Indian Navy Chief attends 325th Russian Navy Day Celebrations

Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh attended the 325th Russian Navy Day celebrations held at St. Petersburg, Russia on 25th July, 2021. Indian Navy’s Stealth Frigate INS Tabar participated in the Navy Day Celebrations of Russia.

• INS Tabar arrived at St. Petersburg as part of a five-day goodwill visit.
• The two navies will conduct a naval exercise to strengthen the ties. The exercise will be part of the Indo-Russian Naval Exercise ‘INDRA’.
• The engagements are aimed at enhancing maritime security and conducting combined operations against maritime threats.

MAKS International Air Show 2021

The 15th International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS 2021 organized by Aviasalon JSC took place from July 20-25, 2021 at Gromov Flight Research Institute’s airfield in Zhukovsky, near Moscow, Russia.

• MAKS 2021 is the second major in-person air show and the first major one to be staged since the coronavirus pandemic.
• The air show is a biennial event and is considered as one of the world’s largest aviation forums.

Russia hands over Commercial offer of MiG-29 fighters to India

Russia handed over to Indian Air Force (IAF) staff a commercial offer to deliver 21 MiG-29 Fighter Aircrafts.

• In July 2020, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved defence deals worth INR 38,900 crore which included the procurement of 21 MiG-29 Fighter Aircrafts to IAF from Russia.
• The acquisition is aimed at meeting India’s requirement of new fighter aircrafts. Currently, IAF has 30 fighter squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons.

IAF Sarang Helicopter Display Team performs at MAKS-2021

IAF’s Sarang Helicopter Display Team performed in the MAKS International Air show for the 1st time.

•  The Sarang Team comprises 4 Indigenously produced ‘Dhruv’ Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), it was formed in 2003 at Bangalore.
• Apart from performing in International air shows, the team has also participated in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Missions like Op Rahat in Uttarakhand (2013), Cyclone Ockhi in Kerala (2017) and Op Karuna flood relief in Kerala (2018).

Russia unveils New Fighter Jet

During the air show, Russia unveiled a prototype of a new Fighter jet ‘Checkmate’. Checkmate is a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet which has stealth capabilities and advanced characteristics.

• The aircraft is capable of flying at a speed of 1.8 – 2 Mach and has a range of 3,000 Kms. The aircraft is equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist the pilot and other innovative technologies.
• It is being manufactured by Russian aircraft maker Sukhoi under the LTS program (Light Tactical Aircraft).
• The prototype will make its maiden flight in 2023 and the delivery is expected to start in 2026.
• The new fighter jet is seen as a competition to the F-35 Lightning II Fighter of the United States.

Ka-226T Climber Helicopter 

During the air show, the Ka-226T Climber helicopter which is intended to be sold to India under the 2015 Inter-Governmental agreement was put on display.

• The deal was worth USD 1 billion at the time of signing. India had placed an order for 200 helicopters, 60 to be imported from Russia, and 140 to be manufactured locally by a joint venture set up by India & Russia.
• The Ka-226T was meant to replace the ageing Cheetah and Chetak fleet of the Indian Army.

India invited to Troika Plus Meet on Afghanistan

For the 1st time, Russia invited India to the Russia-US-China Troika Plus meeting on Afghanistan. It is expected to be held in Moscow, Russia.

•   Besides India, Iran has also been invited to the Meeting.

Recent Related News:

February 9, 2021, The 13th Edition of the Biennial Military Exercise – ‘Aero India 2021: A Big Step Towards Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ took place at the Yelahanka Air Force Base, Bengaluru, Karnataka from February 3-5, 2021. It was inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

About Indian Navy

Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy) – New Delhi

About Russia

President – Vladimir Putin
Capital – Moscow
Currency – Russian Rouble