India Strategic
BEL and Safran Electronics & Defence ink JV Cooperation Agreement for production of HAMMER smart precision guided air-to-ground weapon in India
In a major impetus to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-reliant India) as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Safran Electronics and Defence (SED), France, have signed a Joint Venture Cooperation Agreement (JVCA) for the production of Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range (HAMMER) smart precision guided air-to-ground weapon in India.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
Emirates orders 65 more Boeing 777X airplanes
Boeing and Emirates announced on November 17 that the world's largest international airline has placed its third order for 777X airplanes to fuel future expansion and meet growing travel demand. The new order for 65 777-9 passenger jets was announced during a signing at the Dubai Airshow.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
SMPP enters into teaming agreement with KNDS for KATANA
NEW DELHI/PARIS. SMPP, one of India's leading defence and aerospace companies, has entered into a teaming agreement through its subsidiary SMPP Ammunition with KNDS for the KATANA range of precision-guided artillery ammunition. The KATANA is a 155mm precision-guided munition designed to deliver high accuracy and extended range, addressing critical operational needs of modern artillery systems. The agreement was signed on November 20 at Milipol Exhibition in Paris.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
Dynamatic Technologies hands over indigenous VLU to BEL
Dynamatic Technologies Limited has officially handed over an indigenous Vertical Launch Unit (VLU) to Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) for complex naval applications.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
Dynamatic Technologies hands over indigenous VLU to BEL
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed a contract with HENSOLDT Sensors GmbH, Germany, at the Dubai Air Show 2025 for the transfer of design and intellectual property rights, including manufacturing and repair capability, for Obstacle Avoidance System (OAS), and Degraded Visual Environment (DVE) for helicopter platforms.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
Rolls-Royce expands strategic partnership with Bharat Forge to manufacture fan blades for its Pearl 10x engines
PUNE. Rolls-Royce has signed an agreement with Bharat Forge Ltd to manufacture and supply fan blades for Rolls-Royce’s Pearl 700 and Pearl 10X engine.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
India, Brunei hold first Defence Working Group meet, set roadmap for deeper security cooperation
NEW DELHI. India and Brunei took a significant step toward strengthening their security partnership on December 9 as the two countries held the inaugural meeting of their Joint Working Group (JWG) on Defence Cooperation in New Delhi. The new mechanism is designed to streamline and expand collaboration across military exchanges, maritime security, joint training, and defence industry engagement.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
India has treedom of choice in global partnerships, savs Jaishankar
India will continue to exercise “strategic autonomy” in its foreign policy and will not accept any external pressure on how it manages its relationships, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saʼar visits India; talks focus on strategic partnership and Gaza peace plan
NEW DELHI. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar concluded a two-day visit to India, his first since assuming office, aimed at further strengthening the India-Israel Strategic Partnership.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
India, Vietnam ink agreement for mutual submarine search, rescue support and cooperation
NEW DELHI. The 15th edition of India-Vietnam Defence Policy Dialogue (DPD), co-chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Deputy Minister of National Defence Sr Lt Gen Hoang Xuan Chien, was held in Hanoi on November 10. Both sides expressed satisfaction on progress made in the areas of hydrography cooperation, capacity building and training, UN peacekeeping operations, increased port calls and ship visits, and cooperation in niche domains viz. AI and shipyard upgradation, etc.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
India has freedom of choice in global partnerships, savs Jaishankar
NEW DELHI. India will continue to exercise “strategic autonomy” in its foreign policy and will not accept any external pressure on how it manages its relationships, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
Operation Sindoor a compelling example of modern warfare: Chief of Defence Staff
Operation Sindoor was a compelling example of modern warfare, where precision strike capabilities, network-centric operations, digitised intelligence, and multi-domain tactics were effectively deployed within a compressed time-frame, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said during a special address on 'Impact of Technology on Modern Warfare' at the Delhi Defence Dialogue in New Delhi on November 11. The CDS underscored the imperative for military leadership to adapt swiftly to evolving realities, noting that technological superiority has become a decisive factor in determining success on the battlefield.
1 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
India Strategic
INS Mahe commissioned: India's first Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft joins Western Naval Command
NEW DELHI. The Indian Navy commissioned INS Mahe, the first of the indigenously designed and built Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), during a ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, on November 24.
2 min |
Nov-Dec 2025
Geopolitics
JOINTNESS TO REDEFINE MARITIME AIR POWER
The buzzword in New Delhi is multidomain warfare, which involves a high level of jointness between the three services. As mentioned in the last issue of Geopolitics (November 2025), jointness takes time and requires a large investment by the government in weapons systems, sensors, and training. But sensible and easy steps can be taken, especially in the maritime sphere, to integrate the Coast Guard, Air Force, and Navy into a potent force to safeguard the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, argues AMIT GUPTA
8 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
THERMAL IMAGING AND BALLISTIC PROTECTION DRIVE SOLDIER MODERNISATION
Contemporary defence modernisation prioritises integrated soldier systems blending advanced thermal imaging with lightweight multi-hit ballistic protection, meeting demands for superior low-visibility awareness and survivability against evolving threats. India's indigenous manufacturing push aligns with Atmanirbhar Bharat, enhancing national security. A special report
5 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
ICEYE'S BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT FRONTIER
ICEYE's fusion of miniaturised satellites, AI, and agile manufacturing transforms geospatial power, enabling nations to swiftly understand, decide, and act for strategic foresight, disaster preparedness, and security through real-time Earth Observation. A Special Report
4 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
THE MARITIME MAKEOVER
JOSEPH P CHACKO analyses the transforming role of the Indian Navy as an indigenous force multiplier, a modern blue-water fleet, and a crucial instrument in shaping India's emergence as an integral Indo-Pacific power
10+ min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
INDIA'S NEW HIGH-ALTITUDE PIVOT NEAR THE CHINA BORDER
Just kilometres from the LAC, India has activated one of the world's highest military airfields, a dramatic shift in Ladakh's strategic landscape. The Mudh-Nyoma airbase, now fully operational, signals faster mobility, sharper surveillance and a renewed posture along a frontier where infrastructure has become the new currency of power.
2 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
SEEING SEA DENIAL THROUGH SEA CONTROL
At a time when one witnesses debates among India's strategic elites on whether the Indian navy should shift its doctrine from a traditional “sea control” strategy, which focuses on aircraft carriers, to a “sea denial” strategy, which uses submarines to prevent adversaries from using the sea, there is the news that Pakistan is set to receive eight advanced Hangor-class diesel-electric submarines from China under a US$5 billion deal, with the first likely to be commissioned in the first half of 2026.
4 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
SHOW STOPPER
The 19th edition of the Dubai Airshow recorded deals worth a historic USD 202 billion, but was marred by the unfortunate fatal crash of an IAF Tejas fighter jet. ATUL CHANDRA reports
10 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
BHARAT FORGE—FROM COMPONENTS TO AIRCRAFT AND UNMANNED SYSTEMS
Bharat Forge is expanding into aircraft assembly, unmanned platforms, and AMCA amid India's aerospace evolution driven by defence modernisation and geopolitics, says CEO GURU BISWAL. in this interaction with GEOPOLITICS.
5 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
GUARDING THE RIM
India's post-26/11 coastal security system boasts radars, patrol boats and new laws - yet beneath the optics lie old weaknesses. Training gaps, stranded infrastructure, jurisdictional clutter and climate stress continue to erode readiness.VISHAL DUGGAL reports
9 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
TIME FOR SEA DRONES
Facing an intensifying two-front maritime threat from China and Pakistan in the Indian Ocean, India must rapidly expand the development, production, and deployment of unmanned surface and undersea vessels. A special report
10 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
A report that calls for action
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs has concluded that India’s current Indian Ocean strategy is fragmented, under-resourced, and insufficiently coordinated to meet accelerating geopolitical, security, and environmental challenges, especially China's expanding presence.
3 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
SAGAR DEFENCE INAUGURATES PUNE FACILITY
Defence Engineering Pvt. Ltd has inaugurated its new plant in Pune, India. The plant will manufacture Uncrewed Surface Vehicles (USVs), marking a major step forward in the partnership with Liquid Robotics, a Boeing company, that was announced earlier this year to co-develop and co-produce advanced maritime systems.
2 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
"WE ARE FULLY AWARE OF ALL ACTIVITIES IN THE IOR"
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has, of late, spoken at length about the Indian Navy's operational achievements, evolving doctrine, and ambitious modernisation drive. From Operation Sindoor and the Indian Maritime Doctrine 2025 to the commissioning of the indigenous nuclear submarine INS Aridaman and the induction of Rafale Marine aircraft, Admiral Tripathi has outlined how the Navy is balancing readiness, resilience, and self-reliance. The following Q&A is based on his detailed press statements and interactions with the media:
4 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
COCHIN SHIPYARD: THE COUNTRY'S SOLE AIRCRAFT CARRIER BUILDER
India is getting ready to add another aircraft carrier that will be nuclear-powered to its fleet, joining INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. SUBHANGI PALVE takes a look at the only shipyard in the country to have built one.
7 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
An expensive asset
An aircraft carrier is a highly integrated floating town serving as a ubiquitous fighting system that boosts combat power, reach, and rapid response. PRAKASH NANDA explains
5 min |
December 2025
Geopolitics
THE INDIAN AIR FORCE AIMS AT BEING 'FUTURE READY' THROUGH THE STEPS OF 'NOW READY' - IAF CHIEF
Commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 21 Dec 1984, AP SINGH PVSM AVSM took over as the 28th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) on 30th September 2024. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College and National Defence College. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Experimental Test Pilot with more than 5000 hours of service flying on a variety of fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
7 min |
November 2025
Geopolitics
ICEYE LAUNCHES TACTICAL ACCESS, PROVIDING GUARANTEED SATELLITE TASKING FOR TIME-CRITICAL MISSIONS
ICEYE's Tactical Access is the only commercial SAR service providing guaranteed imaging slots, sub-hour delivery, and sovereign in-country processing - ensuring defence and intelligence organisations receive critical imagery when and where it's needed.
2 min |