19 May 2022 Daily Defence Current Affairs And Updates [DOWNLOAD PDF]

Divyanshu Pandey
May 19, 2022
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In today’s 19 May 2022 Defence Current affairs and updates, we are going to see the latest defense-related updates national and international current affairs topics. These current affairs questions and major events will be really helpful for your upcoming NDA, CDS, AFCAT, TA, INET, MNS, ACC exams, and other SSB interviews and AFCAT interviews like SSC Tech, TGC, TES, NDA, CDS, AFCAT, and more. Download the current affairs PDF file at the end of this article.

Daily Defence Current Affairs 19 May 2022

Indian Navy SUCCESSFULLY TEST-FIRES NAVAL ANTI-SHIP MISSILE

The Indian Navy on Wednesday successfully carried out the maiden test firing of the first indigenously developed naval anti-ship missile from a Seaking helicopter, officials said. The test was conducted at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha’s Balasore.
“This firing is a significant step towards achieving self-reliance in niche missile technology and reaffirms the Indian Navy’s commitment to indigenisation“. The Indian Navy carried out the test in association with the DRDO.
The test-firing of the new missile came over a month after an anti-ship version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired jointly by the Indian Navy and the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy appreciated the efforts of the project team for successfully proving mission objectives. He complimented the Indian Navy and Naval Flight Test Squadron for their support to the project and said that the system will strengthen offensive capability of Indian Navy.

Russia To Seek India’s Help To Replace Western Components In MC-21 Passenger Jets

Russia which is under western sanction is now planning to replace western-origin engines, avionics, and several structural elements and units and components with localized alternatives and has identified Indian, Brazilian, and Chinese companies that might be approached to create alternative supply lines by end of 2023 for its MC-21 passenger jets.
MC-21-310 with be getting locally-made Aviadvigatel PD-14 turbofans in place of the Pratt & Whitney PW1431G (PW1400G-JM) engines but by the time alternative of the non-Russian systems are found and integrated it might delay delivery’s of the jets either too late until 2024 or 2025.
The current MC-21-300 vendor item list stands at b/w 40 and 50 percent of non-Russian components and systems and Indian companies that have become part of the Airbus and Boeing supply chain might be interested in becoming part of the Russian supply line too.
In 2021, Russia has been offered local production of MC-21-300 to India, which included maintenance and assembly of MC-21 passenger jets with Indian partners.

Raksha Mantri Onboard Indian Navy’s P8i Aircraft

Shri Rajnath Singh, Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, during his visit to Mumbai undertook a sortie on the Indian Navy P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft.
- During the mission, long range surveillance, electronic warfare, imagery intelligence, ASW missions and Search & Rescue capabilities employing the state-of-the-art mission suite and sensors were demonstrated.
- The induction of P8I aircraft commencing 2013, have significantly enhanced the Indian Navy’s persistent surveillance operations in Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
- The flight crew for this sortie comprised of two Pilots and seven Naval Air Operations Officers including three women officers.

General Characteristics of P8I

Propulsion:	Two CFM56-7 engines providing 27,300 pounds thrust each
Length:	39.47 meters
Wingspan:	37.64 meters
Height:	12.83 meters
Maximum Takeoff Gross Weight:	85,139 kilograms
Speed:	490 knots (789 km/h)
Range:	1,200+ nautical miles, with 4 hours on station (2,222 kilometers)
Ceiling:	12,496 meters
Crew:	9

Indian Navy To Test US F-18 Fighters For INS Vikrant Next Week

The Indian Navy will start the flight trials of Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet carrier based multi-role fighters at the shore-based test facility at INS Hansa in Goa from May 23 as the US craft is one of the contenders for 26 fighters onboard soon to be commissioned INS Vikrant indigenous aircraft carrier.
It is understood that two fighters of the US Navy will land in INS Hansa towards the end of this week for take-offs from the 283-meter mock-up deck of India’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The aircraft carrier is expected to come out of a major overhaul and become operational next month.
The Indian Navy is expected to buy 26 carrier based multi-role fighter for INS Vikrant with eight of these aircraft two-seaters to be used both for flight training and operations.
The Super Hornet is a proven weapon platform with an internal rotary cannon with 11 hardpoints to carry air to air missiles and air to surface missiles as well as laser-guided bunker busting bombs.
The other contender fighter aircraft for INS Vikrant, which is expected to be commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2022, is the Rafale Maritime strike fighter. The Rafale fighter has already been tested by the Indian Navy in January 2022 with the French offering four aircraft on lease for initial training and operational purposes.

China Demonstrates Prowess Of ‘Lhasa’ Destroyer

Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s second Type 055 stealth guided missile destroyer the Lhasa tested the vessel’s air defence, maritime attack and anti-submarine capabilities in a three-day military exercise in Yellow Sea.
PLA Navy’s second Type 055 large destroyer the Lhasa tested the vessel’s air defence in mock battles and it could be in the wake of rising political tensions between China and Taiwan.

China-Taiwan Issue

China and Taiwan separated amid civil war in 1949 and China considers Taiwan part of its territory to be taken control of by force if necessary.
But Taiwan’s leaders say that Taiwan is a sovereign state.
After decades of hostile intentions and angry rhetoric, relations between China and Taiwan started improving in the 1980s. China put forward a formula, known as “one country, two systems”, under which Taiwan would be given significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification.
In Taiwan, the offer was rejected, but the government did relax rules on visits to and investment in China.
There were also limited talks between the two sides’ unofficial representatives, though Beijing’s insistence that Taiwan’s Republic of China (ROC) government is illegitimate prevented government-to-government contact.
China’s implementation of national security law in Hong Kong in 2020 was seen by many as yet anothersign that Beijing was becoming significantly more assertive in the region.

India’s Stand on the Issue:

Since 1949, India has accepted the “One China” policy that accepts Taiwan and Tibet as part of China.
However, India uses the policy to make a diplomatic point, i.e., if India believes in the “One China” policy, China should also believe in a “One India” policy.
Even though India has stopped mentioning its adherence to One China policy in joint statements and official documents since 2010, its engagement with Taiwan is still restricted due to the framework of ties with China.
India and Taiwan do not have formal diplomatic relations but since 1995, both sides have maintained representative offices in each other’s capitals that function as de facto embassies.

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