Current Affairs Defense

  The Indian Army has successfully test-fired 2 Spike long-range anti-tank missiles at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh. Spike is a 4th-generation missile which can engage any target with precision at ranges up to 4 km. India became the 33rd country to have the Spike missile as part of its inventory. The missile has the ability to fire, observe and update, providing substantial flexibility to the firer to pinpoint the impact point. It also has the ability to switch to a different target mid-flight. The firer has the option of firing from a low or high trajectory.
Source: The NDTV

  A maiden bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) have conducted Mine Countermeasure Exercise (MINEX) 2019 at Kochi, Kerala. Officials of the Indian Navy and from the warships Bungo and Takashima of JMSDF’s Minesweeper (a naval ship that is deployed in removing naval mines) Division 3, commanded by Captain Seiji Ikubu took part in the exercise.
Source: The Hindu

  The Indian Navy will host military drill ‘Milan 2020’ in March which will witness the participation of several countries. 41 nations from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe that share defence cooperation with India have been invited for the drill. MILAN stands for ‘Multilateral Naval Exercise’. The government pursues cooperation initiatives with friendly foreign countries, including in the Indian Ocean Region, through structured interactions like Staff Talks, Empowered Steering Group. The areas of cooperation include capacity building, marine domain awareness, training, hydrography, technical assistance, operational exercise.
Source: The Economic Times

 India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C47 Launch Vehicle-XL (PSLV-XL) rocket carrying advanced earth observation satellite Cartosat-3 and 13 US nano satellites lifted off from the second launch pad of the rocket port from Sriharikota. At about 9.28 a.m. the 44.4 meters tall, weighing 320-ton rocket blasted off from the second launch pad at the country’s rocket port. The launch was normal despite a clouded sky. According to ISRO, the 1,625 kg Cartosat-3 is an advanced agile satellite to obtain panchromatic and multispectral imagery with an operational life of five years.
Important Points:
  • PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in the ‘XL’ configuration (with 6 solid strap-on motors). This will be the 74th launch vehicle mission from Sriharikota.
  • Cartosat-3 satellite is a third-generation agile advanced satellite having high-resolution imaging capability. The satellite will be placed in an orbit of 509 km at an inclination of 97.5 degrees.
  • PSLV-C47 will also carry 13 commercial nanosatellites from the United States of America as part of commercial arrangement with New Space India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space.
  • Source- The Economic Times

      The US State Department cleared the sale of sophisticated MK-45 naval guns worth $1 billion to India. The MK-45 guns will enhance India’s naval capabilities, particularly in the Arabian Sea. The Gun System will provide the capability to conduct anti-surface warfare and anti-air defence missions while enhancing interoperability with the U.S. and other allied forces.
    Source: The News18

      President Ram Nath Kovind and Supreme Commander of Indian Armed Forces awarded President’s Colour to Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala at Kochi, Kerala. The President’s Colour is the highest honour bestowed upon a military unit. It was awarded to INA in recognition of the yeoman service rendered by the institution in training and shaping Indian Naval officers over the last 50 years at three different locations – Goa, Kochi and Ezhimala.
    Source: The Hindu

      The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will host the first-ever counter-terrorism (CT) exercise for the Quad countries in New Delhi. The Quad countries include the United States (US), India, Australia, and Japan. According to the NIA, the exercise is to assess and validate CT response mechanisms in the light of emerging terrorist threats. It also aims to provide opportunities to share the best practices and to explore areas for enhanced cooperation amongst participating countries.
    Source: The Hindu

      Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) delivered to the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) ‘Amrit Kaur’, the third in a series of five ‘Fast Patrol Vessels’ (FPV). ICGS ‘Amrit Kaur’ is a 50-metre-long and 7.5-metre- wide medium-range surface vessel, with a displacement of around 308 tonnes. It is capable of performing a rescue, patrolling, anti-smuggling and anti-poaching operations in the maritime zones of the country. The vessel can attain a maximum speed of 34 knots with an endurance of over 1,500 nautical miles. The ship is equipped with three main engines and has advanced control systems, water jet units and an ‘Integrated Bridge System’ constituting all communication and navigation systems.
    Source: The Business Standard

     Navies of India and Qatar have started a 5-day bilateral maritime exercise “Za’ir-Al-Bahr” begins in Doha, Qatar. The inaugural edition of the bilateral maritime exercise would further strengthen the robust defence co-operation between the two countries, especially in the fight against terrorism, maritime piracy and security. Indian Navy Ship (INS) Trikand captained by Vishal Bishnoi, Patrol Aircraft P8-I is participating in the inaugural edition of the exercise.
    Source: The Business Standard

      India has successfully conducted the first night trial of Agni-II, its versatile surface-to-surface medium-range nuclear-capable missile from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast. Agni-II, an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), has already been inducted into the armed forces. The entire trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and two naval ships located near the impact point in the down-range area of Bay of Bengal. The test was carried out by the specially formed Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army with logistic support from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The two-stage ballistic missile can carry a payload of 1000 kg over a distance of 2000 km.
    Source: The News on AIR


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