Recent 6 months news in Defence

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has received the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) from the DRDO for the indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system named 'Netra'.

The system is integrated onto the Brazilian modified twin-engine Embraer EMB-145I aircraft platform and has a radar detection range of 240–300 km It is to be noted that the 'Netra' programme was initiated in 2003 and sanctioned in 2004, with the IAF receiving the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) in 2017.

The Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) of the USA, which administers the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, has notified a proposed sale of sustainment support services and equipment to India at an estimated cost of $482.2 million.

This includes $230 million for the sustainment of M777A2 Ultra-Light Howitzers and $198.2 million for the AH-64E Apache helicopters.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh has released the 'Delegation of Financial Powers to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) (DFP-2026)' in New Delhi. The framework aims to expedite local clearances by expanding financial powers across various management levels of the DRDO.

Under the new policy, the financial powers for competitive procurement and sanctioning new projects for the Secretary, Department of Defence R&D (DRDO Chairman) have been doubled from ₹75 crore to ₹150 crore.

The sanctioning autonomy for Directors General (DGs) has been increased from ₹25 crore to ₹75 crore, and for Laboratory Directors from ₹2 crore to ₹5 crore. Additionally, single-tender and proprietary procurement limits have been upgraded, authorizing the Secretary, DRDO up to ₹75 crore, DGs up to ₹37.5 crore, and Lab Directors up to ₹2.5 crore.

The Indian Army is participating in the 23rd edition of the multilateral joint military exercise 'KHAAN QUEST' 2026, hosted by Mongolia at the Five Hills Training Area in Ulaanbaatar.

The Indian contingent consists of 40 members, including troops from the JAT Regiment and other Arms & Services. The exercise involves personnel from 18 participating countries.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned the ICGS Akshay, a new-generation Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV), into its fleet.

The vessel, built by Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL), was inducted at the GSL facility in Vasco, Goa. It features over 60% indigenous content and is the fourth vessel in the Adamya-class FPV series.

The Ministry of Defence has granted permission to the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Ltd (MRDCL) to use 83.814 acres of defence land under the Artillery Centre in Hyderabad.

The land, valued at ₹533.42 crore, has been allocated for the Gandhi Sarovar Project at Bapu Ghat, Hyderabad, under the Equal Value Infrastructure (EVI) Policy.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has inducted its first indigenously constructed Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV), designated H-561, at the Rassaim shipyard facility in Goa.

The vessel, built by the Goa-based Chowgule & Company Pvt Ltd (CCPL), is made of marine-grade aluminium and contains over 50% indigenous content. The ACV can accommodate up to 42 personnel and an 8-tonne payload, with a maximum speed of 45 knots.

India has successfully tested the indigenous 120-millimeter (mm) vehicle-mounted mortar system named "Garudastra", developed by Nibe Ltd for the Indian Army.

The Ministry of Defence has granted in-principle approval to establish a National Military Drone Technology Hub at the IIT Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

The project, valued at ₹500 crore, aims to strengthen India's capabilities in advanced unmanned systems.

The Indian Army has procured 106 jet-powered Peacekeeper (Agniveg) drones from the defence manufacturer SMPP Ltd. The consignment includes 100 operational drones and 6 training drones.

These drones were developed in partnership with KB Indela, Belarus, and have been partially localized within India. The Peacekeeper drone has an operational range of 180 km. An upgraded variant of the drone, capable of reaching speeds of 750 kmph, has been proposed.

Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (KSSL), the defence arm of Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL), in partnership with the South Africa-based Paramount Group, has unveiled the 'Simha 4x4 Light Armoured Multi-Purpose Vehicle (LAMPV)'.

The vehicle, featuring an ab initio modular design, was unveiled at the Eurosatory 2026 event held in Paris, France.

President Droupadi Murmu presided over the Passing Out Parade of the 158th Regular Course of the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Lieutenant Vishal Kumar was awarded the Sword of Honour and the President’s Gold Medal for securing the first position in the overall Order of Merit and emerging as the best all-round officer cadet. Academy Under Officer Prince Raj received the Silver Medal, and Senior Under Officer Tejas Bhatt was awarded the Bronze Medal.

The Indian Navy (IN) has decommissioned its fleet of 'Sea King Mk42B' helicopters, also known as the ‘Flying Frigates’, after 36 years of service.

The fleet, operated by the Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS 330), concluded its service with a final ceremonial flight from INS Shikra, the base of the Western Naval Command (WNC) in Mumbai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commissioned three indigenously built naval ships INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak, and INS Agray, at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust in Kolkata.

These frontline warships were designed by the Warship Design Bureau of the Indian Navy and manufactured by the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE), with over 75% indigenous content.

INS Dunagiri is a Project 17A stealth guided-missile frigate equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) systems. INS Sanshodhak is a Sandhayak-class Large Survey Vessel (SVL). INS Agray is an Arnala-class anti-submarine shallow water craft.

Drogo Aerospace Pvt Ltd, formerly known as Drogo Drones, has delivered the first batch of 41 'JK 250e' electric drones to the Southern Command of the Indian Army in Nashik, Maharashtra. This delivery is part of a contract worth ₹72 crore for the procurement of 217 drones.

India and Thailand have held the 10th Defence Dialogue in Bangkok, Thailand, to strengthen bilateral security cooperation.

During the dialogue, both nations agreed to deepen collaboration in manufacturing, research, innovation, and capability development.

The Ministry of Defence has commissioned the first batch of 17 women cadets trained at the National Defence Academy (NDA) into the Indian Armed Forces, marking a historic milestone in gender inclusion.

The Indian Army commissioned 9 women officers at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The Indian Air Force commissioned 5 women officers at the Air Force Academy (AFA) in Dundigal, Hyderabad, and the Indian Navy commissioned 3 women officers at the Indian Naval Academy (INA) in Ezhimala, Kerala.

The DRDO has conducted three consecutive flight tests of its integrated multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system. These trials, executed from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha, demonstrated the system’s capability to intercept long-range (5,000 km) and medium-range (2,000 km) missiles using two advanced interceptor missiles.

Additionally, the maiden flight test of the indigenous Naval Anti-Ship Missile–Medium Range (NASM-MR) was also successfully conducted.

According to the Ministry of Defence, India’s annual defence production has reached an all-time high of ₹1.78 lakh crore in the FY26. This marks a 15.6% annual growth from the ₹1.54 lakh crore recorded in FY25.

The DRDO has successfully conducted the flight-test of the indigenous Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha.

All sub-systems of the missile were developed by various DRDO laboratories and Indian industry partners, with the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) in Bengaluru serving as the nodal laboratory for the project.