Defence Current Affairs 15 May 2025

In Defence Current Affairs for DCA 15 May 2025, 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. Let us now see the Daily Defence Current Affairs.

Defence Current Affairs 15 May 2025

Testing of “Bhargavastra”

• India on Wednesday successfully test fired “Bhargavastra”, an indigenous system to counter the threat of swarm drones in the battlefield. The weapon is seen as a substantial leap in war fighting capabilities as drones dominate modern warfare among nations.
• The weapon, designed and developed by Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL), was tested in a hard-kill mode which uses micro rockets to target incoming drone swarms.
• A drone swarm in a battlefield refers to a large group of drones that operate together in a coordinated way, often using AI to make decisions and adapt to changing threat perceptions without needing constant human control.
• These swarms come from different directions to attack enemy installations. While some act as decoys (distraction), other drones continue their offensive actions.
• One trial was conducted by firing two rockets in salvo mode within 2 seconds. All four rockets performed as expected and achieved the required launch parameters underscoring its pioneering technology in mitigating large-scale drone attacks.
• A Unified Solution for Countering Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Threats: ‘Bhargavastra’ boasts of advanced capabilities for detecting and eliminating small, incoming drones at distances of upto 2.5 km. It employs unguided micro rockets as the first layer of defence capable of neutralising swarm of drones with lethal radius of 20 meters and guided micro-missile (already tested earlier) as the second layer for pin point accuracy, ensuring precise and impactful neutralisation.
• Designed for seamless deployment across diverse terrains, including high-altitude regions (> 5000 m above sea level), the system addresses the unique operational demands of India’s armed forces.

Neeraj Chopra Conferred Honorary Rank Of Lieutenant Colonel

• India’s highly celebrated athlete and double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has been conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army.
• “…in exercise of the powers conferred by Para-31 of the Territorial Army Regulations, 1948, the President is pleased to confer Honorary Rank of Lieutenant Colonel in Territorial Army on Ex-Sub Maj Neeraj Chopra, PVSM, Padma Shri, VSM, Village & Post Office Khandra, Panipat, Haryana with effect from 16 April, 2025,” the notification said.
• The 27-year-old ace javelin thrower, hailing from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana, had won the gold medal in 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He bagged a silver medal in 2024 Paris Olympics.
• The Territorial Army (TA), raised on October 9, 1949, completed 75 years last year and has served the nation in times of war, and in humanitarian and environmental protection works through its eventful journey over the decades.
• It is fully integrated with the regular Army. In recognition of nation-building efforts and contributions made during war or conflicts, numerous individuals have been honoured with gallantry as well as distinguished service awards in the TA.

31 Naxals killed in 21-day operation

• After a 21-day offensive against Naxals in Chhattisgarh and adjoining regions, the central and state forces eliminated at least 31 Naxals, including 16 women, in the dense forests around Karregutta hills.
• The hill range spans 60 km in length and varies from 5 km to 20 km in width, forming a highly difficult terrain. Over the past two and a half years, the Maoists gradually established their base here, with about 300-350 armed cadres, including the Technical Department (TD) Unit of the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) and other key organisations, according to the Bastar Police.
• He added, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, we are determined to root out Naxalism. I once again assure the countrymen that India is sure to be Naxal-free by 31 March 2026.”The Union Home Minister further lauded the bravery and precision of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Special Task Force (STF), and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) for completing the 21-day-long anti-Naxal operation without any casualties among the security personnel.
• “The hill on which the red terror once reigned, today the tricolour is flying proudly. Kurraguttalu hill was the unified headquarters of big Naxal organisations like PLGA Battalion 1, DKSZC, TSC & CRC, where along with Naxal training, strategies and weapons were also developed, ” Shah said.
• Security forces recovered 35 weapons, over 450 IEDs, detonators, explosive materials, and nearly 12,000 kilograms of other logistical supplies including medical equipment, electrical components, and Maoist propaganda literature. These recoveries point to the scale of operations that the insurgents were planning and underline the importance of the destroyed hideout.

Around 10 militants were killed in Chandel district of Manipur

• Army’s Eastern Command stated in X, “Acting on specific intelligence on movement of armed cadres nearby New Samtal village, Khengjoy Tehsil, Chandel District near the #Indo_Myanmar Border, Assam Rifles unit under Spear Corps launched an operation on 14 May 2025.
• During the operation, the troops were fired upon by suspected cadres to which they quickly reacted, redeployed and retaliated in a calibrated and measured manner. In the ensuing firefight 10 cadres were neutralized and a sizeable quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered.
• The Assam Rifles (AR) is a paramilitary force of India responsible for border security, counterinsurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India and in Jammu & Kashmir in lines of Rashtriya Rifles. Its primary duty involves guarding the Indo-Myanmar border.
• The AR is one of the Oldest Central Para-military Forces of India administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs while operational control rests with Indian Army.

UK and Germany to jointly develop 2,000-km-range Strike Weapon

• Britain and Germany will jointly develop a new “deep precision strike” weapon with a range exceeding 2,000 km the British government said on Thursday, as Europe’s two largest economies step up their defence cooperation.
• The project builds on a commitment made last year to develop new weapons, when both countries signed a bilateral defence pact and stressed the need for Europe to be able to defend itself against any escalation of the war in Ukraine.
• Since the signing of that deal, Donald Trump has won a U.S. presidential election and made clear he expects Europe to take responsibility for its own security, triggering a scramble on the continent to find ways to boost domestic defence industries.

Ajay Kumar, Former Defence Secretary, Appointed as UPSC Chairman

• Retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and former defence secretary Ajay Kumar has been named the new Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairperson.
• The Department of Personnel of Training late on Tuesday issued an order announcing Kumar’s appointment. “The President is pleased to appoint Dr Ajay Kumar as Chairman, UPSC under Article 316(1) of the Constitution of India [which outlines the appointment process for members of public service commissions].”
• The profile adds that Kumar is credited with implementing key Digital India initiatives under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, including UPI, the world’s largest digital payment system; Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric digital identity system; myGov, a government e-marketplace; Jeevan Pramaan; and several others.
• The UPSC, or Union Public Service Commission, is a constitutional body responsible for conducting civil services examinations in India, as well as other recruitment exams. It is a key institution in India’s civil service recruitment process, ensuring fairness and objectivity in selecting officers for various government positions. The UPSC’s main functions include conducting exams for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS), as well as other Central Services and All India Services.

Multiple Choice Questions of DCA

1. What is the name of the indigenous system developed to counter swarm
   drones?
   A. Agni Prime
   B. Bhargavastra
   C. Trishul
   D. Astra X
   ANSWER: B
2. Which company developed the Bhargavastra system?
   A. DRDO
   B. HAL
   C. Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL)
   D. Bharat Dynamics Limited
   ANSWER: C
3. In which mode was Bhargavastra tested?
   A. Soft-kill
   B. Stealth
   C. Surveillance
   D. Hard-kill
   ANSWER: D
4. What was hailed as the largest defence sales pact in history?
   A. India-US BrahMos deal
   B. US-Saudi Arabia arms deal
   C. France-Rafale agreement
   D. China-Russia weapon deal
   ANSWER: B
5. Who has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Union Public Service
   Commission (UPSC)?
   A. Neeraj Chopra
   B. Ajay Kumar
   C. Rajiv Gauba
   D. S. Jaishankar
   ANSWER: B
6. Neeraj Chopra has been conferred with which honorary rank in the Territorial
   Army?
   A. Major
   B. Captain
   C. Lieutenant Colonel
   D. Colonel
   ANSWER: C
7. In which year was the Territorial Army (TA) raised?
   A. 1945
   B. 1947
   C. 1948
   D. 1949
   ANSWER: D
8. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Is In
   A. Kochi
   B. Vishakhapatnam
   C. Gandhi Nagar
   D. Mumbai
   ANSWER: D
9. Assam Rifles Come Under the Administrative Control Of
   A. MHA
   B. MoD
   C. MEA
   D. All of the above
   ANSWER: B
10. Exercise Bold Kurukshetra Conducted B/w India &
    A. Singapore
    B. Nepal
    C. Bangladesh
    D. Bhutan
    ANSWER: A
11. GSLV Stands For
    A. Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Velocity
    B. Geosynchronous Satellite Lunch Vehicle
    C. Geosynchronous Solar Launch Vehicle
    D. Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
    ANSWER: D
12. NAVIC Stands For
    A. India Regional Navigation Satellite System
    B. Indian Regional Navigator Satellite System
    C. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite Source
    D. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System
    ANSWER: D
13. The Motto of The Indian National Army (INA) Was
    A. Unity and Discipline
    B. Unity, Faith, Sacrifice
    C. Do or Die
    D. Service before self
    ANSWER: B
14. SSB Interview Board Is Not Located At
    A. Bhopal
    B. Prayagraj
    C. Kapurthala
    D. Mumbai
    ANSWER: C, D
15. DRDL Is A Unit Of
    A. ISRO
    B. DRDO
    C. HAL
    D. All of the above
    ANSWER: B
16. Vaduz Is the Capital Of
    A. Liechtenstein
    B. Qatar
    C. Lithuania
    D. Maldives
    ANSWER: A
17. ‘Fearless Governance’ Book Is Written By
    A. Richa Mishra
    B. K Shyam Prasad
    C. Dr. Kiran Bedi
    D. APJ Abdul Kalam
    ANSWER: C
18. DF-41 ICBM Is A Missile Of
    A. India
    B. Russia
    C. China
    D. North Korea
    ANSWER: C
19. Northern Army Command Headquarters Is in
    A. Jaipur
    B. Udhampur
    C. Pune
    D. Lucknow
    ANSWER: B
20. Infantry School of Indian Army Is At
    A. Mhow
    B. Bhopal
    C. Gwalior
    D. Jammu
    ANSWER: A

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