Author: Defenceline Webdesk

India’s first indigenously built Coast Guard hovercraft project is gathering momentum in Goa, marking a significant stride in the nation’s defence manufacturing drive.The construction of Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs) is being undertaken at Chowgule & Company Private Limited, with the Ministry of Defence having signed a contract on 24 October 2024 for six such craft. This initiative is part of the broader push towards self-reliance in defence under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.A major milestone was achieved on 11 May with the girder laying ceremony for the fourth, fifth and sixth ACVs at the Rassaim Yard of Chowgule Shipyard in Goa.…

Francis P. Sempa, RealClearDefense In 2003, then-Chinese President Hu Jintao noted China’s “

WASHINGTON — The Navy today revealed the latest three portfolio acquisition executives, known as PAEs, in lockstep with broader acquisition reforms across the Pentagon.  The Navy has tapped the following individuals to serve as interim PAEs for their respective organizations:  PAE Aviation, led by Vice Adm. John Dougherty; PAE Mission Systems, led by Jim Day; and PAE Munitions, led by Paul Mann “The needs of the warfighter demand that our acquisition system move faster in order to outpace the threat,” Jason Potter, who is performing the duties of assistant secretary of the Navy for research and development, said in a…

Signing of the SAFE agreement. Credit: Poland Ministry of National Defence. Poland has obtained €43.7bn ($51.5bn) in financing through a loan agreement under the European Union’s (EU) Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme, marking the largest single allocation of funds within the initiative. This move positions Poland as the first EU member state to access the SAFE programme, intended to support modernisation and expansion of national military forces amid increased geopolitical tensions. The agreement, signed on 8 May 2026, directs financing towards strengthening Poland’s defence capabilities. According to officials, the funding will facilitate new contracts for national defence production plants,…

Akida Pulat has not spoken to her mother in eight years. This Mother’s Day was her eighth without Rahile Dawut, the renowned Uyghur anthropologist and folklorist who disappeared into Chinese state custody in 2017. Dr. Dawut devoted her career to documenting Uyghur shrines and preserving Uyghur cultural memory. For that work, the Chinese government sentenced her to life in prison.  Her case is not unique, as I wrote for The Diplomat last year. Across the Uyghur diaspora in the United States, families are living with the same cruel separation: their relatives, including many of the most respected Uyghur intellectuals of…

The Indian Air Force is set to deploy its first TEJAS MK-1A squadrons at forward bases in Rajasthan, notably Nal in Bikaner and Phalodi, strengthening India’s western air defence posture against Pakistan, reported Business Today. This marks a decisive step in replacing ageing MiG-21s with indigenous fighters under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.The deployment of TEJAS MK-1A squadrons near the Pakistan border reflects a strategic recalibration of India’s western front. Rajasthan’s desert airbases, long considered sensitive due to their proximity to Pakistan, will now host modern indigenous fighters capable of rapid interception and strike missions.Nal airbase, historically home to MiG-21 Bison squadrons,…

Joseph Trevithick, The WarZone Remotely triggered containerized drone swarms, potentially placed behind enemy lines, create a hard-to-defend-against threat from pretty much everywhere Source link

BEIRUT — The SAHA defense exposition in Istanbul had no shortage of new drones on display, and local defense contractor STM was no exception, unveiling four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and one unmanned underwater vehicle for the first time. The Turkish company unveiled a one-way attack UAV dubbed Kuzgun — a fixed-wing loitering munition with a range of more than 1,000 km (621.4 miles). The drone is equipped with a high explosive fragmentation warhead and a speed of 180 km per hour, according to the company. The drone has similar design features to Iran’s Shahed 136. “Using it [in] a…

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has achieved a landmark breakthrough by successfully running its scramjet engine for 1,200 seconds on 9 May 2026, a feat that places India among the world’s leading nations in hypersonic propulsion technology.This test marks a decisive step towards operational hypersonic cruise missiles capable of sustained speeds beyond Mach 5, transforming India’s missile power and strategic deterrence.The test was conducted at the Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) facility in Hyderabad by DRDO’s Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL). The actively cooled full-scale scramjet combustor operated continuously for 20 minutes, far surpassing the earlier milestone…

Aviationist The Rapid Dragon program, now called Dragon Cart, transitioned to a Program of Record and will see cargo aircraft able to deploy palletized cruise missiles by 2027 Source link