Union Minister downplays CDS statement on losses in operation against Pakistan
24:56
The government has approved the "execution model" for implementing a major indigenous project to develop India's fifth-generation, deep-penetration Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) for the Air Force, potentially making India the fourth country to possess such stealth fighter jets.
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India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Why China Is Quietly Panicking Over A Pakistani Missile Found In India
New Delhi: In the fog of the brief but intense May 6-7 India-Pakistan air stand-off, a single smoking clue has emerged – one that is now causing serious heartburn in Beijing. Fragments of a Chinese-made PL-15E beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, launched by Pakistan's Air Force during the clash, were recovered by Indian authorities near Kamahi Devi village in Punjab's Hoshiarpur. This was not only any wreckage. The debris was largely intact, including its dual-pulse motor, datalink, inertial navigation system and the crown jewel (AESA radar seeker). India is now in possession of the brain and engine of China's most advanced air-to-air missile. And that is a nightmare scenario for Beijing. India's Operation Sindoor saw dozens of Rafales, Sukhoi-30MKIs and Mirages take the skies loaded with Meteor missiles, SCALP cruise weapons and Hammer bombs. Pakistan retaliated with Chinese-supplied J-10Cs and JF-17s, armed with the PL-15E – a radar-guided missile with a range upwards of 200 km. It was one of these missiles – fired in anger at Indian aircraft – that ended up in Indian territory, almost fully intact. Suddenly, China's hush-hush missile technology is in the labs of India's DRDO. Global powers are watching closely. World Wants a Piece of the Debris According to defence sources, the Five Eyes alliance (the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand) along with Japan and South Korea have all informally requested access to the missile's remains. Their target? The AESA seeker and dual-pulse propulsion tech – hallmarks of China's push to outpace Western missile systems. The incident, though underplayed in Chinese state media, is causing major alarm within the PLA's defence ecosystem. Developed by AVIC and showcased as China's answer to the American AIM-120D and European Meteor, the PL-15E has now been exposed in real combat and worse compromised. For Indian defence scientists, it is a rare windfall. With critical components in hand, India's missile development programmes like the Astra Mk II could get a serious boost, especially in radar jamming resistance, seeker tech and extended range propulsion. Not just that – Indian engineers could now cross-check the effectiveness of China's vaunted missile under real conditions and possibly expose weaknesses that even the PLA may not want to admit. Beijing Responds… Carefully China's defence ministry has been measured in its words. Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang avoided direct comment on the missile's failure or capture. Instead, he called for calm, saying, 'India and Pakistan are neighbours who cannot be moved… China is willing to play a constructive role.' But he did, notably, confirm that the PL-15E was used – marking its first operational deployment. According to SIPRI, a staggering 81% of Pakistan's arms imports now come from China, up from 74% a few years ago. This includes more than half its fighter jets (JF-17s, J-10Cs), missile systems like the PL-15E, air defence systems and satellite capabilities. Reports even indicate that China rushed new PL-15E missiles to Pakistan at the peak of the May conflict – part of Beijing's support to its 'iron brother'. What Happens Now? The missile debris is a trophy as well as a strategic liability for China, a tech boon for India and a milestone in South Asia's arms race. It also marks a shift – wars now may not need territorial invasion. They can be fought remotely through missiles, drones, radars and secrets buried in missile wreckage. China's weapon has spoken but not in the way Beijing hoped.
India.com
6 hours ago
- India.com
Neither US nor China! These Muslim nations if join hands will be more powerful, they are Iran and...
(File) Most powerful Muslim countries: The United States, China, and Russia are the three great powers in today multipolar world, with Washington being the preeminent military power which is at odds with the combined strength of Beijing and Moscow. However, there are more than 57 Muslim nations in the world, and their combined military power is more than enough to topple any world power, including the combined forces of the US, China, and Russia. Most powerful Muslim countries as per Global Firepower Index Turkey: According to the Global Firepower Index 2023, Turkey is the most powerful Muslim country on the planet, boasting an army that has 3,55,200 active soldiers, 3,78,700 reserve soldiers, 55,104 armored vehicles and 286 rocket launchers. Turkey has 205 fighter planes and 12 submarines, but its core strength comes from indigenously made military drones, such as the Bayraktar TB2 and TB3, which have proven their mettle in several conflict zones around the world. Pakistan: While Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat at India's hands in the recent military conflict, the neighboring country is still a military powerhouse, ranking 12th on the Global Firepower Index 2025. Pakistan boasts the world's sixth-largest standing army, with approximately 6.54 lakh active soldiers, 5 lakh reserves, and a total military strength of 17 lakh. The country has 328 fighter jets, 114 naval ships, 108 submarines 108, 3700 tanks, and more than 50,000 armored vehicles Iran: Iran, the arch-nemesis of US and Israel, which reportedly is now at the brink of becoming a nuclear power, has one of the largest armies in Central Asia with 5.75 lakh active soldiers. The Iranian forces are bolstered by 4071 combat tanks, 551 aircraft, 101 warships, 186 fighter jets and 129 military helicopters. Egypt: Egypt is major military power among Arab nations in the Middle East. This ancient country ranks 19th on the Global Firepower Index, with an army of more than 3 lakh active personnel. Among Islamic nations, Egypt is ranked as the 5th most powerful Muslim country. Saudi Arabia: One of the richest countries on the planet, the Desert Kingdom is ranked 24th on the Global Firepower 2025 list, with a army of 2,57,000 active soldiers, and 1,50,000 paramilitary forces. Saudi Arabia has 840 tanks, 19,040 military vehicles, 332 self-propelled artillery, 321 rocket launchers, 917 aircraft, including 283 fighter jets in its Air Force. Algeria: Last but not the least, Algeria, which ranks 6th most powerful among Islamic countries, and 26th among 146 countries on the global index, is a military power in its own right, with a standing army of 3.25 lakh active soldiers.
India Today
14 hours ago
- India Today
Despite US objections, 5 reasons why India-Russia partnership will endure
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said India's military purchases from Russia had "rubbed the United States the wrong way" while speaking at the eighth edition of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Leadership Summit."There were certain things that the Indian government did that generally rubbed the US the wrong way... for instance, you generally buy your military gear from Russia. That's a way to kind of get under the skin of America, if you go to buy your armaments from Russia," Lutnick commerce secretary's understanding of the India-Russia relationship is limited. India buys Russian weapons because Russia does not attach strings to these sales. It willingly shares technology and co-produces weapons with India and allows technology transfers in areas no country will collaborate with. THE SOVIET UNION SOLD WEAPONS NO ONE ELSE DID When India began its rearmament in the mid-1960s after the defeat in the 1962 war with China, it first turned to the West. It wanted submarines and warships for the Navy and fighter jets for the Air Force. These were not Soviet Union stepped in with sales of frontline Foxtrot class submarines, first-of-its-class missile boats, anti-submarine corvettes and MiG-21 supersonic fighter aircraft. These platforms were used with devastating effect in the 1971 India-Pakistan war. The US, UK and China supported Pakistan in that Soviet Union sent its submarines in pursuit of the USS Enterprise carrier battle group that President Nixon sent into the Indian Ocean to intimidate India. This relationship continued through the 1980s. In 1987, the Soviet Union transferred to India on a three-year lease the K-43, the world's first nuclear-powered attack submarine that could fire anti-ship missiles from CONTINUES THE SOVIET LEGACYThis strategic partnership continued after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The successor state, Russia, sold to India the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles in the late 1990s. This weapon now equips all three services and was used with devastating effect during Operation Sindoor in smashing Pakistani airbases and radar installations. Russia has shared all the technology for this radical missile it developed during the Cold leased a second nuclear submarine, the Chakra-2, in 2012. It is refurbishing a third unit, the Chakra-3, which will be transferred to India on a ten-year lease by the end of this decade. Sure, Russia charges a hefty fee for this refurbishment and lease - over $3 billion - but with the exception of the US-UK partnership, no country has sold or transferred nuclear-powered submarine technology to another country. It has offered India advanced hypersonic weaponry and long-range missile systems and fifth-generation fighter FOR STRATEGIC WEAPONS PROGRAMMESadvertisementNuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines are the third leg of the triad of air, land and sea-based nuclear weapons. They are also the most secure leg of the triad because submarines can hide deep under the ocean beyond the reach of the helped India build its fleet of four Arihant class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. India began constructing these submarines after the Pokharan nuclear tests in 1998. Today, two Arihant-class submarines have been commissioned and two more will be commissioned in the next four are the most complex defence platforms ever built by India. Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledged Russia's support for the programme while speaking at the 2009 launch of the INS Arihant in STRINGS ATTACHEDThis is among the most important aspects of the relationship. The US imposed sanctions and embargoed the sale of military equipment to India because of the Pokharan-2 nuclear tests in 1998. President Donald Trump spoke of using trade as a tool to coerce India into negotiating a ceasefire during Operation Sindoor (a fact denied by India).This has led to fears that the sales of US weapons to India could be similarly used in a crisis. Russia has never attached such strings to its weapons sales to India. It has never imposed embargoes or restricted transfers of LIMITED ONLY BY IMAGINATIONThe sky is the limit when it comes to the Russia-India strategic partnership. Russia has provided technical assistance for India's Matsyayan ocean bed expedition that aims to send Indians to the deepest point of the Indian has also provided help for the Gaganyaan expedition, which aims to launch India's first astronauts in an Indian-built space vehicle. The India-Russia relationship is limited only by the imagination of the two partner Watch
