India has signed a Rs 1,943 crore, 30-month contract with General Atomics to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian aircraft for the Navy, adding surveillance capacity in the Indian Ocean Region ahead of a larger planned MQ-9B fleet.
Norway has instructed hospitals and municipalities to update health emergency preparedness plans for war and crisis situations. Authorities have been asked to prepare for making 7,000 beds available for military and civilian casualties and strengthen blood preparedness measures.
The UK Ministry of Defence said an RAF Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft was repeatedly intercepted by Russian Su-35 and Su-27 fighter aircraft over the Black Sea during a routine flight in international airspace, prompting diplomatic action with the Russian Embassy.
The UK Ministry of Defence has deployed the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System on RAF Typhoon fighter jets operating in the Middle East to counter drone threats. The laser-guided system completed testing and entered operational service within two months.
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded £10 million in contracts to four companies developing autonomous drones designed to support Apache attack helicopters. The drones are intended for reconnaissance, strike support and electronic warfare missions under Project NYX.
The United Kingdom will contribute autonomous mine-hunting systems, Typhoon fighter jets and HMS Dragon to a planned multinational mission aimed at securing commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The deployment package includes £115 million in new defence funding.
The United Kingdom and France will host a multinational meeting on Tuesday involving more than 40 nations to discuss a defensive mission aimed at securing the Strait of Hormuz. HMS Dragon will deploy to the Middle East to support possible future operations.
The Government of India has appointed Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd) as the next Chief of Defence Staff and Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan as the next Chief of the Naval Staff. Both officers will assume charge following the retirement of the current incumbents at the end of May 2026.
India has conducted a successful test of an Advanced Agni missile equipped with a MIRV system and separately completed a long-duration scramjet combustor test linked to its hypersonic cruise missile development programme, according to the Ministry of Defence and DRDO.
Ukrspecsystems has opened a £200 million drone production facility in Suffolk, creating up to 500 jobs and expanding UK-based manufacturing to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The site will produce surveillance and related drone systems as part of ongoing UK military assistance.
The Ministry of Defence has signed five-year Letters of Offer and Acceptance with the U.S. for sustainment support of the Indian Navy’s MH-60R helicopters, covering spares, repairs, training and new in-country maintenance facilities.
Airbus has delivered the first A400M military transport aircraft to Indonesia; the first of two ordered in 2021, to support transport, humanitarian, and potential firefighting missions across the archipelago. With this delivery, Indonesia has become the tenth operator of the tactical airlifter.
Larsen & Toubro and General Atomics-ASI have signed a partnership to manufacture Medium Altitude Long Endurance drones in India for the armed forces, with L&T as prime bidder and GA-ASI as technology partner under the Ministry of Defence’s 87-MALE RPAS programme.
HAL’s Nashik facility has conducted the first flight of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A and inaugurated new production lines for the fighter and the HTT-40 trainer aircraft. The expansion is intended to increase LCA output to 24 aircraft annually and represents a major boost to India’s indigenous manufacturing capacity.
Russia has set up manufacturing of the Mango armour-piercing tank round in India, designed to be fired from the guns of T-72 and T-90 Main Battle Tanks and penetrate composite armour. It has also announced the delivery of 35,000 AK203 rifles to the Indian defence ministry, manufactured by the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited joint venture at Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
