Defence Current Affairs for UPSC
Every Defence story from the daily editions, newest first, each in short with why it matters for Prelims and Mains.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Counter-drone air defence: MoD signs BEL contract for LLLR-I low-level radars
The Ministry of Defence on 21 October 2026 signed a contract worth about Rs 770 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for Improved Low Level Light Weight Radars (LLLR-I) for the Army. The Ministry says the radar detects and tracks fighter-size targets and mini and micro drones and prioritises aerial threats, to counter unmanned aerial systems.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
HTT-40 basic trainer and the IAF's pilot-training pipeline
Why in news: On 21 October 2026 officials said HAL had handed over the first three HTT-40s to the IAF, the first delivered in Bengaluru on 18 September.
The Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) is a tandem-seat, fully aerobatic turboprop basic trainer built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the first stage of Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot training. It is in the news as deliveries have begun, though officials say full training operations may take up to two years to begin.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Central Industrial Security Force moves to sector-based commands from 1 November
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will replace its territorial sectors with sector-specific sectors from 1 November 2026, in a reorganisation approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs. New sectors will cover power, coal, steel, petroleum and natural gas, the west and east coast ports, and government buildings, monuments and metro systems. Airport and atomic-energy-and-space sectors stay unchanged.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Navy commissions INS Samarthak, first major warship from a private shipyard
The Indian Navy commissioned INS Samarthak, the first of its Multi-Purpose Vessels (MPVs), at Naval Base Karwar in Karnataka on 16 October 2026. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) built it at Kattupalli near Chennai; the Ministry of Defence calls it the first major warship built by an Indian private shipyard. It is the first of two ordered.
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DefencePrelimsGS2
Indian Ocean maritime security: IFC-IOR, IPMDA and MAHASAGAR
India's Indian Ocean security rests on shared maritime domain awareness: the Navy-hosted Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at Gurugram, set up in 2018, pools data on shipping with partner nations under the SAGAR and MAHASAGAR visions. In May 2026, Quad foreign ministers welcomed India running IPMDA's Indian Ocean programme through IFC-IOR.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Hypersonic missiles: glide vehicles, scramjet cruise missiles and India's tests
Why in news: South Korea flight-tested its first indigenously developed hypersonic glide vehicle on 8 October 2026, five days after a North Korean hypersonic missile test.
A hypersonic weapon flies at Mach 5 or faster and can manoeuvre in flight. A glide vehicle is boosted by a rocket and then glides; a cruise missile is driven by an air-breathing scramjet. India's DRDO is building a scramjet cruise missile. South Korea's first indigenous glide vehicle test on 8 October 2026 revived the subject.
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DefencePrelimsGS2
Theatre commands and jointness in India's armed forces
Why in news: A Department of Military Affairs letter to a Rajya Sabha MP, reported on 15 October 2026, outlines integrated logistics for the planned theatre commands.
A theatre command places the Army, Navy and Air Force units of one region or function under a single commander, while each Service keeps raising, training and sustaining its forces. India's planned integrated theatre commands still await a government decision. A Department of Military Affairs letter, reported on 15 October 2026, says joint logistics are being built for them.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
India's military space: GSAT-7 satellites, Defence Space Agency, Mission Shakti
Why in news: On 15 October 2026 the Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 2,563 crore contract with NewSpace India Limited for the Air Force's GSAT-7C satellite.
India's military space capability rests on the GSAT-7 series of dedicated communication satellites for the Navy, Army and Air Force, the Defence Space Agency raised in 2018-19, and DRDO's 2019 anti-satellite test, Mission Shakti. On 15 October 2026 the Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 2,563 crore contract with NewSpace India Limited for the Air Force's GSAT-7C.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
MoD contracts indigenous GSAT-7C satellite for IAF, Varunastra torpedoes for Navy
The Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth about Rs 4,106 crore on 15 October 2026 for GSAT-7C, a dedicated communication satellite for the Indian Air Force, and Varunastra heavyweight torpedoes for the Indian Navy. NewSpace India Limited, Bengaluru, holds the Rs 2,563-crore satellite contract and Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad, the Rs 1,543-crore torpedo contract.
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DefencePrelimsGS2
India leads IBSAMAR IX naval exercise with Brazil, South Africa
The ninth India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise (IBSAMAR IX) opened on 12 October 2026 at Naval Base Simon's Town, South Africa, with India as lead nation and South Africa as host. INS Tarkash, carrying a Chetak helicopter, joined Brazil's corvette BNS Barroso and four South African vessels, including the submarine SAS Manthatisi.
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DefencePrelimsGS2
India hosts first ASEAN-India Defence Think Tank Forum in New Delhi
The first ASEAN-India Defence Think Tank Forum opened in New Delhi on 14 October 2026, with participants from all eleven ASEAN member states. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India is ready to explore cooperation with ASEAN partners on patrol vessels, radars, air-defence systems, helicopters and drones, according to each country's needs.
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DefencePrelimsGS2
Indian Navy to end first command of CMF's Combined Task Force 154
The Indian Navy is scheduled to hand over command of Combined Task Force 154 (CTF 154), the training arm of the 47-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), at Manama, Bahrain, on 14 October 2026, completing its first command of a CMF task force. Personnel from 39 countries logged over 7,800 training hours in the tenure, per the Ministry of Defence.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
India, Czech Republic agree to widen defence industrial cooperation
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Czech First Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček agreed in New Delhi on October 13, 2026 to expand defence industrial cooperation, including under the India-Czech Joint Defence Committee, to promote Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Both sides welcomed existing joint ventures. No new contracts or projects were announced.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
IAF's Tarang Shakti 2026 ends at Jodhpur with seven partner air forces
The second edition of Exercise Tarang Shakti, the Indian Air Force's multinational air exercise at Air Force Station Jodhpur, closed on 12 October 2026 after running from 26 September. Air forces of seven countries, including the United States, France and Bangladesh, flew alongside the IAF, and 32 nations sent observers. India fielded the indigenous LCA Tejas and LCH Prachand.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Anti-submarine shallow water craft: Navy commissions third Cochin-built ship, INS Mangrol
Cochin Shipyard Limited is building eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft to hunt submarines in India's coastal waters. The third, INS Mangrol, was commissioned at Naval Dockyard Mumbai on 12 October 2026. It carries the Abhay hull-mounted sonar, lightweight torpedoes, an anti-submarine rocket launcher and the Mareech torpedo decoy. The Navy puts its indigenous content above 80%.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Project Seabird: the Karwar naval base and its phases
Why in news: On 8 October 2026 the Chief of Defence Staff inaugurated housing and utility works of Project Seabird Phase IIA at Naval Base, Karwar.
Project Seabird is the Indian Navy's programme to build a major naval base at Karwar, in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka on the Arabian Sea coast, for basing ships and submarines. Its ongoing Phase IIA adds a dual-use Naval Air Station and a Naval Dockyard. On 8 October 2026 the Chief of Defence Staff inaugurated Phase IIA housing and utilities.
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DefencePrelimsGS2
INS Sahyadri reaches Vladivostok for India-Russia naval exercise INDRA 2026
Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri reached Vladivostok, Russia, on 10 October 2026 for Exercise INDRA 2026, a bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Russian Federation Navy from 13 to 18 October. A harbour phase comes first, followed by coordinated operations at sea. The Ministry of Defence tied the deployment to India's MAHASAGAR vision.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Defence self-reliance: DAC, DAP 2020, indigenisation lists and corridors
India's drive for defence self-reliance rests on buying Indian first: the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 ranks indigenously designed equipment highest, positive indigenisation lists end imports of notified items after set dates, and iDEX and the Technology Development Fund back new technology. Defence production reached a record ₹1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26, the Government said on 14 August 2026.
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DefencePrelimsGS2
The Kargil War of 1999 and India's higher defence reforms
In the Kargil War of May–July 1999, Pakistani forces crossed the Line of Control to seize heights above the Srinagar–Leh highway, and India evicted them through Operation Vijay without crossing it. The Kargil Review Committee set off reforms that eventually produced the Chief of Defence Staff in 2020. The 27th Kargil Vijay Diwas fell on 26 July 2026.
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DefencePrelimsGS2
India, UK navies hold Exercise KONKAN-26 off Plymouth
The Indian Navy and the Royal Navy are holding Exercise KONKAN-26, their annual bilateral maritime exercise, off Plymouth, United Kingdom, from 8 to 15 October 2026. Frigate INS Trishul has arrived for it. Its sea phase covers air, surface and sub-surface drills. The Defence Ministry links it to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the India-UK Vision 2035.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Navy's Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel 'Shreyas' launched at GRSE, Kolkata
Yard 3040 'Shreyas', a Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (NGOPV) for the Indian Navy, was launched at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, on 10 October 2026. Eleven NGOPVs of about 3,000 tonnes are on order since March 2023: seven from Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and four from GRSE. Their roles include maritime surveillance, search and rescue and anti-piracy.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Coast Guard's SAREX-2026 rehearses mass air-sea rescue off Paradip, Odisha
The Indian Coast Guard held SAREX-2026, the 12th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise, off Paradip, Odisha, on October 8. It simulated a passenger aircraft carrying 228 people ditching at sea and striking a container ship, causing damage and fire. Fifteen Coast Guard ships, Indian Navy ships and Indian Air Force aircraft took part, with 32 observers from 30 countries.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Defence Ministry eases industry access to DRDO and military test ranges
The Defence Ministry on October 7 announced a revised Standard Operating Procedure, approved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, for Indian defence industry to use its proof ranges, field firing ranges and test facilities. Testing charges are waived for iDEX, Technology Development Fund and Make projects. A three-day quarterly slot is reserved at proof ranges, and conciliation replaces arbitration for disputes.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Navy's first Fleet Support Ship, FSS-1, launched at Visakhapatnam
FSS-1, the first of the Indian Navy's Fleet Support Ships, was launched at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, on 6 October 2026, with Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh as chief guest. The keel of the fifth ship, FSS-5, was also laid. Designed and built in India with over 82% indigenous content, the ships will replenish warships at sea.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Defence Ministry signs ₹661.5-crore BrahMos fire-control deal under Buy (Indian-IDDM)
The Ministry of Defence on October 6, 2026 signed a ₹661.50-crore contract with BrahMos Aerospace for BrahMos fire control systems and launchers for Indian Navy ships. The order falls under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category and carries a minimum of 68% indigenous content. BrahMos is the Navy's primary surface-to-surface missile system for maritime strike.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
DRDO's Advanced High-Altitude Parachute makes maiden live jump at Nyoma, Ladakh
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said on October 6, 2026 it had conducted the maiden live jump of its Advanced High-Altitude Parachute (AHAP) at the Nyoma (Mudh) drop zone in Ladakh. The jump began at 16,000 feet, the canopy deployed at 15,500 feet and landing was at 13,700 feet. AHAP is a static-line system for mass paratrooper drops.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
HAL Koraput delivers 2,000th aero-engine; second Shakti line announced
HAL's Koraput division at Sunabeda delivered its 2,000th aero-engine on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, witnessed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. He announced that annual AL-31FP engine capacity will rise from 30 to 50 for ₹335 crore, and a second ₹218-crore Shakti engine line will serve Dhruv and Prachand helicopters. He called propulsion mastery essential for self-reliance.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
IAF needs 36-40 fighters a year, says Air Chief A P Singh
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said on October3 that the IAF needs36–40 fighters annually to prevent squadron strength falling below30 and move towards the sanctioned42. He said the proposed114-Rafale MRFA acquisition was in price negotiations and could be finalised by the current financial year's end if the process progresses as planned. He also discussed indigenous aircraft and missile development.
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DefencePrelimsGS2
INS Sahyadri and Kulish conclude AIME 2026 in the Philippines
INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish have concluded their participation in the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME 2026), held in the Philippines under the theme 'Anchored in Trust, United at Sea'. After a Harbour Phase of planning and professional exchanges, the two ships joined Sea Phase drills in disaster relief, boarding operations, underway replenishment and helicopter casualty evacuation.
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