Current Events :
After massive uproar erupted over the removal of 1965 war hero Abdul Hamid’s name from the main gate of a primary school in Dhamupur village under Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh where he once studied, the administration decided to reinstate the name on Monday (February 17, 2025).
Growing incidents of skirmishes on the Line of Control (LoC), including sniper attacks and infiltration bids this year, is posing a fresh challenge to security agencies in J&K. J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said “the Indian Army was giving a befitting response”.
At least six skirmishes were reported on the LoC in the Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts in the past two months. Two soldiers, including a Captain, were killed by an improvised explosive device (IED), and at least two other soldiers were hit by snipers. It remains “inconclusive if the Pakistani Army or the militants” were involved in these attacks. Two infiltrators were also killed in this period in Poonch.
The four-day Director General (DG)-level talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) commenced on February 17. BSF Chief Daljit Singh Chawdhary welcomed BGB Chief Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui at the IGI Airport on…
The four-day Director General (DG)-level talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) commenced on February 17. BSF Chief Daljit Singh Chawdhary welcomed BGB Chief Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui at the IGI Airport on Monday. The talks are aimed at addressing border-related issues and improving coordination between the two border guarding forces.
This is the first meeting between the two DGs after the political crisis erupted in Bangladesh.
New Delhi, Feb 16: The change of guard ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan will now be held in a new format, featuring an elaborate visual and musical performance against the backdrop of the presidential palace, an official statement said on Sunday.
The new format includes military drills by troops and horses of the President’s Bodyguard, along with personnel from the Ceremonial Guard Battalion and the Ceremonial Military Brass Band. The display will be spread over a larger area, the statement added.
President Droupadi Murmu witnessed the inaugural ceremony in its new format on Sunday at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, according to the statement issued by her office.
The ceremony will be open to a larger number of visitors from February 22, the statement said.
Change of guard, a time-honoured military tradition, was introduced as a ceremonial event in 2007 at Rashtrapati Bhavan allowing a fresh group of the President’s Bodyguard to take charge.
In 2012 the ceremony was made a public event giving citizens an opportunity to attend the event, officials said.
Previously held between Jaipur Column and gate number 1, it has now been shifted to the forecourt, expanding the capacity to over a thousand spectators, they said.
Conducted weekly, this ceremony marks formal handover of duties between the outgoing and incoming guards.
The ceremony attended by Murmu on Sunday showcased synchronised movements by the Ceremonial Battalion, precision drills by the President’s Bodyguard (PBG) and performance by the Ceremonial Band, reflecting the discipline, heritage, and pride of the Indian armed forces.
Raised in 1773, the President’s Bodyguard (PBG) is the senior-most regiment of the Indian Army, tasked with ceremonial duties for the president. PBG personnel are skilled horsemen, tank operators, and paratroopers.
Visitors can reserve their slots at https://visit.rashtrapatibhavan.gov.in (PTI)
I carry my grief with me on my sleeve
Last weekend was my birthday, February 8. It also happens to be the month of love, the Valentine’s month. It seemed to be the perfect day to offer this tribute of true love to my husband, the late Brig LS Lidder, who lost his life in the CDS chopper crash in December 2021. The tribute was in the form of a book, straight from my heart.
The book is titled ‘I Am a Soldier’s Wife’. Well, we got married in 1996 and I have been a soldier’s wife since that glorious day… but these words were spoken right after the last rites of my husband, when I was asked by the media, and I said, “I am a soldier’s wife, I must give him a smiling sendoff.” Never ever have I felt this more profoundly that I need to be the soldier’s wife than at that time, when the soldier was gone.
This has started on a serious note, so does the book. It starts with the day when we lost him along with the others in the crash. However, like the subtitle of the book — ‘The life and love of Toni Lidder’ — the book is merely that.
An eternal romantic at heart, I love love stories. My own is my favourite. The book is a simple story of true love — a life well lived with precious memories and moments. I always believed that Toni was special. It was after he went that I realised that he was so special to so many people… and that gave me reason to recall and record my life with him. It is a simple, no-fuss book. In fact, you will find yourself in any of the chapters. It is like the Jane and John next door. They are all relatable to any couple, especially the Army ones, for it has glimpses of life as it passes us by, station to station, box to box.
Remember, I said the life and love of Toni Lidder, nowhere did I say loss. Yes, we lost him in the physical form, but three years after that day, I can say that he is always with me.
These years have taught me that love may not mean togetherness. How else can you explain Radha-Krishna, or Meera-Krishna… true love is faith and devotion, something I can never be short of where Toni was concerned. True love is in the form of Nandi, who has patience, complete surrender and faith as he waits at the door of the Shiv temple, unquestioning about the appearance of the lord. True love is in the form of Hanuman, who is pleased only by the mere mention of Ramji… do you know how many times you say Ram when you chant the Hanuman Chalisa? So, love is independent of physical presence. These analogies are only to justify my faith in the universe and the plan it has for everyone.
We barely ever had an argument and I would tease him — “I love you and you love you!” When we were courting, his coursemates used to say: “Geetika talks like Lakhy. In fact, she says something and looks towards him for validation.” When we got married, I was told by many elders of the paltan — “Humara sabse honhaar beta hai”, until one day, our CO’s wife told one of them: “Woh jaisa hai, yeh bilkul vaisi hai….” That was music to my ears.
Within 12 hours of his passing, I told myself, if I break down and shatter into pieces, it’ll be pieces of him all around, so I have to collect him within me now and reflect him within me — heaven knows it that I have tried my best to live with that spirit of the soldier within me. He and his memories have ensured that I continue to live in the way that would make him proud, befitting of the Lidder way! He taught Aashna and me to grab moments, make them memories and live a life of meaning, purpose and gratitude. We continue to do that as well as we can.
Yes, I have to reset my mind to think of a tomorrow without him in it, but the love we had will keep me warm forever. That love comes to Aashna and me in the form of all our friends who envelop us with their love. The purpose to each day comes from the institution where I serve — Shri Ram School gives me identity and relevance and impacting the children each day in my own small way is a humbling feeling which I am eternally grateful for. AWWA and its outreach and dependability is something that never ceases to amaze me. AWWA president Sunita Dwivedi and all other members make me feel so loved, respected and held.
My most respectful salute to the outfit which gave Toni his identity and made him who he was, the 2nd Battalion of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Bodyguard. ‘I Can Never Say Enough About the Men’ is the title of a book written on our unit, and I can only echo that.
As we say in Bodyguard
Some of us are gone
And some of us are far,
But all of us are proud
Of just who we are
We, the Bodyguards.
Being a soldier’s wife has taught me the harshest lessons in life — Toni taught me to not turn my back on the enemy. Here, when grief came calling, I opened the door to it, looked at it in the eye, adapted to it, adopted it and today, I own my grief. I carry it with me on my sleeve. After all, I am a soldier’s wife.
Jai Durge, Jai JAK, Jai Hind!
Flight lands at Amritsar airport around 10 pm
A third US military special flight carrying 112 deportees landed at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport on Sunday night.
The flight landed at the airport at 10:03 pm, officials said.
Among the fresh batch of deportees, 31 are from Punjab, 44 from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, two from Uttar Pradesh and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The deportees will be allowed to head to their homes after completion of all formalities, including immigration, verification and background checks.
Arrangements have been made for the transportation of deportees to their destination, the officials said.
Second US military flight brings 117 deportees, men in ‘shackles’ again
Their removal is part of an ongoing crackdown by US immigration authorities on individuals who entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas.
On Saturday night, a US military plane carrying 117 illegal Indian immigrants, including 65 from Punjab, landed at the Amritsar airport.
The movement followed the deportation of 104 individuals earlier on February 5.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had also attacked the Centre over the landing of US planes carrying deportees at Amritsar airport.
“Do not make our holy city a deportation centre,” he said.
He slammed the Centre saying it was a “deliberate attempt to defame the state” by giving the impression that all deportees belonged to Punjab.
Mann also visited the airport on Saturday and said his government has made arrangements to take the Punjab residents to their hometowns.
Anti Drone System from Zen Technologies works on detection, classification, tracking on passive surveillance, camera sensors & neutralisation of the threat via jamming drone communication
The Indian Army (IA) and Indian Air Force (IAF) are increasing their efforts to acquire more advanced anti-drone systems in response to the growing threat from hostile drones and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in both conventional and irregular warfare.
Current Procurement Efforts
The Indian Army has issued a tender for nine more indigenous integrated drone detection and interdiction systems (IDD&IS). This is in addition to systems already inducted for the frontier with China.
The IAF is seeking new anti-swarm drone systems, including 10 kamikaze drone-based systems, 10 mobile micro munitions-based systems, and 100-200 vehicle-mounted counter-UAS.
The IAF will begin inducting 200 radio frequency jammer guns. The Army is acquiring around 30 vehicle-based drone jammers.
Need For Advanced Systems
More advanced anti-drone systems are needed with multiple soft-kill and hard-kill options and longer interception ranges.
These systems include jamming, spoofing, and blinding systems to disrupt drone command-and-control links, as well as laser-based directed energy weapons (DEWs) for hard kills.
The Army requires advanced versions of vehicle-mounted IDD&IS with soft-kill jamming ranges of 2-5 km and effective hard-kill ranges through lasers of around 800 meters.
The IAF needs effective multi-sensor, multi-kill systems against smaller drones to address operational gaps.
Indigenous Development And Collaboration
India is behind other countries in indigenously developing complex counter-drone technologies.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed anti-drone systems with 2-kilowatt to 10-kilowatt lasers, and the armed forces have ordered 23 such systems. DRDO is also developing DEWs with higher power.
Domestic private firms are partnering with foreign companies for advanced anti-drone solutions. For example, U.S. company Anduril Industries and Indian Mahindra Group are collaborating to co-produce an AI-enabled counter-UAS.
Other Key Points
The Army still relies heavily on older air defence systems.
Conflicts such as those in Armenia-Azerbaijan, Israel-Hamas, and Russia-Ukraine have highlighted the increasing threat from drones.
There is an emphasis on developing and deploying effective counter-drone systems, including jamming, spoofing, blinding systems, and laser-based DEWs.
Zen Technologies has launched AI-powered anti-drone system called Vyomkavach designed to neutralize rogue UAV threats.
The Indian Army has deployed anti-drone systems along the Line of Control (LoC) to thwart infiltration attempts.
The DRDO will unveil a laser-based directed energy weapon during the Republic Day Parade 2025.
TNN
The Ordnance Equipment Factory (OEF) in Hazratpur, Firozabad, is set to manufacture brake parachutes for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets, a significant step towards boosting indigenous defence production.
The brake parachute system for the Su-30 fighter jet is a crucial safety mechanism designed to decelerate the aircraft during landing, preventing runway overruns. It ensures safe stopping distances in both routine and emergency conditions, particularly for high-speed aircraft like the Su-30MKI4. The system is deployed at a velocity between 180 km/h and 300 km/h.
Upon deployment, an auxiliary parachute extracts the pack cover and main parachute from the container. The inflated main parachute produces drag, which reduces the speed of the aircraft, in turn shortening the landing run. The brake parachute is made of Fabric Nylon 66 and has a surface area of 50 sqm. The system is intended to reduce the aircraft landing run length after an aborted take-off.
Until now, India had relied on Russian suppliers for these parachutes, making the aircraft’s sustainment dependent on external sources. This technology transfer marks a major step toward self-reliance, reducing dependence on foreign manufacturers.
DRDO has transferred the technology to manufacture Su-30 brake parachutes to OEF Hazratpur. The transfer of technology (ToT) occurred at the Aero India 2025 event in Bangalore.
OEF Hazratpur, a unit of DPSU TCL (defence public sector undertaking, Troop Comforts Ltd), received the ToT to manufacture Su-30 brake parachutes from DRDO. OEF Hazratpur has been a key player in manufacturing specialized defence parachutes and aerial delivery systems and has collaborated with DRDO on multiple projects.
The brake parachute system is a crucial safety mechanism designed to decelerate fighter aircraft during landing, preventing runway overruns. It ensures safe stopping distances in both routine and emergency conditions, particularly for high-speed aircraft such as the Su-30MKI.
The technology transfer is expected to strengthen India’s self-reliance in defence manufacturing. This supports the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, which aims to boost indigenous defence production and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.
Besides OEF, two private firms – Oriental Weaving & Processing Mill Pvt Ltd (Navi Mumbai) and Kohli Enterprises (Gurugram) – also received ToT for bulk production of brake parachutes for Su-30.
The IAF is expected to place an order for Made in India brake parachutes worth ₹500 crore for Su-30MKI
OEFHZ will also export brake parachutes for a Southeast Asian country, with an export order worth USD 65,000 for its Su-30 fleet.
OEF Hazratpur operates under Troop Comforts Limited (TCL) and is committed to strengthening India’s defense self-reliance through cutting-edge technology. They are also producing arrester barriers for aircraft safety and exploring drone advancements for surveillance and logistics.
OEF Hazratpur introduced a Multi-Spectral Camouflage Net at Aero India 2025, enhancing concealment across visual, infrared (IR), and radar frequencies.
The brake parachute is designed to reduce the aircraft landing run length after an aborted take-off. It is made of Fabric Nylon 66 and has a surface area of 50 sqm.
IT News
India’s consideration of the F-35 fighter jet, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s offer, presents a complex scenario that requires careful evaluation of strategic, economic, and operational factors.
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The offer comes amid strengthening defence ties between India and the United States, with both nations aiming to enhance military cooperation across various domains. Trump has committed to increasing military sales to India significantly, which includes the potential provision of F-35 stealth fighters. However, this proposal is still in its preliminary stages, as no formal acquisition process has been initiated yet.
Acquiring the F-35 could draw India deeper into the U.S. sphere of influence, potentially compromising its strategic autonomy. Historically, India has opted for Russian and French aircraft over American ones due to concerns about operational independence and geopolitical pressures.
The introduction of the F-35 could hinder India’s own fifth-generation fighter project, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), which has been under development with significant investments. Ensuring that this indigenous program is not adversely affected is crucial for India’s long-term defence capabilities.
The offer has raised concerns in Pakistan, which views the potential deal as a threat to regional stability. Pakistan’s officials have urged the international community to consider the implications of advanced military technology transfers to India.
What are the economic aspects of acquiring the F-35 are multifaceted?
The F-35 program has faced criticism for its high costs and performance issues. Maintenance and lifecycle costs are significant considerations that India must evaluate against its budgetary constraints.
The extent of technology transfer associated with the F-35 deal is uncertain. India will need to assess what technologies it would receive and how they would integrate with its existing systems.
Operational Challenges
The F-35 is lauded for its advanced capabilities, including stealth features and network-centric warfare capabilities. However, it also presents operational challenges:
The aircraft has been plagued by high maintenance costs and reliability concerns, which could impact operational readiness for the Indian Air Force (IAF) already struggling with a limited number of fighter squadrons.
The IAF must consider how well the F-35 would integrate with its current fleet and operational doctrines, especially in light of threats from adversaries like China, which has deployed advanced aircraft near Indian borders.
The China-Russia-Pakistan Factor
The potential acquisition of F-35 fighter jets by India could significantly impact its relationships with other countries, especially China and Russia.
China
If India acquires the F-35, China may perceive it as a direct challenge to its air superiority in the region, as China is rapidly upgrading its air force with the J-20 stealth fighter. Acquiring F-35s would enable India to conduct deep-penetration strikes inside enemy territory, including most of China, while maintaining operational stealth, which could worry Beijing. China might view the F-35 deal as part of a broader strategy by the U.S. to contain its influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Russia
Buying the F-35 could create tensions between New Delhi and Moscow, as Russia has traditionally been India’s main weapons supplier. If India decides to buy the F-35, it might have to rethink its dependence on Russian weapons because the U.S. could impose sanctions, or India could face difficulties in making American and Russian defence systems work together smoothly. Russia is already providing India with the S-400 air defence system, which has previously caused concerns in Washington.
Pakistan
Pakistan has raised concerns that the transfer of advanced military technologies to India could affect military balance and strategic stability in South Asia. If India gets the F-35, Pakistan might respond by strengthening its military partnership with China or acquiring more advanced Chinese J-31 stealth fighters to maintain balance.
While the prospect of acquiring F-35 fighter jets offers potential enhancements to India’s air combat capabilities, it necessitates a thorough evaluation of strategic autonomy, economic implications, and operational readiness. India’s decision-making process must weigh these factors carefully to ensure that any move aligns with its broader defence objectives and regional security considerations.
IDN
