INDIAN ARMED FORCES CHIEFS ON
OUR RELENTLESS AND FOCUSED PUBLISHING EFFORTS

 
SP Guide Publications puts forth a well compiled articulation of issues, pursuits and accomplishments of the Indian Army, over the years

— General Manoj Pande, Indian Army Chief

 
 
I am confident that SP Guide Publications would continue to inform, inspire and influence.

— Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Indian Navy Chief

My compliments to SP Guide Publications for informative and credible reportage on contemporary aerospace issues over the past six decades.

— Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari, Indian Air Force Chief

Experts Speak

  • March 3, 2023
    IAF Exercises in 2023
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Multilateral and bilateral exercises are essential for valuable operational knowledge, experiences and best practices

  • February 23, 2023
    A Year into the Ukraine War
    By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)

    The narrative about the war in Ukraine is hugely lopsided with the US led west deploying every imaginable form of propaganda, information, disinformation and misinformation

  • February 17, 2023
    Lebanisation of Pakistan
    By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)

    Lebanon's post-war era militia leaders became the political leadership and have kept a lock on power ever since. The country remains a nation without an effective governing dispensation. Pakistan seems to be going the same way!

  • February 14, 2023
    Spy Balloons
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The US has accused China of violating its airspace while Beijing has accused America of violating international norms by shooting down the balloon

  • February 14, 2023
    Export with Care
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    We need to be careful about which countries we are exporting indigenous equipment to and have sufficient safeguards in place to ensure the technology is not passed on to our adversaries

  • February 14, 2023
    Stealth Vehicles
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi is working on developing materials that can be used for developing ‘stealth’ vehicles. The materials being developed can reportedly absorb more than 96 per cent of radar waves in a wide range of frequencies, coming simultaneously from multiple directions.

  • February 14, 2023
    Private Industry Innovations
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying “It is our collective aim to establish India as one of the key partners in global semiconductor supply chains” has increased India’s focus on producing semiconductors

  • February 14, 2023
    Indigenous Tapas-BH & Archer-NG Drones
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Induction of these indigenous drones will give a tremendous boost to the combat potential of our Armed Forces. These would fall much cheaper and cut drone import costs drastically.

  • February 10, 2023
    A Turkish Tragedy
    By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)

    Death toll from the earthquake is expected to be very high as thousands of houses and aparment blocks have been reduced to rubble

  • February 3, 2023
    Republic Day Parade and Atmanirbhar Bharat
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Building on the 75th year of Independence celebrated as 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the Republic Day parade depicted India's growing indigenous capabilities, Nari Shakti and emergence of a 'New India'.

  • February 3, 2023
    New-Age Drones, Jet Packs and Robotic Mules
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The Army is seeking the above technologies in line with the need to modernise and upgrade its combat capabilities

  • February 3, 2023
    Humans in Space and Western Fear of China
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said that Ukraine needs NATO's continued support, because if President Putin wins, the message to Beijing will be that they can achieve what they want with the use of brute force

  • February 2, 2023
    Defence Budget 2023-2024
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The Defence Budget 2023-2024 is 5.94 lakh crore, an increase of about 12.5 per cent over last year

  • January 15, 2023
    Nyoma Airfield Development
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The decision to upgrade Nyoma ALG should have been taken long back; much before the 2020 Chinese aggression if we had given due thought to Chinese intentions. When this airfield will be completed remains to be seen?

  • January 15, 2023
    GSP 2022 – Military Ignored
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Geospatial Policy (GSP) 2022 is good for promoting digital economy, private industry, innovations, blue economy, integrating multiple agencies dealing with geospatial data, innovation and the like but the requirements of national security and of the Armed Forces have been totally ignored

  • January 15, 2023
    Missile Systems Procurement
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    All the proposals for procurement of missile systems are under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category

  • January 2, 2023
    The Catch 22 in Ukraine's Elusive Peace
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The US has always used war to benefit economically. Peace is unlikely in Ukraine with Zelenskyy dancing to the tune of the Biden Administration.

  • January 2, 2023
    Indo-Japanese Air Combat Exercise
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The India-Japan joint air combat exercise 'Veer Guardian' will further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation and military interoperability, as also enhance tactical air combat skills of the two sides

  • January 2, 2023
    Pralay Induction
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The system meets the tactical ballistic missile requirements filling the gap of a conventionally armed ballistic missile that is not hampered by the 'No First Use' nuclear policy

  • January 2, 2023
    The Downside of SPARSH
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    SPARSH has become the bane of ex-servicemen and veer naris, especially those who are not computer savvy and living in remote areas

  • December 23, 2022
    2022: A Tumultuous Year
    By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)

    As 2022 draws to a close, here is a snapshot of the year gone by and the changed geopolitical world that it leaves behind

  • December 14, 2022
    Egyptian President at Republic Day Parade 2023
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    India and Egypt share close political understanding based on long history of contacts and cooperation on bilateral, regional and global issues. Both countries were the founding members of the Non Allied Movement (NAM) and have co-operated on multilateral forums.

  • December 14, 2022
    SpIN and Space
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    SpaceTech Innovation Network (SpIN)will provide tremendous boost to the space entrepreneurial ecosystem through public-private collaboration for start-ups and SMEs in the space industry

  • December 14, 2022
    Modernising Airfields
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    MAFI Phase-II is a good initiative but have we critically examined what features and systems our airfields (including improved infrastructure) must have to cater for possible terrorist attacks

  • December 6, 2022
    G20: Prospects Beyond Summits
    By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)

    The presidency gives India a unique opportunity to steer the agenda, showcase its leadership acumen and brandish its rich cultural and archaeological heritage

  • December 2, 2022
    Weaponisation of Winter
    By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)

    Russian missile and drone attacks on energy and other infrastructure means that large parts of Ukraine people are now living without light, water, or heating. This is becoming increasingly unbearable as the country begins to face temperatures below freezing.

  • December 1, 2022
    More Milestones in Space & Space Industry
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The successful launch of the Vikram-S rocket has opened up a whole range of options since low cost rockets using 3-D engines and the use of carbon fibre can be used for military applications as well. Moreover, small satellites also permit loading them with multiple functionalities. We are now on the anvil of rapid and tactical space launch capabilities.

  • December 1, 2022
    Aditya-L1 Mission
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The scope of the mission has been expanded and it is now planned to be a comprehensive solar and space environment observatory to be placed at the L1 point

  • December 1, 2022
    Turkey-Pakistan Defence Cooperation
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Turkey-Pakistan defence cooperation is getting stronger. During the recent two-day visit of Pakistan Prime Minister to Turkey, Sharif and Erdogan jointly inaugurated a corvette warship PNS 'Khyber' built by Turkey for the Pakistan Navy under a strategic cooperation project between the two countries

  • November 18, 2022
    Ukraine conflict and Paralysed Global politics
    By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)

    The G-20 summit offered a snapshot of a somewhat paralysed international system, ill-equipped to mobilise around solving major shared challenges

  • November 15, 2022
    No cold war; Tensions may still flare
    By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)

    The meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit may cool temperatures for now. But while Washington and Beijing can try to put guardrails on their relationship, sensitivities over Taiwan are high and the risk for misunderstanding acute.

  • November 14, 2022
    New Interceptor Missile for BMD
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    On November 2, 2022, India successfully tested its new interceptor missile for Phase-II of its indigenous BMD system, which is capable of intercepting incoming long-range nuclear missiles as well as slow-moving aircraft

  • November 14, 2022
    Manik Engine Setback
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The test flight of the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) was unsuccessful because the Manik engine failed. This failure is a big setback for India's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Missile programme.

  • October 31, 2022
    Make in India C295 Military Aircraft
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    India had sealed the deal with Airbus to procure 56 x C295 transport aircraft for the IAF under a project that entails manufacturing of military transport aircraft in India for the first time by a private company

  • October 31, 2022
    ARBEL AI-based Firing System
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Indian policy makers and the military have acknowledged AI as a key component of national security strategy and are focused on AI-based research

  • October 31, 2022
    Extended Range BrahMos for IAF
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The range of the BrahMos missile has been increased already and with the advantage of being airborne at high altitudes, the missile can travel a longer distance and can hit targets at 800 kms and beyond

  • October 31, 2022
    India-UK Defence Relations – The Sunak Factor
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    With signing of the FTA on the anvil, two-way trade between India and the UK should flourish under Sunak's premiership. India-UK collaboration in defence trade is being supported by a new export licensing arrangement intended for shortening delivery times for defence procurement.

  • October 15, 2022
    GSLV Mk III Launch
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    With the GSLV Mk III launching 36 broadband satellites of OneWeb this month, ISRO and the NSIL are on a roll

  • October 3, 2022
    Priorities for the newly appointed CDS
    By Lt. General Abhay Krishna (Retd)

    The Nation eagerly looks at General Anil Chauhan, the new CDS, for successfully taking forward the initiatives taken up by the Late General Bipin Rawat

  • October 1, 2022
    America's L'affaire Pakistan
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The Biden administration has unveiled a $450-million deal to modernise Pakistan's F-16 fleet without informing India and without any concern this could harm America's so-called strategic relations with India. Somehow Pakistan remains strategically important to the US administrations over India, no matter the proclamations by America.

  • October 1, 2022
    Advances in Hypersonic
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The developments in Hypersonic technology no doubt would be potential force multiplier for the Indian Armed Forces when operational, given the expanding China threat

  • October 1, 2022
    Indigenous Loitering Munitions
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Loitering munitions have revolutionised the battlefield in recent years and more of these can be expected to fill up the airspace in future

  • September 24, 2022
    Lawlessness in a Unipolar World
    By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)

    There is worrisome compromise of international institutions, agreements, treaties and arrangements that do not serve the domestic agenda of the US

  • September 14, 2022
    Development of Tejas Mark-2 Approved
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    DRDO feels that the Tejas Mark-2 fighter aircraft would be in the category of the Rafale class aircraft in terms of avionics and capabilities but lighter in weight

  • September 14, 2022
    Space Affairs
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    In India, developments in space affairs are occurring periodically at fast pace including more and more private sector involvement

  • September 3, 2022
    Boeing Upbeat on Sales in India
    By Sanjay Bhatnagar

    The aircraft manufacturer expects Indian airlines to boost their capacity quickly in this world's fastest growing major market

  • September 1, 2022
    Chinese Stealth and UW Technology
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    China's long-range heat-seeking radar boosts anti-stealth technology. It has also completed the conceptual design work for a small, low-cost nuclear reactor for use in swarming torpedoes that could cross the Pacific within a week.

  • September 1, 2022
    Loitering Munitions
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Loitering munitions are in a category of their own. They are more akin to a smart missile. Once airborne, the system is designed to “loiter” for an extended time. Loitering munitions are one-time-use weapons designed to find a target and crash into it, “kamikaze” style.

  • August 26, 2022
    Battle for the skies over the seas
    By Air Vice Marshal Sanjay Bhatnagar (Retd)

    Boeing makes a strong case with their F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III for the Indian Navy's carrier deck based fighter programme

  • August 16, 2022
    India Arises @ 75
    By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)

    The gains since 1947 have been massive, keeping in mind that we have also evolved as a strong multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, vibrant and resilient democracy

  • August 15, 2022
    Indo-Maldives Defence & Security Relations
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Close contact and coordination between India and Maldives in defence and security is vital for the peace and stability of the entire region in the backdrop of trans-national crime, terrorism and drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean

  • August 15, 2022
    India's Hypersonic Cruise Missile
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    India became the fourth country after the US, China and Russia to develop and test the hypersonic technology. With this successful test, India will be making its first hypersonic missile in the next five years.

  • August 15, 2022
    AI Drone and Strategic Bomber
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is working on an AI-driven multi-role, advanced and long-endurance drone for strategic missions in high-altitude areas

  • August 10, 2022
    The Choppy Waters of Taiwan Straits
    By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)

    US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's stop in Taipei is the first time that a US House speaker has visited Taiwan in 25 years and has fueled US-China tensions

  • August 2, 2022
    Chinese Muscle Flexing
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Chinese fighter jets, including J-11, have been flying close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over past few weeks, in direct violation of the 10-km Confidence Building Measures (CBM) mutually agreed with India

  • August 2, 2022
    Navy's Fighter – Rafale or F/A-18?
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Tests of the French Rafale and the American F/A-18 Super Hornet took place from late May to June at the Indian Navy's test site at Hansa Air Base in Goa

  • August 2, 2022
    Joint Theatre Commands
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    There is no escaping the military logic of creating suitably constituted Integrated Theatre Commands and Functional Commands for the Armed Forces as a whole

  • August 2, 2022
    AI Enabled ATV and QRFV
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Collaborative work done in the field of AI is being done by the three Services, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), iDEX start-ups and the private sector

  • August 2, 2022
    Navy Gets MH-60R Helicopters
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The induction of MH-60Rs will significantly boost the integral Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability and the capability to conduct a range of operations in all weather conditions in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The addition of MH-60R Seahawk helicopters will also help boost the combat power of the Indian Navy.

  • July 14, 2022
    The Race for Navy's Fighter Aircraft
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The French Rafale and the American F-18 are engaged in the process of operational demonstrations to the Indian Navy, preceding the all-important trials. The Navy will then have to decide what numbers are required in the interim period before the TEDBF is inducted.

  • July 14, 2022
    High-speed Expendable Aerial Target
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    On June 29, 2022, the DRDO successfully tested an indigenously-designed High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) named 'Abhyas' from the Integrated Test Range (ITR). Programmed for a completely autonomous flight, Abhyas can be launched by the military anywhere using a laptop.

  • July 14, 2022
    Safran Expands in India
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Safran inaugurated three new production sites in India and announced the construction of a new major facility by 2025. These announcements represent more than $200 million of investment, opening new job opportunities for Indians.

  • July 11, 2022
    A POEM in the Space for Indian Spacetech Start-ups-Digantara and Dhruva Space
    By Air Vice Marshal Sanjay Bhatnagar (Retd)

    They are first set of space start-ups to receive the authorisation from IN-SPACe, heralding the commencement of private sector launches within the country

  • July 5, 2022
    Maiden Flight of ALH-Dhruv (Wheeled Version)
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The prototype helicopter was built with 'Segmented Pre-Cone MRBs' and 'Pre-Cone MRH'. The two-segment MRBs and the pre-cone configuration have been developed to address the stringent stowage dimension requirement specified by the Indian Navy

  • July 5, 2022
    Indigenous Stealth Drone
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The development of Remotely Piloted Strike Aircraft (RPSA) and its successful induction into the Indian Armed Forces will provide India with considerable air supremacy since the RPSA, with its small size, stealth capabilities...

  • July 5, 2022
    American and British Somersaults
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    In October 2019, the US backed off from a proposal for collaboration on jet engine technology under the India-US Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI). Now the US has again offered to collaborate with India for critical jet engine technology.

  • July 5, 2022
    Indigenous Loitering Munitions, UAS Drones, ATGM
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    These are all good developments which need quick follow up actions. 25 per cent of the domestic capital procurement budget (amounting to 21,149 crore) has been earmarked for acquisitions from the domestic private industry this year. This needs to be fully utilised with necessary prioritisation.

  • July 5, 2022
    Indigenous Next Generation Corvettes – and more
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The DAC accorded AoN for procurement of the Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) to be built at an estimated cost of 36,000 crore by an Indian shipyard and constructed based on new in-house design of the Indian Navy using latest technology of ship building

  • June 20, 2022
    Defence Minister's Vietnam Visit
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Both India and Vietnam shared views on the significance of maintaining peace, stability, maritime and aviation security, safety and freedom in the East Sea, as well as settling disputes through peaceful measures according to global norms, UNCLOS, and need to reach an efficient Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea

  • June 5, 2022
    QUAD is Not another NATO
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    QUAD lacks any worthwhile muscular policy and the US will likely continue to sit on the fence and let others do the fighting

  • June 5, 2022
    India's Venus Mission
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    After the success of the Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions, India is all set to join the race with the US and many other countries to go to the Venus

  • June 5, 2022
    Astra Mk-2 Missile
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Astra Mk-2, which uses dual-pulse solid rocket motor for extended reach and better kinematics during the kill phase, is likely to be tested shortly and will restore the air-to-air combat superiority of the IAF over the PAF

  • June 5, 2022
    India-Japan Defence Collaboration
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Indo-Japanese defence relations have witnessed an upsurge in recent years which includes joint bi-lateral and multi-lateral exercises. The next 2+2 Indo-Japanese Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting is to be held in Japan at the earliest.

  • May 23, 2022
    The QUAD – Way Ahead
    By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)

    The QUAD must prove that it can be an effective body, both to demonstrate its utility to its own members and to show to the regional community that it is capable of solving regional problems

  • May 16, 2022
    Boosting Indo-French Strategic Partnership
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Defence will likely continue as the cornerstone of the India-France Strategic Partnership, which has been further cemented through the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron

  • May 16, 2022
    The WMD Birds
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Chinese military and government agencies had been using Dove drones and related devices in recent years. Possibly, these drones are also augmented as assassination weapons with built-in face recognition software, akin to the US. These drones pose a new angle to terrorism and assassinations, especially if launched in swarms.

  • May 16, 2022
    Offsets and Strategic Partnerships
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The offset clause in Inter-Government Agreements (IGA) was removed pursuant a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in Parliament, which said several offset contracts built into multiple defence deals had failed to bring in high-end military technology into the country

  • May 16, 2022
    Spike ATGMs and Sig Sauer Rifles
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have both begun to induct ATGMs. The Army is inducting Spike LR2 launchers and missiles, while the IAF is integrating its Russian-origin Mi-17V5 helicopters with Spike NLOS (nonline of sight) missiles

  • May 5, 2022
    Of Lasers and UAVs
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    There are good developments but the need is of speed, given the technological developments globally, particularly in China

  • May 5, 2022
    India-UK Defence Relations
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated their commitment to boost the defence and security cooperation under the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and enhance engagements in support of a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific

  • May 5, 2022
    Drone Making in India
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The government has announced easing of rules for registration and operation of drones in the country, as also the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme worth 120 crore to boost indigenous manufacturing of drones

  • April 16, 2022
    Fourth Indo-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The 2+2 Dialogue was broad based with in-person meetings between the respective Defence Ministers and Foreign Ministers of both countries, preceded by a virtual summit between PM Modi and President Biden

  • April 16, 2022
    Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Serial Production Cleared
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    This helicopter is equipped with all-weather combat capability to support the ground forces and would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force & Indian Army

  • April 16, 2022
    Made in India Advances
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Privatisation is the way for India's defence industry to grow as we have more than enough potential in the private sector

  • April 6, 2022
    Military Satellites
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Currently, India has only two dedicated military satellites - the GSAT-7 (Rukmini) and GSAT-7A (Angry Bird) used by the Indian Navy and Air Force respectively. The GSAT-7B satellite would help the Indian Army enhance its surveillance in border areas.

  • April 6, 2022
    Airborne Exercises along Northern Borders
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Amid the heightened tensions with China, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian Army conducted airborne exercises to validate rapid response capabilities and seamless integration

  • April 6, 2022
    AMCA Development Begins
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The advanced stealth aircraft will be a multirole fighter capable of carrying out air superiority, ground strike, suppression of enemy air defences and electronic warfare missions. The IAF is planning for two squadron of AMCA Mark 1 and five squadron of Mark 2 variant.

  • SP's Aviation - Issue: 3 / 2022
    75 Satellites Marking 75 Years of Independence
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Indian Technology Congress Association (ITCA) is playing the lead role in this mission for ensuring design, development, fabrication, testing and launching of the 75 nano-satellites, and is being supported by ISRO in the mission

  • March 16, 2022
    Atmanirbhar in Defence
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    “The biggest lesson is that we have to be ready to fight future wars with indigenous weapons and the steps towards Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence should be taken more urgently” —General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff

  • March 7, 2022
    Sanctions against Russia has wider ramifications
    By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)

    Although economic sanctions are widely used, their effectiveness is often debated. For now, Western governments are putting a higher priority on their support for Ukraine but soon they will need to weigh on how much pain they are prepared to inflict on their own people.

  • March 7, 2022
    Russia Battles Ukraine for Control of the Skies
    By Air Vice Marshal Sanjay Bhatnagar (Retd)

    Ukranian Air Force is vastly outnumbered by Russian Air Force in terms of numbers and firepower. However, the employment of air power in context of the Russian Air Force has been highly intriguing so far.

  • February 28, 2022
    China's Stealth Bomber and Stealth Fighter
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    China has been developing an advanced strategic bomber Xian H-20 with a range up to 8,000 km. It is developed according to the aerodynamic design "flying wing" with the use of stealth technologies.

  • February 28, 2022
    Chinese Missile Repair Base in Bangladesh
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    It is presumed that the maintenance and overhaul facility being set up will double up as a production assembly line of the FM-90 air defence missile system and its advanced variants in future

  • February 25, 2022
    Indian Dilemma Over the Russia – Ukraine Crisis
    By Lt. General Dushyant Singh (Retd)

    India has become closer to the US and the West in the recent past but it also enjoys traditionally a good relation with Russia

  • February 25, 2022
    Europe on the edge: Russia attacks Ukraine
    By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)

    On the international political front, Russia is facing condemnation from Western powers over its actions in Ukraine with the European Union vowing to hold Moscow accountable for the military operation

  • February 12, 2022
    Quantum Communications
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Quantum technology is evolving quickly and no doubt will have a significant impact not only on warfare but also in terms of national security. However, experts are still not certain what exactly this impact will be!

  • February 12, 2022
    50 JF-17 Jet Fighters for Pakistan
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is procuring these fighter jets jointly built with China to replace old aircraft and upgrade capability against India's missile defence system

  • February 12, 2022
    Boost to Space Programme
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Department of Space (DOS) has been allocated 13,700 crore for the FY 2022-23. The jump in the budgetary allocation to DOS is because of the planned launch of the first Gaganyaan space mission this year, plus the planned launch of Aditya L1 to the Sun, besides others

  • February 12, 2022
    Comforting from the Cold
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The government could consider providing onboard heating and ventilation system in Cheetah and Chetak helicopters as well – same as being done for the Light Utility Helicopters (LUH)

  • February 2, 2022
    Defence Budget Allocation 2022-2023
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Defence Budget 2022-23 has been increased to 5.25 lakh crore for 2022-23 from the previous FY allocation of 4.78 lakh crore with a major push on ensuring self-reliance in manufacturing of military platforms

  • February 2, 2022
    SPARSH – Bane of Vulnerable Segment?
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    SPARSH will create unending problems for the pensioners, widows and disabled veterans, and as such, should have been discussed with veterans before commencing its implementation

  • February 2, 2022
    Learning Ancient Indian Statecraft
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Our ancient texts have universal applicability and drawing the right lessons would help us not only in strengthening our cultural values but also in building credible national security architecture

  • February 2, 2022
    China-Pakistan Space Cooperation
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Earlier this year, China announced plans to boost space cooperation with Pakistan, including the development of a space centre and launching of more Pakistani satellites

  • January 29, 2022
    Look Beyond Traditional Contact Warfare
    By Lt. General Abhay Krishna (Retd)

    Are we prepared today to foil a cyber-attack on our Railway Network, Banking System or Power Grid? The nature of cyber-attacks is such that it is almost always difficult to pinpoint the source of the attack, giving perpetrating nation-states plausible deniability.

  • January 15, 2022
    Defence Budget 2022-23
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The crux of a defence budget should be to systematically improve the military's capability to meet future threats in keeping with the changing battlefield environments in the 'shortest possible period'

  • January 15, 2022
    The Railgun
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The railgun is a linear motor, typically designed as a weapon which uses electromagnetic force to launch high velocity projectiles that do not contain explosives but rely on the projectile's mass, high speed and kinetic energy to inflict damage

  • January 15, 2022
    BrahMos Exports Get Going
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Negotiations for BrahMos between India and the Philippines had been going on for the last few years but the obvious roadblock was Manila's budgetary constraints

  • January 3, 2022
    Agni-P, Pralay and SMART Tested
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    With the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) massed up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for possible conflict, India has conducted multiple tests of strategic and tactical strike weapons as a signal to China

  • January 3, 2022
    ISRO-OPPO Deal Endangers Data Security
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The ISRO-OPPO deal includes exchange of technical information of the NavIC messaging service so as to build rapid, ready-to-use, end-to-end application-specific solutions by integrating the messaging service with the mobile handset platforms

  • December 13, 2021
    Indo-Russian Defence Cooperation
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The friendship between India and Russian has stood the test of times and through difficult situations. Both have now signed a programme of cooperation in the field of defence for the next ten years (2021-2031).

  • December 13, 2021
    SCO Cyber Security Seminar
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    This was the second time India was hosting such a cyber security seminar and first after it took over the Chair of SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) Council

  • December 13, 2021
    ISRO Focus on Make-in-Space
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Make-in-Space concepts, quantum communications and advance radars are the technologies ISRO is focusing on as part of the plan to prepare India for the future

  • December 2, 2021
    Weapons by Private Firms
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Home Ministry held discussions with some 17 private companies for manufacture of arms. It is known that a number of Indian private companies are into defence manufacturing.

  • December 2, 2021
    Indigenous LCH, Drones and EW Suit
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking on the occasion of 'Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv' said, “For a long time, we were a nation that was a weapons and defence equipment buyer. Today the mantra is 'Make in India, Make for the World'.”

  • December 2, 2021
    China Weaponising Space
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    China has made significant progress in developing anti-ballistic missiles (ABM) which like ASATs can also be used to target other nation's intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and military satellites.

  • December 2, 2021
    Recent Terror Attacks
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Both China-Pakistan are arming and supporting multiple terrorist groups in India. China has been supporting and arming insurgents in India both in the northeast and in the Maoists belt. Pakistan has been trying to destabilise Punjab for past several years.

  • November 14, 2021
    Arriving S-400 Missile System
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    S-400 can fire three types of missiles and can also detect and destroy incoming medium range ballistic missiles. The S-400 was developed to defend against missiles and aircraft of all types, including stealth.

  • November 14, 2021
    Boosting Army's Air Defence Capability
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has lauded the joint efforts of multiple agencies in developing, what he termed, one of the best state-of-the-art missile systems in the world that will prove to be a game changer in the air defence capabilities of Indian armed forces

  • November 14, 2021
    Indian Stealth Fighter
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    AMCA is an indigenous stealth fighter programme to develop fifth generation aircraft for the IAF and the Indian Navy (IN) which is also to include certain sixth generation technologies

  • November 14, 2021
    Agni V and LRB Tested
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Agni-V marks, through its use of a canister-launched missile, a shift in India's missile deployment approach as the warheads for such missiles would have to be mated before the missile is sealed into its canister. This would indicate that India would be keeping a proportion of its nuclear missiles in fully operational configuration.

  • November 14, 2021
    Is China Readying for a Limited War?
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    China is hardening its force posture including in Eastern Ladakh; demonstrated by the series of operational and tactical measures it is continuing to take. This is hardly to only intimidate India.

  • November 2, 2021
    China-Turkey Arming Pakistan
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    A China-Pakistan-Turkey triad will be adverse for India both in the conventional and sub-conventional spheres, given that China-Pakistan and Turkey-Pakistan have already been collaborating at the sub-conventional level.

  • November 2, 2021
    China's Nuclear FOBS
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    According to reports, China undertook not one but two FOBS tests this summer. The FOBS has implications for nations in China's crosshairs particularly for Taiwan since there is no defence against such a weapon presently.

  • November 2, 2021
    China's Anti-Stealth Radar
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The radar was touted to be revolutionary technology which is a significant addition to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) anti-stealth capabilities and is seen as a major challenge for America's highly advanced F-35 and F-22 fighter jets

  • November 2, 2021
    New Army Aviation Brigade
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The function of the new army aviation brigade is largely for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) activities but it can support the Army for other tasks...

  • October 16, 2021
    Indian Space Association (ISpA) Launched
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    ISpA will undertake policy advocacy and engage with all stakeholders in the Indian Space domain. This will include the government and its agencies, to make India self-reliant, technologically advanced and a leading player in the space arena.

  • October 16, 2021
    ISTAR Programme and EWA
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    India is working on the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition & Reconnaissance (ISTAR) programme with the US under the India-US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI)

  • October 6, 2021
    Rocket Force and Theatre Commands
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    A committee was constituted that includes Vice Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff and representatives of other ministries and departments, to resolve internal differences of Armed Forces, consult external stake holders like the MHA and MoF and look into the structure, composition, nomenclature and reporting channels of the proposed tri-Service commands

  • October 6, 2021
    Mirage 2000, Su-30 and More
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The new acquisitions are also geared towards developing indigenous supply chains for spare parts and engines. This will empower original equipment spares to be 'Made in India', which in turn should help counter any possible shortage of spares

  • October 6, 2021
    Simulators for Armed Forces
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The policy document lays emphasis on indigenous design and development as well as outsourcing of operation and maintenance of simulators to the Indian companies

  • October 6, 2021
    Prime Minister Modi Meets Global CEOs
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The excellent initiative taken by the Prime Minister in meeting with the CEOs of global firms will help improve the technological prowess of India, improve the economy, contribute towards Atmanirbhar Bharat and open up more employment opportunities

  • September 16, 2021
    India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Both India and Australia agreed to work jointly to realise full potential of the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).

  • September 16, 2021
    Forces Arming for Drone Warfare
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    All the three services of the Indian Armed Forces are moving ahead speedily for the acquisition of Drones and Anti-Drone technologies, mostly indigenous systems that are developed by Indian companies

  • September 16, 2021
    Powering the Skies
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Various developments on the military aviation front augurs well for the capability development of the Indian Air Force as they scurry to augment their resources in the skies

  • September 6, 2021
    Developments in Aviation Sector
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The Indian Government is planning to invest $1.83 billion for development of airport infrastructure along with aviation navigation services by 2026.

  • September 6, 2021
    Light Drone Interceptor
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The terrorist threat to India has gone up with the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan. The possibility of terrorists using drones has certainly gone up, as is the possibility of CBRN attacks.

  • August 21, 2021
    Geopolitical Shifts Could Unfold Post T-Afghanistan
    By Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha (Retd)

    China is entering this space created by the withdrawal of US troops. It will like to swiftly maneuver in order to gain significant advantage towards solidifying its continental strategy driven by BRI.

  • August 19, 2021
    Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan
    By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)

    Although Pakistan plays a major role in Afghanistan in practically all segments, yet Afghanistan would not like to be seen as a mere crony of Pakistan.

  • August 15, 2021
    Indian Fuselage for Apache Helicopters
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The production of the 100th fuselage for Apache helicopters has been accomplished by TABL within three years of the facility being established at Hyderabad

  • August 15, 2021
    US Superpower Image Cracks
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    With the pull-out from Afghanistan, the superpower image of the US has taken a severe hit and that too at a time when Washington may have to deal with China and Russia collectively

  • August 6, 2021
    Coming - MQ-9 Reapers and Armed Herons
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Once cleared by the DAC, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) will need to give its final approval before procurement of the Predator-B armed drones can move forward

  • July 19, 2021
    Counter Drone Systems for IAF
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    A CUAS detects and intercepts hostile drones and unmanned aerial systems, which can be used for intelligence gathering or smuggling contraband, or to deploy explosives

  • July 19, 2021
    Procuring Kamov Helicopters
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The Armed Forces urgently need 498 light utility helicopters to replace their obsolete single-engine Cheetah/Chetak fleets, which have been dogged by a high crash rate and serviceability problems.

  • July 19, 2021
    The Drone Challenge
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The Drone Rules, 2021 will lead to an explosion of drone use in India. The number of unregulated but active over 6,00,000 drones in India could jump to 10-20 times that number of drones, regulated through self-certification.

  • July 6, 2021
    Jammu Drone Attack is Wakeup Call
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Drone threat is not merely cross-border but equally potent from the hinterland. Therefore, merely deploying drone defence dome systems along the borders will not be enough.

  • July 6, 2021
    Defence Cyber Command
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Indian Government is planning to set up a 'proper' Cyber Command in the hinterland of Madhya Pradesh for providing a fighting edge to the proposed Theatre Commands

  • July 6, 2021
    Agni Prime Successfully Tested
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Agni Prime is part of a much larger arsenal that India wants to deploy in the Indo-Pacific region to effectively deter China in the maritime domain

  • July 2, 2021
    Drone Attack: Are We Prepared Enough?
    By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)

    While the discussion around the use of armed drones is not new, not only do these concerns remain unresolved but, with drone warfare continuing to expand and evolve, new layers are being added to the controversies posed by the use of armed drones

  • June 22, 2021
    Hypersonic and Stealth Aircraft
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Russia and China lead in hypersonic weapon development, trailed by the US. India, France, Australia and Japan too are developing these technologies.

  • June 22, 2021
    Second Negative Import List
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    An all around growth of our defence industry is required, not through the DRDO-OFB-DPSUs alone with role of private defence industry and MSMEs relegated to being subcontracted to the governmental defence industrial complex

  • June 22, 2021
    Aero Engines
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Aero Engine is an important critical technology. We need to establish a JV for aero engines with an OEM at the earliest.

  • June 17, 2021
    Integrated approach to Air Defence in India
    By Lt. General A.P. Singh

    The AD architecture world over, throws up three types of integration i.e., geographical integration, resources/assets integration and the functional integration.

  • June 6, 2021
    Another Chinese Conquest in Colombo
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    China getting 220 acres on 99 years lease and 49 acres free-hold in Colombo Port City is a massive strategic victory for Beijing

  • June 6, 2021
    The Offset Googly
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Offset clause in Inter-Government Agreements (IGA) under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP 2020) was removed and a new category for leasing military equipment introduced.

  • June 6, 2021
    Bhutan's Summer of 2021
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Over the years China has occupied a large swath of territory in Western Bhutan through salami slicing

  • June 6, 2021
    Advanced Herons for LAC
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The Heron TP equipped with automatic taxi-take-off and landing (ATOL) and satellite communication (SATCOM) systems has all weather capability and will help the Indian Army enhance its surveillance capabilities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China

  • June 6, 2021
    New Runway in Mauritius
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    India is fully financing a new three kilometre long runway on the island of North Agalega to develop the Agaléga islands and resolve infrastructural problems faced by the inhabitants

  • May 20, 2021
    American Sunset in Afghanistan
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The US war in Afghanistan is the longest in which some 2,312 US military personnel have died since their invasion in 2001

  • May 20, 2021
    Military Officers As Bureaucrats
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Appointment of serving military officers as Additional Secretary and Joint Secretaries in the DMA is not a big deal as is being made out

  • May 20, 2021
    Space Planes
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The ISRO Two-Stage-to-Orbit (TSTO) Space Plane would fulfill the near term access-to-space goals while greatly reducing the cost, substantially improving mission flexibility, operability, safety and reliability, while also offering significant growth potential

  • May 20, 2021
    2-DG Drug Helping COVID-19 Patients
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    DRDO affiliated Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) worked in partnership with Dr Reddy's Laboratories for the clinical trials showing it to be effective in controlling the pandemic

  • May 20, 2021
    Plugging Armed Forces Criticalities
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Armed Forces are looking at leasing more military equipment and platforms from foreign countries to plug critical operational deficiencies

  • May 20, 2021
    India-UK Defence Cooperation
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The Modi-Johnson virtual meet and adoption of the India-UK Roadmap to 2030 have opened new vistas for taking the bilateral defence relationship to the next level

  • May 6, 2021
    Did Beijing Trigger Second Virus Wave?
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Within India, Delhi (the national capital), Mumbai (the financial capital) and Bengaluru (the IT capital) are most affected. This creates the impression that akin to 'tactical nukes' China has developed 'tactical bio-bombs'

  • May 6, 2021
    Indian Navy Getting MH-60R Seahawks
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The MH-60R helicopters have been selected by the navies of the United States, Denmark, Australia and Saudi Arabia. Indian Navy will be the latest user

  • May 6, 2021
    More Teeth for Indian Navy
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The requirement for India is to define its role within its IOR strategy and keep providing more teeth to the Indian Navy in keeping with the expanding threats

  • May 6, 2021
    LCA Tejas Gets Python-5
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Tejas multi-role supersonic fighter manufactured indigenously at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is designed to carry a range of air-to-air, air-to-surface, precision-guided weapons. It provides a potent platform for aerial combat, offensive air support missions, and reconnaissance and anti-ship operations.

  • April 20, 2021
    Indo-French Space Cooperation
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The Indo-French relationship in space is spread over different facets of space science, technology and applications, including sounding rocket development, liquid engine development, hosting of payloads, joint satellite realisation, training programmes, satellite communication experiment and satellite launches.

  • April 20, 2021
    11th India-China Military Talks
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Unlike the last few rounds of talks, there was no India-China joint statement. This is maybe because China is not for anymore disengagement.

  • April 20, 2021
    India in China's Cyber Crosshairs
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) has recently stated that China is capable of launching cyber attacks on large amount of Indian systems

  • April 6, 2021
    US Secretary of Defence visit to India
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Austin said elevating the India-US defence relationship is a priority for the Biden administration while describing the partnership as a stronghold of a free and open Indo-Pacific region

  • April 6, 2021
    HPM Armed Drones
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The counter-drone arms race is leading to advance research and development to implement technologies that will detect and defeat swarms

  • April 6, 2021
    LiDAR Satellites
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Considering the enlarging threats to India and with the possibility of conflict with China and its allies in the short, medium and long terms, our scientists, policy makers and military planners need to examine the military applications of satellite-based LiDAR platforms

  • April 6, 2021
    Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook's India Visit
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Defence and security relations between India and Republic of Korea have been on the rise with regular interactions at multiple levels including at ministerial levels

  • March 19, 2021
    First Quad Leaders Summit
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The first ever Quad Leaders Summit did give a new signal to China. But the question is whether the Quad will force China to back off?

  • March 19, 2021
    Coming - Armed Drones
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    For India, the SeaGuardian drones will be vital as they can be fitted with anti-missile and radar components, enabling their readiness for any military operation

  • March 15, 2021
    QUAD 3.0: Window of Opportunity for India
    By Lt. General Dushyant Singh (Retd)

    In the First QUAD Summit, held on March 12, 2021 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Japan PM Yoshihide Suga and Australian PM Scott Morrison met through virtual mode and shared their vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific

  • March 8, 2021
    The China-Pakistan Threat
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    In an article published in Pakistani Media, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi explained that China will continue to work with Pakistan to strengthen their iron friendship and that relations between the countries have become a strategic asset that both sides cherish

  • March 8, 2021
    ISTARs in The Sky
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The IAF has expressed urgency for the ISTAR programme to get going early and has provided full backing to the indigenous ISTAR as a priority future asset to support precision strikes

  • February 19, 2021
    The Race for IAF Fighters
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    It should be for the IAF to make the final selection, based on merit and free from all geopolitical pressures that they will likely face

  • February 19, 2021
    Midflight Missile Interception
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    There is no doubt that midflight missile interception technology is of great strategic significance and once fully developed, China's midcourse anti-ballistic missile technology could change the balance of power

  • February 19, 2021
    Growing Defence Exports
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    With an aim to increase the current defence exports to $5 billion by 2025, Indian government has drawn an export list covering 85 kinds of equipment encompassing 125 items and 47 sub-systems to boost the defence exports

  • February 19, 2021
    Unmanned Gaganyaan Mission in 2021
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    ISRO plans to launch at least one unmanned Gaganyaan mission this year in 2021 as at least two successful unmanned missions are needed before the manned missions

  • February 9, 2021
    COVID Speed Breaker of Defence Expectations
    By Lt. General Dushyant Singh (Retd)

    Despite India being at No 3 spot globally with only USA and China ahead of it in defence spending, the gap is huge with China. Chinese expenditure was four times that of India. This is likely to convey an impression of weakness to our primary adversary China in the face of recent happenings in Ladakh.

  • February 9, 2021
    Defence Allocation 2021
    By Major General Yash Mor (Retd)

    India spends one of the lowest on defence among the top six economies of the world as a percent of the GDP. At a time when the nation is faced with a war like situation with China in the northern borders, it was expected that the defence spending will get a boost.

  • February 1, 2021
    Defence Budget for FY 2021-2022
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The defence budget for 2021-22 is still less than 2 percent of the Union budget. There were expectations of larger funds to prepare the Armed Forces for a possible conflict with China and a two-front war.

  • February 1, 2021
    GPS Circle Spoofing and Electronic Attacks
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Various events in the recent past have pointed towards GPS disruptions as the cause of the accident. Iran is the first nation to publicly announce it had the ability to spoof GPS signals and appears to have used it to great advantage.

  • January 20, 2021
    America's Indo-Pacific Plan
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Three documents released in Washington DC during January 2021 are notable. One is the fact sheet covering activity of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, which leaves little doubt about China's deceit and disinformation about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic that has already resulted some two million killed globally and over 10 million infected.

  • January 20, 2021
    Defence Budget 2021-2022
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Union Budget for FY2021-2022 on February 1. There are varied suggestions and expectations.

  • January 20, 2021
    Drone Killing Drones
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh last year has brought to fore how drones can be effectively uses to destroy enemy troops, tanks, artillery and air defence systems, transforming the battlefield in favour of which side is proficient in deploying drones effectively.

  • January 20, 2021
    Indigenous Tactical Drones
    By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

    The Chinese aggression in 2020 has spurred the government to equip the Army with tactical drones. News reports of July 22, 2020 had revealed that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was providing indigenously...