Category: Defence Services (Air,Land,Sea)

** 1,000 drones to lasers: Many firsts at Beating the Retreat ceremony

s the sun set over Raisina Hill on Saturday, the bands of the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Central Armed Police Forces marched down Vijay Chowk playing 23 songs, before they retreated to the tune of Sare Jahan Se Accha in a quick march.

** 14 among women daredevils joined BSF after death of kin

This Republic Day, at age 38, Sunita was live on television from Rajpath, performing acrobatics on a motorcycle as a member of the BSF’s Seema Bhawani team which mesmerised the audience that included the President and the Prime Minister.

** Decommissioned INS Khukri to be converted into museum

The ship is planned to be developed as a full-scale museum, the Navy said in a statement.

INS Khukri, the lead ship of the Indian Navy’s Khukri class missile corvettes which was decommissioned last December, was on Wednesday handed over to the Diu administration to be converted into a museum.

The ship is planned to be developed as a full-scale museum, the Navy said in a statement.

As part of developing and revitalising the Khukri Memorial, the Diu administration had approached the Defence Ministry in 2019 for gifting to it, for public display, a decommissioned naval vessel, the Navy said. “The ship commenced her last journey under tow by Navy ships from Visakhapatnam and arrived at Diu on January 14, it stated.

** Six Army men honoured with Shaurya Chakra for gallantry

Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra awarded Param Vishisht Seva Medal

Olympic gold medallist Subedar Neeraj Chopra was named for the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) on the eve of Republic Day, while six Army personnel, five of them posthumously, have been selected for the Shaurya Chakra, the third highest peacetime gallantry award, by the President and Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces, Ram Nath Kovind.

Full list of Padma Awards 2022

A Defence Ministry statement said: “The President has approved awards of 384 Gallantry and other defence decorations to armed forces personnel and others on the eve of 73rd Republic Day celebrations.”

These include 12 Shaurya Chakras, 29 PVSMs, four Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, 53 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, 13 Yudh Seva Medals, 125 Vishisht Seva Medals, 84 Sena Medals (Gallantry), two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), 40 Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), eight Nao Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), and 14 Vayu Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty).

Subedar Neeraj Chopra won the Olympic gold in javelin at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He enrolled in the 4th battalion of the Rajputana Rifles as a direct entry Naib Subedar on May 15, 2016.

Awarded for distinguished service of exceptional order, the PVSM is mostly awarded to officers of the Lieutenant General rank and equivalent, and rarely to officers of lower ranks, and even less so to Junior Commissioned Officers.

Also read: Gen. Rawat, Kalyan Singh awarded Padma Vibhushan

The five personnel conferred Shaurya Chakra posthumously are Naib Subedar M. Sreejith and Sepoy Maruprolu Jaswanth Kumar Reddy from the 17 Madras Regiment; Havildar Anil Kumar Tomar from the Rajput Regiment; Havildar Kashiray Bammanalli from the Corps of Engineers and with the 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR); and Havildar Pinku Kumar from the Jat Regiment and with the 34 RR.

The sixth Shaurya Chakra awardee is Rifleman Rakesh Sharma, 5 Assam Rifles.

All the six personnel have been awarded the Shaurya Chakra for their role in counter-insurgency operations, of which all five personnel awarded posthumously were for operations in Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC).

The sixth Shaurya Chakra awardee, Rifleman Sharma, was part of an ambush that took place after receiving information on the movement of insurgents for extortion and killing of civilians in a village in Assam in May 2021.

In addition, the President has awarded one President’s Tatrakshak Medal (PTM), three Tatrakshak Medals (TM) and one TM for meritorious service to Coast

** Philippines inks deal worth $375 million for BrahMos missiles

This is the first export order for missile developed jointly by India, Russia

Philippines on Friday signed a $374.96-million deal with BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd. for the supply of shore-based anti-ship variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. This is the first export order for the missile, a joint product of India and Russia.

The contract was signed by Delfin N. Lorenzana, Defence Secretary of Philippines, and Atul Dinkar Rane, Director General of BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd., in a virtual ceremony at 2 p.m. Manila time (11:30 a.m. IST).

* BEL to supply IoT devices to US firm

Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Hyperion Global Group, an infrastructure telecommunication distribution company, have entered into a contract to develop, manufacture and supply Internet of Things (IoT) devices for the US market.

As per the contract, BEL will manufacture and supply IoT devices worth US $73 million to Hyperion, based in the US, during the first year of commencement of supply, with a provision to negotiate and supply upgrades of the products, worth US $365 million, in the next five years, said a statement issued by BEL.

The contract was signed on January 21, by BEL’s New York Regional Office and Hyperion in the presence of M V Rajasekhar, Director R&D, BEL, Nick Studebaker, CEO,

** India celebrates its 73rd Republic Day

President Ram Nath Kovind honoured the proud winners of the highest gallantry, including the winners of Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra

The national flag was unfurled on 73rd Republic Day at Rajpath followed by the National Anthem with a booming 21-gun salute on Wednesday.

According to the tradition, the 21-gun salute was presented by the ceremonial battery of 871 field regiment.

The ceremonial battery was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jitender Singh Mehta.

** All tunes of Indian origin at Beating Retreat in 75th year of Independence, says Government

16 marching contingents to take part in Republic Day parade

Responding to criticism over the dropping of the hymn ‘Abide with me’ from ‘Beating Retreat’ this year, government sources said this year being the 75th year of Independence, playing of Indian tunes is considered more appropriate.

“This year, only Indian origin/indigenous tunes are on the list,” a government source said on Sunday. ‘Abide with me’ will not be played this year so as to include the maximum number of Indian tunes, the source said.

Republic Day parade

At the Republic Day parade this year, there will be a total of 16 marching contingents, six from the Army, one each from the Navy and Air Force, four contingents from the Central Armed Police Forces, two from the National Cadet Corps, one from Delhi Police and one from the National Service Scheme, said Major General Alok Kackar, Chief of Staff, Delhi Area, in a briefing on the Army’s participation at the parade.

Due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation, like last year, this year too, the parade will end at the National Stadium and not go up to the Red Fort, as is usually done, he stated.

** HAL signs contract for export of Advanced Light Helicopter to Mauritius

ALH Mk III is a multi-role, multi-mission helicopter in 5.5 tonne category in extensive use by the Indian armed forces

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a contract with the Government of Mauritius (GoM) for export of one Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH)-MkIII for the Mauritius Police Force, it said on Wednesday.

Mauritius already operates a ALH and Dornier Do-228 aircraft built by HAL.

“With this contract, HAL and Government of Mauritius have further strengthened the long-standing business relations spanning over three decades,” a HAL statement said.

The contract was signed by B.K. Tripathy, General Manager, Helicopter Division-HAL and O.K. Dabidin, Secretary of Home Affairs, Prime Minister’s Office, Government of Mauritius, recently at HAL’s Transport Aircraft Division, Kanpur