Defence - General Knowledge Questions

Correct Answer :   6 Submarines

* German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to India on February 25–26, 2023 will focus on advancing a $5.2 billion agreement between Germany and India to jointly construct six(6) conventional submarines in India.

* The naval project is a Western military manufacturing power’s most recent effort to wean New Delhi off of its reliance on Russian military hardware.

* India seeks to replace its ageing submarine fleet, with 11 of its 16 conventional submarines more than two decades old, and as it seeks to counter China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean.

* The Indian Navy also has two indigenous nuclear-powered submarines.

* The central government wants the country to manufacture more weapons at home in collaboration with foreign partners after decades of being one of the world’s largest arms importers.

* The submarine project, for which Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is one of two international bidders, will be discussed between the two countries during Scholz’s trip and Berlin would support the deal.

* Under the deal, a foreign submarine manufacturer will have to partner with an Indian company to build the submarines in the country.

* The foreign company will also need to transfer a niche technology for fuel-cell based Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), a clause that has been a sore point for most foreign firms.

* France’s Naval Group had pulled out of the project just ahead of Modi’s visit to Paris in May 2022, citing its inability to meet conditions listed by the Indian government in 2021..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   Seychelles

Indian Navy-affiliated IFC-IOR (Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean region) has inked an MoU with the Seychelles-based Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC) on 22 February 2023.

The MoU signed by Capt Rohit Bajpai, Director, IFC-IOR and Capt Sam Gontier, Director, RCOC.

Aim : To promote collaboration between the two Centres towards enhancing maritime domain awareness, information sharing and expertise development.

Directors of both IFC-IOR and RCOC unanimously upheld the need to elevate the information sharing mechanism and analysis so that actions at sea can be cued accordingly.

The directors affirmed that ‘the MoU will enhance trust and improve synergy between the centres towards furthering collaborative maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean Region’.

The High Commissioner of India to Seychelles and senior officals and representatives of the IFC-IOR and RCOC participated in the MoU-signing event.

IFC-IOR will be collating, fusing and disseminating intelligence on ‘White Shipping’ in the Indian Ocean.

The IFC-IOR, which was established in 2018, coordinates with regional countries on maritime issues and acts as a maritime security information sharing hub for the Indian ocean region. Since its inception, IFC-IOR has effectively formed connects with several multinational maritime security centres.

The current initiative too will result in deeper collaboration between the two centres. The initiative will pave way for the centres to form a common maritime understanding in order to counter non-traditional maritime security threats, including terrorism, piracy, armed robbery, arms smuggling, human and contraband trafficking, Illegal Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing, poaching, etc.

It is pertinent to note that the RCOC and the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC), in Seychelles, are a part of the maritime defence architecture in the Western Indian Ocean..

Source : News on Air

Correct Answer :   INS Nireekshak

* In a first for the Indian Navy, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Harikumar awarded an ‘on the spot’ Unit Citation to INS Nireekshak in Kochi.

* Reason : For deep sea diving and undertaking salvage operations under the most challenging circumstances

* He also awarded commendations to the crew involved in the salvage operation.

* Navy chief Admiral Harikumar visited INS Nireekshak at Kochi on Monday (20th February 2023). He interacted with the diving team of the ship involved in the salvage operations at a depth of 219 metres in the Arabian Sea and commended the vessel’s crew on the safe and successful conduct of the operations under the most challenging circumstances.

* According to Indian Navy, this is the deepest salvage carried out in the country’s waters. During his address to the ship’s crew, Admiral Harikumar complimented the dedicated effort of the ship in conducting the deep diving operations. He exhorted the undaunted spirit of the ‘Men Behind the Machine’.

* Nireekshak had also recently completed a solemn dive off Gujarat coast to pay homage by laying wreath at 80 m depth, the resting site of erstwhile Khukri, which sank during the 1971 war.

* INS Nireekshak is a Dive Support and Submarine Rescue Vessel of Indian Navy.

* Built by Mazgaon Shipbuilders in 1985, the ship has been in service with the Navy since 1989 and was commissioned in the year 1995.

* INS Nireekshak has been part of various diving operations and holds the record for the deepest dive carried out in the country to a depth of 257 m...

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   UAE

Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), an aerospace company in India, and EDGE, the top defence company in the UAE, inked a Memorandum of Understanding at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX).

The Memorandum of Understanding is signed to examine potential areas of collaboration, such as collaborative development of missile systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).

Both businesses will also investigate the use of HAL’s tiny gas turbine engines on EDGE’s guided weapons, the use of EDGE’s GPS jamming and spoofing gear on HAL’s platforms, and chances for additional knowledge exchange.

At EDGE and HAL’s top-notch facilities in the UAE and India, the two businesses will also look at cooperating on mission computers, training programmes, and the use of additive manufacturing of metallic parts.

UAE Defence Expo :

* The MOU was signed at INDEX, which is known as one of the biggest tri-service defence shows in the world by Dubai’s EDGE and India’s HAL.

* IDEX-2023 will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from February 20–24, 2023.

* Sunjay Sudhir, the Indian ambassador to the UAE, stopped by IDEX, the country’s premier defence exposition.

* The ongoing defence show has seen the signing of agreements by additional firms. For instance, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) group business ICOMM secured a contract for the first-ever Transfer of Technology (ToT) in defence products with UAE-based EDGE entity CARACAL.

* In accordance with the “Make in India” and “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” objectives, ICOMM will domestically produce the whole line of small guns produced by CARACAL for the Indian market.

* UAE inked defence contracts totaling $2.22 billion (or 8.14 billion dirhams) on February 21 at IDEX.

* The largest agreement was a 4.7 billion dirham contract for EDGE, whose book value in 2017 was around $5 billion, to supply Desert Sting P5 systems to Tawazun Council through its subsidiary Halcon.

* ADASI, a different EDGE division, has closed a 1.33 billion dirham sale for its Shadow system.

* Clients of EDGE can be found across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

Correct Answer :   Australia

Australia will host the Malabar multilateral naval exercise, consisting of India, Australia, Japan and the U.S., for the first time this year (2023) August.

* The high tempo of bilateral engagement between the two countries will continue with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong scheduled to visit India early March during which officials said some major defence initiatives could be announced.

* “Malabar 2023 is scheduled to be held in August and Australia will host this edition”.  

* “The exercise is likely to be held in Perth. However, a final decision is yet to be taken as the modalities are still being finalised,” two officials independently stated.

* Ms. Wong is scheduled to attend the G-20 Foreign Ministers meeting on March 1 and 2 and Mr. Albanese is scheduled to visit India on March 8 on a bilateral visit.  The visit comes months after the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement came into force.

* The Quad Foreign Ministers are scheduled to hold a meeting a day after the G-20 meeting. Australia is scheduled to host the Quad summit later this year.

* Australia was included as a permanent member of Ex Malabar in 2020 amid the standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh. Japan hosted the last edition of Malabar which was held in November 2022 which also marked 30 years of the exercise which began as a bilateral exercise between India and the U.S. in 1992.

* In fact, the Navy Chiefs of the four countries, also part of the Quadrilateral grouping, were present for the inaugural ceremony in Japan last year as the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force also hosted an International Fleet Review and the 18th Western Naval Symposium before the naval war games.

* The four Navies Chiefs also met exchanged views on “further enhancing inter-operability” in future editions of the Malabar multilateral naval exercise...

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   Uttarakhand

The 4th edition of the biennial training Ex DUSTLIK 2023, between the Indian Army and Uzbekistan Army is being conducted in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand from 20th February to 5th March 2023.

* Aim : To enhance the military capability to undertake multi-domain operations in a Sub Conventional scenario

* The 14th Battalion, the GARHWAL RIFLES, part of Western Command represented the Indian contingent

* The troops of the North Western Military District represented the Uzbekistan Army..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   4th Edition

India and Japan will kick off an exercise ‘Ex Dharma Guardian’ at Camp Imazu in Shiga Province, Japan from February 17 to March 2, 2023. The Indian Army contingent arrived at the exercise location on February 12, 2023.

This will be the 4th edition of the Exercise ‘Dharma Guardian’ between India and Japan. 

Exercise Dharma Guardian will strengthen bilateral ties and the level of defence cooperation between the Indian Army and the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force.

Troops of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment of the Indian Army and an infantry regiment from the Middle Army of the Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) are participating in the exercise this year to share experiences gained during operations in order to enhance inter-operability in planning and execution.

Focus : The training will focus primarily on a high degree of physical fitness and sharing of drills at the tactical level. During the exercise, participants will engage in a variety of missions ranging from joint planning, joint tactical drills, basics of establishing integrated surveillance grids, including the employment of aerial assets...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   India and US

A joint counter-terrorism exercise between National Security Guard (NSG) and US Special Operations Forces (SOF) culminated in Chennai on February 14, 2023 after four weeks of intense training and joint anti-terror exercises.

Highlights :  The main highlight of the exercise was mock drills for the CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) counter terror response by special forces of both countries.

The training regimen of the exercise included the conduct of urban counter-terrorism drills, combat shooting and practice of long-range marksmanship, to enhance mutual warfare capabilities.

The NSG Director General MA Ganapathy said, "NSG needs to be prepared to keep in mind the future challenges and threats.”

“For this, capabilities have been developed to effectively deal with CBRN threats,'' the NSG Director General further said. Moreover, the NSG Director General stressed that mock drills have been conducted considering the challenges of urban warfare. The drills included para-slithering of SF commandos from IAF choppers.

What is Exercise Tarkash?

Exercise Tarkash is a counter-terrorism exercise between India’s National Security Guard (NSG) and US Special Operations Forces (SOF).

AIM : The main aim of this exercise is to train commandos of both the special forces units for the implementation of rapid neutralisation of enemies, the rescuing of hostages and neutralise the threat of chemical weapons.

Notably, this was the first instance in the exercise's history where Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Terror response (CBRN) drills were conducted. CBRN weapons are classified as weapons of mass destruction and have been used by states and terror elements in the past.

In the current geopolitical landscape, Exercise Tarkash is a significant one as India is surrounded by two nuclear-armed neighbours, China and Pakistan. Furthermore, Pakistan has a history of issuing nuclear threats. Notably, China has surpassed the United States in possession of nuclear warheads, according to STRATCOM...

Source : Republic World

Correct Answer :   Indian Army

NewSpace Research, a Bengaluru-based start-up has delivered SWARM drones to Indian Army, which makes the Army the first major armed force in the world to operationalise these high-density SWARM drones.

This delivery may possibly be the world’s first operational high density swarming UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) induction for military applications, especially given that most swarm drone research is yet to be operationalised across the world.

The swarm of 100 drones is capable of hitting targets at least 50 kms away into enemy territory.

About SWARM drones : The swarming systems were ordered under the emergency procurement (EP) and show that India has taken a global lead with induction of a cutting edge ‘Made in India’ technology which is at par, if not ahead, of its peers across the world.

* They added that this is a part of the government’s Aatmanirbhar effort to indigenise critical and disruptive military technologies.

* These drones are capable of carrying bombs of a particular weight and can home into a target, like moving armoured columns, artillery positions, and infantry bunkers and attack.

* Swarm drones are the solution for a closely contested airspace where individual drones can be taken down.

* The IAF will also induct operational swarming UAS in the near future.

* The drones delivered by NewSpace, and a follow-on homogeneous swarm drone delivery from Raphe Mphibr in days ahead, will be inducted into the mechanised forces where they will be used for surveillance and attack missions...

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Prashant Saxena

Indian Navy’s Captain Prashant Saxena AWPS (Mbi) launched Ammunition Cum Torpedo Cum Missile (ACTCM) Barge, Yard 125 (LSAM 15) on February 10, 2023.

* The Barge was launched at M/s Suryadipta Projects Pvt Ltd in Thane.

* The ACTCM Barge has been equipped with auxiliary systems developed by indigenous manufacturers, making it stand true to the ‘Make in India’ resolve of the Ministry of Defence.

* In accordance with the “AatmaNirbhar Bharat” objectives of the Government of India, a contract for the building of eleven ACTCM Barges was concluded with the MSME, M/s Suryadipta Projects Pvt Ltd, Thane. The Barge has been constructed with a service life of 30 years.

* “Contract for construction of 11 x ACTCM Barge was concluded with M/s Suryadipta Projects Pvt Ltd, Thane, an MSME, in consonance with “AatmaNirbhar Bharat” initiatives of the Government of India,” read an official statement by the Ministry of Defence.

* The availability of ACTCM Barges will help Indian Navy fulfil its operational commitments by easing the transportation, embarkation, and discharge of supplies and ammunition onto the Navy ships at outer harbours and alongside jetties...

Source : News on Air