Defence Current Affairs and Updates – 1st May 2020

Aero India 2021 is on at the same time and place

The 13th edition of Aero India will be held from February 3 to 7, 2021.
The venue remains unchanged again — Air Force Station Yelahanka, according to the event site of the Ministry of Defence.

Armata Tank Field Tested in Syria

Since the tank is currently in a developmental testing phase, it is likely that its mission to Syria is considered a field trial rather than a combat mission.
Russia has used Syria as a testbed for its new combat systems since the beginning of its intervention (or as it is called ‘stabilization support’) in the Syrian Civil War.
Armata has attracted significant foreign interest reflected in a few preliminary orders.

Russian Army Receives New T-90M MBT

Upgraded variant of the T-90 was developed by the T-90 manufacturer Ural Vagon Zavod (UVZ) enterprise.
First delivered to the Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division, a unit of the Guard Tank Army deployed in the Western Region.

Features:

Improved version of the 2A46 125mm stabilized cannon.
Fire control systems borrowed from the new T-14 Armata tank.
The fire control is programmed to fire three types of rounds – High-speed Kinetic (APFSDS), HEAT-AT, and High Explosive airburst fragmentation projectile, used against soft targets and structures.
Kalina automatic target tracker and fire control computer developed for the T-14.
Independent panoramic commander’s sight with day/night channels.
Uses REFLEKS missiles whose range is 5000 m.
Many protection gears and armours.

T S Tirumurti appointed India’s Permanent Representative to the UN succeeding Akbaruddin

He was currently serving as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and was, on Wednesday, appointed as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
A 1985-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Tirumurti succeeds Syed Akbaruddin who is credited with effectively presenting India’s position on a range of crucial issues at the global body’s headquarters in New York for last several years.

Indian Navy and Air Force readying amphibious ships and aircrafts for evacuating Gulf NRIs

This evacuation will perhaps be the largest ever. It could be at least five lakh which is going to be a huge number to be evacuated by India.
Most of the people being evacuated from the Gulf countries belong to the South and the flights, or the ship will all head there straight and they will be quarantined for the mandatory 14-day period.

Kashmir Woman Shot as Police Battle Mob Seeking to Snatch Top Militant’s Body

The stone-throwing mob was seeking to prevent the body of Burhan Majeed Koka, the commander of Ansar Ghazwat’ul Hind, al-Qaeda’s regional affiliate in Kashmir, from being moved from the site of the shootout in his native village of Melhora, near Shopian in southern Kashmir.

Pakistan’s New Midget Submarine: Emerging Challenge to India in the Arabian Sea?

The development of a new midget submarine not only showcases its indigenous capability, but also shows that Pakistan is prepping its underwater warfare capability.
The midget submarine would fill a gap in protecting Karachi Port from sea-based attack. It would replace the current MG110s in service with the SSG (Navy) for operations such as frogmen operations, laying mines, and so on.

The Story of AS565 Panther Helicopter in Indian Navy

Indian Navy is interested in procuring 123 naval multi-role helicopters (NMRH) with anti-submarine warfare capabilities, and 111 armed light naval utility helicopters (NUH). The total value of the two contracts is estimated at over $10 billion.
Airbus has been proposing the Panther helicopter for the NUH programme.
The parts for the Airbus Helicopter and Mahindra contract will be produced at the Mahindra facility in Bengaluru and shipped directly to the Airbus Helicopter production line in Marignane, France, where they would be integrated with the rest of the airframe assembly, forming a critical part of the Panthers sold worldwide.

Additional Encounter News

Pakistani SC says People of Occupied Gilgit-Baltistan not given constitutional guarantees

“We don’t understand why the people of GB cannot enjoy similar protection as guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan when they are totally connected with Pakistan as they carry the same passport and use the same currency?” asked Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed.

Saluting IAF’s relentless efforts in battling COVID-19