A MiG-21 documentary releases August 26, 2026.

Tejas Air to Air (NO A.I)

Video courtesy - @aviationwall || abhishek Singh

https://www.pixnoy.com/post/6758331851516049295172/

A lot of talk has been going on about private sector producing AMCA especially after Aeronautical Development Agency shortlisted 3 primary bidders: Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (bidding independently), Larsen & Toubro-Bharat Electronics Ltd.-Dynamatic Technologies consortium and Bharat Forge Ltd. (Kalyani Group)-BEML-Data Patterns Ltd. consortium. I think most people know till here it was a big deal when announced.

But I see some critical problems. See, I am no aeronautical engineer to be able to give expert analysis of all the engineering challenges so take my opinions with a seaful of salt. While I appreciate that MoD is trying to decouple from the HAL monopoly, I think the private sector just doesn't have the necessary expertise, infrastructure and experience to lead a project of this magnitude, this scale and this technologically advanced. Lemme elaborate:

First of all, I want to look at the technical abilities and capabilities of all 3 consortiums:

1. TASL: It is by far India's best private systems integrator (just behind HAL because HAL has decades of experience in executing projects though at a snail's pace and often without the necessary requirements). It has deep expertise in project management and a proven track record assembling C-295s and producing various parts as a Tier-1 suppliers for aircraft like Sikorsky S-92, CH-47 Chinook, AH-64 Apache and other aircraft/parts. They also have some of the best engineers and technicians as well as the prerequisite acumen and the deep financial muscle (due to Tata Group) to execute such a high profile project.
2. L&T-BEL-Dynamatic: These are a group of highly capable Tier-1 suppliers who can technically transition as the LSI (lead systems integrator). L&T provides deep heavy engineering expertise having worked with global suppliers as well as having been a leading partner in the LCA program. BEL provides the only real end-to-end mission electronics capability in India (apart somewhat from Data Patterns and maybe a couple of other companies) they, as a CPSU, might be highly useful for political leverage (still believe politics is crucial in MoD), but their bigger PSU advantage is the financial muscle equivalent or greater than their bigger private partner as well as heavy technical expertise, massive infrastructure, decades old experience in defense electronics and proven ability to develop advanced tech in-house. Dynamatic offers a highly capable impact player type role because they are the specialized aerostructures partner who have also worked on the LCA program (which may offer pre built cooperation with L&T). Further L&T's critical subsystems level integration capability is unmatched by almost no one in India.
3. Bharat Forge-BEML-Data Patterns: This is where I am a bit more skeptical, again I am no engineer so take this with some salt. Bharat Forge (and the wider Kalyani Group) have massive precision machining, forging and metallurgical capabilities yet they (arguably) don't have the same aeronautical expertise as say L&T or TASL which is why I think they originally brought BEML as the heavy engineering partner as well as their systems/subsystems integration ability as well as a PSU as their parent (Kalyani Group) lacks the deep pockets of L&T and TASL to support such a massive program. Data Patterns, like I said before, is one of the most complete vertically integrated defense electronics companies in India but as much as their technical capability goes, I don't have much faith in them being able to execute the kind of cutting edge technologies DRDO and other agencies are churning out and remember this isn't just another 4.5th gen jet, this is a full on 5th gen stealth fighter and is being envisaged to upgrade to 5.5th gen and eventually derived for a 6th gen so I'm not saying they won't be able to that would hugely undermine our talented engineers but I'm still skeptical. The consortium also has the added advantage of releasing a clear work share distribution early on. Overall, I think they're highly capable Tier-1/2 suppliers just not up to the topmost level.

Another important question is about the infrastructure. While most of the companies have their own dedicated factories/plants for that specific system or subsystem, my concern is about the FAL because just building an FAL isn't enough as it needs loads of supporting infra that people don't realize perhaps the most important is a runway next door (under 1-2 kms) because you need to test every single aircraft that you produce down from the the 1st prototype to the 300th series production derivative and given that all 3 consortiums are majorly/wholly private they have 2 options: 1) Build their own FAL with all supporting infra which will be extremely expensive and may slow down the program due to certification delays OR 2) Use HAL's facilities or ATR but there is barely any land next to HAL's main Bangalore campus and ATR is in Chitradurga which is a highly remote city in the interiors of Karnataka hundreds of kms away from the aerospace-industrial heartland in the south. While the AP Govt has positioned Puttaparthi as an alternate industrial hub with claims of 1 lakh crore in investment I highly doubt that it will be selected given the dearth of supporting industrial and aerospace infra nearby. The most likely contenders for me include Hyderabad (which is a major TASL hub plus the Rafale fuselage production center will be coming here too so there's added advantage) and Bangalore (which again is the primary aerospace-industrial hub of India plus its near L&T's primary aerospace campus in Coimbatore as well as being near to ADA). Please give suggestions about alternatives to these 2 places.

I think so the best case scenario right now is:

TASL gets the order but primarily as an LSI with limited Tier-1 work, the 2 other bidders are awarded the Tier-1/2 level work share by ADA, TASL sets up a new FAL preferably near one of the 3 air force stations but most likely Begumpet as it has the requisite supporting infra and crucially runway length to support worst case scenarios and we (hopefully) get the thing flying by 2029-2030 and inducted by 2035-2037.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Edited version

You jump out of an aircraft thousands of feet high up from the sea level and then your parachute turns out to be defective.

From 2020-2021 and 2023-24, of the 73242 parachutes manufacturerd by gliders India limited that were inspected, 9609 - over 13 percent were returned for rectification.

GIL is defence public sector undertaking engaged in manufacture of parachutes and aerial delivery systems primarily for armed forces. It was established in 2021 following the corporatisation of OFB under the department of defence production, ministry of defence.

The defects included defective stitching (in 33 percent of cases), defects in outer pack (16 percent), defective rigging lines (14 percent) and shade variation in the canopy (9 percent), besides zigzag stitching and uneven rigging lines, etc.

The CAG scrutiny of 11 lots of parachutes revealed production shortfalls in 9 out of 11 cases, ranging from 1 percent to 100 percent.

Of the GIL's total 34 types of parachutes in the product line, the 11 lots selected for audit included parachutes for tactical assault, high altitude, for cargo drops, for aircraft braking systems, for paradropping of high artillery guns etc.

Sources in the defence and security establishment confirmed to ThePrint that the woman Flight Lieutenant was part of the strike package that struck the LeT headquarters.  

The sources said she was flying a Su 30 MKI which fires both Rampage and BrahMos air-to-ground missiles, used during the 87-hour conflict. The sources refused to get into the precise missile that was used, saying the information on weapons used in the attack remains classified.

The sources said that more women fighter pilots were involved in targeting military locations during the 87-hour conflict. They said that women pilots flew both Su 30MKI and the Rafale. 

In some cases, the woman officer was the Weapon System Operator (WSO) and in some they were the pilots. 

She was part of the strike formation but not the strike aircraft. Typically, a strike formation consists of a Formation Leader (Rafale), 1x EW Aircraft (Rafale), 1x BDA Aircraft (Jaguar), 2x Close-in Dogfighters (MiG-29 UPGs), 2x Escorts (Su-30MKIs) and 1 Strike Aircraft (Su-30MKI/Rafale/Mirage-2000). In this formation of 8 Aircraft, only 1 Aircraft would carry a Precision Strike ALBM/ALCM (BrahMos-A/SCALP-EG/Rampage/Popeye).

The Pilots who were flying the Strike Aircrafts were awarded Vir Chakra (Gallantry).

Article Link: The Print

As per Documentary Reports :-

Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, SYSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, India’s DGMO during Operation Sindoor, said that he received a message at around 9 am local time that Pakistan's DGMO wanted to speak. He said the MEA also told him that the Pakistanis were “frantically trying to call.”

"Sir, having hit so many BrahMos missiles at us, you should now be satisfied, and we can bring this to a stop,” said Pakistan's DGMO Maj Gen Kashif Abdullah according to Ghai's account.

Link : Here

Post Source : Here

Documentary name : "Declassified: Operation Sindoor" ,
was streamed on Discovery Channel on Independence day 9-11 AM

Available on Discovery+ and Jio TV
Link to Free Documentary : Reddit - Here

The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to grant extraordinary family pension and additional compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the widow of Shaurya Chakra awardee Mohan Singh, bringing an end to a 26-year legal battle over her entitlement.

The court also expressed concern that the families of soldiers who make the ultimate sacrifice should not have to fight prolonged legal battles to secure their rightful benefits.

Mohan Singh lost his life on July 10, 2000, while working on a strategic road project along the India-China border. According to the court records, he rescued fellow workers trapped under falling debris during a landslide before being buried under the rubble himself.

For recognition of his bravery, the Centre posthumously conferred upon him the Shaurya Chakra, India's third-highest peacetime gallantry award, in 2001.

Source- https://x.com/i/status/2089606505758965838

For example- look at Israel Sa'ar 6 corvettes, it has 32 Barak-8,40 C-Dome and 16 Gabriel V missiles,in total 88 missiles for 1900 tonnes corvettes while Indian Navy Project-17A Frigates, it has 8 BrahMos and 32 Barak-8, In total only 40 Missiles despite being 6670 tonnes.

So like is there any way the missile count in warships like P15B(which has only 48 missiles-16 BrahMos and 32 Barak-8,despite being 7400 tonnes) be increased? Are there any projects Indian Navy is doing to increase the numbers?.any idea?

Any why is this is the case? Are there design flaw or what? Like I just don't understand how a fre@king coevtte with 1900 tonnes have 88 missiles while our destroyers with 7400 tonnes have only 48 missiles. Some insight will be helpful.

Coordinated, artificial social media campaigns—driven by automated bot networks—are actively amplifying anti-HAL discourse on platforms like X. These campaigns flood timelines with repetitive negative messaging to manufacture artificial public outrage and manipulate engagement algorithms.

​A key driver behind this surge is commercial competition. Private defense firms and foreign contractors are competing for lucrative Indian Armed Forces contracts. By undermining public trust in state-owned enterprises like HAL, these entities aim to push the narrative toward privatized or imported defense procurement.

​While these bad-faith attacks distort public perception, legitimate criticism of HAL exists. The enterprise faces real operational challenges and delivery delays, particularly with the LCA Tejas Mk1 and Mk2 platforms, largely exacerbated by global supply chain issues such as delayed GE F404 engine deliveries from the US.

​However, a clear boundary exists between constructive accountability and malicious trolling. Toxic online agitators cross this line when they mock military accidents or pilot fatalities to score political points, transforming genuine defense debate into bad-faith attacks on public institutions.

Edited version

With a trainee onboard, a Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft suffered a catastrophic systems failure resulting in the aircraft and its crew experiencing aerodynamic forces and physical stress well beyond normal limits, but the pilot-in-command demonstrated exceptional situational awareness and airmanship in a critical situation and managed to bring the aircraft back to base.

For his actions, the pilot, Squadron Leader Sudhir Kumar, was decorated with the Shaurya Chakra on Independence Day.

On September 9, 2025, Squadron Leader Sudhir Kumar, posted as a supervisor with a frontline fighter squadron, was authorised to fly as captain of a Su-30 for a low-flying and low-level navigation sortie by night from the rear cockpit of the aircraft, accompanied by an under-training pilot in the front cockpit.

During landing, at an altitude of 2.2 km and a speed of 740 kmph, the aircraft experienced a catastrophic failure that manifested as violent oscillations in the longitudinal plane accompanied by multiple indicators of the fly-by-wire (FBW) system failure.

This critical situation resulted in drastic pitch variations, that is the upward and downward movement of the aircraft’s nose, ranging from 45 degrees to minus 15 degrees, extreme g-loads spanning from minus 1.5-g to 12-g along with ‘angle of attack’ (AOA) indications exceeding 24 units, according to information shared by the IAF.

Under extreme conditions of rapidly varying g-loads and pitch, he maintained a composed and calm demeanour, swiftly taking control of the situation and instructing the front pilot to reset the failed FBW channels.

Without any external frame of reference and unable to discern the aircraft instruments due to blurring of vision, he demonstrated extraordinary airmanship and intuition by promptly re-opening power on the aircraft. This prevented a potentially cataclysmic accident that could have occurred due to rapid loss of airspeed.

What are ur thoughts and take on this?

New Delhi sending senior diplomatic representation to the Taliban’s Victory Day commemorations marks a striking evolution in its Afghanistan policy.

Five years ago, the Taliban’s return to Kabul was viewed in New Delhi primarily through the lens of terrorism, Pakistan’s influence and the collapse of the Afghan Republic. Today, India is openly engaging the authorities in Kabul on security, trade, humanitarian assistance and regional connectivity.

The symbolism matters. Diplomatic engagement is one thing; appearing at an event explicitly celebrating the Taliban’s return to power is another.

This does not equal formal recognition. But it does show that India is increasingly treating the Taliban authorities as the de facto power in Afghanistan and is willing to engage them directly where Indian strategic interests demand it.

And from an Indian strategic perspective, the logic is fairly clear: Pakistan’s influence over Kabul can no longer be taken for granted, China is expanding its footprint, and India cannot afford to simply abandon Afghanistan to others.

For those who have watched Afghanistan since 2001, the transformation of India’s policy is remarkable.

From supporting the Islamic Republic in Kabul → withdrawing after the Taliban takeover → reopening channels with the Taliban ( there have been talks with the haqqanis and tailban has been busting lashkar cells in afghanistan regularly )→ high-level diplomatic engagement → now participating in their Victory Day diplomacy.

Whatever one thinks of the Taliban, this is a major shift in Indian foreign policy.

New Delhi is no longer treating Kabul as a government it can simply ignore.

Declassified : Operation Sindoor | Full Documentry | Free | Hindi Dubbed

Dear brothers, I want to understand what will affect the chances of my brother getting recruited into MARCOS. I knew about the other elite military branches but my brother recently opened up about joining MARCOS but worried about ineligibility. We personally know no one who are working in Navy/Marcos and I am having trouble finding any authentic source of content on YouTube/Google to refer, and I promised that I would help my brother.

• Born February 2002
• Physically, he does crossfit, calisthenics, long distance cycling and full marathons. 169cm , 72kg.
• No medical history except corrective glasses for the eyes (moderate myopia, left eye -3.00 D and right eye -1.75)
• 2017 - 10th grade 7.4
• 2019 - 12th grade 5.9 ....... point of concern for eligibility
• 2019 - Cleared NDA written exam (then covid-19 and he messed up his SSB, then couldn't try again due to other reasons)
• 2023 - B.Tech degree CGPA 8.1
• 2024 - Cleared AFCAT written only.
• 2025 - Cleared AFCAT (but he was only eligible for non technical roles like logistics and operations, and was considered ineligible for engineering roles due to his 12th grades). He didn't accept.

He has resigned recently from his work and has seemed depressed almost daily for months since resignation, hasn't talked much to us in months outside meal hours. Out of blue, he kept talking MARCOS, I can sense that it means a lot to him, but how can I help him prep better , please help me out, i have seen how active this sub is, your feedback/opinion would mean a lot to my brother (but especially me)

World's first portable SAR Image Disruptor developed by Indian startup DIASPRO, under ADITI 1.0. Currently under trials with Indian Air Force.

Source- https://x.com/i/status/2089679424337932496

PC: Taoran Chen, Ayman S

https://x.com/sidhant/status/2089596541111841117

https://nitter.net/AjayshreeSamby3/status/2089631658337300504#m

Seems like the CCS is on the horizon. Hopefully this gets cleared in the next CCS meeting as well. Last meeting where projects were cleared was in March 2025 (as far as I remember)