Military-Defence
Geopolitics
Army Prioritises Home-Grown Infantry Mobility Platforms
Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi has made it clear that the Indian Army will prioritise indigenous armoured vehicles for its future infantry mobility needs.
1 min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
MODERNISING INDIAN MECHANISED COMBAT VEHICLES
With an eye on meeting India's border challenges, veteran tanker RAJ MEHTA does a comprehensive and much-desired scan of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian mechanised war, where the battlefield is being dictated by drones far more than other battlefield force multipliers. He analyses how these lessons apply to Indian realities and the country's ongoing modernisation efforts before suggesting some urgent doctrinal changes
10+ min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
DRDO nears first flight test of Project Kusha Missile
India's long-range air defence capability is approaching a critical inflection point, with the DRDO preparing to soon conduct the first flight test of the Project Kusha surface-to-air missile.
1 min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
IAF orders for Air LORA, ICE BREAKER
India is reportedly evaluating a major expansion of its long-range strike arsenal with potential purchases of Israel’s Rampage, Air LORA, and Ice Breaker missiles—systems that promise to significantly enhance the Indian Air Force's deep-strike and standoff capabilities. Air LORA and Rampage are developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), while Rafael produces the SPICE-1000 and Ice Breaker; all four weapons are designed for all-weather operations and can function effectively even in dense electronic warfare environments.
1 min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
INDIA UNVEILS RAMJET ARTILLERY SHELLS
India has taken a major step forward in indigenous defence innovation with IIT Madras successfully developing ramjet-powered artillery shells for standard 155 mm guns.
1 min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
Army to Induct Anant Shastra as New 'On-the-Move' Shield for Strike Corps
The Ministry of Defence is close to approving a major production contract for the indigenous Anant Shastra air defence system, also known as the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM).
1 min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
ATAGS' SUCCESS FUELS EXPORT MOMENTUM
Armenia's successful fielding of ATAGS has triggered a surge of Middle Eastern inquiries. The system's performance and engineering credibility have reinforced India's position as a versatile, solution-driven defence partner. New Delhi now stands poised for major artillery export breakthroughs.
2 min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
India's engine strategy spans regional jets, UCAVs
India's aerospace ambitions are entering a decisive phase, as parallel developments in commercial aviation and defence programmes reveal a carefully calibrated strategy that blends foreign collaboration with indigenous capability building. Recent signals around the Sukhoi SJ-100 regional jet, propulsion choices, and the Ghatak stealth drone underline how engines, both civil and military, are emerging as the fulcrum of India's aerospace future.
1 min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
THE UNMAKING OF BANGLADESH?
RSN SINGH explains how geopolitics seems to have reversed a liberation
9 min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
INDIA POISED TO EMERGE AS A GLOBAL AEROSPACE CAPABILITY CENTRE
India has the scale, talent, and industrial depth to integrate meaningfully into global aerospace programs, but the real test lies in whether quality discipline and certification rigour can keep pace with growth. The next leap is not just manufacturing maturity, but advancing into design, systems integration, and lifecycle accountability—domains where consistency matters more than speed. SALIL GUPTE, President, Boeing India and South Asia, outlines the vision.
4 min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
WHY INDIA'S MILITARY FUTURE DEPENDS ON CODE, NOT JUST COMBAT
India's armed forces are at a critical crossroads where digital technologies determine battlefield dominance, rendering digital independence not just a strategic requirement but an essential condition for survival. Achieving self-sufficiency in digital infrastructure safeguards the armed forces from external vulnerabilities while enhancing operational effectiveness against emerging threats argues JOSEPH P CHACKO
10+ min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
ARMY EXPLORES ROBOTIC MAGNETIC ANTI-TANK MINES
The Indian Army is examining an unconventional but potentially disruptive approach to anti-armour warfare by leveraging in-house engineering capabilities to develop robotic platforms equipped with magnetic antitank mines.
1 min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
Engines and timelines drive AMCA forward
India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, the nation's most ambitious indigenous fighter jet initiative, is rapidly coalescing around a propulsion roadmap and development trajectory that could define its strategic airpower for decades. At the heart of the programme are breakthrough propulsion plans that combine international collaboration, deep technology transfer, and future-proof scalability, all aligned with a firm timeline for prototype rollout and maiden flight.
10+ min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
CLOSING A CRITICAL GAP
Engineered to dominate high-altitude warfare, the Zorawar light tank combines strategic air mobility, lethal firepower, and networked technology tailored for the world's highest battlefields. VISHAL DUGGAL reports.
6 min |
January 2026
Geopolitics
LESSONS OF THE UKRAINE WAR FOR LAND WARFARE
AMIT GUPTA explains how, despite the claims of Western military analysts, the Ukraine war has rewritten the rules of land warfare and reinforced the true nature of war with some major innovations.
9 min |
January 2026
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
"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 |