DRDO’s Indigenous AIP System Begins STW-2 at L&T Hazira
The MoD says Setting to Work Phase-2 of DRDO’s AIP energy module began at L&T’s Hazira complex, with handover to Mazagon Dock planned for early…
DRDO
DRDO Panchi UAV: India’s Wheeled Drone and the Wankel Engine Line Behind It
The DRDO Panchi UAV flew on wheels in 2014. See how NAL’s Wankel engine grew from a 2009 test flight to private-sector supply in 2026.
Additional Scorpene Submarines: No New Boat Before 2032
Defence Analysis · Indian Navy · The Eastern Strategist Two Submarine Orders Await Cabinet Nod, and Neither Boat Sails Before 2032 Additional Scorpene submarines and…
Uttam AESA Radar Tejas Mk1A: HAL’s ₹2,205 Cr Astra Order
When Hindustan Aeronautics Limited signed off on the first 83 Tejas Mk1A fighters, it had little choice but to put an Israeli radar in the…
Super Sukhoi: Why the Su-30MKI Gets a New Name
A Su-30MKI does not become a “Super Sukhoi” by growing older. It becomes one by trading its original radar, electronic warfare suite and weapons interface…
SAT-SAAW: Inside India’s ₹811 Crore Airfield Strike Deal
SAT-SAAW: Inside India’s ₹811 Crore Airfield Strike Deal | The Eastern Strategist ₹810.79 cr Contract value · Buy (Indian-IDDM) 160 Weapons for the IAF 90–100…
South China Sea Standoff: India Vietnam BrahMos Missile Deal Nears Reality
Maritime Deterrence · Indo-Pacific Statecraft The India Vietnam BrahMos missile deal has entered its final contractual phase, transforming years of bilateral diplomatic overtures into hard…
Hypersonic Weapons Verification: Why Arms Control Can’t Keep Pace
Cold War arms control survived because rivals could verify each other’s restraint. Hypersonic weapons are quietly dismantling that verification architecture — and no one has…
Missile Technology Transfer: Why Agni, K-Series and BrahMos Stay Out
The Ministry of Defence’s missile technology transfer decision is being reported as a single exclusion. It is actually two structurally different exclusions — one rooted…
Javelin Missile Deal: India’s 16-Year Wait Ends, MPATGM Waits On
A Rs 292-crore Javelin missile deal signed on 28 August closes a 16-year procurement saga — through routine financial powers, not a fresh Ladakh crisis,…
Can Hypersonic Missiles Be Intercepted? China vs India’s BMD
Defence Analysis · Missile Technology · Markets On 27 March 1999, a Yugoslav air defence battalion did something the United States Air Force had built…
Op Sindoor, Aatmanirbharta and the Making of a Defence Exporter: What Rajnath Singh’s 18 July Address Reveals About India’s Strategic Trajectory
The Eastern Strategist India defence export growth has become a central focus for the nation’s defence establishment, which has spent the past decade building a…
Beyond the 1.78 Lakh Crore Milestone: Assessing the Structural Reality of India’s Defence Industrial Base
A month has passed since the Ministry of Defence released the FY 2026 production figures of Rs 1.78 lakh crore. While the headline numbers captured…
DRDO at the Crossroads: Can India’s Defence Lab Keep Pace with the Future of Warfare?
DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) has spent nearly seven decades at the centre of India’s military modernisation, a journey that once depended largely on…
Who Will Build the Brain of India’s Military AI?
NEW DELHI: Walk the floor at Aero India and you will hear the same litany. Engine. Stealth. Weapons. Timeline.Yet, the real battlefield transformation is happening…
India Opens Tactical Missile Production to Private Industry Under DAP 2026
NEW DELHI — India’s Ministry of Defence is expanding private-sector participation in tactical missile development and manufacturing under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2026, marking…
₹30,000 crore Drone Boom: Top Indian defence companies to Watch
Ten Indian defence companies submitted bids this week for a 300-billion-rupee ($3.6 billion) program to manufacture 87 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles…
Drone Swarms vs. DURGA II: How India is Solving the $100,000 Air Defense Problem
How DRDO’s 100kW DURGA II laser weapon is rewriting the economics of air defense and protecting India’s airspace. NEW DELHI — The Indian Ministry of…
The Great Engine Auction: AMCA
AMCA Engine Technology Transfer: Why the UK & France Outbid the US | The Eastern Strategist Strategic Feature Memorandum • June 14, 2026 The Great…
Mission Sudarshan Chakra? How India’s Latest Missile Tests Point to a New Defence Strategy
HYDERABAD — Defence Minister Rajnath Singh used the inauguration of the Advanced Weapon System Complex at Hyderabad’s Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex this week…
Countering the PLAAF’s J-20s at the LAC: Inside India’s Puttaparthi AMCA Production Hub
The defining characteristic of India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is not its radar‑absorbent material, but its transition to a quadruplex distributed digital architecture. By…
Waterline Lethality: The Strategic Logic Behind India’s NASM-SR Salvo Tests
On April 29, 2026, the Indian Navy and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) executed the maiden “salvo launch” of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile-Short…
The Software-Defined Battlefield: How AI Will Shape India’s Aerospace Future
By Major Akash Mor (Retd) Indian Army veteran | United Nations experience | Battle Casualty-Wound Medal (Parakram Padak) recipient Connect with the author on LinkedIn…
India’s Defence Export Rise Is Real. The Next Leap Will Be Harder
India’s defence exports have climbed to a record ₹38,424 crore in FY 2025–26, up 62.66% from the previous year, giving fresh weight to the question…