Mechanical engineer & alumnus of IIM-A & IAS France, Kota was General Manager in HAL’s Light Combat Aircraft division. He was selected from a pool of eight candidates.
PM Narendra Modi said that the number of airports in the country has increased from 70 in 2014 to more than 160 in 2026, and India could have more than 400 airports by 2047.
For decades, India’s defence industry has churned out ‘indigenous’ hardware. Much of it is mere assembly of imported kits or licensed production, masking a deep import dependence.
India’s premier defence public sector undertaking, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, will have a new Chairman and Managing Director in May 2026. The selection process has...
India has long spoken of self-reliance, yet delays have repeatedly necessitated stopgap imports, including Jaguars, Mirages, Su-30MKIs, MiG-29Ks, and Rafales.
There were no plans to have Mk1A version. However, compromise was reached between HAL & IAF in 2015 since original plan for getting Mk2 would've been time-consuming affair.
ACM Katre was 2nd IAF chief to die in harness. It was at a memorial lecture in his honour where IAF chief AP Singh revealed that India shot down 6 Pakistani aircraft in Op Sindoor.
Request for Information issued by govt seeks transfer of technology. This comes as the planned acquisition of 200 Kamov light utility helicopters from Russia remains in limbo.
Armenia has procured significant defence equipment from India, including artillery guns, multi-barrel rocket launchers, air defence system, sniper rifles, weapons locating radars, anti-drone weapons.
The key to fighting a war successfully, or even launching it, is a clear objective. That’s an entirely political call. It isn’t emotional or purely military.
Adm Prakash has rightly pointed out the lacunae in our defence preparedness. We are reasonably up to date in air defence and guided missile systems. But we are way behind in advanced fighter aircraft systems. Even after our AMCA becomes operational by 2035 , we will still be 10 to 15 years behind others like China who are already testing 6th gen fighters.
Catching up will need an extreme Innovation group who will convert the existing AMCA and tejas platforms into 6th gen ones and start trials in the next 2 to 3 years.
Incisive and apt
Adm Prakash has rightly pointed out the lacunae in our defence preparedness. We are reasonably up to date in air defence and guided missile systems. But we are way behind in advanced fighter aircraft systems. Even after our AMCA becomes operational by 2035 , we will still be 10 to 15 years behind others like China who are already testing 6th gen fighters.
Catching up will need an extreme Innovation group who will convert the existing AMCA and tejas platforms into 6th gen ones and start trials in the next 2 to 3 years.