F-35 For India: Delhi Quietly Ignored Trump’s Soft Pitch For U.S. Stealth Fighters That Turkey & Saudi Chase

The United States (US) floated a pitch to supply India with advanced Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets. US President Donald Trump publicly stated that Washington was paving the way to provide India with the fifth-generation aircraft. In February 2025, during Indian PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, Trump told a joint news conference,Continue reading “F-35 For India: Delhi Quietly Ignored Trump’s Soft Pitch For U.S. Stealth Fighters That Turkey & Saudi Chase”

Opinion | China’s J-16 Missile Trucks and J-20 Jets, and What They Mean For The World

Pictures of a heavily missile-laden Chinese Shenyang J-16 multirole fighter jet, in what is being called the ‘Beast Mode‘, have been seen and have sent analysts scurrying to interpret the PLA‘s long-range air superiority and combat patrol capabilities. The photograph, which was released by a Chinese aviation oversight body, has circulated widely. It shows theContinue reading “Opinion | China’s J-16 Missile Trucks and J-20 Jets, and What They Mean For The World”

Why China Pulled Ahead of India in Fighter Jet Engine Race Despite Both Nations Starting in the Mid-1980s? OPED

China has quietly achieved what few others have managed — fitting its J-20 stealth fighters with fully indigenous engines, while India remains far behind despite both nations starting their jet engine programmes around the mid-1980s. After years of development, Beijing’s WS-15 is now in serial production and powers the stealth J-20 aircraft. This is aContinue reading “Why China Pulled Ahead of India in Fighter Jet Engine Race Despite Both Nations Starting in the Mid-1980s? OPED”

‘The future isn’t manned vs unmanned’

The broader lesson is modern warfare increasingly depends on integration, says Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd)in interview with Javaria Rana Operation Sindoor put India’s air power doctrine to a live test. Fighters, loitering munitions, precision-strike weapons and integrated air defences all delivered results. But broader questions linger. A shrinking fighter squadron strength, delays in indigenousContinue reading “‘The future isn’t manned vs unmanned’”

IAF Chief in France – Likely Contours of the Rafale Deal

Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh was on an important four-day visit to France to advance the mega ₹3.25 lakh crore ($39 billion) deal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets. This visit came immediately after the Indian Defence Ministry issued a formal Letter of Request (LoR) to the French government.Continue reading “IAF Chief in France – Likely Contours of the Rafale Deal”

Calling Pakistan’s S-400 Targeting Bluff

Pakistan‘s claim of destroying India‘s S-400 missile systems kept surfacing sporadically, apparently to satisfy the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) ego and to cover the massive defeat in Op Sindoor, wherein nearly 20 percent of PAF capability was blunted. A Pakistani narrative had to be built because of successful Indian strikes against nine PAF airbases andContinue reading “Calling Pakistan’s S-400 Targeting Bluff”

Wrong to call them Emergency Landing Facility; Highway Landing Strips Are Strategic Assets for IAF’s Agile Combat Employment – NATO Already Implementing

PM Narendra Modi just inaugurated the Highway Landing Strip (HLS) for Indian Air Force’s (IAF) aircraft operations in the East on Moran Highway in Assam. Close to the China border, India has turned one more highway into a runway for all types of aircraft in its inventory. The 4.2-km stretch, wrongly termed as just anContinue reading “Wrong to call them Emergency Landing Facility; Highway Landing Strips Are Strategic Assets for IAF’s Agile Combat Employment – NATO Already Implementing”

India’s Big Endorsement of Russian AD Systems 

India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract worth Rs 445 crore ($46 Million) with Russia’s JSC Rosoboronexport for the procurement of Tunguska air defence missile system for the Indian Army on March 27. These cutting-edge missiles will enhance India’s multi-layered air defence capabilities against aerial threats including aircraft drones and cruise missiles. The agreementContinue reading “India’s Big Endorsement of Russian AD Systems “

F15 Eagle the Great Combat Platform But Couldn’t Match the Sales of the Smaller Brother F-16 Fighting Falcons

Nearly 50 years after being introduced, and having seen many upgrades, the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Falcon continue to compete for sales. Latest variants of both have been vying for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) (MRFA) (Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft). Both have very creditably served the home country’s US Air Force (USAF) and have been inContinue reading “F15 Eagle the Great Combat Platform But Couldn’t Match the Sales of the Smaller Brother F-16 Fighting Falcons”

Welcome Home Shubhanshu – Now ISS to Gaganyaan

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla ‘Shux’, the second Indian in space, is back after a record-setting space mission. The four astronauts, Shukla and his crewmates, Commander Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, concluding their trailblazing 18-day Axiom-4 (Ax-4) space mission. AtContinue reading “Welcome Home Shubhanshu – Now ISS to Gaganyaan”