Mirage 2000: Indian Air Force (IAF) Headquarters is seriously considering inducting the indigenous Astra Mk 1 Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile (BVRAAM) in the upgraded fleet of Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft. This decision can play an important role in bridging the capability gap of the Air Force till the arrival of foreign next generation missiles.

Currently, the Indian Air Force’s Mirage 2000 aircraft rely on MICA IR and MICA RF missiles, whose effective strike range is said to be around 80 kilometers. According to defense sources, this range is now considered less than the long-range missile systems available with regional rivals, which may impact air combat capability.

Work continues on MICA NG

According to the report of idrw.org, European defense company MBDA is working on the next generation MICA NG (New Generation) missile, whose estimated range will be 150 to 160 kilometers. This missile has been confirmed to be compatible with India’s upgraded Mirage 2000 5 aircraft. However, its delivery is expected by the end of 2028-29, while full operational clearance may take an additional 3 to 4 years due to the testing and integration process.

Upgraded Mirage 2000 equipped with RDY 2 radar

Thales RDY 2 all-weather synthetic aperture radar has been installed in the upgraded Mirage 2000 aircraft of the Indian Air Force. This radar is capable of tracking fighter targets with 5 square meter radar cross section from a distance of 120 to 140 kilometers. Earlier Mirage variants had Thomson CSF RDM radar, but the RDY 2 is now considered more capable for multi-mode and BVR warfare. If the Astra Mk 1 is approved for inclusion in the Mirage 2000, it will require technical collaboration with Thales. With this, an accurate data link can be established between the RDY 2 radar and the Astra missile, so that the fire and forget capability and guidance of the missile remains fully effective. Astra Mk 1 has already been successfully operationalized on Su 30MKI and Tejas fighter aircraft.

Strategic benefits will come soon from indigenous option

While MICA NG may have to wait until the early 2030s for full deployment, Astra Mk 1 appears to be a timely, cost-effective and indigenous interim solution. The deployment of Astra Mk 1 with the strong detection capability of the RDY 2 radar can quickly increase the striking range and lethality of the Mirage 2000 fleet.

Self-reliant India will get a big boost

The decision to include Astra Mk 1 in Mirage 2000 will strengthen the Self-reliant India initiative. This will not only lead to widespread use of indigenous missile systems, but will also reduce dependence on foreign upgrades. Additionally, it will help keep the Mirage 2000 aircraft relevant in future challenging air combat scenarios.

Veteran Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has given a controversial statement regarding Operation Sindoor, after which a political storm has arisen. He has said that India had to face a crushing defeat on the very first day of Operation Sindoor. The Indian Air Force came to a complete standstill. Bharatiya Janata Party is enraged by his statement. BJP leader Shehzad Poonawala said that insulting the army is the identity of Congress.

What did Congress leader Chavan say?
The former Chief Minister of Maharashtra has said that the clash lasted for about half an hour on May 7. The Indian side suffered huge losses in this, whether people believe it or not. He even claimed that Indian fighter planes were shot down during this period. Not a single Air Force plane could take off.

He said that the entire truth of Operation Sindoor has not been brought before the country. Loss in war is normal. The government is hiding some facts. Where there has been a strategic mistake at the army level, it has been accepted. The government is not allowing the truth to come out.

‘Foreign media said more loss for India’

Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Chavan did not stop here, he said that the foreign media is talking about greater loss to India. Pakistan’s military strength has increased because of China. As soon as any Indian plane takes off, China gets information about it. China passes this information to Pakistan, due to which India’s surprise element is lost.

Chavan also gave his statement on ceasefire. He said that the ceasefire was done under the pressure of former US President Donald Trump. The Prime Minister is not accepting this.

BJP’s counterattack?
BJP has also attacked Congress on this entire statement. BJP has said that the Congress party hates the Indian Armed Forces. He is trying to demoralize the army.

What happened in Operation Sindoor?
Actually, 26 people were killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22. In response to this, Operation Sindoor was launched by India to destroy the hideouts of terrorists. In this attack, the bases of terrorist organizations like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba were targeted in PoK. More than 100 terrorists were killed in this.

India’s air power is about to get a new boost. The agreement between the Indian Air Force and Russia for the R-37M extremely long-range air-to-air missile has reached the final stage. According to the report of The Week, about 300 missiles will be purchased and their supply may start in the coming 12 to 18 months. These missiles will increase the firepower of Indian fighter planes manifold.

India already has BrahMos missile. After this the Indian Air Force decided to acquire R-37M missile. Its range is more than 300 kilometers, which is counted among the longest range air-to-air missiles in the world. This missile flies at a hypersonic speed of Mach 6 (7400 kmph) and can destroy enemy AWACS, tankers and high-value targets in the blink of an eye. India had used BrahMos missile during Operation Sindoor, which has a speed of 3700 kmph, which comes in the category of supersonic. From this perspective, the R-37M missile is a good option and enemy targets can be destroyed in the blink of an eye.

Explosive technology of R-37M

This missile is specially designed for large and fast fighter planes like Su-30MKI. It is equipped with an active radar seeker, which keeps the target locked till the last moment. The 60 kg powerful warhead installed in it is enough to destroy any high-value platform of the enemy.

This missile will easily fit in Su-30MKI

The Indian Su-30MKI and the Russian Su-30SM are aircraft of the same family, so there will be no need to make major changes to add the R-37M to the Indian fighter jet. Only by software upgrade in mission computer and Bars radar, this missile will start working at full capacity. Two R-37M missiles will be installed on each Su-30MKI, while missiles like Astra or R77 will be used on other fighter jets.

India’s ability to shoot down enemy AWACS will increase

The main target of this missile is the enemy’s technology, which changes the direction of the war. It can be especially useful in targeting AWACS, air-tankers, jamming platforms. R-37M will give India the power to destroy the eyes and ears of the enemy i.e. AWACS even before they enter the battlefield.

BrahMos made in partnership between India and Russia

BrahMos missile is a weapon made in partnership between India and Russia, which has attracted the attention of military forces around the world. It was named by connecting the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva River of Russia, which is a symbol of the technological unity of the two countries. Due to its speed, accuracy and reliable firepower, BrahMos is counted among the most dangerous supersonic cruise missiles in the world today.

range and capacity

BrahMos missile can be fired from all three mediums, land, sea and air, hence it can be easily included in any military operation. The current version delivers accurate strikes up to about 450 kilometres. After the new upgrade, its range is being increased to 800 kilometers, so that it can strike deep into the enemy territory. The missile flies at a speed of Mach 2.8 Mach 3700 KMPH.

Explosive power that changes the course of war

The weight of the high-explosive warhead installed in BrahMos is approximately 200 to 300 kg. It can destroy any target like bunker, military headquarters, ship or missile launch station in a few seconds.

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Floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditva in Sri Lanka have killed 132 people, 176 people are missing and 78 thousand have been displaced. Meanwhile, Pakistan sent humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, which has become a cause of international controversy. The food items and medicines sent by Pakistan to help the people of Sri Lanka have expiry date 2024 written on them.

Sri Lankan officials said that Pakistan had sent medicines, food packets and some essential items for the flood victims, many of which had expired. Sri Lanka’s disaster management and foreign affairs departments have called it a matter of grave concern and have sought a formal explanation from Pakistan.

Cyclone Ditva wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka on November 28, in which 132 people died, 176 people went missing and 78 thousand people were displaced. Amidst this disaster, Pakistan, claiming brotherhood, announced immediate assistance and on 29 November, a Pakistani Navy ship reached Colombo port carrying several tons of relief material. This includes food packets, medicines, first aid kit, dry ration, tents and other essential items.

On November 30, the Embassy of Pakistan in Sri Lanka posted a post and wrote, ‘Relief packages from Pakistan were successfully delivered to the flood affected brothers and sisters of Sri Lanka. This is a symbol of our unbreakable unity. Pakistan always stands with Sri Lanka. When Sri Lankan officials examined the goods, many packets were found to have an expiry date of 2024. Medical supplies and food items were found spoiled. After the matter came to light, the Pakistan Embassy deleted the post.

Sri Lanka’s disaster management and foreign affairs departments have expressed serious concern over this. Officials have expressed their displeasure with Islamabad both formally and informally. Officials say that when the country is going through such a dire situation, this incident has raised doubts on Pakistan’s honesty and capability in sending relief material.

On the other hand, India has allowed Pakistan to use Indian airspace to send relief material to Sri Lanka. This is an important development between the two countries after Operation Sindoor. However, earlier Pakistani media had claimed that New Delhi had refused to allow Pakistani aircraft to enter its airspace, while Indian officials said that Pakistan’s request had been processed within a few hours.

According to officials, on the same day at around 1 pm on December 1, Pakistan had given a formal request to fly in Indian airspace and after four hours it was given clearance. He said that it was processed with a minimum notice period of 4 hours.

After Operation Sindoor, India is continuously working to increase the strength of the army. In this connection, there is news of a big defense deal with Russia. in operation vermilion S-400 The spent missiles of the air defense system will also be compensated. It is being claimed that India is preparing to buy 300 missiles from Russia. More weapons may also be included in this deal.

The India-Russia deal will include long and short range missiles. India is working rapidly to increase its stock. ,The Print, According to a report by India S-500 Can also think about. However, no final decision has been taken on this. The important thing is that India is currently S-400 Focusing only on.

India may also consider purchasing Pantsir missile system

The defense deal worth more than Rs 10 thousand crore with Russia will be completed through the fast track process. These missiles are expected to be purchased in this financial year after getting approval from the cabinet. India S-400 Along with this, Russia can also consider purchasing Pantsir missile system. It proves to be very effective in dealing with the threat of drones. By combining the Pantsir system, a strong defense system can be prepared.

Indian Army showed its might during Operation Sindoor

The Indian Army had killed more than a hundred terrorists during Operation Sindoor. In response to this, Pakistani Army also took action and tried to attack India. However, every attack of his proved unsuccessful. It is claimed that during this period the Indian Army S-400 Was used a lot. Due to this many missiles of Pakistan were destroyed.

Putin is going to visit India

The important thing is also that Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to visit India in December this year. Preparations regarding this have also started. The friendship between India and Russia is decades old and strong. It will become stronger after Putin’s visit.

After Philippines, is Indonesia also going to buy supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from India? This question is because Defense Minister Rajnath has gifted a ‘replica’ of BrahMos missile to Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafri Sjamsoedin, who is visiting India.

Expressing praise after talks with Indonesian Defense Minister Sjamsoedin, Rajnath Singh said on Thursday (November 27, 2025), ‘Defense cooperation between India and Indonesia based on regional security has increased manifold in the last few years.’ The Defense Minister said, ‘During the discussions today, we had a free and frank discussion to further strengthen our defense cooperation and comprehensive strategic partnership.’

A deal worth Rs 3,877 crore is going to be made between India and Indonesia.

According to the information, India has agreed to give a loan to Indonesia from one of its own national banks for the BrahMos missile deal. It is believed that this deal for BrahMos missile with Indonesia is going to be worth about 450 million dollars (about Rs 3,877 crore).

With the help of Russia, India prepared BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in the country.

The world’s only supersonic cruise missile BrahMos has been developed indigenously by India with the help of Russia. BrahMos is India’s prime strike weapon, which is named by combining the names of India’s longest river Brahmaputra and Russia’s Moskva River. During Operation Sindoor, India successfully used the air-version of the BrahMos missile to destroy Pakistan’s airbase.

No radar in the world can intercept BrahMos.

It is believed that no radar, weapon or missile system in the world can intercept BrahMos, that is, once BrahMos is fired, no one can stop it like Brahmastra and it dies only after destroying its target.

Indonesia’s ongoing conflict with China over South China Sea

In the year 2023, India exported three batteries of anti-ship version of BrahMos missile to the Philippines. The value of this deal was around Rs 2,700 crore. Philippines has deployed these BrahMos missiles on its coast.

In fact, like the Philippines, Indonesia is also at loggerheads with China over the South China Sea. In such a situation, the BrahMos missile agreement with India holds significance. In the same year (2025), Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who came to Delhi as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, also visited the office of BrahMos Aerospace Company.

All three armies of India use BrahMos missile.

BrahMos missile is one of the few weapons (missiles) of India, which are used by the Army, Air Force and Navy. BrahMos missile has also been integrated in the Air Force’s frontline aircraft, Sukhoi.

Army’s artillery also uses BrahMos missile. Naval warships have also been equipped with BrahMos. Due to which naval ships have become more lethal and are capable of targeting from sea to land.

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A big businessman from France has said that he is Made in India and after hearing this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laughed out loud. On Wednesday (November 26, 2025), Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the world’s largest engine MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility in Hyderabad. This facility has been established by French aerospace and defense giant Safran.

During the inauguration, Safran Chairman Ross McInnes mentioned the Indian Government’s Made in India campaign and said in a light-hearted manner, ‘I am also Made in India.’ He said that his company will support India’s Made in India campaign. Opened in India is Safran’s Southern African Emergency Service Institute (SAESI), which is Safran’s dedicated MRO center for the LEAP engine.

Ross McInnes said, ‘I want to say that I am connected to India because I was born here, so I am also Made in India.’ Hearing this, PM Modi laughed out loud. During this, Prime Minister Modi said that this new facility is for LEAP engines, these engines are used in commercial aircraft. He said that this will open new job opportunities for the youth also.

PM Modi said that 300 LEAP engines will be serviced here every year and one thousand skilled Indian technicians and engineers are to be recruited in SAESI by 2035.

This is the first time that a global aircraft engine manufacturer has set up an MRO facility in India, which is a major milestone for the country’s aviation industry. The facility is spread over 45,000 square meters of GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park-SEZ and its initial investment is Rs 1,300 crore. It will be completely ready by 2035 and it will be able to service 300 LEAP engines every year.

During Operation Sindoor, the whole world saw the strength of India’s air defense systems. Pakistani Army sent 300 to 600 drones to the Indian border, but the air defense system badly destroyed each and every drone. Now India is strengthening and upgrading its air defence. On one hand, India is working on the indigenous air defense system Sudarshan Chakra like Israel’s Iron Dome and America’s Golden Dome, while on the other hand it is also looking for a modern air defense system.

In view of the increasing tension on the border and the challenges of drone attacks, the Indian Army is accelerating the search for modern air defense systems. In this context, the Oerlikon Skyshield system of the German company has emerged as a major contender. Oerlikon SkyShield is designed to deal with drones, cruise missiles, helicopters and low-flying fighter jets.

After the military conflict between India and Pakistan in May, the Indian Army is focusing on Short Range Air Defense System (SHORAD), in which the name of Oerlikon Skyshield has come up. It is capable of working in all weather conditions and can target drones, missiles and low-flying aircraft up to a range of 5 km. It can be deployed on trucks and containers in a very short time. Also its modules can be added or removed as per requirement.

Features of Oerlikon SkyShield-

• Unmanned Search and Tracking Sensor Unit: Oerlikon SkyShield is unmanned, it maintains 360 degree surveillance and can detect threats from up to 50 km away. It identifies the target and gives signal to the system.
• Command Post: It is based on the X-TAR3D radar, with Skymaster Battle Management handling the entire operation. It can take decisions within 10 seconds based on the information received from its installed radar, camera-sensors and other sources.
• Unmanned Guns: It is equipped with two 35 mm revolver guns Mk3, which can fire up to one thousand bullets every 10 minutes. These guns are completely automatic, which can hit the target without the help of any soldier.
• VSHORAD Missile System: Its open architecture enables it to integrate with short-range air defense missiles like India’s Akash-NG or QRSAM. Gun and missile together create a strong and layered defense for this.
• AHEAD Technology: In Advanced Hit Efficiency Destruction (AHEAD) technology, the bullets burst in the air and release small pieces of tungsten, which destroy the drone in mid-air. It has more than 90 percent hide rate on micro drones, whereas normal bullets have no effect on micro drones.

A Tejas fighter plane of the Indian Air Force met with an accident during the air show in Dubai, in which pilot Wing Commander Namansh Syal was killed. Even after this horrific accident, the Dubai Air Show continued. On which Captain Taylor Hiester, pilot of the F-16 fighter aircraft team of the US Air Force, has expressed surprise.

US Air Force pilot Captain Taylor Hiester said that when this accident happened at the air show, his team was preparing for its performance. He said that he was surprised to see that despite such a big accident, the air show was not canceled, but the American F-16 fighter plane team along with some others had decided to cancel the performance of their show out of respect for the deceased Indian Air Force pilot, his colleagues and family.

American pilot shared post on Instagram

When the US Air Force pilots were returning to their country from the Dubai Air Show, they shared their feelings on the social media platform Instagram. In a post shared on Instagram, Captain Hiester told about his restlessness and uneasiness. At the same time, he also criticized the organizers of Dubai Air Show for continuing the show after the accident.

Captain Hiester said, “This was a first for our team after serving in the US Air Force for two years and it happened just before performing our last show of the season. All of us, together and individually, were watching the scene after this terrible accident silently from a distance and thinking that the Indian maintenance team was standing on the ramp next to the empty parking spot, the ladder of the aircraft was kept on the ground, the pilot’s luggage was kept for hire till that time.

The air show had started again shortly after the accident.

Hiester further said, “After the fire on the plane was extinguished at the crash site, the organizers informed all the show participants that the air show would continue.” He said that his team went back, but they returned after an hour or two with the hope that they would find an empty spot, but they were very disappointed to see that the show announcer was still very excited and thrilled. Apart from this, a large number of people were enjoying the air show.

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Condoling the tragic demise of Wing Commander Namansh Syal, the Indian Air Force on Saturday (22 November 2025) said he was a ‘dedicated fighter pilot’ and a consummate professional, who had an unwavering commitment to the service of the nation and displayed extraordinary skill and unwavering devotion to duty.

Syal, a native of Himachal Pradesh, died in an accident on Friday while flying indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas during an air display at the Dubai Air Show. The Air Force shared a tribute note on social media platform ‘X’ and remembered its colleague air warrior Syal and his professional qualities.

‘He was a dedicated fighter pilot’

The post said, “We express our deepest condolences on the tragic demise of Wing Commander Namansh Syal. He died in the Tejas plane crash at the Dubai Air Show. He was a dedicated fighter pilot who was a complete professional. He had an unwavering commitment to serve the country and displayed extraordinary skill and unwavering devotion to duty.

Air Force shared two pictures of the pilot

In its post, the Air Force shared two photographs of Syal standing near a fighter plane in his Air Force uniform and pilot overalls, and also shared a video of his last farewell given to him after the tragic accident. In the video clip shared, Air Force officers and soldiers are seen paying tribute to Syal. His mortal remains were kept in a coffin wrapped in the tricolor.

The Indian Air Force deeply mourns the tragic loss of Wg Cdr Namansh Syal, who lost his life in the unfortunate Tejas aircraft accident at the Dubai Air Show.
A dedicated fighter pilot and thorough professional, he served the nation with unwavering commitment, exceptional skill… pic.twitter.com/1XytMiFWsG

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) November 22, 2025

“The Indian Air Force stands united with his family at this time of deep grief and honors his legacy of courage, dedication and honour,” the force said in the post. His service will be remembered with gratitude.

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