Indias defence just got a 54,000 crore upgrade Here’s whats new

The first batch of four Rafale aircraft will arrive in India by May 2020. The basic cost of the aircraft is about ₹680 crore. Armenia is getting ready to make history by becoming the very first international buyer of India’s latest air defence system—the Akash NG (Next Generation) surface-to-air India successfully intercepted the threat using S-400 and Akash defence systems. A quiet process is underway to buy new fighters for the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers, under its Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighter (MRCBF) program, with revised numbers and a new, hybrid and potentially problematic approach… India will soon have a combat aircraft rivalling Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II of the United States of America, China’s Chengdu J-20 and Russian Sukhoi Su-57.

The focus on jointness, emerging technologies, indigenisation, cyber safety and defence exports will ensure that India is well prepared for 21st-century warfare. The declaration of 2025 as the year of reforms is a major step towards transforming India’s defence sector. To provide a real-time picture of the battlefield by integrating data from ground and aerial sensors using army data and satellite communication networks. The 2023–24 report by the Ministry of Home Affairs highlights the Pig-Butchering Scam – a major investment fraud. Set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs, i4c helps in coordinating and monitoring cybercrime, especially those targeting women and children.

It has a range of 150–500 km and is equipped with advanced guidance and navigation systems. The armed forces will push for greater jointness and integration by establishing integrated theatre commands. Minister of Defence Shri Rajnath Singh chaired a high-level meeting with all defence ministry secretaries to review the progress of various schemes and projects. A must-read for defence enthusiasts, aspirants, and policy observers. This blog covers the latest defence deals, strategic military partnerships, and key modernization programs shaping the future of the Indian Armed Forces.

Ministry of Defence Declares 2025 as the ‘Year of Reforms’

• India on Friday commissioned its third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Aridhaman, enhancing the country’s sea-based nuclear deterrence.
• Now, three new army garrisons are ready to meet any hostile action
• India’s Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi is in the US, continuing a series of high-level defence exchanges.
• India successfully intercepted the threat using S-400 and Akash defence systems.
• Intelligence agencies have issued a fresh alert regarding plans by the banned outfit Babbar Khalsa International to revive the Khalistan movement in Punjab, with a new strategy focused on rural radicalisation and low-intensity attacks in urban centres, officials familiar with the development have said.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has dismissed reports in Bangladeshi media alleging that Indian-made ammunition was found or used in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Integrated with high power engine and automatic transmission, these platforms possess a high power to weight ratio, higher speed capabilities, gradient and obstacle negotiating capability, STANAG level 4 and 5 protection with modular blast and ballistic protection all around. The Advanced Armoured Platforms (Tracked and Wheeled), designed and developed by Vehicles Research & Development Establishment, were unveiled by Secretary Department of Defence (R&D) & Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat at the premises of the DRDO’s laboratory in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra on April 25, 2026. The Indian response was not reliant on any one cutting-edge platform but rather on a tightly coordinated ecosystem that fused upgraded legacy guns, mobile missile systems, indigenous radars, and a real-time command network linking the Army and Air Force. The transformation was forged under pressure, when Pakistan responded to Operation Sindoor with a coordinated wave of drones and missiles, including threats aimed beyond military targets and into civilian areas.

We are apolitical, and will remain so: Gen Naravane slams attempts to link Army with politics

The plan effectively extends the lifecycle of the aircraft to over 80 years since its first flight in 1991, underscoring the enduring strategic value of the heavy-lift transport. The proposed system is intended to enable the launch of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), loitering munitions, and mission payload projectiles directly from naval platforms without relying on conventional rocket boosters or pneumatic catapult systems. While the current approval framework covers around 120–130 aircraft, equivalent to roughly seven squadrons, long-term planning within the Indian Air Force (IAF) is now oriented toward a 250-aircraft fleet.

In a big boost to India’s defence self-reliance, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are moving rapidly on Project As modern warfare shifts indian defence updates from brute strength to intelligent precision, India is rewriting its military playbook. For me, this is more than a defence… India’s relentless pursuit of indigenous defence technology has reached a defining moment, led by the Ghatak UCAV. As of 20th June 2025, the Indian Army has officially inducted its third regiment of Dhanush artillery guns, marking a significant leap in indigenous defence… India’s defence ecosystem is entering a decisive new phase.

• British police said they are investigating possible Iran links to a series of arson attacks on Jewish targets in ​London, which the UK chief rabbi said showed ​a sustained campaign of violence against the Jewish community was gathering momentum.
• In Asia, the Iran war is pushing South Korea to increase nuclear power generation, while Taiwan is debating restarting mothballed reactors.
• The traditional separation between civilian space programs and military applications is rapidly eroding, and India is now moving toward a whole-of-nation architecture where government agencies, private industry, and the armed forces are converging to build space-based capabilities at scale.
• Minister of Defence Shri Rajnath Singh chaired a high-level meeting with all defence ministry secretaries to review the progress of various schemes and projects.

By harvesting solar energy during daylight operations and storing excess power for sustained flight cycles, Tejasvaan is positioned to deliver persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities with minimal operational footprint. Maraal Aerospace Private Limited has announced the successful flight trials of its solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle, Tejasvaan, marking a notable step forward in India’s pursuit of sustainable and long-endurance aerial platforms. As radar power and processing improve, the “burn-through” point—where a low-observable target can be reliably tracked—moves outward.

The facility houses an advanced Operations Centre along with the Maritime Rescue Sub Centre, Puducherry, forming a unified hub for command, control and coordination. The spillage to open reactor phase involves flushing of the safety system and main coolant pipelines (MCP) using light water to ensure cleanliness of the systems for further commissioning activities. The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project’s unit three witnessed the commencement of the “spillage to open reactor” phase on Saturday, marking a significant development in the ongoing construction of the project, a statement said.

Major productions routinely collaborate with the armed forces to ensure accuracy and authenticity. The operation saw Indian forces strike terror bases in Pakistan, eliminating over 100 terrorists and destroying launchpads. The Indian Air Force conducted takeoff and landing drills on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur using an Airbus C295 aircraft. India on Saturday advised its nationals in Mali to remain highly vigilant, exercise utmost caution and stay indoors due to recent security developments in the West African nation.

After the US unveils its sixth-gen F-47 and China pushes ahead with prototypes to redefine aerial warfare, India is racing against time to field a fifth-gen stealth fighter and modernise its air force The Rafale vs J-10C face-off remains inconclusive, but India's multi-layered air defence system was a clear winner With declining numbers of fighter jets and China and Turkey offering their stealth aircraft to Pakistan, the Indian Air Force needs fifth generation jets. The conference, co-hosted by USINDOPACOM, focuses on regional security threats, cooperation, and military ties. People often forget that a fighter pilot does not merely fly an aircraft – he flies against gravity, against time, against the margin of error… The amendment, part of a wider contract, aims to support existing systems, not alter regional military balance.