All stories by Ajai Shukla
Pinaka rocket boosts India's strike power
Rediff.com19 Nov 2020A salvo from a Pinaka battery brings down on the enemy more than seven tonnes of high explosive in just 44 seconds.
A case for raising defence FDI to 100%
Rediff.com14 Nov 2020Access to India's defence market must be made conditional -- available only to those who are ready to make a long-term commitment in India, argues Ajai Shukla.
Kavaratti project: What navy can learn
Rediff.com29 Oct 2020Time and cost overruns are endemic to most Indian warship building projects. A central reason is the Indian Navy's operational assessment that it is better to get a warship late and ov
SHOCKING! Army's $190m ammo languishes in Russia
Rediff.com16 Oct 2020This is causing a shortfall of critical ammunition within the army at a time when the MoD is making emergency purchases from the global arms market to cater for a possible clash with China.
India gifts sub to Myanmar: The China angle
Rediff.com16 Oct 2020In gifting the submarine to Myanmar, India is competing with China for influence in the region.
Where exactly is the India-China border?
Rediff.com9 Oct 2020China has chosen to keep New Delhi guessing, while retaining for itself the option of constantly changing facts on the ground and shifting the LAC westwards -- the strategy called 'salami slicing', notes Ajai Shukla.
HAL choppers are ideal for China border
Rediff.com7 Oct 2020The LCH can provide our soldiers fire support in 15,000-16,000 feet-high contested areas like Depsang, Galwan and the heights north and south of the Pangong Tso, where Indian soldiers are facing off against Chinese intruders.
Why BrahMos is crucial in a war with China
Rediff.com1 Oct 2020In any conflict with China, the unmanned BrahMos could be advantageously used in the opening stages for pinpoint strikes on heavily defended targets -- such as air bases, headquarters, key roads and railways or logistics dumps -- which are too dangerous for manned fighter aircraft to attack.
Are India, China preparing for war?
Rediff.com30 Sep 2020RInstead of disengagement, the Indian and Chinese armies have deployed an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 soldiers each along the LAC. The PLA has deployed S-400 air defence missiles to neutralise the IAF's advantage in air power
India cannot avoid hard choices in Ladakh
Rediff.com12 Sep 2020New Delhi must clearly demonstrate to Beijing that China will pay a price for its relentless strategic undermining of India, says Ajai Shukla.
Special Frontier Force: India's secret weapon against PLA
Rediff.com9 Sep 2020'The committing of the SFF into operations in Ladakh is a signal from New Delhi of how seriously it takes the Chinese intrusions and the lengths India will go to in combating them.'
What Chinese army is up to at the LAC
Rediff.com8 Sep 2020Indian Army officers are convinced China is maintaining the pretence of dialogue and negotiations in order to create the opportunity to occupy more Indian territory. Senior Indian planners apprehend this might be a Chinese ploy to divert attention from Depsang, in Northern Ladakh, which might be China's actual target.
How India can kick China out of Ladakh
Rediff.com3 Sep 2020For both India and China, the most likely option -- and the most challenging -- appears to be a freezing of the status quo.
What Boeing wants to supply IAF, navy
Rediff.com31 Aug 2020Boeing is pressing hard to win the Indian Navy contract for 57 aircraft carrier-borne fighters. It could offer the Super Hornet in the ongoing IAF procurement of 114 medium fighters; its upgraded F-15EX fighter also on the list.
When will Indian Army permit women to fight?
Rediff.com31 Aug 2020'Today's India is fearless and is on track to be a great power. But this is definitely not happening without women, who form 48 per cent of our population.'
Indian Army's shopping list worth Rs 300 billion
Rediff.com27 Aug 2020'The equipment that you make for us must be the best in the world so that it complements the Indian soldier who is without doubt the very best in the world.'
1 lakh more NCC cadets in 173 border, coastal areas
Rediff.com18 Aug 2020'More than 1,000 schools and colleges have been identified in border and coastal districts where NCC will be introduced.'
What has Rajnath ordered for Rs 87.22 billion?
Rediff.com14 Aug 2020The army, air force and navy will all benefit from the defence ministry's approval of 'Make in India' equipment.
LAC Stand-Off: How India will counter PLA's tanks
Rediff.com10 Aug 2020DRDO plans to build a tank for use in the mountains and in the jungles.
Modi does not want war with China
Rediff.com27 Jul 2020'China has forcibly occupied territory it had never occupied before, blocked Indian patrols' access to areas they had patrolled for decades and, most provocatively, killed 20 Indian soldiers.' 'Most countries would regard these as acts of war.' 'New Delhi has apparently taken off the table the option of evicting the PLA with force,' observes Ajai Shukla.