Monthly Defence Current Affairs And Updates February 2023 [DOWNLOAD PDF]

In Defence current affairs for February 2023, we are going to see the latest national and international current affairs news. These important current affairs will be very helpful for your...

Divyanshu Pandey
February 28, 2023
4,273

In Defence current affairs for February 2023, we are going to see the latest national and international current affairs news. These important current affairs will be very helpful for your upcoming NDA, CDS, CDS OTA, AFCAT, TA, Agniveer Army, Agniveer Navy, Agniveer Air Force, Women Military Police, INET, MNS, ACC exams, SCO, PCSL, CAPF, and SSB interviews, and direct entries for Army, Navy, and Air Force like SSC Tech, TGC, JAG, NCC, TES, 10+2 Cadet. Download a PDF file about current events at the end of this article.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

47th Raising Day Of The Indian Coast Guard.

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, CAS and all personnel of the IAF convey their greetings & best wishes on the occasion of the 47th Raising Day of the Indian Coast Guard.
The Indian Coast Guard is an Armed Force of the Union of India for ensuring the security of the maritime zones of India with a view to the protection of maritime and other national interests in such zones and for matters connected therewith.
Founded: 1 February 1977
Headquarters: Ministry of Defence, New Delhi
Helicopter: HAL Chetak; HAL Dhruv
Patrol: Dornier 228
Director General: Virender Singh Pathania
Motto(s): वयम रकषामः

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Awards Related To Republic Day 2023

The best Tableau award among Central Ministries/Departments in the popular choice category was given to CAPF (Ministry of Home Affairs).
On the basis of the assessment of the panels, the Punjab Regiment’s contingent won the best marching contingent among the three services, while the CRPF marching contingent won the top prize among the CAPFs and other auxiliary forces.

Defence Budget 2023-24

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday increased allocation to defence Budget to Rs 5.94 lakh crore for 2023-24 from last year’s (2022-23) allocation of Rs 5.25 lakh crore.
A total of Rs 1.62 lakh crore has been set aside for capital expenditure that includes purchasing new weapons, aircraft, warships and other military hardware, stated the Budget report.
The Armed Forces have to be battle ready to meet any eventuality. Towards that end, the Non-Salary revenue outlay has been enhanced significantly from Rs 62,431 crore in Budget Estimates (BE) 2022-23 to Rs 90,000 crore in BE 2023-24, representing a 44% jump.
This expenditure is expected to close critical gaps in the combat capabilities and equip the Forces in terms of ammunition, sustenance of weapons & assets, military reserves etc. This Budget has also sustained the thrust on Modernisation and Infrastructure Development of the Defence Services, by continuing an upward trend in Capital Outlay.
According to 2023-24 budget documents, an allocation of ₹ 2,70,120 crore has been made for revenue expenditure that includes expenses on payment of salaries and maintenance of establishments.
A separate amount of ₹ 1,38,205 crore has been allocated for defence pensions. The total revenue expenditure including the pension outlay has been estimated at ₹ 4,22,162 crore.
According to the budget papers, the total size of the defence budget is ₹ 5,93,537.64 crore.
Payment Received From Agniveer Corpus Fund Proposed To Be Exempt From Taxes: FM
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said payment received from Agniveer Corpus Fund has been proposed to be exempted from taxes.
The proposal was made by Sitharaman while announcing Union Budget 2023-24.
A separate amount of ₹ 1,38,205 crore has been allocated for defence pensions. The total revenue expenditure including the pension outlay has been estimated at ₹ 4,22,162 crore.
According to the budget papers, the total size of the defence budget is ₹ 5,93,537.64 crore.

Budget 2023-24: Rs 1.96 Lakh Crore Allocated To Home Ministry

Sending a clear message about its internal security priorities, the Modi government on Wednesday allocated Rs 1.96 lakh crore to the MHA with a majority of the spending on Central Armed Police Forces such as CRPF and intelligence gathering.
The 2023-24 budget allocation to the MHA, helmed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is Rs 1,96,034.94 crore. The budget 2022-23 had earmarked Rs 1,85,776.55 crore.
The bulk of the amount of the MHA, Rs 1,27,756.74 crore, has been allocated to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in comparison to Rs 1,19,070.36 crore in 2022-23.

Air Marshal Ap Singh Assumes Appointment Of VCOAS

Air Marshal AP Singh PVSM AVSM took over as the VCAS on 01 February 2023. On the occasion of taking over the office of VCAS. He was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour at Air Hq (Vayu Bhavan).
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College and National Defence College, the Air Marshal was commissioned into the Fighter Stream of the IAF on 21 December 1984.
The Air Officer is a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Experimental Test Pilot with more than 5000 hours of flying experience on a variety of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.

Indian Army Organises Integrated Exercise In North Bengal

A joint training exercise “Exercise Trishakti Prahar” was conducted in North Bengal from 21 January to 31 January 2023, aiming at synergizing the firepower assets of the Indian Armed Forces and CAPF to orchestrate an integrated battle.
The aim of the exercise was to practice battle preparedness of the Security Forces using the latest weapons and equipment in a networked, integrated environment, involving all arms and services of the Army, the Indian Air Force and CAPFs.

IAF Handed Over The Ceremonial Cane Of ‘Lead Provost Service’ To ADGPI

The IAF handed over the Ceremonial Cane of ‘Lead Provost Service’ for the year 2023-24 to ADGPI.
In the year gone by, the IAF had provided ceremonial cover during events of national importance like Independence Day, Republic Day, Vijay Diwas & visits of foreign heads.

PM Narendra Modi Unveils India’s Biggest Helicopter Manufacturing Facility

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s helicopter factory — the country’s largest chopper manufacturing facility — in the Tumakuru district of Karnataka.
Bengaluru-headquartered HAL plans to produce more than 1,000 helicopters in the range of 3-15 tonnes with a total business of more than Rs 4 lakh crore over a period of 20 years at this facility in Gubbi taluk, officials said.
The factory, spread across 615 acres for which the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone in 2016, would initially manufacture Light Utility Helicopters (LUH)).
Initially, the factory will produce around 30 helicopters per year which can be enhanced to 60 and then 90 every year in a phased manner, according to the Defence Ministry.

Naval Variant Of LCA Lands First Time On Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant

A prototype of the Naval variant of the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft on Monday undertook its maiden landing on board aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, in a feat described by the Indian Navy as a ‘historical milestone’ for India’s self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
Separately, the Russian-origin MiG-29K aircraft also undertook a maiden landing on board INS Vikrant, the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier.
The successful landing and take-off of the LCA prototype from INS Vikrant is set to pave the way for the development and manufacturing of the ambitious twin-engine deck-based fighter aircraft for the Indian Navy by the HAL.

MoD Signs Contract With L&T For Procurement Of 41 Indigenous Modular Bridges

In a major boost to the indigenisation of defence equipment under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, the Ministry of Defence has approved the proposal for the indigenous manufacture of 41 sets of Modular Bridges for the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army.
These game-changing bridges have been designed and developed by DRDO and shall be produced by Larsen & Toubro as a DRDO-nominated production agency. The contract for the procurement of Modular Bridges was signed with L&T on February 08, 2023, at an estimated cost of over Rs 2,585 crore.
Each set of Modular bridges shall consist of seven carrier vehicles based on 8×8 Heavy Mobility Vehicles and two launcher vehicles based on 10×10 Heavy Mobility Vehicles. Each set shall be capable of mechanically launching a single-span fully decked 46-meter assault bridge.

Amit Shah Presented The ‘President’s Colour’ To The Haryana Police

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah presented the ‘President’s Colour’ to the Haryana Police in Karnal, Haryana. The police force has showcased valour, patience and courage in every field by maintaining law and order, ensuring public safety, and making life easier for the citizens.
The President’s Colour Award is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon any military unit of India. It is also known as ′Nishaan′ which is an emblem that is worn by all unit officers on the left-hand sleeve of their uniform.

Changes In Army Top Brass, New Vice Chief Appointed

In a reshuffle, Indian Army has appointed a new Vice Chief Lt Gen MV Suchendra Kumar as the incumbent Lt Gen BS Raju has been shifted to South Western Army Command as Army Commander.
Present Vice Chief Lt Gen BS Raju would be succeeding Lt Gen AS Bhinder who is superannuating on February 28 at the South Western Army Command.
Raju had only a 10-month stint as Vice Chief and will have another eight months in the new office. He took over as the Vice chief on May 1 after present Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande moved to his new office on promotion.
Lt Gen Raju would be replaced by Lt Gen MV Suchendra Kumar who is presently the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy). He has held various important assignments including the White Knight Corps in J&K.
Lt Gen NSR Subramani has been promoted to the rank of Army commander and appointed as the next Central Army Commander in Lucknow. He is presently the Chief of Staff in the Northern Command.

IAF Develops ‘Vayulink’ Platform

The Indian Air Force has developed an innovative solution ‘Vayulink’ that would aid pilots in dealing with bad weather and also provide jammer-proof uninterrupted communication with the base station.
The data link communication uses the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) that is also known as NAVIC, to send radio communication to the base station when the signals are low.
When the planes are flying close to any friendly forces on grounds during a combat situation, the aircraft display gives the position of such forces on the ground including tanks and troops beneath.

Ex DHARMA GUARDIAN 2023

The 4th edition of a joint military exercise, “EX DHARMA GUARDIAN”, b/w India and Japan is being conducted at Camp Imazu in Shiga province, Japan from 17 February to 02 March 2023.
The scope of this exercise covers platoon-level joint training on operations in jungle and semi-urban/urban terrain.
Participating Troops
Troops of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment of the Indian Army and an Infantry Regiment from the Middle Army of the Japan Ground Self Defence Force are participating in the exercise this year to share experiences gained during operations in order to enhance inter-operability in planning & execution.
Other India – Japan Exercises
- Ex-DHARMA GUARDIAN (Military)
- Ex Shinyuu Maitri (Air Force)
- Exercise Malabar (Multilateral)
- Ex Veer Guardian (Air Force)

Sticker Of Lord Hanuman Is Back On HAL Aircraft

The sticker of lord Hanuman which was removed from a scale model of the Hindustan Lead-in Fighter Trainer (HLFT) on the second day of Aero India 2023, was back on the last day of the airshow on February 17.
The sticker was on the tail of the aircraft, along with the slogan ‘The Storm Is Coming’, on the inaugural day of the five-day airshow.
On February 14 on the second day of the airshow, HAL removed the sticker of lord Hanuman from HLFT-42.

North India’s 1st Nuclear Plant Is Coming Up In Haryana

North India’s first Nuclear Plant is coming up in Haryana in the town of Gorakhpur, which is about 150 km north of the national capital of New Delhi.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that during PM Modi’s regime, one of the major achievements would be the installation of Nuclear/ Atomic Energy plants in other parts of the country, which were earlier confined mostly to the South Indian States like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh or in the west in M.H.
Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana has two units of 700 MWe capacity each of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) indigenous design is under implementation near Gorakhpur village in Fatehabad district in Haryana.
To date, an amount of ₹4,906 Cr has been spent out of total allocated funds of 20,594 Cr. (Total Financial progress is 23.8% as of date).

BD Mishra Takes Oath As Lt Governor of Ladakh
He is a former brigadier of the Indian Army and is the former Commander of the Counter Hijack Force of the National Security Guard (NSG), also known as the Black Cat Commandos.
Mishra was previously the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh and is the second LG of Ladakh after Mathur, who served for three years, from 31 October 2019 to 11 February 2023.

Indian Navy Undertakes Coastal Clean-up Drive In Visakhapatnam

As part of ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyaan’ the Eastern Naval Command has dedicated one day each month to undertake coastal cleanup activity including rivers and lakes.
The Coastal Cleanup activities for Feb 2023 were undertaken at Yarada beach, RK Beach, Bheemli Beach, Meghadripeta River Channel Visakhapatnam and at Hope Island, Kakinada on Saturday.
Around 410 kg of non-biodegradable waste including plastic bottles, wrappers, thermocol, glass pieces etc, were collected from these sites to restore them to their natural pristine conditions.

BEL To Manufacture Israel’s LORA Ballistic Missile For Indian Tri-Services

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd has signed an MoU with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the domestic manufacture and supply of its Long-Range Artillery Weapon System (LORA) for the Indian Tri-services.
LORA is a sea-to-ground and ground-to-ground system developed by IAI’s ‘MALAM’ division that comprises a long-range ballistic missile, a unique launcher, a command-and-control system, and a ground/marine support system.

EXERCISE ‘DUSTLIK’ 2023

The 4th edition of joint military exercise ‘DUSTLIK’ between the Indian Army and Uzbekistan Army commenced in Foreign Training Node, Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand) on 20 Feb 2023.
45 Soldiers each from Uzbekistan and Indian Army are participating in this exercise which is aimed at promoting positive relations between both armies.
Participating Troops
The Indian Army contingent comprises troops from an Infantry Battalion from the Garhwal Rifles Regiment. The first edition of the exercise was held in Uzbekistan in November 2019.
Significance of the Ex
The bonhomie, esprit-de-corps and goodwill generated during the exercise will go a long way in further strengthening the bonds between both armies by enabling understanding of each other’s organisation and methodology of conducting various operations.

INS Nireekshak Awarded Chief Of The Naval Staff Unit Citation

Adm R Hari Kumar visited INS Nireekshak at Kochi on 20 Feb 23. He interacted with the diving team of the ship involved in the salvage operations at a depth of 219 m in the Arabian Sea and commended the ship on the safe and successful conduct of the operations under most challenging circumstances.
The CNS awarded the ship’s ‘on the spot’ Unit Citation, a first in Indian Navy. He also awarded commendations to the crew involved in the salvage ops.
Nireekshak had also recently completed a solemn dive off the Gujarat coast to pay homage by laying a wreath at 80 m depth, the resting site of erstwhile Khukri which sank during the 1971 war.
INS Nireekshak has been part of various diving operations and holds the record for the deepest dive carried out in the country to a depth of 257 m.

Godrej Aerospace To Manufacture 8 Modules Of DRDO Turbojet Engine

In a first for an Indian private company, Godrej Aerospace has bagged the order to manufacture eight modules of the DRDO’s turbojet engine.
Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, announced that its business Godrej Aerospace is the first Indian private company to win the order for manufacturing eight modules of the DRDO Engine for aerial applications.
This experience will pave the way for future projects to develop modules for civil aviation engines as well, the release noted.
The company has made an investment of around 500 crores for aerospace and defence projects and has incorporated new processes into its manufacturing processes.

1st Medium Range Surface To Air Missile Regiment Of the Indian Army Raised In Eastern Command

In a significant boost to Indian Army’s Air Defence and Capability development along Northern Borders, the first Medium Range Surface Air Missile (MRSAM) Regiment is being raised in the Eastern Theatre.
The Regiment has been equipped with MRSAM Weapon System indigenously developed by DRDO.
“The MRSAM weapon system which is also called the ‘Abhra’ Weapon System is a state-of-the-art medium-range air defence weapon system and is a joint venture of DRDO and IAI with active participation from Indian public and private defence industry partners including MSMEs“.

Launch Of First MCA Barge Yard 75

Missile Cum Ammunition Barge, Yard 75 (LSAM 7) was launched by RAdm Sandeep Mehta, ACWP&A on 24 Feb 23 at Guttenedevi, the launch site of M/s SECON, Visakhapatnam.
With all major and auxiliary equipment/systems sourced from indigenous manufacturers, this Barge is the proud flag bearer of the “Make in India” initiative of the Ministry of Defence.
The contract for the construction of 08 x MCA Barge was concluded with M/s SECON, Visakhapatnam, an MSME, in consonance with the “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” initiatives of the Government of India.
The availability of MCA Barges will provide impetus to the Operational commitments of IN by facilitating the Transportation, Embarkation and Disembarkation of articles/ammunition to IN Ships both alongside jetties and at outer harbours.

Lt Gen RS Reen Takes Over As DG Quality Assurance

Lt Gen RS Reen took over as Director of General Quality Assurance on February 24, 2023. A 1986-batch officer, Lt Gen Reen is an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
The Officer had completed his BE (Electrical) from the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, Specialisation in Radio Engineering and post-graduation in Communication Engineering from MC EME, Secunderabad.
He was a senior faculty at the Defence Institute of Quality Assurance, Bengaluru.
The DGQA is an Inter-Service Organisation functioning under the Department of Defence Production in the MOD.
It is responsible for second-party Quality Assurance of all defence stores and equipment, both imported as well as indigenous, for the Indian Army, and Indian Navy (excluding Naval Armaments) and common user items for the IAF procured from private sector and public sector undertakings.

EXERCISE DESERT FLAG VIII 2023

An IAF contingent comprising 110 Air Warriors has arrived at Al Dhafra airbase of the United Arab Emirates for participating in Exercise Desert Flag VIII.
The IAF would be participating with five LCA Tejas and two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. This is the first occasion when the LCA Tejas shall participate in an international flying exercise outside India.
EXERCISE DESERT FLAG VIII 2023
Exercise Desert Flag is a multilateral air exercise in which Air Forces from UAE, France, Kuwait, Australia, the UK, Bahrain, Morocco, Spain, the Republic of Korea, and the USA would also be participating.
The exercise is scheduled from 27 Feb 23 to 17 Mar 23.

EXERCISE COBRA WARRIOR 2023

An IAF contingent comprising 145 Air Warriors departed Air Force Station Jamnagar for participating in Exercise Cobra Warrior at the Waddington Air Force Base of the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. The exercise is scheduled from 06 Mar 23 to 24 Mar 23.
The Exercise Cobra Warrior is a multilateral Air exercise in which Air Forces from Finland, Sweden, South Africa, the United States of America and Singapore would also be participating alongside the Royal Air Force and IAF.
The IAF is participating in the exercise this year with five Mirage 2000 fighters, two C-17 Globemaster III and an IL-78 mid-air refueller aircraft.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

__Marching Contingent Adjudged As The Best Marching Contingent Among The Three Services.
Sikh Regiment
Rajput Regiment
Assam Regiment
Punjab Regiment

IAF Handed Over The Ceremonial Cane Of ‘Lead Provost Service’ To__.
Indian Navy
ADGPI
BSF
NSG

India And Sri Lanka Are Separated By –
Palk Strait
Indian Ocean
Lakshadweep
Arabian Sea

14th Edition of Aero-India Held In
Noida
New Delhi
Bengaluru
Chennai

The naval variant of Which Aircraft Lands First Time On Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant?
Dassault Rafael
Su-30 MKI
LCA Tejas
Mirage 2000

Which Institute Developed New Tech To Make Military Equipment Invisible To Radar?
DRDO
IIT Kanpur
IIT Mandi, H.P.
DISC

Which Of The Following Company Manufactures P-8I, CH-47 Chinook, 737, 787 Dreamliner & 777X?
HAL
ISRO
Boeing
Lockheed Martin

PM Modi Inaugurated India Energy Week 2023 In __.
Bengaluru
Chennai
Noida
New Delhi

Which Group Launches launch ‘Quad Cyber Challenge’ To Improve Cyber Security?
SCO
UNO
QUAD
None

Which of the following is the New VCOAS?
Lt Gen BS Raju
Lt Gen MV Suchendra Kumar
Lt Gen DP Pandey
None

Operation Dost Is A Search & Rescue Op. Carried Out In__&__ By GOI.
Turkey
Syria
UAE
Both A&B

Who Took Oath As The Lieutenant Governor of UT Ladakh?
G.C. Murmu
Brig. (Dr.) BD Mishra (Retd.)
Manoj Sinha
Gurmeet Singh

Which Of The Following Org. Carried Out ‘Project Himank’?
NHAI
DRDO
BRO
None

EXERCISE ‘DUSTLIK ‘ Commences At
Auli
Pithoragarh
Noida
Manali

__Visits Abu Dhabi To Participate In IDEX & NAVDEX 23.
INS NIREEKSHAK
INS Nishant
INS Trishakti
INS Sumedha

MALWAN & MANGROL Ships Are Made By
CSL
GSL
GRSE
MDL

First Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile Regiment Being Raised In
Western Theatre
Southern Theatre
Northern Theatre
Eastern Theatre

Which Of The Following U.N. Agencies/Organisations Has Its Hq In A Place Different From The Other three?
International Labour Organisation
International Telecommunication Union
Food and Agriculture Organisation
World Health Organisation