
New Delhi: At a time when the leak of Army chief General VK Singh's letter to the PM has raised several questions about our military preparedness, the defence expo in the capital has thrown up several ideas for modernisation. The world has made a beeline to India's capital, drawn by India's forty billion dollar defence budget. India may have picked France over Britain in a humongous deal for fighter planes....

10:42 AM, Mar 31, 2012

Hyderabad: The Boeing Co has agreed to compensate Air India $500 million for the delay in the delivery of 50 aircraft, but the state-run carrier is pushing for more, a senior official said. Air India has sought $1 billion as compensation for the three-year delay in the delivery of 50 long-range Boeing jets worth about $6 billion. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of India Aviation 2012, which began in...

07:44 AM, Mar 15, 2012

New Delhi: India has decided to buy 126 fighter jets from France, taken delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia and prepared for its first aircraft carrier in recent weeks as it modernizes its military to match China's. India and China have had tensions since a 1962 border war, and New Delhi has watched with dismay in recent years as Beijing has increased its influence in the Indian Ocean. China...

12:41 AM, Feb 09, 2012

New Delhi: Big decisions on warplane purchases by Japan and India have intensified competition in the multi-billion-dollar global market, with Western defense firms scrambling for orders in Asia and the Middle East as their home-country budgets shrivel. Growing international unease over China's military build-up and ongoing tensions between Iran and Western allies in the Gulf, coupled with the deep pockets of nations basking in high commodity prices, have sparked a...

04:46 AM, Feb 04, 2012

New Delhi: India's 1.3 million-strong armed forces, hobbled by outdated equipment and slow decision-making, are undergoing an overhaul as defence priorities shift to China from traditional rival Pakistan. And like a refit of the imposing but dilapidated Defence Ministry on Delhi's grand South Block, it's a plodding process. Defence chiefs are hurrying to modernise aging weaponry as China reinforces a 3,500-km (2,200-mile) shared but disputed border through the Himalayas. It...

11:07 PM, Feb 03, 2012

Washington: After losing out to the French, the US asserted its F-16 and F-18 fighter jets would have provided India unbeatable platforms with proven technologies, but said it had not offered India more advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF). "We are extremely confident that the F/A-18IN and F-16IN would have provided the Indian Air Force unbeatable platforms with proven technologies at a competitive price," Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr Leslie Hull-Ryde said....

03:05 AM, Feb 03, 2012

Moscow: An additional 42 Sukhoi frontline fighters will be provided to India by Russia under an agreement inked between the two sides during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit in Moscow. With this pact, the total number of acquired or contracted aircraft by India in various stages of manufacture of the frontline Su-30 MKI fighters would increase to 272. The agreement for the upgraded Sukhois was signed by Defence Secretary Shashi...

12:37 PM, Dec 17, 2011

Moscow: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left Russia for home on Saturday after concluding a three-day visit during which he attended the 12th annual Indo-Russian summit and witnessed inking of five agreements, including one for technical assistance in joint production of 42 more frontline Sukhoi-MKI 30 jets. Singh, who held talks with President Dmitry Medvedev, cleared the uncertainty over the Kudankulam nuclear power project on Friday and said the first unit...

12:26 PM, Dec 17, 2011

Washington: Just years after US resumed weapons sales to New Delhi, India has jumped to become third biggest arms purchaser from America logging contracts worth over USD 4.5 billion last year alone. Had the US firms bagged India's biggest ever deal for fighter jets, New Delhi would have been on the top spot of American arms sales worldwide, according to a Pentagon report. Even though the US firms lost the...

02:44 PM, Dec 08, 2011

Washington: US airlines sought on Wednesday to block $3.4 billion in pending taxpayer-backed loan guarantees for Air India to buy Boeing Co jetliners. The Air Transport Association, the leading US trade group for major carriers, sought an injunction in US District Court for the District of Columbia to stop financing arranged by the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The Ex-Im bank is an independent agency that finances sales of...

05:12 AM, Nov 17, 2011

Washington: The Pentagon is still interested in selling its fighter jets to India, which recently decided against it, and is seriously exploring the potential of co-development of military weapons systems with India. In a nine-page report to the Congress on Tuesday, the Pentagon acknowledged that India's recent decision not to opt for America's F-16 and F-18 for its 126-fighter jets was a setback. "Despite this setback, we believe US aircraft,...

09:07 AM, Nov 02, 2011

Melbourne: Australia's industrial tribunal on Sunday ordered an end to the unprecedented industrial dispute at Qantas that forced the country's national carrier to ground its entire fleet, hitting nearly 70,000 passengers worldwide. A day after the extraordinary decision to ground the global Qantas fleet, the battle between the world's 10th largest airline and the labour unions went before Fair Work Australia, while the government came under increasing pressure to act...

09:46 PM, Oct 30, 2011

Canberra: Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet on Saturday, suddenly locking out striking workers after weeks of disruptions an executive said could close down the world's 10th largest airline piece by piece. Australia's government called an emergency arbitration hearing that lasted nearly two hours before the judges adjourned it to issue a decision later on Saturday night. At least 60 Qantas flights were in the air and continued to their...

07:41 PM, Oct 29, 2011