All stories by Ajai Shukla
When will IAF pay HAL its pending bill?
Rediff.com3 Apr 2019Despite pending payments of over Rs 20,000 crore, HAL revenue grew 6% against the previous year.
Will Tejas beat Pak, Korean jets in Malaysia?
Rediff.com1 Apr 2019'It would be a travesty if the Malaysian air force likes the Tejas, but decides against it because it sees the IAF reluctance to back the fighter.'
2nd supersession in defence services in 2 years
Rediff.com25 Mar 2019This will be the first instance since Independence that two of the three service chiefs will be the government's chosen men.
Remembering Parrikar, the defence sector reformer
Rediff.com18 Mar 2019His background as an Indian Institute of Technology graduate and as a chief minister with an excellent track record as an administrator equipped him to initiate defence industry and policy reforms that are only now beginning to bear fruit.
Did IAF use a secret bomb at Balakot?
Rediff.com16 Mar 2019The IAF has insisted it hit its targets. If that is indeed true, then the lack of obvious damage could mean it has used a different bomb -- possibly procured secretly from Israel.
Balakot air strike: What can India do next?
Rediff.com12 Mar 2019'For Pakistan, the comfortable old calculations and certainties are no longer valid.' 'Strikes on Indian targets now carry a high risk of retaliation and escalation,' notes Ajai Shukla.
India pays Russia $3 billion to lease sub
Rediff.com8 Mar 2019The INS Chakra III will be ideal for 'sea denial' missions, in which the submarine denies the enemy the use of the sea.
Attack exposes Pak air defences
Rediff.com27 Feb 2019They have been exposed again by the IAF's ability to strike 80 km into Pakistan without being intercepted or incurring casualties.
Why is the F-21 being offered to India?
Rediff.com25 Feb 2019In rebranding the F-16 into the F-21, Lockheed Martin appears to have accepted what many have warned it for years: That the IAF would never buy a fighter whose very name is associated across India with the Pakistan Air Force which has operated the F-16 since the 1980s.
BOOM! BOOM! Army gets big boost
Rediff.com22 Feb 2019'After decades, there is movement on multiple fronts in artillery development. Now let us see how quickly we can get these guns into service'
Is IAF getting ready for a strike at Jaish targets in Pakistan?
Rediff.com17 Feb 2019'The enemy knows he cannot defeat us in a conventional conflict. So today we showcase our ability to punish, our ability to insert and extricate our troops from hostile territories.'
Why IAF wants 1980s MiG-29s
Rediff.com13 Feb 2019'We found the MiG-29s to be in excellent condition. They could make an excellent addition to our fleet,' a senior air marshal tells Ajai Shukla.
Do our army, navy and air force have enough money?
Rediff.com13 Feb 2019Officers responsible for preparing budgets say their detailed costing projections are mostly ignored. The defence ministry simply takes the previous year's budgetary allocations for each service and adds a small percentage to those.
India wants 18 more Sukhoi-30MKI fighters
Rediff.com8 Feb 2019If the new request for 18 more fighters translates into a contract, the Sukhoi-30MKI fleet size will go up to 14 squadrons, or 290 fighters.
Defence: Modi Sarkar's Hits and Misses
Rediff.com7 Feb 2019'The procurement cycle still consumes too much time; little has changed.'
AN-32's Pakyong flight will help army
Rediff.com2 Feb 2019With Pakyong now usable by AN-32s, the Indian Army can quickly move soldiers, weapons and supplies to this highly sensitive sector, which includes flashpoints like Doklam, Nathu La and the Siliguri Corridor.
India to get 6 new submarines for Rs 400 bn
Rediff.com1 Feb 2019Unlike conventional subs that must surface every 48 to 72 hours, these subs can stay submerged for up to 14 days.
Uncertainty over future of IAF's Jaguars
Rediff.com30 Jan 2019Will the IAF pay $2.4 billion to refit 80 Jaguars with powerful Honeywell engines?
Andamans base boosts India in Indian Ocean
Rediff.com26 Jan 2019'The Andamans are strategic territory for India.' 'We need at least three full-length, 10,000-feet airfields here.'
IAF opts for Swiss planes, ignores Indian aircraft
Rediff.com24 Jan 2019HAL's HTT-40 aircraft have outperformed both Swiss Pilatus planes and the IAF's performance criteria. Why then does the IAF prefer the Pilatus to the HTT-40?