Daily Defence Current Affairs And Updates 16-17 March 2023 [DOWNLOAD PDF]

Divyanshu Pandey
March 17, 2023
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In Daily current affairs for 16-17 March 2023, we will see the latest national and international current affairs news. These important current affairs will be beneficial 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.

Defence Current Affairs 16-17 March 2023

Successful flight-Test of DRDO’s Indigenous Power Take-Off Shaft Conducted On LCA Tejas

A successful flight-test of power take off (PTO) shaft was conducted on the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas in Bengaluru on Tuesday , the defence ministry said. The PTO is a critical equipment that transmits power from aircraft engine to gearbox.
The ministry said the maiden successful flight-test of PTO shaft was conducted on LCA Tejas Limited Series Production-3 aircraft. “With this successful test, the DRDO has achieved a greater technological feat by realisation of complex high-speed rotor technology which only few countries have achieved,” it said.
The PTO shaft is indigenously designed and developed by Chennai-based Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment of DRDO.
The PTO shaft was designed with unique innovative patented ‘Frequency Spanning Technique’ which enables it to negotiate different operating engine speeds. The light weight high speed, lubrication free PTO shaft transmits higher power between aircraft engine gear box and Aircraft Mounted Accessory Gear Box while accommodating misalignments that arise in the drive line.
Aeronautical Development Agency, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification, Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited teamed along with CVRDE to achieve this feat. The PTO shaft technology has already been transferred to Godrej & Boyce, Mumbai and Lakshmi Technology and Engineering, Coimbatore.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has complimented the DRDO, PSUs and the Industry, saying that the successful realisation of PTO shaft is another major milestone towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat stated that the success showcased the country’s research capability and will actively support the test aircraft programmes.

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US Senate, Recognises McMahon Line As International Boundary

The United States – in a recently passed bi-partisan resolution – has recognised the McMahon Line as the international boundary between Arunachal Pradesh and China, calling the north-eastern state an “integral part of India.”
“At a time when China continues to pose grave and gathering threats to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, it is critical for the United States to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our strategic partners in the region, especially India,” said Senator Bill Hagerty, one of the Congressmen who introduced the resolution in the United States Senate.
The McMahon Line is the boundary between Tibet and British India as agreed in the maps and notes exchanged by the respective plenipotentiaries on 24–25 March 1914 at Delhi, as part of the 1914 Simla Convention.

Centre Introduced Bill To Empower Tri-services Commanders

The Centre on Wednesday introduced in Parliament a bill to empower the commander-in-chief or the officer-in-command of inter-services organisations to maintain discipline and ensure proper discharge of duties among the personnel attached under them.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will introduce the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023 in the Lok Sabha.
The Lok Sabha will also take up for discussion and voting, the second batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2022-23, which entails spending for the remaining period of the current fiscal.
A general discussion will also be taken up in the Lok Sabha on the Jammu and Kashmir budget for 2023-24. The Lower House will also discuss and take up for voting the demands for grants for J&K for 2023-24.
In addition to this, the supplementary demands for grants for J&K for 2022-23 will also be taken up for voting and discussion.

India Invites Pakistan Defence Minister To SCO

In an important development, India has extended an invitation to Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif to attend the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation slated to take place in New Delhi next month.
A formal invitation on the same was given to the Pakistan Foreign office by the Indian government.
While the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting will be held in April, the bloc’s Foreign Ministers will gather in Goa in May.
India, as president of the SCO, is set to host a series of events, in which, member states including Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran and Central Asian States, will be taking active part and discussing matters of regional concerns, security, growth and relationship.

4^th Tabletop Exercise In Kolkata

Indian Coast Guard Region (North-East) is conducting the fourth edition of the Tabletop exercise under the aegis of the Colombo Security Conclave in Kolkata from March 14 to 16, 2023.
Apart from the Indian Coast Guard, representatives of member nations of Colombo Security Conclave – Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Mauritius – along with observer countries – Bangladesh and Seychelles – are participating in the exercise.
Discussions are being held on topics pertaining to challenges in a maritime domain such as tackling threats from anti-national elements, marine pollution response, search & rescue and damage control at sea.
The Colombo Security Conclave was formed in 2011 as a trilateral maritime security grouping of India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The roadmap of activities was later expanded, with Mauritius joining as the fourth member and Bangladesh & Seychelles participating as observer countries.

EXERCISE SEA DRAGON 23

A P8I aircraft of the Indian Navy arrived at Guam, USA on 14 Mar 23 to participate in ‘Exercise Sea Dragon 23’, the third edition of the coordinated multi-lateral ASW exercise for Long Range MR ASW aircraft, conducted by the US Navy.
The exercise scheduled from 15-30 Mar 23, would stress coordinated anti-submarine warfare amongst the participating countries. The complexity and scope of these exercises have increased steadily over the past years to include advanced ASW drills.
The Exercise aims to achieve high levels of synergy and coordination between the friendly navies, which is based on their shared values and commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific.
Ex Sea Dragon 23 will test the capabilities of participating aircraft in tracking simulated and live underwater targets, whilst also sharing mutual expertise.
The Exercise would witness representation by an Indian Navy P8I, along with P8A of the US Navy, P1 from the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, CP 140 from the Royal Canadian Air Force and P3C from the RoKN.

No Change In India’s Position On Not Recognising Taliban: MEA

India on Thursday asserted that there has been no change in its position on not recognising the Taliban regime in Kabul, in comments that came amid reports of an Afghan foreign policy body asking officials to attend an online programme under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation initiative.
The Institute of Diplomacy under the Afghan Foreign Ministry reportedly conveyed to officials in Kabul to register for the ITEC course which was to be hosted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode.
“India has been extending capacity-building assistance to developing countries across the world through what is called the ITEC programme. This includes online courses,” he said.
Bagchi said these scholarship courses cover numerous topics and are conducted by different Indian institutions.

Two Pilots Die After Army Helicopter Crashes In Arunachal Pradesh

Two pilots on board a Cheetah helicopter of the Army were killed when it crashed near Mandala in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday morning, a defence spokesperson said. The deceased officers have been identified as Lt Colonel VVB Reddy and his co-pilot Major Jayanth A.
“The helicopter lost contact with Air Traffic Control (ATC) around 9.15 am. Five search parties of the Indian Army, SSB and ITBP were immediately launched. The wreckage of the aircraft was found near the Banglajaap east village of Mandala,” Rawat said.

Exercise ‘Al-Mohed-Al Hindi-23’

Indian Navy Forces, and Royal Saudi Naval Forces on Thursday met in Mumbai and gave final touches to preparations for India-Saudi Arabia Naval Exercise ‘Al-Mohed-Al Hindi-23’ planned for May 2023 in Saudi Arabia’s Jubail.
The exercise will be the second such Naval Exercise. The first was in August 2021.
Al-Mohed-Al Hindi is a joint Naval Exercise between India and Saudi Arabia.
The decision on the Bilateral exercise was taken during the Riyadh Summit held in 2019.
The exercise aims to carry out tactical manoeuvres, search and rescue operations, and an electronic warfare drill to enhance interoperability.

India Approves Capital Acquisition Of Military Hardware Worth Rs 70,584 Crore

India on Thursday approved the capital acquisition of indigenously-developed military hardware worth Rs 70,584 crore as part of a mega procurement plan that is expected to significantly boost domestic defence manufacturing.
The approval of the procurement proposals was accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, officials said.
Out of the total proposals, Indian Navy proposals constitute more than Rs 56,000 crore, which largely includes indigenous BrahMos missiles, Shakti Electronic Warfare systems and Utility Helicopters-Maritime.
For the Indian Army, the apex procurement body approved the procurement of a 155mm/52 calibre advanced towed artillery gun system along with high mobility vehicles and gun towing vehicles.

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