India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
New Delhi: The British Royal Air Force (RAF) will use Indian flight instructors to train its pilots. This decision was taken in light of the Royal Air Force's shortage of flight instructors. It is also being seen as a growing defence partnership between India and the UK. It is believed that this is the first time since World War II that Indian pilots will train RAF pilots. This arrangement comes at a time when many air forces around the world are facing pilot shortages and training difficulties. The Royal Air Force is grappling with a shortage of trainer pilots and reliability issues with the Hawk T2. The RAF is having difficulty maintaining a full complement of qualified instructors, in part due to ongoing technical problems with its BAE Systems Hawk T2 advanced jet trainer. These aircraft problems have forced the RAF to send some trainee pilots abroad for training. The Royal Air Force's Hawk T2 aircraft is also experiencing engine problems, which limit its flying hours. This aircraft is also rapidly ageing. The Royal Air Force has been unable to procure replacement trainer aircraft. In contrast, India operates its own Hawk fleet, licensed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which provides its instructors with relevant experience with this type of aircraft. This is why the UK has planned to train its pilots in collaboration with India. This will not only strengthen the military relationship between the two countries but will also enhance the reputation of Indian flight instructors globally. To train pilots faster, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reduced the fast-jet pilot training period from 248 weeks to 187 weeks in 2022. The aim is to clear the backlog of trainees waiting to transition to frontline aircraft. "The RAF currently has a sufficient number of pilots and aircrew available for frontline duty," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. It added that the inclusion of Indian instructors is "not related to past issues" with the British flying training system but is part of a broader effort to "improve international relations."
Ferozepur, Jul 1 (PTI) An airstrip used by the Indian Air Force during the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars as an advanced landing ground at a village here close to the Pakistan border was allegedly sold by a woman and her son in collusion with some revenue officials in 1997. But after a retired revenue official filed a complaint that led to an inquiry, the land was given back to the defence ministry, officials said. On June 28, police registered a case against Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand Ansal, both residents of Dumni Wala village, under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code including ...Read More >
AFP | New Delhi Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com India yesterday signed a $7 billion order for 97 domestically designed and built Tejas fighter jets as its air force retires its outgoing Russian MiG-21 jets after decades of use. The first Tejas jets -- meaning "brilliance" in Hindi -- were commissioned into the airforce in 2016, with the latest commission for the fourth-generation version of the fighter, Mk-1A. India has made the modernisation of its forces a top priority, and made repeated pushes to boost local arms production. India's Ministry of Defence said it had "signed a contract w ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: India has finally retired its last fleet of MiG-21 fighter jets, infamous for decades as "flying coffins" due to their poor safety record. The farewell marks the end of a 63-year-long era, but also exposes a growing shortage of operational aircraft for the Indian Air Force. On September 26, the Indian Air Force (IAF) held a lavish farewell ceremony at Air Force Station Chandigarh, live-streamed on social media. Senior military officials, including India's defense minister, attended the event. Highlighting the jet's historic role, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh personally pilo ...Read More >
India clears the acquisition of 97 LCA Mark 1A fighter jets for the Indian Air Force In a major boost to the 'Make in India' initiative in defence, the central government has cleared a Rs 62,000 crore deal to buy 97 LCA Tejas Mark 1A fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The final approval was given during a high-level meeting on Tuesday, paving the way for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to begin production. This is the second major order for the indigenous fighter jet. Earlier, th ...Read More >
Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India] July 11 (ANI): The Indian Coast Guard has launched a nationwide awareness campaign from July 14 to July 20 to attract young recruits, highlighting the diverse and challenging career opportunities it offers. Union Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth, held a press conference with Indian Coast Guard officials on Friday to announce the launch of an awareness campaign in educational institutions across Jharkhand. During the press conference, MoS Seth informed that the campaign is a result of the huge enthusiasm among the youth to join the forces after Operation S ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) The first Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) Series Production aircraft, TH 4001, which will train the next generation Air Warriors, took to the skies at the HAL facility in Bengaluru on Friday, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said. Taking it to X, the HAL said, "HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft is a fully aerobatic, tandem-seat, turboprop aircraft built to provide basic flight training, aerobatics, instrument flying, and night flying." The Hindustan Tur ...Read More >
'As humans, we haven't changed much' IMAGE: India's first man in space, Rakesh Sharma, reflects on his journey and India's future in space travel. Photograph: Courtesy Ministry of Defence Astronaut Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to journey into space in 1984, says space travel alters the mindset of humans and makes them see the world from a perspective that "this planet belongs to everyone" and not a sole preserve of anyone. He shared his thoughts in a recorded podcast shared by the Ministry ...Read More >
New Delhi: GE Aerospace has handed over the fourth F404-IN20 fighter jet engine against the order of 2021 to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). HAL has acquired 113 F404-IN20 fighter jet engines from GE Aerospace, an American firm, in a deal valued at around USD 1 billion, amid ongoing trade negotiations with the US. The contract for the deal will be signed in October. Speaking with ANI, Dr DK Sunil, HAL Chairman and Managing Director, said that the agreement is expected to be inked by October this year, with negotiations at an advanced stage. Statement Of Dr. D.K. Sunil, HAL Chairman & ...Read More >
Kolkata: Once heavily dependent on imports, India's defence sector is poised to emerge as a global supplier, riding on a plethora of policy reforms, investments and industrial capabilities. With NATO announcing that its member nations will raise defence expenditure to 5% of GDP by 2035, there is a growing optimism in India about making it big in the export of military hardware in the developed world. One of the bright spots is the achievement of Reliance Defence, which has grabbed an export order of Rs 600 crore from Germany's major defence manufacturer Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH. Relian ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, Sept 25: India on Thursday signed a $7 billion order for 97 domestically designed and built Tejas fighter jets as its air force retires its outgoing Russian MiG-21 jets after decades of use. The first Tejas jets -- meaning "brilliance" in Hindi -- were commissioned into the airforce in 2016, with the latest commission for the fourth-generation version of the fighter, Mk-1A. India, one of the world's largest arms importers, has made the modernisation of its forces a top priority, and made repeated pushes to boost local arms production. India's Ministry of Defence said it had "sign ...Read More >
Shares of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday, September 25, surged as much as 2.2% to an intraday high of Rs 4,827.95 on the BSE after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a significant contract, worth Rs 62,370 crore, with the state-run aerospace company. According to a previous ET report, the MoD has signed a Rs 62,370 crore contract with HAL for the procurement of 97 Tejas Mk-1A fighter jets under the Buy (India-IDDM) category. The contract includes 68 fighter variants and 29 twin ...Read More >
New Delhi, Sep 25: The defence ministry on Thursday sealed a Rs 62,370 crore deal with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to procure 97 Tejas MK-1A light combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The signing of the contract came over a month after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi green-lighted the mega procurement. The delivery of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) would commence in 2027-28 and the supplies will have to be completed over a period of six years, officials said. "The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Li ...Read More >
New Delhi, Sept 26: For more than six decades, a needle-nosed jet with Soviet origins has defined the story of Indian air power. The MiG-21, inducted in 1963, was India's first supersonic fighter. Its retirement this week closes a chapter that shaped the Indian Air Force (IAF), for better and worse. When it first arrived, the aircraft catapulted India into the jet age. At twice the speed of sound and capable of climbing with blistering acceleration, it transformed the IAF into a modern fighting force. License-built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, it became not just a staple of Indian squadr ...Read More >
Chennai: Black Box Recovered of Pilatus PC-7 MK-II From Crash Site Near Tiruporur Sunday, November 16, 2025 by Indian Defence News The recovery operations at the crash site near Tiruporur took a significant step forward on Saturday morning when Air Force engineers located and retrieved the black box of the Indian Air Force (IAF) training aircraft that went down the previous afternoon. The device, buried under nearly ten feet of thick slush, was recovered after several hours of meticulous digging by the search teams. The discovery was made around 11.30 am, after which the flight data recorder ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a significant boost to India's self-reliance in defence technology, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF), on Friday, successfully conducted a flight test of ASTRA, Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM), equipped with an indigenous radio frequency seeker, from a Sukhoi-30 Mk-I fighter aircraft off the coast of Odisha, Ministry of Defence officials said. According to the Ministry of Defence during the mission, two missile launches were carried out against high-speed unmanned aerial targets, under ...Read More >
Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], September 26 (ANI): Defence Expert Captain Anil Gaur (Retired) said the Rs 62,370 crore deal between the Ministry of Defence and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the procurement of 97 LCA Mk1A fighter jets is a big boost to Atmanirbharta. Gaur said the move will address the Indian Air Force fighter jet shortfall and will strengthen the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem. Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Anil Gaur said, The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to supply LCA Mark 1. These planes will be deliv ...Read More >
NEW DELHI -- India retired its last fleet of Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter jets on Friday, ending more than six decades of service with an aircraft once celebrated for its combat prowess but later derided as a "flying coffin" due to frequent crashes. The phaseout underscores the urgency for the Indian air force to expand and modernize its air fleet to counter potential threats on two fronts from archrivals China and Pakistan. The decommissioning leaves the air force with 29 fighter squadrons, well short of the 42 endorsed at one time by the government. FLYING HIGH Indian Air Force MiG-21 fighte ...Read More >
Chandigarh, Sep 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Recalling how the Soviet-era fighter MiG-21 proved its mettle in multiple theatres of war and conflict, including its presence in the Operation Sindoor, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said its legacy will live on in India's pursuit of Aatmanirbharta in defence. "The aircraft symbolises the continuity of courage, discipline and patriotism that will inspire the development of indigenous platforms such as LCA-Tejas and the upcoming Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)," he said while addressing the decommissioning ceremony of the Indian Air Force's ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted the flight-test of indigenous Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air missile (BVRAAM) 'Astra' equipped with indigenous Radio Frequency (RF) Seeker from Su-30 Mk-I platform off the coast of Odisha on Friday. According to a statement from the Ministry of Defence, during the tests, two launches were carried out against high-speed unmanned aerial targets at different ranges, target aspects and launch platform conditions. In both cases, the missiles destroyed the targets w ...Read More >
Agartala, Aug 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Tuesday that on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his government has selected 75 border villages to pay befitting tributes to freedom fighters and warriors who sacrificed their lives for the nation and its people. Addressing the main function to observe the 117th birth Anniversary of Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan, the Chief Minister said that PM Modi is the first Prime Minister in India who thinks for all and is keen to provide honour and due recognition to those ...Read More >
NEW DELHI (AP) -- India retired its last fleet of Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter jets Friday, ending more than six decades of service with an aircraft once celebrated for its combat prowess but later derided as a "flying coffin" due to frequent crashes. The phaseout underscores the urgency for the Indian air force to expand and modernize its air fleet to counter potential threats on two fronts from its archrivals China and Pakistan. The decommissioning leaves the air force with 29 fighter squadrons, well short of the 42 endorsed at one time by the government. Each squadron comprises 16-18 fighte ...Read More >
Air Chief Marshal Singh criticised Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for not delivering any of the promised 83 Tejas Mk 1A jets to the Indian Air Force. He questioned why it was not prioritising this project and rebuked the "chalta hai" attitude, expressing concerns over national security. Even now, not a single Tejas Mk 1A jet has been delivered. Additionally, 36 MiG-21 fighter jets were retired last week in a decommissioning ceremony in Chandigarh, with the Chief of the Air Staff flying one. Th ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], September 30 (ANI): Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, on Tuesday stressed that India's defence sector is making significant strides towards self-reliance, with the Indian Air Force (IAF) actively pursuing indigenous projects. Bharti emphasised the importance of indigenous engine production, stating that within the next 10-12 years, India aims to develop its own engine. This ambitious goal requires concerted efforts from both the defence sector and industry stakeholders. "We are exploring indigenous engine production, and potentially, within ...Read More >
India is set to finalize a major deal with General Electric for fighter jet engines. The agreement is expected by October. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will receive the engines. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2027-28. HAL also secured a contract for LCA Mk1A jets. This boosts India's defense indigenization efforts. The deal supports the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. India is on track to finalise a significant deal with the US aerospace firm General Electric (GE) worth around USD 1 billion fo ...Read More >
New Delhi: The government is looking at options of restructuring public sector giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to improve its efficiency and speed up delivery of orders to the armed forces. The process to forge a roadmap has begun, with the focus being on improving the current structure and the options include creation of independent entities focused on different aspects of aeronautical manufacturing. Sources said that an external consulting group, hired for the task by the government, ...Read More >
Ferozepur (Punjab) [India], July 3 (ANI): In a startling case of land fraud reported from Punjab's Ferozepur by a whistleblower, a woman and her son allegedly sold off a World War II-era airstrip used by the Indian Air Force in 1997. The case pertains to the fraudulent sale of the land of the historic Advance Landing Ground (ALG) of the IAF in Fattu Wala village here. The airstrip, used during the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars, was allegedly sold by Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand Ansal of Dumani Wala village, currently residing in the national capital Delhi. Also Read | Amarnath Yatra 2025: ...Read More >
New Delhi: India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will be back in the skies from Wednesday after being grounded for nearly two months. This will come as a big relief for the Indian Air Force (IAF) that suffers from a shortage of adequate squadrons of airworthy fighter jets to tackle challenges from the west as well as the north. The Tejas fleet was grounded in early February this year after an aircraft experienced a technical issue while landing, as reported by News18. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) CMD D K Sunil had underlined earlier that a technical issue flagged in th ...Read More >
By Shivam Patel NEW DELHI, May 27 (Reuters) - India's defense minister has approved a framework for building the country's most advanced stealth fighter jet, the defense ministry said on Tuesday, amid a new arms race with Pakistan weeks after a military conflict between the neighbors. Indian state-run Aeronautical Development Agency, which is executing the program, will shortly invite initial interest from defense firms for developing a prototype of the warplane, envisaged as a twin-engine 5th generation fighter, the ministry said. The project is crucial for the Indian Air Force, whose squa ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a historic milestone, Sub Lieutenant Aastha Poonia has become the first woman fighter pilot of the Indian Navy. Her induction into the elite fighter stream marks a powerful step forward for Naari Shakti (women power) in Indian naval aviation. On 3 July 2025, during the graduation ceremony of the Second Basic Hawk Conversion Course at INS Dega, Sub Lt Poonia received the prestigious 'Wings of Gold' from Rear Admiral Janak Bevli, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air), alongside Lt Atul Kumar Dhull. This honour signifies her successful completion of advanced jet training on the Hawk ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 15 (ANI): Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Tuesday handed over six strategic indigenously designed and developed products against the Naval Staff Qualitative Requirements (NSQR) to the Indian Navy, officials said in a statement. Secretary DDR&D and Chairman DRDO handed over these products to Rear Admiral Sriram Amur ACNS( SSP), Naval HQ at a special ceremony held at Defence laboratory Jodhpu The six indigenously designed products include Gamma Radiation Aerial Surveillance System (GRASS), Environmental Surveillance Vehicle (ESV), Vehicle Radiolo ...Read More >