logo
Indian Army successfully conducts trials of indigenous Akash Prime air defence system in Ladakh sector

Indian Army successfully conducts trials of indigenous Akash Prime air defence system in Ladakh sector

Mint16-07-2025
The Indian Army has successfully conducted trials of the indigenously developed Akash Prime air defence system at an altitude of over 15,000 feet in the Ladakh sector today, July 16, 2025, reported ANI, citing Defence officials
The trials were conducted by the Army Air Defence and senior officials from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which developed the system.
The surface-to-air missiles made two direct hits during the trials against very fast-moving target aircraft in a very high-altitude area in a rarified atmosphere.
The Akash Prime system is set to become the third and fourth regiments of the Akash air defence units within the Indian Army. It also demonstrated excellent performance during Operation Sindoor, effectively countering aerial assaults by the Pakistan military, which used Chinese aircraft and Turkish drones, the report said.
On Wednesday, the Indian Army announced that it carried out an integrated firing exercise in Ladakh to improve coordination and test tactics and techniques, including the use of new-generation equipment and' battlefield equalisers".
The exercise was conducted by the Fire and Fury Corps based in Leh.
"In pursuance of the #IndianArmy's Decade of Transformation, Fire and Fury Corps conducted an Integrated Firing Exercise in Ladakh aimed at enhancing jointness and validation of Tactics, Techniques and Procedures incorporating New Generation Equipments & Battlefield Equalisers," the Corps said in a post on X.
The trials come amid South Western Army Commander Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh's call for the Indian Army to quickly adapt and innovate in response to the increasing challenges of modern and future warfare.
'It is crucial for us to develop advanced capabilities to effectively handle hybrid threats. Artificial intelligence (AI) has immense potential to support decision-making, optimise resource management and enhance the speed and accuracy of our operations,' PTI quoted Singh speaking at the technical seminar 'Next Generation Combat – Shaping Tomorrow's Military Today' at Jaipur Military Station.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

To further tech manufacturing, India rethinks China blockade
To further tech manufacturing, India rethinks China blockade

Indian Express

time40 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

To further tech manufacturing, India rethinks China blockade

Nearly half a decade ago, India adopted a 'China-out' strategy of sorts, in response to the border clashes in 2020, introduced an anti-Beijing foreign investment policy, and kept Chinese firms out of critical sectors like telecommunications. Now, however, necessitated by changing geopolitical dynamics, following US President Donald Trump's unprecedented onslaught on global trade, and India's own manufacturing ambitions, New Delhi is undertaking a serious rethink on the existing strategy, and is strongly considering particularly easing China-based entities' entry into the country, with some riders. The most recent sign of the thaw came in the form of a recommendation made by the government think tank Niti Aayog, earlier this month, to ease India's foreign direct investment (FDI) rules, which involves government scrutiny into investments made by Chinese firms. Earlier, the Economic Survey 2023-24 had sprung a surprise by advocating attracting investments from Chinese companies to boost exports. India had earlier put restrictions on investments from China through Press Note 3 in April 2020 to curb potential opportunistic takeovers of Indian companies during the Covid-19 pandemic by making a government approval mandatory for all investments from countries sharing a land border with India, including China. It continued to be in force in the wake of national security concerns due to border tensions after the Galwan clash. Early signs of a thaw There have been some signs that India is slowly, but surely, allowing Chinese companies to partner with Indian entities. Dixon Technologies, which is a major Indian electronics assembly company, received approval from the IT Ministry to set up a joint venture with China-based Longcheer. The new company will focus on manufacturing and supplying a wide range of electronics, including smartphones, tablets, true wireless stereo (TWS) devices, smartwatches, AI-powered PCs, automotive electronics, and healthcare devices. Dixon will hold 74 per cent in the JV, and the remaining 26 per cent will be with Longcheer. 'We can not continue to avoid China. The truth is, they make things which we need for our assembly operations, and if we want to go deeper into the supply chain, our companies have to work with Chinese companies,' a senior government official said. The IT Ministry, earlier this year, notified a Rs 23,000 crore policy for electronic components manufacturing, and it is widely anticipated that Indian firms would partner with Chinese entities to participate in the scheme, given the expertise they have. Recently, India also resumed issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals as part of a broader effort to repair bilateral ties. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to China where he had underlined that 'differences should not become disputes' nor should 'competition ever become conflict' and that while India and China have made good progress in the past nine months towards the normalisation of bilateral relations, they should work to address de-escalation on the border. China out in letter, not in spirit, and some repercussions Of course, while the government managed to keep China out in some sectors like finished smartphones, imports from the country continued, particularly for a number of electronic components, which are crucial for the final assembly process in India, but for which New Delhi has little to no production base. The Indian Express had earlier reported that the financial year 2023-24, India imported electronic components worth over $12 billion from China and $6 billion from Hong Kong, with the two accounting for more than half of total such imports to India – suggesting that the country's growing footprint in electronics manufacturing was not necessarily into reduced reliance on Beijing. In the last five years, electronics imports from China and Hong Kong have far outnumbered imports from other major manufacturing hubs like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and all ASEAN countries, combined. China, for its own part, and seeing India's growing manufacturing footprint, also imposed restrictions on its companies, making it harder for them to do business with Indian firms. For instance, India's share in US smartphone imports surged to nearly 36 per cent in the first five months of 2025, from about 11 per cent in 2024. China, which continues to dominate the product category, saw its share drop from 82 per cent to 49 per cent over the same period, this paper had reported earlier. China's actions include pulling workers out of India, and making it more difficult for India-based manufacturing companies to obtain capital goods, which are needed for the assembly process. China has also imposed a blockade on several rare earth metals and magnets, and while the prime target of that restriction is the United States, India has found itself caught in the crosshairs. Soumyarendra Barik is Special Correspondent with The Indian Express and reports on the intersection of technology, policy and society. With over five years of newsroom experience, he has reported on issues of gig workers' rights, privacy, India's prevalent digital divide and a range of other policy interventions that impact big tech companies. He once also tailed a food delivery worker for over 12 hours to quantify the amount of money they make, and the pain they go through while doing so. In his free time, he likes to nerd about watches, Formula 1 and football. ... Read More

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman flags lack of AI-user privacy; Deepfakes threaten political security; Nvidia orders H20 chips from TSMC
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman flags lack of AI-user privacy; Deepfakes threaten political security; Nvidia orders H20 chips from TSMC

The Hindu

time42 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman flags lack of AI-user privacy; Deepfakes threaten political security; Nvidia orders H20 chips from TSMC

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman flags lack of AI-user privacy Users who treat ChatGPT as a life coach or therapist, sharing extremely personal thoughts or sensitive questions with the AI chatbot, do not have real privacy protections, according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The technologist warned during an episode of 'This Past Weekend' podcast with Theo Von that the AI company could be forced to hand over such content as evidence in case of a lawsuit or a legal proceeding. Altman made it clear that he disagreed with this standard and highlighted the need for a user-AI privacy standard similar to the one that exists between a patient and a doctor or a client and a therapist. Such interactions are generally protected by what is known as 'privilege,' meaning it is hard to use them against the individual in court. This is not merely a hypothetical situation for the company and its users worldwide. OpenAI was critical of The New York Times, claiming that as part of a lawsuit against the AI startup, the media company asked the court to force OpenAI to 'retain all user content indefinitely going forward...' Deepfakes threaten political security Employees who work in U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, high-profile business companies in America, or corporate settings are preparing to tackle the surge in realistic deepfakes across media formats that impersonate their leaders and chiefs. This has been done to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles. There is a serious risk that lower-level employees targeted by such scams might disclose highly sensitive information, security details, or trade secrets to malicious attackers representing hostile regimes. Deepfakes can also be used to scam users out of their savings, get access to their passwords, or prevent them from exercising their right to vote unimpeded. However, there are tech experts who believe that the solution to identifying AI-generated deepfakes is deploying more AI tools that can process the details of a deepfake that human viewers might miss out on. Efforts are also on to better track North Korean agents who are embedded in the U.S. workforce. Nvidia orders H20 chips from TSMC Sources have claimed that Nvidia ordered 300,000 H20 chipsets from TSMC last week, with the development being related to a strong Chinese demand for the chips that are used in AI development. H20 was developed by Nvidia for the Chinese market and has less computing power than Nvidia's H100 and its new Blackwell series; it was made after U.S. export restrictions hit its other AI chipsets. Nvidia and TSMC have not yet formally commented on the reports. While U.S. legislators are concerned that China's access to the H20 offerings will affect competition between the two countries when it comes to leading AI technology, Nvidia's perspective is that Chinese interest in its chips will prevent developers from becoming reliant on products from rivals such as Huawei.

Oppo K13 Turbo series 5G launch in India confirmed: Specs, features, and everything we know
Oppo K13 Turbo series 5G launch in India confirmed: Specs, features, and everything we know

Hindustan Times

timean hour ago

  • Hindustan Times

Oppo K13 Turbo series 5G launch in India confirmed: Specs, features, and everything we know

Oppo has officially confirmed the launch of the Oppo K13 Turbo series 5G in India. The series is likely to include two models, the Oppo K13 Turbo 5G and the Oppo K13 Turbo Pro 5G, both expected to launch in the performance segment. The Chinese-based smartphone brand has also shared a teaser, confirming its arrival and sale availability on Flipkart. Oppo K13 Turbo series 5G will be available on Flipkart after its official launch in India.(Oppo) Several rumours have been circulating about the Oppo K13 Turbo series 5G, revealing the smartphone's specifications and features ahead of the official launch. Since these models have already launched in China, they may come with similar features in India as well. Therefore, know what the Oppo K13 Turbo series will look like during the launch. Also read: Oppo K13 Turbo series 5G launch in India Oppo India has officially shared a teaser on X (formerly Twitter), confirming the launch of the Oppo K13 Turbo series 5G in the country. The post caption mentions, 'Get ready to enter the OPPO Turbo Zone. Unleashing the OPPOK13TurboSeries 5G - Power, Speed, and Performance like never before. Coming soon.' Alongside the launch, Flipkart also introduced a dedicated microsite, teasing the launch and confirming its online availability. The Oppo K13 Turbo series 5G is expected to launch in early August; however, the official launch date is yet to be announced. Oppo K13 Turbo series 5G: Specifications and features The Oppo K13 Turbo 5G and the Oppo K13 Turbo Pro are expected to share a similar 6.80-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1.5K resolution. The base variant will likely be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8450 processor, whereas the Pro model could be equipped with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor. The smartphones could offer up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. For photography, the Oppo K13 Turbo series could feature a 50MP dual camera setup and a 16MP selfie camera. Lastly, the series could offer a massive battery of up to 7000mAh, offering lasting performance. Alongside these features, the series is expected to offer IPX6, IPX8, and IPX9 ratings for protection against dust and water. In terms of pricing, the Oppo K13 Turbo series 5G will likely be introduced in the mid-range segment at under Rs. 30,000. However, we will have to wait until launch to confirm the features and official pricing of the new Oppo K series models.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store