Defence & Security Current Affairs July 2016
First Squadron of LCA Tejas Inducted into Indian Air Force
- Indian Air Force inducted the first squadron of home-grown light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. State-run HAL handed over the first two Tejas aircraft to IAF which will make up the Flying Daggers 45, the name of the first squadron of the LCA on June 30, 2016.
- The home-grown aircraft is equipped with a quadruplex digital fly-by-wire flight control system to ease handling by the pilot. Due to its small size and the extensive usage of carbon composits, its radar cross section is very less compared to other aircrafts like MiG-29, F-16.
- Tejas incorporates a distinctive ‘glass cockpit’ in which information is displayed real-time to the pilot. Tejas also has open architecture software for avionics, which can be updated by DRDO.
India’s First Integrated Defence Communication Network Launched
- India’s first integrated defence communication network was launched on June 30, 2016 here enabling the army, air force, navy and the Special Forces Command to share situational awareness for a faster decision-making process.
- Built by HCL under a nearly f 600 crorc project, DCN offers high quality voice, video and data services covering 111 entities spread across the country.
- It is capable of working on terrestrial as well as satellite mode of communication and has also been fixed onboard different mifitary vehicles.
Indo-Israeli MR-SAM Tested Successfully
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted test of newly developed state-of-the-art Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM) from Odisha coast on June 29, 2016.
- This most advanced missile, a variant of Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) Barak-8, has been developed by India in a joint collaboration with Israel.
- The 4.5 m long nuclear capable ballistic missile weighs around 2.7 tonnes and can carry a payload of 60 kg. Apart from the missile, the system includes a Multi-Functional Surveillance and Threat Alert Radar (MFSTAR) for detection, tracking and guidance of the missile.