Focus Merit

Category: Defence

“Noor” first military satellite launched by Iran

April 25, 2020
Noor satellite Iran
  • “Noor” satellite , a military satellite has been launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC]. This is the first military satellite of Iran that has been setup in the earth’s orbit that will helpful in military operations, survilence, 

Indian Navy established “Air Evacuation Pod” for Covid-19 patients

April 20, 2020
Indian Navy formed “Air Evacuation Pod” for Covid-19 patients
  • The Indian Navy’s Naval Aircraft Yard (Kochi) has formed “Air Evacuation Pod (AEP)” for the safe evacuation of COVID-19 patients from remote areas.
  • The pod is formed up of aluminum, nitrile rubber and perspex. It weighs only 32 kg and has incurred a manufacturing cost of Rs 50,000 which is only 0.1 percent of the cost of an imported equivalent (Rs 59 lakh).

The US permits the sale of Anti-ship Missiles & Torpedoes to India

April 16, 2020
The US permits the sale of Anti-ship Missiles & Torpedoes to India
  • The United States has declared that the sale of Harpoon air-launched anti-ship missiles and Mark 54 lightweight torpedoes to India in order to improve India’s deterrent capabilities against “regional threats” and also to strengthen its homeland defense.

India and France carry out joint patrolling

March 28, 2020
India and France carry out joint patrols
  • India and France have carried out joint patrols from the Reunion Island for the first time.
  • The patrol was carried out by a P-8I aircraft with French Navy personnel on board.
  • The surveillance was done in the southern Indian Ocean off Mauritius.

Indian Army Chief launches ‘Operation Namaste’ to fight COVID-19

March 28, 2020
Operation Namaste
  • Army Chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane has begun ‘Operation Namaste’ to assist the government against COVID-19.
  • The Indian Army has code-named its anti-COVID-19 operations as Operation Namaste.

US & UAE troops begin biennial exercise “Native Fury”

March 25, 2020
Native Fury
  • US Marines and UAE Emirati forces carried out the biennial exercise, named Native Fury at Abu Dhabi.
  • The exercise saw 4,000 U.S. troops from the Army, Marines and Navy position armored vehicles and other machinery from Kuwait and the island of Diego Garcia in al-Hamra using a portable pier system.

Defence Ministry inks contract with Israeli firm for LMG

March 20, 2020
Negev 7.62 X 51 mm LMG
  • The Ministry of Defence has inked the capital acquisition contract of worth Rs 880 crore with Israel Weapons Industries for the procurement of Light Machine Gun (LMGs).
  • The Light Machine Guns were the long-standing requirement of Indian Armed Forces.
  • Negev 7.62 X 51 mm LMG which is a combat weapon, is being used globally and expected to enhance the lethality as well as the range of a soldier vis-a-vis the presently used weapon.

DAC allows procurement of Tejas fighter aircraft for IAF

March 19, 2020
Tejas fighter aircraft
  • The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has allowed the procurement of indigenous Tejas fighter aircraft for Indian Air Force.
  • 83 indigenous Tejas fighter aircrafts will be procured for the Indian Air Force. The Defence Acquisition Council has also approved the acquisition of indigenous defence equipments worth Rs 1,300 crore.

CRPF inks MoU with Aditya mehta foundation to train its specially-abled troops in areas of cyber security & AI

March 16, 2020
CRPF
  • On March 13, 2020, The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), India’s largest Central Armed Police Force, has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF),a non-profit organization which helps people with disabilities to pursue sports, to train its 189 CRPF personnel who had lost their limbs in operations in areas of cyber security, artificial intelligence (AI) and paralympic sports.
  • The agreement inked in the presence of CRPF’s Director General (DG) AP Maheshwari, will help create newer opportunities for such personnel to continue as the integral part of the force.

LT Gen KJS Dhillon will take charge as DG DIA & DCIDS

March 12, 2020
LT Gen KJS Dhillon

Lt Gen KJS Dhillon will take the charge of Director-General(DG), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (DCIDS). DIA and DCIDS is a department that comes under the Chief of Defence Staff in the newly created Department of Military Affairs. DIA and DCIDS are responsible for collating technical as well as human intelligence for the three armed forces.