Vishnu Som

Eye On China And Pakistan, Indian Air Force Plans Big Wargames

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Friday April 6, 2018

The Indian Air Force or IAF is set to hold one of its biggest wargames specifically designed to deal with any simultaneous threat posed by Pakistan and China. The exercises, called Gagan Shakti 2018, are scheduled to take place anytime between the April 11 and 21 and will see the Indian Air Force mobilise 1100 aircraft including fighters, transport...

India Seeks $15 Billion Fighter Jets In World's Largest Deal

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Friday April 6, 2018

India is looking to buy more than 100 new fighter jets, the Air Force said in a Request for Information on Friday. The deal, eventually expected to cost upwards of Rs 100,000 crores or about 15 billion dollars, will be the world's largest for fighter jets.

Army Using Obsolete Combat Vehicles As Project Not Cleared For 8 Years

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Friday March 23, 2018

If India were to go to war with Pakistan right now, its soldiers would be at risk on a very basic front -the vehicles that carry them into the battlefield are outdated - at least three decades old - and are not equipped with modern night vision devices, a key vulnerability in modern warfare.

Children Of Soldiers Killed On Duty Can Now Get Full Study Funds Again

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Shylaja Varma | Thursday March 22, 2018

The government has decided to cancel the limits on the education reimbursement to the children of soldiers who are killed or disabled in the line of duty, a move that had resulted in protests from the armed forces community.

India Hasn't Decided On New Fighter Jet Deal, Say Sources On Reports

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Thursday March 15, 2018

Defence Ministry sources today denied there was a deadline for it to issue a Request For Information (RFI) from aerospace companies on a fresh tender for combat aircraft meant to supplement the Indian Air Force's fleet of Sukhoi-30s, Rafales (on order) and Tejas fighters.

"Chinese Have Finally Arrived": Army Chief's Take On Beijing's Strengths

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Anindita Sanyal | Wednesday March 14, 2018

Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday lauded China's military might, saying they understood the importance of ratcheting up defence prowess alongside their economy. The world, he said, is looking at India to provide a counterbalance and added a criticism of what he called "a belief" regarding defence expenditure at home.

"70% Equipment Vintage": Army Officer Says Defence Budget Dashed Hopes

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Wednesday March 14, 2018

In a scathing assessment of the defence budget, a top Army officer has told parliament's standing committee that 68 per cent of the Army's equipment is vintage era and the army's budget isn't enough to pay for even existing projects, let alone fund any immediate modernisation.

France Wanted India To Announce Talks For 36 More Rafale Fighters

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Sunday March 11, 2018

A letter from the French Defence Minister Florence Parly addressed to her Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman on February 26 indicates that the French government was keen to announce that both countries are in talks for 36 more Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force.

Government Commits To New Variant Of Tejas Fighter, Future For Gripen And F-16 Unclear

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Saturday March 3, 2018

In a clear sign that it may not be interested in acquiring either the Swedish made Gripen E/F fighter or the American made F-16 Block 70IN, both of which were on offer to the Indian Air Force, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said her government has decided to back a heavily upgraded and revised variant of the home-built Tejas Light Combat...

'Laissez Faire Not Ok': Minister Suggests Key Changes To Fix Weapons-Buying Process

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Tuesday February 27, 2018

Confronted by a system of arms procurement that lies in tatters, Dr Subhash Bhambre, the Minister of State for Defence, has recommended a series of reforms at each of the nine stages prior to a defence deal being announced. He suggests a change in attitude from laissez-faire to being time-conscious and says "due diligence" cannot be an excuse for m...

India's Weapons-Buying Process In A Shambles: Defence Ministry Report

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Tuesday February 27, 2018

India's weapons-buying is frequently crippled by "multiple and diffused structures with no single point accountability, multiple decision-heads, duplication of processes, delayed comments, delayed execution, no real-time monitoring, no project-based approach and a tendency to fault-find rather than to facilitate," assesses a damning Defence Ministr...

Army Chief Bipin Rawat's Comment "Not Political Or Religious", Say Sources Amid Row

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Deepshikha Ghosh | Thursday February 22, 2018

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat's comments on the rise of a political party that champions the cause of Muslims in the northeast have set up a controversy. At a seminar on Wednesday, General Rawat also warned against the influx of people from Bangladesh, calling it proxy war by Pakistan with help from China.

Chinese Fighter Jets In Exercises In Tibet, Beijing Releases Pictures

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Wednesday February 21, 2018

China's official military website has posted four high resolution images of Chinese military aircraft involved in military training activities over the Tibetan plateau. In an article, Global Times, a mouthpiece for the government in Beijing, said "China is upgrading its Western Theater Command in order to confront any threat from India."

Army Foils Intrusion Bid By Pak's Border Action Team In Jammu and Kashmir

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Anindita Sanyal | Monday February 19, 2018

An armed intruder, suspected to be a member of Pakistan's Border Action Team or BAT, has been killed and two others injured as they tried to slip across the Line of Control under cover fire from the Pakistan Army in Jammu and Kashmir. The infiltration attempt was made on Sunday evening at Gulpur, near Poonch in south Kashmir, the army said today.

Rs 15,935-Crore Plan To Buy Guns For Military Cleared By Government

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Anindita Sanyal | Tuesday February 13, 2018

A plan to procure some much-needed fire-power for the armed forces, expected to cost Rs 15,935 crore, was cleared by a top government committee, chaired by defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, today. The list includes light machine guns, assault rifles and sniper rifles, the government said.

Encounter At Jammu Army Camp Over, 4 Jaish Terrorists Killed: 10 Updates

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Shylaja Varma | Monday February 12, 2018

More than 36 hours after it started, the encounter at Jammu's Sunjuwan Army camp got over. Four terrorists of Jaish-e Mohammad, who had launched the pre-dawn attack on the camp on Saturday, have been killed, army sources said. Before they died, the terrorists had gunned down five soldiers and a civilian. Ten people were injured. The attack was one ...

Not Just BJP, Congress Too Refused To Share Defence Deal Details

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Thursday February 8, 2018

As Congress president Rahul Gandhi kept up his attacks on the government for refusing to table details of the Rs 58,000-crore Rafale fighter aircraft deal, the Defence Ministry today defended its decision to maintain confidentiality and accused the Congress of attempting to "twist facts".

'If I Had Another Son...': Mother Of Army Captain Killed In Pakistan Firing

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Deepshikha Ghosh | Monday February 5, 2018

Captain Kapil Kundu, one of the four soldiers killed in Pakistani shelling last evening, was just six days short of his 23rd birthday. His Facebook page intro speaks volumes about his incredible spirit: "Life should be big instead of being long..."

US Air Force Chief Flies In 'Made-In-India' Tejas Aircraft In Jodhpur

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Aloke Tikku | Saturday February 3, 2018

General David L Goldfein, Chief of Staff of US Air Force flew in India's indigenous light combat aircraft, the Tejas, this morning, in a special flight that took off from the Jodhpur Air Force Station, signalling the soaring ties between the two air forces.

Air Force Officer Accused Of Leaking Information On WhatsApp, Detained

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Anindita Sanyal | Thursday February 1, 2018

A senior Indian Air Force officer has been taken into custody after he was accused of passing on classified information to a woman he had reportedly befriended on Facebook. Sources told NDTV that the woman was likely to have been a spy who appeared to have honey-trapped the Group Captain-rank officer, who was based at the Air Force Headquarters in ...

Third Made-In-India Hunter-Killer Submarine Set To Join Navy

India News | Reported By Vishnu Som and Edited By Debjani Chatterjee | Wednesday January 31, 2018

Marking a generational shift in submarine operations, the Indian Navy launched the third Scorpene class submarine, Karanj, at the Mazagaon dock in Mumbai on Wednesday. Navy Chief Admrial Sunil Lanba was the chief guest in the event at Mazagon Dock.

"Fired In Desperate Situation": Army Sources On Death Of 2 Men In Kashmir

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Deepshikha Ghosh | Tuesday January 30, 2018

Army sources today said that its soldiers, charged with murder over the death of two civilians in firing on protesters at a village in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian, "opened fire in a desperate situation". A crowd of protesters injured a soldier with stones and "threatened to burn" him, the Army sources said amid a massive political row between the s...

Air Show, Women Daredevils Watched By 10 World Leaders On Republic Day

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Debanish Achom | Friday January 26, 2018

India celebrated its 69th Republic Day today with a record 10 heads of state, from ASEAN or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, watching the grand parade with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajpath, the ceremonial road in the heart of Delhi. The leaders, sporting crimson Indian scarves, sat on a 100-foot stage enclosed by bullet-proof glas...

NDTV Exclusive: Reopen Files On IAF's 1971 Attack On Pak Airbase, Say 2 Military Legends

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Wednesday January 24, 2018

After new details emerged of one of the most successful ground attack missions in the history of the Indian Air Force, two distinguished veterans, both legends in their own right, believe that the Air Headquarters needs to re-open its file on the IAF strike mission to Murid in Pakistan during the 1971 war and credit some of the pilots who have neve...

Exclusive Details Of How Air Force Raided A Pak Air Base, Destroyed 5 Jets

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Tuesday January 23, 2018

On December 8, 1971, four young Indian fighter pilots scything their way through enemy airspace were greeted by a sight almost too good to be true - several Pakistan Air Force (PAF) transports and fighter jets were out in the open at Murid airbase which they had been tasked to attack. The PAF had been caught off-guard and Squadron Leader RN Bharad...

Full-Fledged Chinese Military Complex In Doklam, Show Satellite Pics

India News | Written by Vishnu Som | Wednesday January 17, 2018

A massive, full-fledged Chinese military complex is being built within Doklam, show new satellite images five months after India and China ended a 70-day standoff in the region that lies to the east of Sikkim.

Defence Minister Sitharaman Flies In Sukhoi Jet In 45-Minute Sortie

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Anindita Sanyal | Wednesday January 17, 2018

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman strapped herself into a G-suit today and became the second Indian woman leader to go on a sortie on a Sukhoi-30 fighter jet. The supersonic jet took off for the 45-minute ride from the Jodhpur Air Force station this morning. After landing, the 58-year-old minister said the experience was "eye-opening and memorabl...

In Rs 3,547 Crore Deal, Assault Rifles, Carbines Purchase Fast-Tracked

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Aloke Tikku | Tuesday January 16, 2018

A top government panel led by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday decided to purchase 1,66,000 assault rifles and battle carbines, the basic weapon used by soldiers, on a fast track basis for the armed forces.

On Camera, Indian Chinese Soldiers Shake Hands, End Transgression Row

India News | Reported by Vishnu Som, Edited by Deepshikha Ghosh | Tuesday January 9, 2018

Indian and Chinese soldiers are seen shaking hands to resolve a dispute in a video apparently taken a few days ago in a remote part of Arunachal Pradesh, where Chinese construction workers entered one km into Indian territory before they were stopped.

Blog: Why The Army's Arjun Tank May Be Its Best Bet Yet

Blog | Vishnu Som | Monday January 8, 2018

For years, cherry-picked data on the Arjun tank's faults seemed to highlight a series of seemingly insurmountable obstacles - the tank was too heavy, it wasn't reliable and it couldn't fire an anti-tank missile. This is all true, but was this reason enough to stifle the growth of the indigenously built tank?