies, announced a sharp rise in its financial results for Q4FY24 and for FY24.  On Monday, the company announced that FY24 revenue was up to Rs 430 crore, having risen 167 per cent year-on-year. Profit after tax was Rs 129 crore, a 243 per cent rise, year-on-year. “I am delighte ..read more

Given its role as the gatekeeper to the Indian Ocean, addressing India’s submarine deficiency should be a top priority for the new government   By Ajai Shukla Business Standard, 3rd May 24   One of India’s most critically delayed military acquisitions is the “30-Year Submarine Building Plan,” which the Cabinet cleared in 1999 to create a fleet of 24 conventionally-powered submarines. Operating in concert with the navy’s long-range maritime patrol (LRMP) aircraft, these would deny hostile submarines the freedom to range unchallenged in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the northern I ..read more

Pande: About 340 indigenous arms producers across the country have been awarded defence contracts worth Rs 2.6 lakh crore   By Ajai Shukla Business Standard, 24 April 2024   Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Pande, stated on Tuesday that the Indian Army is changing from being a buyer of weapons to becoming a partner of Indian industry in development and production.   The concept of “national champions” has been adopted in order to build up weapons suppliers with national and global scale, he said.   Pande’s remarks came while he was addressing the national leade ..read more