All stories by Ajai Shukla
How Parrikar is failing the armed forces
Rediff.com23 Jun 2015Our large military requirements make for an enormous buyer's leverage, which the defence ministry fritters away in piecemeal purchases
Squandering away the Myanmar advantage
Rediff.com16 Jun 2015The bravado of NDA ministers may have undone the gains made in cross-border security cooperation over the past several years.
Did Raksha Mantri mislead the country on Rafale deal?
Rediff.com12 Jun 2015Dassault Aviation chief Eric Trappier has made it clear it would take at least three years to deliver 36 Rafales to the Indian Air Force.
Defence minister's U-turn opens door for more Rafale fighters
Rediff.com27 May 2015Last week, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said buying 90 less Rafale fighter jets than the 126 planned earlier would save him money to buy more Tejas Light Combat Aircraft for the India Air Force.
How Beijing's insecurity over Tibet affects the border issue
Rediff.com14 May 2015Public interest centres on whether the two leaders might make headway in resolving the Sino-Indian boundary dispute.
Beijing believes unrest in Tibet linked with Tawang: Expert
Rediff.com14 May 2015'In Chinese perception, India is strategically getting closer to United States and some Chinese analysts fear perhaps one day it may become a part of American arrangements against China.'
A wasted year
Rediff.com12 May 2015The National Democratic Alliance government has adopted half measures instead of moving decisively on defence.
Headless DRDO is seriously worrying
Rediff.com4 May 2015Among the programmes suffering from this lack of leadership is the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft project.
Generals, quotas damage the army
Rediff.com28 Apr 2015A soldier cannot justifiably demand faster, easier promotions based on frequent field tenures
The 45-calibre Dhanush field artillery gun is here!
Rediff.com28 Apr 2015Ordnance Factory Board officials say upgrading the 39-calibre FH-77 into the 45-calibre Dhanush has increased the gun's range from 27 to 38 kilometres, using enhanced range ammunition.
Okay, so India can build economical warships
Rediff.com21 Apr 2015The most remarkable feature of these warships is that, tonne-for-tonne, they are not only one of the world's most heavily armed but also one of the cheapest.
Will India buy a second foreign fighter jet?
Rediff.com15 Apr 2015Production in India would be open for companies other than HAL
What good are submarines without torpedoes
Rediff.com9 Apr 2015How will the navy's six Scorpenes fight, when their primary weapon -- the Black Shark torpedo -- is blocked by a ministry of defence ban on the company chosen to supply these? This gloomy scenario provides a heaven-sent opportunity to revisit the navy's torpedo purchase plan, handled without strategic vision and economic foresight.
India's missile interceptor fails test
Rediff.com7 Apr 2015Seconds into the test, the anti-ballistic missile deviated from its planned path and it quickly became clear that it would not hit the target.
Star Wars: India set to test anti-missile defence shield
Rediff.com5 Apr 2015DRDO's latest test towards developing an anti-ballistic missile shield, to protect Indian targets against nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles fired from Pakistan or China will provide a technology that is akin to striking a bullet with a bullet, say Ajai Shukla
Is India trying to save Rafale at cost of Russia's 5G jets?
Rediff.com2 Apr 2015IAF is focused on Rafale; argues the fifth generation fighter aircraft would not meet Indian expectations
Don't divide the army, Mr Defence Minister
Rediff.com31 Mar 2015Internal simmering in the army has come to a boil after the government tries to retain a discriminatory promotions policy.
Why the IAF desperately needs a Jaguar upgrade
Rediff.com27 Mar 2015The IAF is down to 34 squadrons. This will dip to 30 squadrons by the end of this decade, as nine squadrons of MiG-21 and MiG-27s retire.
Rafale proposal 'effectively dead' as Dassault bid not cheapest
Rediff.com16 Feb 2015Even as three Rafale fighters line up in Bengaluru for eye-popping aerobatics displays at the Aero India 2015 exhibition this week, senior ministry of defence sources say the proposal to buy the French fighter is "effectively dead".
'The hard work starts now'
Rediff.com3 Feb 2015There's still little indication of forward movement in Indo-US defence relations.