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India Gazette
11-05-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
India commissions BrahMos missiles production unit amid ceasefire
The new manufacturing facility will help New Delhi increase its defense stockpile in a volatile environment India has inaugurated a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile production unit in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, according to Defense Ministry officials. The facility, inaugurated by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, will manufacture one of the world's fastest supersonic cruise missiles, with a range of 290-400km and speeds up to Mach 2.8, officials from the ministry added. BrahMos Aerospace is a joint Indo-Russian venture launched in 2005. It was named after the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers. India's Defense Research and Development Organization has a 50.5% stake in the company, while Russian NPO Mashinostroyenia holds 49.5%. In addition to the manufacturing unit, the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility has also been launched. This facility will be crucial for the testing and assembly of missiles, the Defense Ministry officials added. The event also saw the laying of the foundation stone for the Defence Testing Infrastructure System (DTIS), which will be developed at the unit, to test and certify defense products. Built at a cost of $35 million, the BrahMos production unit in Lucknow was completed in three-and-a-half years, according to officials. In March, India's Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) had approved the procurement of 250 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, according to India Today TV, citing unnamed sources. The BrahMos missile has become a crucial part of the Indian military's arsenal. It is designed for high-precision, long-range strikes against ground targets and can engage threats on land, sea, and underwater platforms. Initially, the missile had a range of 290 kilometers (180 miles), but continuous upgrades have increased its range and enhanced its strategic capabilities. The developments come after Russia and India signed a new defense pact in February this year. The new agreement streamlines logistics and enhances cooperation between the armed forces of the two nations, facilitating joint military operations and activities, ministry officials said. Currently, around 60% of the Indian military's equipment is of Russian origin. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative, the country is also working towards indigenization of its defense sector and has achieved success in some areas with support from private players.
NDTV
10-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
India's Home-Built D4 System Is 'Killing' Pakistani Drones. All About It
Pakistan is finding it very hard to pierce through India's robust 'drone, detect, deter, and destroy' system, developed by Indian defence scientists. As Pakistan continues to target India with drones along the western border, an indigenous system, developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), is thwarting Islamabad's strikes. It is akin to the famous "Iron Dome" shield used by Israel to thwart rocket attacks by Hamas in Gaza and Houthis in Yemen. This ground-based, rather invisible system has been effectively knocking out most of the aerial incursions being made by Pakistan using Turkish drones. In its effort to quickly develop the anti-drone system, DRDO brought together at least four labs specialised in different domains to develop a multi-sensor solution for detection, identification, and neutralisation of such unmanned aerial aircraft. The outcome of this effort was DRDO's indigenous solution to combat drone threats- the Drone-Detect, Deter and Destroy (D4) system, which has been successfully inducted into all three services. General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), speaking at an event of the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies on March 10, emphasised "the transformative impact of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in modern warfare". He highlighted the key trends -celerity, robotics advancements, and AI-driven intelligence - which are exploited by UAS, making them highly disruptive. Referencing present-day conflicts, Gen Chauhan had also underscored how drones are reshaping warfare economics with low-cost, high-impact solutions. Drones are a low-cost way of targeting the enemy and assessing their radar and air defence capabilities. By flying those in hordes, Pakistan is trying to degrade India's stocks of air defence weapons, but directed energy or laser weapons can be used many times without the fear of them being exhausted. In the D4 system, detection and identification of drones are achieved by a combination of inputs from radar and radio frequency detection systems and electro-optic identification systems. A very powerful neutralization system incapacitates drones by soft kill using radio frequency jamming, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) jamming, and Global Positioning System (GPS) spoofing techniques. Since drones are autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles, they need to know their positions and the end target. This is done by using GPS, and the Indian D4 system is sophisticated to deny these signals or confuse the drones and destroy them mid-flight. If the soft kill does not work, then a hard kill with high energy-directed energy weapon using powerful lasers is employed. The DRDO's frontline lab, the Centre for High Energy System & Sciences based in Hyderabad, has played a critical role in its development. The Indian D4 system can be vehicle or static mounted with an integrated command and control centre. The vehicle-mounted versions are actively used in war-like situations, and the static units are deployed at key military installations. The static D4 system offers 360-degree coverage and can even shoot down small drones. According to the DRDO, aligning with the 'Make in India' initiative, the D4 system is being manufactured in the country by Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) along with an ecosystem of multiple Indian industries. Its system efficacy against various types of drones has been accepted by multiple security agencies under the Home and Defence ministries and has also been demonstrated to the defence forces of a few other nations. Multiple labs under the DRDO have helped develop this potent anti-drone system, including the Electronics & Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), Bengaluru; Defense Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL); the Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS), Hyderabad; and Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun. The D4 counter-drone system is also being deployed at major national events in the country as part of an advanced security measure.
India.com
09-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
India Pakistan war: India's Pinaka is death for Pakistan, it can fire 72 rockets in just... Lahore will turn into smoke in just...
India Pakistan war: India's Pinaka is death for Pakistan, it can fire 72 rockets in just... Lahore will turn into smoke in just... India Pakistan war: India on Thursday night neutralised Pakistan military's attempt to hit military stations in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur and some other locations with missiles and drones, according to officials. Military sources said missiles from Pakistan were also directed at Jammu's Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia towns and that they were blocked by India's air defence systems. 'Military stations at Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur were targeted by Pakistani-origin drones and missiles along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir today,' a defence ministry spokesperson said. India has done this feat with its air defense system S-400, which has been named 'Sudarshan Chakra'. India has been working on strengthening its defense system for some time now and today it has made all the money worth it. India's also has another weapon Pinaka, the multi-barrel rocket launcher. It is worth noting that the Indian Army recently conducted a live firing drill of its indigenously developed Pinaka system at Pokhran Field Firing Range in Rajasthan. This was considered to be a message of India's preparedness against Pakistan before Operation Sindoor. Pinaka Rocket Launcher: Launches 72 rockets in 44 seconds Why is the rocket launcher named Pinaka? Pinaka is actually the name of the mythical bow of Lord Shiva, on which this multi-barrel rocket launch system is named. Being a multi-barrel system means that many rockets can be launched simultaneously. It is a key component of India's artillery power. It has been designed by the Defense Research and Development Organization i.e. DRDO, and Indian defense companies like Tata Advanced Systems and Larsen & Toubro have built it. It has been built under public-private partnership. This is the first in the defense system. Pinaka rockets are also equipped with GPS and have a guided system already installed in them. Experts said that Pinaka rockets can reach speeds of Mach 4.7 (5,800 km/h), making them extremely challenging to intercept. The Indian Army has four Pinaka regiments in service and six more are on order. In case of a war, its main task is to launch a massive attack on targets in the enemy's important and sensitive areas in a very short time. In January itself, the government approved an order worth Rs 10,200 crore for ammunition for the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher system. India has already exported it to Armenia and talks were on to do a deal with France as well.
Mint
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
India-Pakistan tensions: What is India's Air Defence System that armed forces use to counter airstrikes?
India-Pakistan tensions: India on Thursday said it neutralised Pakistan's air defence system in Lahore through its Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. India retaliated to Pakistan's drona and missile on April 8 evening in border areas of Punjab, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan attempted to engage 15 military targets using drones and missiles in northern and western India comprising Jammu, Awantipura, Amritsar, Srinagar, Pathankot, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai and Bhuj. 'These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks,' the central government's statement mentioned. India's air defence system is a multi-layered network combining indigenous and imported technologies to counter aerial threats ranging from drones to ballistic missiles. Long range, with a reach of between 40 to 4,000 km. 2. Medium-range systems, with a reach of 30 to 70 km. 3. Short-range systems, which hit targets between 30 to 70 km. The star of India's long-range defense system is the S-400, which is mainly deployed against Pakistan and China, India's two neighbours. The S-400 Triumf can intercept cruise missiles or aircraft at an altitude of 30 kilometers. India also has the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD), which involves the Prithvi Air Defence for intercepting and destroying missiles outside the Earth's atmosphere. It can strike targets at a speed of Mach 5 and has a range of up to 2,000 km. The Advanced Air Defence for lower altitude targets, which can strike targets at an altitude of 15 to 30 km and has a range of up to 300 km. India is also developing a homegrown defense system called Project Kusha, a programme under the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and a long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) that aims to be on par with the S-400 or the Iron Dome. India's medium-range defense system is built on the Akash-NG, designed by DRDO to intercept and destroy high-speed aerial threats like fighter jets, drones, and cruise missiles at ranges up to 70 km. It is served by the Rajendra III radar, which is the primary sensor for the Akash weapon system. Besides these homegrown systems, India also has the Barak-8, jointly developed with Israel, which is a surface-to-air missile that counters airborne threats like aircraft, helicopters, anti-ship missiles, UAVs, cruise missiles, and even short-range ballistic missiles. For short-range defense, India relies on the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) for rapid response and to protect moving armored columns from aerial attacks. India has also procured the Spyder defense system from Israel, which is armed with Python and Derby missiles India uses its BMD and S-400 batteries to protect strategic cities like Delhi and Mumbai, as well as its nuclear and space installations. Its border has two fronts: The Line of Control (LOC), which is its border with Pakistan. This is protected by Akash, Spyder, and QRSAM to counter Pakistani drones and fighter jets. India uses S-400 or Sudarshan Chakra as seen in recent strikes against Pakistan. It is considered to be one of the world's most advanced long-range air defence systems. India signed a deal worth nearly ₹ 35,000 crore (around $5.4 billion) in 2018 to buy five squadrons of the Russian-made S-400 Triumf air defence missile system. China was the first country to procure the S-400 missile system in 2014. The S-400 is said to be a huge threat by NATO members because of its sheer long range capabilities. India protects its naval assets, including warships like INS Vikrant, with naval SRSAM and Barak-8 systems. Its airspace is constantly monitored by the Swordfish and Rajendra radars, capable of tracking over 200 targets simultaneously. If a threat is detected, the system moves into the interception phase. If the threat is outside the Earth's atmosphere, PAD engages exo-atmospherically. AAD acts as a backup within the atmosphere. The entire system is coordinated by the Akashteer system, which digitally integrates radar data for real-time decision-making and reduces the risk of friendly fire. This mobile system is capable of functioning even if communications are disrupted. Meanwhile, the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), an automated air defence network developed by the Indian Air Force (IAF), coordinates Army, Navy, and Air Force responses.
Arab News
10-02-2025
- Business
- Arab News
France in advanced talks to buy Indian rocket launcher system, Indian official says
BENGALURU: France is in advanced talks with India to buy a multi-barrel rocket launcher system, a top Indian official said on Monday, a potential deal that would be the first time India's second-largest arms supplier buys weapons from New Delhi. India is the world's biggest arms importer, but has been trying to boost local production to meet its defense requirements and has been steadily raising its defense exports. The domestically made Pinaka rocket system with a range of up to 90 km (56 miles) was demonstrated to a French delegation in India around three months ago and was found to be satisfactory, a second official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'France is in active talks for Pinaka,' Ummalaneni Raja Babu, the director general of missiles and strategic systems at India's Defense Research and Development Organization, said on the sidelines of the Aero India aerospace exhibition in the southern city of Bengaluru. 'A deal has not been reached yet, but the talks are continuing,' said Babu. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a visit to France on Monday to co-chair an artificial intelligence summit in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and both leaders are scheduled to hold bilateral talks on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear if the rocket system will feature in the talks, and India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. France's embassy in India did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of business hours. France was India's second-largest arms supplier after Russia between 2019 and 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The Pinaka rocket launcher system, used by the Indian Army and deployed in the 1999 war between India and Pakistan, is also being enhanced with longer ranges, Babu said.
