Current Affairs for UPSC IAS

The first batch of five Rafale multirole fighter jets are formally inducted into the Indian Air Force at Ambala air base in Haryana, at a time when India is engaged in an escalating border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), making India the fourth country in the world after the US, China and Russia to develop such technology.

The Acquisition Wing of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a ?557-crore contract with the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) for the procurement of 1,512 mine ploughs for T-90 Tanks. The induction is expected to be completed by 2027.

The Army is set to place a repeat order for Spike-LR (Long Range) Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) from Israel as part of emergency procurement. The emergency procurement comes in the backdrop of continuing tensions on LAC with China.

Boeing handed over the last of the five AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to the Indian Air Force (IAF), completing the contract for 22 Apaches.

The Indian Air Force’s 18 Squadron, which earned the nickname of Defenders of Kashmir Valley for being the first to land and operate from Srinagar, has been operationalised once again at Air Force Station Sulur near Coimbatore.

The Army’s new concept of agile Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) as part of the overall force transformation is going to be operationalised very soon.

The government issued the draft Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2020 on Friday, wherein it introduced "leasing" as another category to get defence equipment at affordable rates.

The Forest Advisory Committee has approved the ‘Green Credit Scheme’ that could allow “forests” to be traded as a commodity. If implemented, it allows the Forest Department to outsource one of its responsibilities of reforesting to non-government agencies.

Thailand in talks with India to buy BrahMos cruise missiles.

Defence Ministry has begun the process to shortlist potential Indian shipyards for the construction of six new-generation conventional stealth submarines for the Indian Navy.