The political-electoral calculus favours spending thousands of crores on vanity projects like Sardar Patel's statue and the Central Vista over building up our military to handle the confrontations and conflicts that loom large, points out Ajai Shukla.

The retirement of the Jaguar would create a six squadron gap in the IAF's combat fleet which would cost $20 billion-$30 billion to fill.

China remains in firm control of an estimated 600-800 square kilometres of Indian territory.

20 defence ministry reforms 'is a reflection of the resolve of the government to make the defence sector stronger and more efficient.'

'The F-21's capabilities far exceed all other torpedoes currently in service.'

China has been commissioning three new destroyers every year while India has barely completed one destroyer every 2-3 years.

As remarkable as DRDO's contribution in containing and treating COVID-19 has been, its success over the last 15 months has been in its primary role of developing conventional defence equipment and technologies.

'Its aim is to force the Bhutanese government to cede territory that China wants elsewhere in Bhutan to give Beijing a military advantage in its struggle with New Delhi.'

Top HAL sources say the AMCA, which is being developed as the IAF's next-generation stealth fighter, is slated to be assembled at HAL Nashik.

'The JF-17 is the aircraft of today and the Tejas is the aircraft of tomorrow.'

The 'On-Board Oxygen Generation System' developed for the Tejas can produce 1,000 litres of oxygen every minute.

Rather than going through the tedious, hit-or-miss process of physically designing hull forms and superstructures for warships and then determining how visible they are to radar, the company will simulate this process on supercomputers.

The creation of a CDS has got the head right. Issues that were not talked about for years are now being discussed, points out Ajai Shukla.

Mahindra's LSV is an extremely agile combat vehicle with all round protection against small arms fire.

The MRSAM is amongst the most lethal surface-to-air missiles in service anywhere.

Modi's hardline policy towards Pakistan and J&K has created numerous leverages and bargaining positions that New Delhi can bring to the bargaining table and translate into concessions, argues Ajai Shukla.

DRDO's Air Independent Propulsion system will allow Indian Navy submarines to operate for up to two weeks without having to surface to recharge its batteries.

General Bajwa, unlike many of his predecessors, believes the Pakistan army's long-term interests lie in reducing tensions with India, reports Ajai Shukla.

Seven years ago, an IAF chief had ordered the HTT-40 to be removed from the Yelahanka air base. The IAF now wants HAL to build 108 HTT-40 aircraft.

It has been argued that India should have held back on disengagement from the Kailash Range, using that as a trump card to force Chinese concessions in areas such as Depsang, where they hold the advantage.