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

Divyanshu Pandey
March 31, 2023
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In the Monthly Defence current affairs for March 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.

CNS Adm R Hari Kumar reviewed 1st ever POP of 2585 Agniveers (incl 272 women) of the Indian Navy, who passed out from the portals of INS Chilka, Odisha, post sunset on 28 Mar 23, in presence of FOC-in-C, SNC VAdm MA Hampiholi.
The POP marks, not only the successful culmination of 16 weeks of their ab- initio rigorous naval training but also the start of a new voyage in the Indian Navy, where men and women will work together to make the Indian Navy a Combat Ready, Credible, Cohesive and Future Proof force.
Khushi Pathania awarded Gen Bipin Rawat the trophy for best woman Agniveer at the first passing out parade of Agniveers at INS Chilka. The 19-year-old from Pathankot is the granddaughter of a Subedar Major and the daughter of a farmer. Has opted for the aviation branch.

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Ministry of Defence, on March 07, 2023, signed contracts with HAL & L&T for procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft & three Cadet Training Ships respectively in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
On March 01, 2023, approved the procurement of 70 HTT-40 trainer aircraft from HAL at a cost of over Rs 6,800 crore.
The Cabinet had also cleared the signing of a contract with L&T for the acquisition of three Cadet Training Ships from L&T, worth more than Rs 3,100 crore under the Buy {(Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)} category.
These ships will cater to the training of officer cadets, including women, at sea after their basic training to meet the future requirements of the Indian Navy. The ships would also provide training to cadets from friendly countries with the aim to strengthen diplomatic relations.
The ships will be indigenously designed, developed and constructed at the L&T shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai. The project will generate employment of 22.5 lakh man-days over a period of four-and-half years.

IAF participated in Exercise Shinyuu Maitri with the Japan Air Self Defence Force.
The exercise was organised on the sidelines of the Indo-Japan Joint Army Exercise, Dharma Guardian, which is being conducted from 13 February 2023 to 02 March 2023 at Komatsu, Japan.
The IAF contingent participated in Exercise Shinyuu Maitri 23 with one C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.
The Exercise was conducted on 01 & 02 March 2023.
The first phase of the exercise consists of discussions on transport operations and tactical manoeuvring, followed by the second phase of flying drills by IAF’s C-17 and JASDF C-2 transport aircraft.

Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar assumed the appointment of the Vice Chief of the Army Staff on 01 March 2023.
The General officer has taken over the appointment from Lieutenant General BS Raju who has taken over the reins of Jaipur-based Sapta Shakti Command.
In a major stride towards the ‘Make-in-India’ in the defence sector, the Ministry of Defence has received a proposal from Indian Army to buy 307 Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems for deployment along the borders with China and Pakistan.
The proposal worth over USD 1 billion has been received from the Indian Army and is under discussion. It is expected to be cleared soon and sent for clearance by the Cabinet Committee on Security.

An Indian Para SF operator testing out the jet back that’s being showcased by Gravity Industries in Agra.
It’s to be noted that the Indian army has plans to procure 40-50 jet packs for its special forces operators.
Each jet pack costs 4-5 crores.
The Indian Army had issued a request for proposal (RFP) to procure 48 jet pack suits under emergency procurement through the fast track procedure (FTP) under the buy Indian category in January.
Considered to be a game-changer, the equipment can go for 10 kilometres. “The individual will have the weight of engines and battery, which is roughly around 50 kgs,” the company had said.

A maiden joint military exercise b/w the Indian and French armies was conducted at the Pangode Military Station here.
Titled FRINJEX-23, the joint military exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability, coordination and cooperation b/w both forces at the tactical level.
“The exercise is unique in its concept and participation with the largest ever contingent being fielded by the Thiruvananthapuram-based Indian Army troops and the French 6th Light Armoured Brigade,” it said.
The theme for the exercise is based on “Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations in a Contested Environment”, the statement said.

INS Trikand participated in the International Maritime Exercise/ Cutlass Express 2023 (IMX/CE-23) held in the Gulf region from 26 Feb to 16 Mar 23.
She exercised with participants from over 50 nations and international maritime agencies with the common aim of enhancing maritime security and keeping sea lanes in the region safe for maritime commerce.
IMX/CE-23 is one of the largest multinational maritime exercises in the world. While this is Indian Navy’s maiden IMX participation, it also marks the second occasion where an Indian Naval ship participated in an exercise conducted by the CMF. Earlier, on Nov 22, INS Trikand had participated in the CMF-led Operation Sea Sword 2.

The Indian Air Force has selected Group Captain Shaliza Dhami to take over command of a frontline combat unit in the Western sector.
Group Captain Dhami was commissioned in the year 2003 as a Helicopter pilot and has over 2800 hours of flying experience. A Qualified Flying Instructor, she has served as Flight Commander of a Helicopter Unit in the Western sector.
Having been commended by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief on two occasions, the officer is presently posted in the Operations branch of a frontline Command Headquarters.

Ministry of Defence, on March 10, 2023, signed a contract for the procurement of six Dornier-228 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at a cost of Rs 667 crore.
The aircraft was used by IAF for Route Transport roles and communication duties. Subsequently, it has also been used for training transport pilots of the IAF. The present lot of six aircraft will be procured with an upgraded fuel-efficient engine coupled with a five-bladed composite propeller.
The aircraft is ideally suited for short-haul operations from semi-prepared/short runways of the North East and island chains of India. The addition of the six aircraft will further bolster the operational capability of the IAF in remote areas.

The 10th Edition of India – Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Forces Military Training Exercise Khanjar commenced on 07.03.2023 at Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan.
The collaborative training reinforced the existing link between India and Kyrgyzstan, which has grown over years of mutual respect for strategic autonomy, democratic ideals, and zero tolerance for terrorism.
India and Kyrgyzstan recently held a joint Special Force Military Exercise called the “Khanjar”.
The Khanjar exercise is held annually between India and Kyrgyzstan since 2011.

Indian Navy’s major Operational level exercise TROPEX for the year 2023, conducted across the expanse of IOR over a duration of four months from Nov 22 – Mar 23, culminated this week in the Arabian Sea.
The overall exercise construct included the Coastal Defence exercise Sea Vigil and the Amphibious Exercise AMPHEX.
Together, these exercises also witnessed significant participation from the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and the Coast Guard.
Set in the Indian Ocean including the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the theatre of operations for the exercise extended approximately 4300 nm from North to South upto 35 deg South Latitude and 5000 nm from the Persian Gulf in the West to North Australian coast in the East, spanning an area of over 21 million square nautical miles.

Colonel Geeta Rana has taken charge of an independent field workshop in a forward and remote location in eastern Ladakh, the officials said, adding that the officer is the latest in a series of women officers who have been selected for command roles.
She is from the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME).
Rana’s appointment comes after the army, at February-end, began assigning women officers to command roles for the first time, outside the medical stream.
Rana comes from an army background. She is the daughter of a junior commissioned officer from the Mahar Regiment. She trained at the Chennai- based Officers’ Training Academy and was commissioned into the army in 2000.
In her 23-year military career, she has served in different places including Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir. Rana has also served as an instructor at an EME training establishment.

Global defence aerospace player Lockheed Martin and Indias Tata Group have inked an agreement for the production of fighter plane wings at their joint venture Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Ltd (TLMAL) in Hyderabad.
According to Lockheed Martin, the MOU envisions the production of 29 fighter wing shipsets, with an option of additional shipsets, with deliveries commencing in 2025.

Indian Navy’s indigenously built guided missile frigate, INS Sahyadri participated in the MPX with French Navy ships FS Dixmude, a Mistral Class Amphibious Assault Ship and FS La Fayette, a La Fayette Class Frigate, in the Arabian Sea on 10 – 11 March 2023.
The exercise witnessed a wide spectrum of evolutions at sea which included cross-deck landings, boarding exercises and seamanship evolutions. The seamless conduct of the exercise reaffirmed the interoperability and high level of cooperation between the two navies.
INS Sahyadri is fitted with state–of–the art weapons and sensors, which makes her capable of detecting and neutralizing air, surface, and sub-surface threats.
The ship is a part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam, under the operational control of FOCinC (East).

In a major success for the indigenous industry, the Indian Navy is going to place orders for acquiring more than 200 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles which would be equipped on all the frontline warships of the maritime force.
The Indo-Russian joint venture company has recently carried out test firings of the missile with a high level of indigenous content and is also going to equip the missile with an indigenous seeker too.
The missile system has made significant advancements in the last few years after the Indo-Russian joint venture company increased its strike range from 290 km to more than 400 km.
The indigenous content in the missile system has also been increased and many of its systems have been upgraded and indigenised to increase the participation of Indian industry and manufacturers.

“Indian Army’s Chetak Corps conducted Exercise Chetak Chaukas focusing on planning, preparation, familiarisation & updation of the database with all stakeholders to strengthen Rear Area Security,” Indian Army’s South Western Command officials said.
Earlier in the day, the Indian Army’s Desert Corps carried out tactical floatation to validate operational parameters under an all-arms combat simulation. This was carried out besides coordinating & refining numerous Battle Drills, said officials.

The 3rd edition of the multilateral exercise La Perouse was conducted in the Indian Ocean Region from 13 to 14 March 2023. This edition witnessed the participation of personnel, ships and integral helicopters of the Royal Australian Navy, French Navy, Indian Navy, Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force, Royal Navy and the United States Navy.
The biennial exercise La Perouse was conducted by the French Navy and is aimed at enhancing maritime domain awareness and optimizing maritime coordination among the participating navies in the Indo-Pacific Region.
Indigenously built guided missile frigate INS Sahyadri and fleet tanker INS Jyoti participated in this edition of the exercise. Participation of the Indian Navy in the exercise showcased the high levels of synergy, coordination and inter-operability between the friendly navies, and their commitment to a rules-based international order in the IOR.

The Singapore Army and Indian Army participated in the 13th edition of Exercise Bold Kurukshetra, a bilateral armour exercise from 06-13 March 2023 at Jodhpur Military Station, India.
For the first time in the exercise series, both armies participated in a command post Exercise, which involved Battalion and Brigade level planning elements and computer wargaming.
Hosted by the Indian Army, the exercise involved soldiers from the 42nd Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment and an Armoured Brigade of the Indian Army.
First conducted in 2005, this exercise underscores the strong and long-standing bilateral defence relationship b/w both countries.

India remained the world’s top arms importer, but its imports declined by 11% b/w 2013-17 and 2018-22, according to a report. The decline was linked to a complex procurement process, efforts to diversify arms suppliers and attempts to replace imports with local designs, the report said.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said the five largest arms importers in the world during 2018-22 were India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia and China.
The five largest arms exporters were the United States, Russia, France, China and Germany.
The report said that imports by Pakistan, the world’s eighth-largest arms importer during 2018-22, increased by 14 %, with China as its main supplier.
It said France’s arms exports increased by 44 % between 2013-17 and 2018- 22 and most of these were to countries in Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East.
The report said India received 30 per cent of France’s arms exports during 2018-22 and France displaced the US as the second-largest supplier of arms to India after Russia.
It said the United States share of global arms exports increased from 33 to 40 per cent, while Russia’s fell from 22 to 16 per cent.
The report said three of the top 10 importers during 2018-22 was in the Middle East — Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt.
Saudi Arabia was the world’s second-largest arms importer during 2018-22 and received 9.6 per cent of all arms imports in the period, it said.

A successful flight test of the power take-off (PTO) shaft was conducted on the LCA Tejas in Bengaluru on Tuesday, the defence ministry said. The PTO is critical equipment that transmits power from the aircraft engine to the gearbox.
The ministry said the maiden successful flight- test of the 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 the realisation of complex high-speed rotor technology which only a few countries have achieved,” it said. The PTO shaft is indigenously designed and developed by the Chennai-based Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment of DRDO.

Indian Coast Guard Region (North-East) conducted 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 – participated 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.

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.

Indian Navy Forces, and Royal Saudi Naval Forces on Thursday met in Mumbai and gave the 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.

India 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.
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.

President Droupadi Murmu presented the President’s Colour to INS Dronacharya in Kerala’s Kochi. military, economic and commercial interests.
The President said that maritime strength remains critical to India’s strategic,
She appreciated the entire team of the Indian Navy, Cochin Shipyard Limited and everyone associated with the journey of INS Vikrant and said that India is proud of the brave men and women of the Indian Navy for serving the nation with distinction and dedication.

Armies of 25 African countries attended the India-Africa Chiefs Conclave in Pune on March 28. In the two sessions from the Indian side, the participants, including senior officials from the MOD and MEA & the Services, as well as ex-Servicemen, will also attend the conclave.
“The first session will explore the key pillars of India Africa Defence Partnership. The second session will focus on Indian Defence Industry’s Outreach to Africa. Eminent speakers from Africa will form part of the panel discussion”.
Along with the India-Africa chiefs’ conclave, the second iteration of the Africa- India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX) will also be held from March 21.
Indian Naval Ship SUMEDHA made a port call at Port Said, Egypt on 16th March 2023. The indigenous New Gen Offshore Patrol Vessel has several exchanges and also undertakes joint exercises (PASSEX) with the Egyptian Navy.

‘Androth’, the second of the 08 x ASW Shallow Water Craft (SWC) Project, being built by M/s GRSE for Indian Navy was launched on 21 Mar 23 at M/s GRSE, Kolkata. The ship made her first contact with the water of the Hooghly River at the Launch Ceremony presided over by VAdm Dinesh K Tripathi, FOC-IN-C (West).
The ship has been named Androth to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Androth, located about 170 Nm northwest of Kochi, in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep.
The ASW SWC ships will have over 80% indigenous content, thereby ensuring that large-scale defence production is executed by Indian manufacturing units, generating employment and capability enhancement within the country.

Konkan 2023, the annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy, was held from 20 to 22 Mar 23 off the Konkan coast in the Arabian Sea.
INS Trishul, a guided missile frigate, and HMS Lancaster, a Type 23 guided missile frigate, participated in this edition and undertook multiple maritime drills to enhance interoperability and imbibe best practices.
The exercise yielded excellent training value to personnel of both navies. A high level of professionalism and enthusiasm was also evident during its conduct.

The defence ministry signed two contracts worth over Rs 3,700 crore with BEL for radars and receivers, which will enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force.
Ministry of Defence, Bharat Electronics Limited signed a contract worth over Rs 1,000 crore to procure a modern radio system
BEL signs deal worth Rs 3,102 crore to bolster IAF’s future warfare capabilities

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