Submission Life Certificate by due date: veterans

Why did the Indian Air Force come to Race Course?

Amid land row, Indian Air Force to hold guard of honour for Chief at same base in New Delhi

IAF Chief AP Singh accorded farewell amid row over closure of Air Force Sports Complex

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit set to become IAF chief, sole officer from his batch in top brass

Air Marshal Inderpal Walia appointed vice-chief of Indian Air Force

AARG Validates Dual Flight Commander Swarming System In Successful Coordinated Drone Test

DRDO Showcases Indigenous Chips Powering Advanced Radar, Electronic Warfare And Missile Systems

Army enhancing mechanised forces readiness in high-altitude terrain

Ex-bureaucrat moves Delhi HC against ‘large-scale’ CAPF deployment during protests

Watch: Rafale Marine jet makes maiden landing on INS Vikrant

The decimation of J&K cadre

Dear Sir,
All pensioners have to submit Life Certificate by due date. Failing which the pension will be stopped thinking the pensioner is no more.
In SPARSH, you can submit your life certificate in any month of your choice.
But if you are not yet migrated to SPARSH and your pension is controlled by Central Pension Processing Centre of your bank, then you being 80 years or above can submit your life certificate by 31 Oct 2026. If you are below 80 years, then you can only submit your life certificate only by 30 Nov 2026 to your CPPC. You can go to your bank and do biometric authentication and get the receipt for submission of life certificate.
I am migrated to SPARSH. So I can submit my life certificate any number of times in any month or month of my choice.
My due date of submission of life certificate is 30 Nov 2026.
But to teach all of you how to do Digital Life Certificate (DLC) sitting at home, I submitted my life certificate on 14 Oct 2026.
I down loaded two Apps i.e.AadharFaceRD and Jeevanpramaan from Playstore into my Samsung mobile (Android mobile).
You can download these two Apps if you have iPhone from Appstore.
I explained how you can sitting at home get your DLC without going anywhere.
To teach you all how to do it, I did my DLC sitting at home on 14 Oct and Jeevan Pramaan accepted my DLC.
On 15 Oct 2026, I got SMS and an email from SPARSH that my DLC is approved and my next due date of submission of DLC is 31 Oct 2027.
But I will do DLC again in November 2026 so that I know I have to submit my DLC by 30 November of every year.
I logged into SPARSH using my User Name and Password. I went to My Documents and Life Certificate. SPARSH shows my date of submission of DLC as 14 Oct 2026 and my next due date of submission of life certificate is 31 Oct 2027.
You can also go to Life Certificate tab in My Documents of SPARSH portal and download Idenfication Certificate.
Both documents from SPARSH portal for my submission of DLC are attached.
You have just two days before 31 Oct 2026 will come. So kindly submit your Life Certificate if your next due date of submission is 31 Oct 2026.
If you fail to do so, then your pension of Nov 2026 will be stopped.
If you cannot do DLC sitting at home, I suggest you go to SPARSH Service Centre and get your Life Certificate submitted to SPARSH or to your CPPC if not yet migrated to SPARSH.
To resume pension in case of failure to submit life certificate by due date is time consuming and you have to give an long explanation as to why you did not submit the life certificate by due date.
warm regards,
Brig CS Vidyasagar (Retd)
75695 13350

• Why did the Indian Air Force come to Race Course? The closure of the Air Force golf course at Race Course in New Delhi has attracted considerable attention. But it also offers an opportunity to revisit a rather interesting question. Why does the IAF have a station in the very heart of Lutyens’ Delhi? Long before golf was played here, the area hosted cricket, parachute training, and RAF operations. The reason the IAF eventually established a major administrative station here in 1947 has much to do with Hyderabad State’s uncertain future and the reorganisation of the Air Force at Partition. The story begins in 1941, at Willingdon Airport. In Sep 1941, the RAF established an Air Landing School at Willingdon Airport, now Safdarjung Airport, to train personnel of the newly raised 50th Indian Parachute Brigade. The Brigade comprised British, Indian and Gurkha parachute battalions, and the school represented one of the earliest organised efforts to develop military parachuting in India. Its equipment was rudimentary. The RAF initially had to make do with obsolete Vickers Valentia biplanes, modified to allow parachutists to jump through an opening in the fuselage floor. Some of the earliest parachute jumps took place over the racecourse adjoining Willingdon Airport. One contemporary account describes a company commander landing on the upper tier of the racecourse grandstand and bouncing his way down to the bottom! The Air Landing School was initially housed under canvas, with accommodation and other buildings coming up near the Race Course. The school was also experimenting with the equipment and techniques required for airborne operations and aerial resupply. Then, in April 1942, RAF Station New Delhi was formally established. Until then, Willingdon had been a civilian aerodrome used by several RAF units. A Communication Flight detached from No. 31 Squadron, RAF at Lahore had been operating from the airfield for some months. The Air Landing School occupied buildings on one side of the aerodrome, while other small RAF detachments operated alongside it. The formation of RAF Station New Delhi brought these activities under a common Station Headquarters. The new establishment assumed responsibility for running the aerodrome, although its physical upkeep remained with the Public Works Department. The Station also administered the Air Landing School, a small Parachute Repair Section comprising one senior NCO and seven airmen, and a ground staging and refuelling party responsible for transit aircraft. It was still a shared airfield. Civil flying continued, including operations by Indian National Airways and the Delhi Flying Club. By October 1942, when the Air Landing School moved to Chaklala near Rawalpindi, it had recorded 9,231 live parachute descents and qualified 1,511 trainees during its stay in Delhi. The 50th Indian Parachute Brigade would later see fierce fighting against the Japanese at Sangshak in March 1944.The school at Chaklala would later move to Agra where it remains to this date. RAF Station New Delhi continued to serve the wartime Air Force. The Air Headquarters communication organisation, which itself traced its origins to a flight raised at Lahore in 1928, operated from Willingdon before moving to Palam in 1946. But how did this RAF establishment eventually become the administrative centre of the independent Indian Air Force? For that, we need to move forward to 1946, when the Royal Indian Air Force was beginning to consider its post-war organisation. An Air Force broadly rests on four functions: operations, training, maintenance and administration. The first three would eventually develop into operational Commands, Training Command and Maintenance Command. Administration was a somewhat different problem. It meant managing medical services, accounts, education, security, infrastructure, transport, accommodation and the movement and holding of personnel across the country. It also meant looking after the numerous establishments that came directly under Air Headquarters but did not belong to conventional formations. One of the early ideas was to concentrate much of this activity in peninsular India, with Arkonam (today’s Arakkonam, home to the naval air station INS Rajali) emerging as a possible administrative centre. The RIAF established a depot at Arkonam, and several important establishments were located in the Madras region. The Air Force Record Office, responsible for personnel records and the administration of airmen, had moved to Red Hills Lake near Madras in 1946. The Central Accounts Office had similarly moved from Bombay to Madras. But Partition complicated these plans considerably. At the time, southern India comprised territories with different political arrangements. Madras was a province of British India, while Mysore and Hyderabad were princely states. The uncertainty was particularly acute in Hyderabad, where the Nizam had not committed himself to joining the Indian Union. This presented a problem for the RIAF because several of its important training establishments were situated in and around Hyderabad and Secunderabad, including at Hakimpet. The Air Force consequently began reorganising its training infrastructure, shifting establishments towards locations where their future within India was more secure. In February 1947, No. 2 Ground Training School moved from Secunderabad to Tambaram, near Madras. No. 1 Ground Training School, formed at Hakimpet, subsequently moved to Jalahalli near Bangalore in November 1947. The RIAF Depot at Arkonam (also training airmen) also moved to Jalahalli that November. With the southern stations being reorganised to accommodate training requirements, the earlier idea of concentrating the principal administrative establishments there became less practical. The administrative institutions were consequently reorganised towards northern India. New Delhi was the natural destination, not least because Air Headquarters was located there and exercised functional control over many of these units, but also because RAF was vacating the Willingdon premises. The Record Office moved from Red Hills Lake to Delhi in October 1947, while the Central Accounts Office also moved to the capital that year. The medical and other administrative establishments serving Air Headquarters formed part of the wider arrangement. What was needed was a single organisation to administer these establishments locally while leaving their professional responsibilities with Air Headquarters. And so, on 1 Sep 1947, just seventeen days after Independence, Air Headquarters Administrative Instruction No. 01/47 established No. 10 Administrative Wing, Royal Indian Air Force, at Race Course, New Delhi. The Wing was built upon the existing RAF establishment in the Willingdon and Race Course area. Its responsibilities extended to Air Headquarters and the numerous associated units and establishments in the capital. And the man selected to command the new Wing was quite a character. Group Captain Kanwar ‘Tiger’ Jaswant Singh had joined the Indian Army in 1936 before transferring to the Air Force in 1940. He had flown with Nos. 2 and 3 Squadrons, commanded No. 2 Squadron during operations in Burma in the Second World War, and earned a reputation as a demanding commander and exceptional sportsman. Yet, on 1 Sep 1947, Tiger found himself commanding an administrative Wing in a capital torn apart by communal violence. It was hardly a quiet assignment. The new Wing was immediately called upon to patrol riot-affected areas of Central Delhi and assist in maintaining law and order. At the same time, Partition had divided the Air Force itself. Hundreds of airmen and their families were arriving from former RIAF establishments at Kohat, Peshawar, Risalpur, Chaklala and Mauripur, all now in Pakistan. The Station’s history records that approximately 900 airmen and 150 families required immediate boarding, lodging and assistance. It also had to help personnel moving in the opposite direction, including escorting those proceeding to Pakistan through Palam for onward travel. Tiger, who lived at 1 Kushak Road, was frequently seen travelling around Delhi on his James motorcycle, attending to the Station’s responsibilities during these difficult months. On 24 December 1947, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru addressed a gathering of nearly 2,000 officers and airmen. The Wing had already begun acquiring the ceremonial responsibilities that would eventually become one of the most visible features of Air Force Station New Delhi. In May 1948, No. 10 Administrative Wing was redesignated as an RIAF Station. When India became a Republic on 26 January 1950, the ‘Royal’ prefix was dropped and the establishment became Air Force Station New Delhi. The sporting history of Race Course also continued alongside its military responsibilities. The grounds that later became associated with golf had earlier been used for cricket, while the Station continued to host athletic meets and inter-unit competitions. The Station’s photographic archives include images of athletic competitions in 1948, and sporting events continued to be held at Race Course over subsequent decades. Meanwhile, the Station’s military responsibilities continued to evolve. During the 1971 War, it housed fifteen Pakistan Air Force prisoners of war, including Flight Lieutenant Pervaiz Mehdi Qureshi, who would eventually become Chief of the Pakistan Air Force. By the time Air Force Station New Delhi celebrated its Platinum Jubilee in 2022, it was providing administrative support to 46 IAF units apart from Air Headquarters, covering approximately 10,000 personnel. Its functions extended to medical services, accounts, transport, logistics, accommodation, schools, security, ceremonial duties and numerous other activities across Delhi-NCR. The golf course became one of the more familiar features of Race Course in later decades, particularly to generations of serving and retired Air Force personnel. But the Air Force’s presence here has a much older history. #IAFHistory @IAF_MCC7:23 PM · Oct 28, 2026·39.9KViews
• Subhash WXYZ🪖🇮🇳@SubhashG5156Oct 281/2 bureaucrats at @MoHUA_India @PMOIndia should have seen this history before ordering takeover of defence land at race course . AF station precedes house of serving PM .You don’t require palace for a PM of developing country . This is paranoia .Why CSOI has not been touched ?
• Col Pavan Nair@pavannairOct 28Great coverage Anchit. Also the adjacent Willingdon barracks were converted to the Air Force Central School with boarding facilities. Later shifted to Subroto Park.
• Jai Hind@kannandelhiOct 28Nice post. I remember sitting in an Otter at Safdarjang airport. Para jumping and aviation for pesticide spraying was also from here. Not to forget an airline Vayudoot operated from here. Before that JamAir I think. Rich legacy.

This is the first time that the event would be conducted at the Air Force Station which is located opposite to the Prime Minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg

Amid a row over the use of land at the Air Force Station in New Delhi, the high-profile guard of honour for both the outgoing and incoming chiefs of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be conducted at the station itself.

This is the first time that the event would be conducted at the Air Force Station which is located opposite to the Prime Minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg, which is called the ‘Lutyens zone’.

Since Monday, the Ministry of Housing Urban Affairs has been conducting a ‘survey’ on the land under the Air Force Sports Complex, co-located with the Air Force Station. The complex and its facilities, like swimming pool, gym and restaurants are shut for members, who are retired as well as serving officers.

The guard of honour for the outgoing Air Chief Marshal AP Singh is scheduled for October 31 while the guard of honour for his successor Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit is slated for November 1.

The development comes directly in the shadow of an ongoing land reclamation drive by the Centre.

Sources confirmed the conduct of guard of honour at the Air Force Station, saying these high-level military transitions and their associated parades were earlier hosted in the comparatively cramped parking lot of the Air Headquarters near South Block.

However, the venue was shifted to the station to accommodate a larger, more expansive parade ground.

The closure of the sports complex forced the cancellation of Air Chief Marshal AP Singh’s scheduled “golfing-out” event, a traditional fixture for departing chiefs acting as patrons-in-chief of the facility.

The Land and Development Office (L&DO), under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has already completed a survey of the complex as part of a wider effort to reclaim legacy Defence land.

The move has left many serving personnel and veterans deeply unsettled.

The takeover of the Race Course sports facility aligns with a broader pattern of state-led repossession of high-profile properties in the national capital. Earlier this year, the Centre issued similar eviction notices to the Delhi Gymkhana Club under public-purpose clauses to secure Defence infrastructure, while also taking physical possession of the 15-acre Jaipur Polo Ground following legal battles.

The IAF Chief and his wife Sarita Singh were gifted a framed picture of Golden Temple as a parting gift. Tribune photo

Rajnath Singh gifts Golden Temple picture to IAF Chief at farewell, lauds his role in Op Sindoor

Ahead of his scheduled superannuation on Saturday, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh was hosted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for a farewell reception and lauded for his role in Operation Sindoor. The IAF Chief and his wife Sarita Singh were gifted a framed picture of Golden Temple as a parting gift.

The event was attended by the entire serving top brass of the military along with their spouses, besides the top bureaucracy posted in the Ministry of Defence.

The ceremonial function was hosted on October 26 and was announced today on X, amid an unexpected administrative controversy surrounding the traditional informal farewell. The long-standing military tradition of a “golfing out” ceremony — a customary farewell round of golf with fellow officers — was cancelled after Air Force Sports Complex was abruptly closed on October 28.

The administrative decision to close the sports complex, co-located inside Air Force Station, New Delhi, quickly took on political hues, particularly in the lead-up to the upcoming Punjab Assembly election slated for February 2027.

Military traditions, veteran welfare and the prestige associated with armed forces leadership carry significant resonance across Punjab’s electorate. Rajnath Singh, as Defence Minister, with his parting gift — the picture of Golden Temple — made a political statement to make amends for any anguish felt by the veteran and serving community.

With political parties closely calibrating their rhetoric around national security, veteran pride and institutional autonomy ahead of the polls, the cancellation of the ceremonial golfing farewell to a retiring service chief has provided fresh fodder for political debate. Opposition voices in Punjab have sought to leverage the event to raise questions regarding institutional courtesy towards decorated military leaders.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence posted on X today, saying, “Air Chief Marshal AP Singh was given a warm and befitting farewell by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on October 26.” Commending the outgoing Air Chief for his exemplary leadership and invaluable contributions to IAF, the Defence Minister acknowledged his pivotal role in strengthening IAF’s operational capabilities and his crucial stewardship during the execution of Operation Sindoor, the post said.

Extending his best wishes for his future endeavours, Rajnath Singh highlighted IAF’s strategic readiness achieved under Air Chief Marshal Singh’s tenure.

The farewell event was attended by Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence Sanjay Seth, Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani, Navy Chief Admiral K Swaminathan, Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary Defence Production Sanjeev Kumar and Secretary Ex-servicemen Welfare Sukriti Likhi.

Shadow of land closure controversy

Located near the Prime Minister’s residence, Air Force Sports Complex hosts a nine-hole golf course and sports facilities such as a gym, swimming pool, tennis courts etc. It is being reclaimed by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs through the Land and Development Office (L&DO). Since Monday, a survey is being done and the complex is closed. The land survey is part of a broader government policy to resume strategically located prime properties. While official channels maintained that the land reclamation serves larger public and administrative infrastructure requirements, the sudden closure just days ahead of the Air Chief’s retirement triggered intense speculative chatter within defence and political corridors.

Currently serving as Vice-Chief of the Air Staff, Ashutosh Dixit was commissioned in December 1986 and will take over from Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who retires on October 31

On the eve of his elevation as Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit is the sole officer from his batch in the IAF’s top hierarchy. Currently serving as Vice-Chief of the Air Staff, he was commissioned in December 1986 and will take over from Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who retires on October 31.

The next two senior-most IAF officers are Air Marshal Seethepalli Shrinivas, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Training Command, and Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff. Both were commissioned in June 1987.

Air Marshal Tejinder Singh was elevated as AOC-in-C in May 2025, when he took over as the Training Command Chief. In January 2026, Air Marshal Srinivas became AOC-in-C Training Command.

Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia, a June 1988 seniority officer who was appointed as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command in February 2026, will take over as the Vice Chief.

When Gen Dhiraj Seth was appointed Chief of the Army Staff in June this year, there was only a narrow seniority gap between him and his coursemate, Lt Gen Manjinder Singh. Both were commissioned in December 1986. Gen Seth edged ahead on two parameters: his personal service number and his appointment as an Army Commander a month earlier than Lt Gen Manjinder Singh.

Gen Seth was appointed GOC-in-C of the South Western Command in Jaipur on November 1, 2023, while Lt Gen Manjinder Singh took over as GOC-in-C of the Army Training Command in Shimla on December 1, 2023.

In terms of personal service numbers, or “IC numbers”, which are allotted based on a cadet’s position in the order of merit at the time of commissioning, Gen Seth was senior by 21 positions. The service number is a key determinant of seniority when other parameters are similar.

At present, the IAF has 10 officers at the AOC-in-C level, including the Air Chief designate. The Vice Chiefs of all three services and the heads of various commands are equivalent in status. Among them, Air Marshal Yalla Umesh, a technical officer, heads the Maintenance Command, while Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja, a medical officer, is the Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services.

The remaining AOC-in-Cs are all from the fighter stream. At present, there is no officer from the transport or helicopter stream in the IAF’s top hierarchy. Although all flying-branch AOC-in-Cs are considered while selecting the Air Chief, with seniority-cum-merit being the guiding criterion, the principle of seniority has generally been followed in making the top appointment.

Of the 29 officers who have headed the Indian Air Force since August 15, 1947, including three British officers who served until March 1954, all but one has been from the fighter stream. The exception was Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, a helicopter pilot who led the IAF from March 2007 to May 2009.

When Air Chief Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi retired, Air Chief Marshal Major, then serving as AOC-in-C of the Eastern Command in Shillong, was the senior-most Air Marshal. A Mi-17 pilot, he was a veteran of the Siachen and Sri Lanka operations and was decorated twice for gallantry.

The government has largely followed the practice of appointing the senior-most eligible commander, barring a few exceptions. According to historical accounts, Air Marshal MM Engineer, a Maha Vir Chakra recipient and younger brother of former Air Chief Apsy Engineer, was passed over when Air Marshal Om Prakash Mehra was appointed Air Chief in 1973.

In 1988, Air Marshal MM Singh, then heading the Western Air Command and the senior-most Air Marshal, was superseded by Air Marshal SK Mehra following the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Denis A. La Fontaine.

The last major deviation from the principle of seniority came in 2016, when Gen Bipin Rawat, who later became the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff, was appointed Army Chief, superseding two other Army Commanders.

Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia will take over on Sunday; he is currently commanding the Eastern Air Command, headquartered in Shillong

Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia has been appointed as the Vice-Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He will replace Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who has been elevated to the post of IAF Chief.

Air Marshal Walia will take over on Sunday, November 1, while Air Marshal Dixit will assume charge on Saturday, October 31.

Air Marshal Walia is currently commanding the Eastern Air Command, headquartered in Shillong. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in June 1988. During his flying career, he has qualified on various fighter aircraft, including the MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27, Jaguar and Su-30MKI. In a career spanning nearly four decades, he has held several important command and staff appointments.

He has commanded a frontline fighter squadron, the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), and has served as the Air Officer Commanding of Air Force Station Bareilly.

He has attended the Advanced Command and Staff Course in the UK and the National Defence College in Bangladesh. He has also headed the IAF’s Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI), served as Defence Attaché at the Indian Embassy in Japan and South Korea, and held the position of Senior Air Staff Officer at Eastern Air Command.

An avid reader, Air Marshal Walia holds three postgraduate degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies. In recognition of his distinguished service, he was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2008 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2018.

The Advanced Aerial Robotics Group (AARG) at AISSMS Institute of Information Technology (AISSMS IOIT), Pune, has reached a notable milestone with the successful execution of a coordinated dual-flight test using its in-house developed Dual Flight Commander Swarming System.

The demonstration saw two drones operating in tandem under a single unified command framework, marking a significant advancement in the group’s efforts to develop autonomous multi-drone swarm capabilities. The achievement validates the team’s sim-to-real development pipeline, confirming that algorithms extensively tested in virtual environments can perform reliably under real-world flight conditions.

Before conducting the live trial, the team subjected its flight algorithms to rigorous simulation-based testing. This approach enabled engineers to refine tracking performance, flight stability and coordination logic before transitioning to physical deployment, reducing operational risks while improving system reliability.

At the core of the project is the Dual Flight Commander architecture, a proprietary system created to manage multiple unmanned aerial vehicles as a coordinated fleet while maintaining awareness and control of each individual aircraft. The platform focuses on enhancing drone autonomy, communication protocols and synchronised flight behaviour across multiple aerial assets operating simultaneously.

According to the development team, the successful dual-flight mission represents an important step towards larger-scale swarm operations. The architecture has been designed with scalability in mind, allowing additional drone nodes to be incorporated as future mission requirements evolve. The current system already demonstrates the feasibility of coordinated multi-UAV operations, autonomous mission execution and scalable aerial situational awareness.

The developers have also highlighted several advanced capabilities built into the system, including mission synchronisation, collision-avoidance functions, landing-pad management and real-time mission monitoring. These features are intended to support increasingly complex autonomous operations in the future.

The successful test is expected to contribute to the group’s broader ambitions in aerial robotics and disaster-response applications, where multiple drones can collaborate to improve reconnaissance, search operations and situational awareness across large areas.

AARG described the achievement as “a milestone worth celebrating” and stated that the coordinated dual-flight test brings the team closer to its vision of autonomous multi-drone swarm coordination. The group also noted that the accomplishment reflects extensive development, integration, testing, refinement and teamwork undertaken by its members.

The organisation is now working towards expanding the concept beyond two drones, with future development focused on a more advanced multi-drone architecture capable of supporting larger swarm operations and increasingly sophisticated mission profiles.

India’s push towards self-reliance in critical  defence technologies was on display at the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026 in New Delhi, where the  Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) unveiled a range of indigenous semiconductor technologies developed for advanced radar systems, electronic warfare applications and tactical missile programmes.

Held at Bharat Mandapam from 27 to 29 October under the theme ‘Creative Minds, Catalysing Science, Empowering Society’, the three-day conclave was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and jointly organised by 12 ministries and departments. The event brought together Nobel Laureates, international experts, policymakers, researchers and emerging leaders to discuss scientific advances and deep-technology innovation.

A major highlight of DRDO’s participation was the display of Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) and Infrared Focal Plane Arrays (IRFPAs), developed by the Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL), Delhi. These indigenous semiconductor technologies represent critical building blocks for a wide range of strategic defence systems.

According to the Ministry of Defence, Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based MMICs, along with Multi-Chip Modules (MCMs), have already been employed in several strategic missions. These technologies form the backbone of advanced radar networks and Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, enhancing detection, tracking and electronic countermeasure capabilities.

DRDO also showcased IRFPAs, which serve as the sensing elements or “eyes” of tactical missiles. Integrated with Imaging Infrared (IIR) seekers, these systems enable missiles to detect, identify and track targets during the terminal phase of flight with a high degree of precision.

The exhibition featured a broad spectrum of infrared technologies, including Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR), Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) and Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) solutions, underlining India’s expanding expertise in sophisticated infrared sensing and semiconductor development.

Beyond semiconductors, DRDO presented several emerging technologies, including scramjet propulsion systems, neuromorphic accelerators, advanced communication systems, Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs), Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) and laser proximity sensors. The display highlighted the organisation’s efforts across multiple next-generation technology domains with both strategic and defence applications.

As one of the principal organisers of ESTIC 2026, DRDO led the thematic session titled ‘Semiconductors and Next-Generation Chips’. The session was chaired by Distinguished Scientist and Director General, Electronics and Communication Systems, Dr BK Das.

Discussions during the session explored advances in semiconductor technologies, purpose-built Artificial Intelligence (AI) System-on-Chips (SoCs), intelligence at the silicon edge and the rapidly evolving microprocessor landscape. The dialogue also examined opportunities to accelerate indigenous chip design and reduce dependence on foreign technologies.

DRDO further emphasised its growing role in supporting industry and Start-Ups engaged in the development of next-generation chips and critical indigenous technologies. The organisation highlighted collaboration between government laboratories, academia and private-sector innovators as essential for strengthening India’s semiconductor ecosystem.

The Ministry of Defence noted that semiconductor capability has become increasingly important for national security, economic resilience and digital sovereignty. It stressed the importance of building expertise not only in chip design, but also in fabrication, testing, industrial-scale manufacturing and resilient supply chains.

India’s specialised semiconductor establishments, including SSPL, the Gallium Arsenide Enabling Technology Centre (GAETEC), the Semiconductor Technology and Applied Research Centre (STARC) and the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), have collectively developed significant expertise in Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), Gallium Nitride (GaN), Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and mature silicon-process technologies.

The showcase reinforced the growing strategic importance of indigenous semiconductor development in strengthening India’s defence preparedness, technological self-reliance and long-term ambitions in advanced electronics and next-generation chip technologies.

The training focuses on acclimatisation, crew proficiency, equipment management and seamless coordination in a demanding operational environment

Amidst reports of face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops at multiple locations along the border in Arunachal Pradesh, the Army is enhancing the operational readiness of its mechanised forces through rigorous training in the challenging high-altitude terrain of Ladakh.

The training focuses on acclimatisation, crew proficiency, equipment management and seamless coordination in a demanding operational environment, according to information shared by the Indian Army on Wednesday.

“The endeavour reflects the emphasis on combat readiness, technological adaptation and operational excellence, enabling effective operations in some of the most challenging terrains,” the Army’s Leh-based 14 Corps said.

Raised in September 1999 following the Kargil conflict, 14 Corps, also known as the Fire and Fury Corps, is responsible for operations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Ladakh, as well as the Line of Control (LOC) with Pakistan traversing east of the Zoji La pass, and the Siachen Glacier.

Last week, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director-General Shatrujeet Kapur had revealed that face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops were continuing at several places in the north-east, and the ITBP’s newly raised Shaurya commando platoons had successfully handled the situation.

On October 27, coinciding with Infantry Day, Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Dhiraj Seth, reviewed operational preparedness along the LAC in the Central Sector, where he asked commanders to maintain sustained operational vigilance to effectively address evolving security challenges.

Over the years, the Army has been developing and fine tuning operational and logistical capability to operate armoured vehicles in rugged and snow bound areas. It is looking at newer technology to enhance the operational capability of its armoured formations at high altitude, with more focus being laid on induction of lighter mechanised platforms, and drones and sensors.

While there had been a limited presence of armoured and mechanised elements in Ladakh, the protracted stand-off with China along the LAC in 2020 resulted in additional armoured units being rushed to the Himalayan frontier.

Though the terrain in Ladakh is highly rugged, there are a few flat areas like Depsang, Chushul and Demchok where tanks and infantry combat vehicles can be deployed. China too has deployed mechanised forces in the area which include a mix of light and heavy tanks, including new variants.

After violent clashes broke out between Indian and Chinese troops, over 68,000 Army soldiers, around 90 tanks, nearly 330 BMP infantry combat vehicles, radar systems, artillery guns and other equipment were airlifted to Ladakh, according to publicly available information.

The most significant aspect of the mechanised build-up along the LAC was the airlifting of India’s newest and most powerful tanks, the T-90, which now spearhead the Army’s strike formations, from the plains to Ladakh.

In the early 1990s, a small number of T-72 tanks, which weigh around 40 tonnes, and the lighter BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles were airlifted to Ladakh and permanently deployed in that sector. Later, this increased to three regiments, forming up an armoured brigade.

These were airlifted by the Russian IL-76 aircraft that have a payload capacity of 45 tonnes. However, the T-90 tank weighs about 48 tonnes, and their airlift to Ladakh was possible due to the newer US C-17 Globemaster, which can ferry up to 77 tonnes.

While transporting tanks to Ladakh by road via the Manali-Leh axis is not feasible due to narrow road stretches and hair-pin bends, the Jammu-Srinagar-Leh route is long and time consuming, involving several days.

The Indian Army first used tanks at high altitude in 1947-48, when Stuart tanks were moved to Zoji La at an altitude of around 12,000 feet in Kashmir, to check Pakistani invaders who had entered the Valley in a bid to capture it. They were next used in high altitude during the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict, when AMX-13 tanks were airlifted by the IAF to the Chushul sector along the LAC in south-eastern Ladakh.