Defence Current Affairs Questions 2018 [All Months]

If you are looking for latest defence news and current affairs for your competitive exam and interview preparation, we have listed a brief major defence events in 2018- 2017 which you can go through within few minutes. Latest defence current affairs questions are given for all months from January 2017 until Feb 2018. These defence related questions will help you in the upcoming defence exams like NDA, CDS, AFCAT and other competitive exams in India. This Defence current affairs PDF will provide you an insight into current affair events related to national and international defence. Defence current affairs Ebook is linked at the end of this article, you can download it free of cost.

Defence Current Affairs Questions 2018 – 2018 [All Months]

Defence Current Affairs January 2017

• Israeli Air Force Receives First Anti-Missile Interceptors for Arrow 3 System
• SF launches operation ‘SardHawa’ at Rajasthan border
• Pakistan Navy Receives Two Ships From China to Ensure Security along Gwadar Port
• NS Khanderi, Second Scorpene Class Submarine Launched in Mumbai
• Chinese Navy Commissions Sophisticated Ship CNS Kaiyangxing into its Fleet
• Guided Pinaka Rocket Successfully Test-Fired by India
• Indian Navy’s Theatre Level Exercise, TROPEX 17 Begins
• INS Vikramaditya Becomes India’s First Warship to Have ATM Onboard
• China Commissions its 31st Stealth Warship
• Guided Pinaka test fired successfully again
• Pakistan Successfully Conducts First Flight Test of N- Capable Ababeel Missile
• Whatsapp helpline Luanched by Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat launches to Address grievances of Army personnel
• Indian Navy Issues RFI to procure 57 Carrier-Borne Fighter Jets
• India Successfully Test Fires Agni IV Ballistic Missile off Odisha Coast. Agni IV is a two-stage solid-propelled, surface-to-surface ballistic missile which is designed to carry a payload of 1-tonne up to a distance of 4,000 km.
• Pakistan Successfully Test-Fires Submarine-Launched Nuclear-Capable Missile. The missile Babur-3 which was fired from an underwater, mobile platform, hit the target with precise accuracy.
• Indian Army conducted trials of Indigenous Artillery Gun System Dhanush in the Himalayas
• Ministry of Defence to Set up Rs 1500 cr Defence Unit in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh
• Reliance Defence Signs Contract with Ministry of Defence to Construct 14 Fast patrol Vessels for Indian Coast Guard

Defence Current Affairs February 2017

• China tests missile DF-5C with 10 nuclear warheads
• Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence & Surveillance System Launched in Mumbai
• Multinational Naval Drill Aman-17 Begins in Karachi
• 2017 Cobra Gold Exercise Begins in Thailand
• India Successfully Test-Fires Home Grown Interceptor Missile in Odisha coast
• INS Sarvekshak Becomes India’s First Ship to be Installed with Solar Power System
• Sailboat INSV Tarini Inducted into Indian Navy on 18 February 2017
• Fast Patrol Vessel of Indian Coast Guard Ship ICGS AYUSH Commissioned at Kochi
• Pakistan Army Launches Military Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad to Eliminate Terrorism

Defence Current Affairs March 2017

• India Successfully Test-Fires Indigenously Developed Supersonic Interceptor Missile
• Navy successfully test-fires anti-ship missile from Kalvari submarine
• DRDO Hands Over 3 of its Developed Products Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) SWATHI, NBC Recce Vehicle, NBC Drugs to Indian Army
• Indian Navy’s Oldest Warship INS Viraat, Decommissions on March 6 After 30-Year Service
• Vice Admiral Girish Luthra Commissions INS Tillanchang at Karwar
• South Korea and United States Begin Annual Military Drill Foal Eagle
• India to train Myanmar Navy to boost strategic cooperation under the ‘Act East’ policy
• Indo-Nepal joint Military exercise ‘Surya Kiran-Xi’ begins in Uttarakhand
• Joint Military Exercise AL NAGAH-II Begins Between India-Oman in Himachal Pradesh
• India Successfully Conducts Maiden Tests of Extended Version of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile
• Pakistan successfully test-fires land based anti-ship missile
• Three New Naval System To Indian Navy By DRDO i.e. 1USHUS –II SUBMARINE SONOR. 2. DIRECTING GEAR FOR HULL-MOUNTED SONAR ARRAY, 3. INTERNAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR SHIP APPLICATION
• Indian Navy Conducts Successful Test-Firing of Surface-to-Air Barak Missile from INS Vikramaditya
• INLCU L51 commissioned into Indian Navy at Port Blair
• De-Induction Of Indian Navy’s TU142M Aircraft and Induction of Boeing P8I Into INAS 312

Defence Current Affairs April 2017

• India Mongolia Military Exercise Exercise Nomadic Elephant- XII kicks off in Mizoram
• US conducts successful field test of new B61-12 nuclear bomb
• Coast Guard decommissions ICGS Varad after 27 years
• Nepal and China to Conduct Sagarmatha Friendship
• Joint Indian-French naval exercise ‘Varuna’ begins at the Mediterranean Sea
• INS Chennai dedicated, Chennai to become hub of Naval activities
• Navy successfully tests land-attack BrahMos supersonic missile
• IAF Inducts Su-30 MKI into Frontline 221 Squadron
• Joint operational doctrine for army, navy, air force unveiled
• India successfully test-fires Agni-III ballistic missile

Defence Current Affairs May 2017

• INS Ganga placed in non-operational category
• Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system now operational in South Korea
• Indian Army successfully test-fires advanced Block-III version of Brahmos cruise missile
• India test-fires Agni-II ballistic Missile from Wheeler Island, off Odisha coast
• Cordon and Search Operations (CASO) reintroduced as part of counter-terror ops in Kashmir
• Indian Navy Decommissions Minesweepers – INS Karwar and INS Kakinada
• Bilateral exercise between Indian Republic of Singapore Navy Simbex 17 commences
• 29th India- Indonesia Co-Ordinated Patrol (Corpat) Commences
• Philippines, US begin smaller-scale joint military exercises
• “Jordan, US launch major military exercises “Eager Lion”
• India’s INS Tarkash marks ‘UK India Year of Culture’
• Joint Hadr Exercise commences at Naval Station Karwar
• Indian Army gets its first two modern artillery gun M777 Ultra Lightweight Howitzer artillery guns from BAE Systems, US almost 30 years after BoforsFor Current Affairs

Defence Current Affairs June 2017

• Prithvi-II missile successfully test-fired from Odisha
• India successfully test-fires 1st all weather tracked-chassis Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM)
• Indian Warships reach Australia to take part in Bilateral Maritime Exercise AUSINDEX-17
• DRDO successfully test fires anti-tank guided missile ‘Nag’ in desert ranges of Rajasthan

Defence Current Affairs July 2017

• Indo-Thai joint military exercise Ex Maitree 2017 begins in Himachal Pradesh
• Trilateral Malabar exercise begins in Chennai
• NATO military drills in Eastern Europe begin in Bulgaria
• China-Russia naval exercise Joint Sea 2017 begins in Baltic Sea.
• Australia and US test-fires multimillion hypersonic missile – Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation Program (HIFiRE)
• US Navy tests world’s first Laser Weapons System LaWS
• GRSE hands over 2nd LCU Mark IV vessel to Indian Navy
• World’s largest supercarrier USS Gerald R Ford commissioned in USA
• Reliance Defence launches first two naval patrol vessels Shachi and Shruti
• Muntra – country’s first unmanned tank, rolls out from the Chennai lab

Defence Current Affairs August 2017

• Sri Lankan Navy commissions India-built AOPV
• Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Shaurya’ commissioned in Goa
• First tri-service “Indra” exercise to be conducted by India and Russia in Oct 2017
• IMMSAREX: India, China to join Indian Ocean exercise in November
• Defence acquisition council (DAC) approves Army to Get 6 Apache Attack Helicopters in Deal worth Rs 4,168 Crore
• Central govt approves nearly Rs.32k crore plan for boosting Coast Guard capabilities
• Ministry of Defence approves delegation of Powers to Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
• Jagdish Mukhi commissioned IN LCU L52, Second Ship of Landing Craft Utility into the Indian Navy at Port Blair
• US-South Korea begin annual “The Ulchi Freedom Guardian “military
• Indian student develops Nano Missile for Indian Army
• Arun Jaitley hands over Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) to Indian Navy jointly developed by India and Israel
• Coast Guard ship ‘Varuna’ decommissioned
• American Ship USS Pearl Harbor arrived India as part of Defense cooperation
• Government approves first phase of Army reforms of recommendations of Shekatkar Committee with an aim to increase “teeth to tail ratio”

Defence Current Affairs September 2017

• India hands over off-shore patrol vessel Varuna to Sri Lanka
• India and Sri Lanka begin Joint Naval Exercise SLINEX 2017 at Visakhapatnam
• Joint India-Nepal army exercise begins in Saljhandi, Nepal
• Ashok Leyland, ELCOM ink defence pact with Russian firm
• Swedish defence giant Saab, Adani join hands for defence manufacturing
• DRDO successfully flight tested Anti Tank Guided Missile – NAG
• SpaceX launches US Air Force’s super-secret mini-shuttle
• Reliance Energy launched digital assistance robot-ELEKTRA
• In accordance with the India’s ‘Act East Policy’, two Indian Naval Ships departed for deployment to East and South-East Asia.
• Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharam flags off INSV Tarini at INS Mandovi
• “Sweden hosts huge war games exercise “Aurora” with NATO
• China, Pakistan air forces launch joint exercise Shaheen VI
• IAF completes development trials of Astra air-to-air missile Astra – Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile (BVRAAM) were successfully
• Indigenous artillery gun Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) sets new record in range – 48KM
• Indian Naval units of Western Naval Command on Long Range Deployment
• IDF, US Army inaugurates first American military base in Israel
• India & US armies begin ‘Yudh Abhyas 2017’ military exercise in Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington
• Iron Union 5: Joint military exercise of US and UAE started in Abu Dhabi
• Joint Sea-2017: China, Russia joint naval drills in Russian port city, Vladivostok
• Exercise Panda-Kangaroo 2017: Chinese, Australian conducted 1st joint drills in China
• Turkey hosts NATO naval exercise” Dynamic Monarch”
• Indian Navy commissions INS Tarasa, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft at Mumbai
• New interceptor boat V-409 launched
• DRUZBA 2017: Pak, Russia holds joint military drill in Minralney Vody, Russia
• Pakistani Navy successfully tests anti-ship missile
• Coast Guard commissions 2 high speed interceptor boats

Defence Current Affairs October 2017

• Mitra Shakti 2017: India-Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise held in Pune
• INS Satpura, Kadmatt participates in Passage Exercise in Japan
• Sixteen planes of the Indian Air Force performed breathtaking landings and touch-and-go manoeuvres on a stretch of the Lucknow-Agra Expressway today. A 35,000 kg C-130J Super Hercules aircraft landed first with Garud Special Forces commandos to secure the landing zone as part of the drill.
• Defence Ministry to raise three new tri-service agencies 1. Defence Cyber Agency 2.Defence Space Agency 3.Special Operations Division
• INS Kiltan commissioned into Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam.
• 4th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus to be held in Philippines
• INDRA 2017: First tri-services military exercise between India-Russia begins
• All-women crew of Navika Sagar Parikrama expedition reaches Fremantle.
• Sri Lankan Coast Guard commissions OPV SURAKSHA gifted by India.
• 27 October: Infantry Day.
• Indian Navy approves new mission-based deployment plan.
• Indian Army finalises plan to modernise weapons.Around 7 lakh rifles, 44,000 LMGs and nearly 44,600 carbines will be acquired for infantry modernisation.
• OPV Vikram: L&T hand overs first defence vessel built in private shipyard to Coast Guard.

Defence Current Affairs November 2017

• Indra-2017: Joint Indo-Russia Tri-Services Exercise successfully conducted.
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) clears mega project to acquire 111 helicopters for Indian Navy.
• Indian Army releases Integrated Quarter Master Package Software Application.
• PRABAL DOSTYK 2017: Indo – Kazakhstan Joint Exercise begins.
• Smart Anti Airfield Weapon: DRDO successfully tests light weight glide bomb Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW).
• India offers to share real-time maritime data with 10 Indian Ocean littoral states.
• NIRBHAY Sub-Sonic Cruise Missile successfully flight tested.
• CATOBAR: India Navy to use US aircraft launch system in ship.
• EX BLUE FLAG-17’ kicked off along with air forces from nine countries – the largest aerial exercise ever held by the Israel Defense Forces. For the first time, the Indian Air Force or IAF is participating in Blue Flag 2017.
• Indian Army will soon get new generation, state-of-the-art tanks called the Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV), numbering over 1700, to replace the ageing Soviet-era T-72 tanks.
• Indian Air Force’s ‘flying daggers’ squadron expected to shift from Bengaluru to Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore.
• Joint Indo-Bangladesh Training Exercise SAMPRITI 2017 was culminated at Counter Insurgency & Jungle Warfare School, Vairengte in Mizoram.
• The Governments of Odisha and neighboring West Bengal conducted joint security exercise named ‘Sagar Kavach’ to further tighten the existing coastal security mechanism along the 630 km long coastline.
• The first India-Myanmar Bilateral Military Exercise 2017 (IMBAX 2017) was held at Joint Warfare Centre at the Umroi Joint Training Node in Meghalaya.
• The 42nd World Congress of the International Committee of Military Medicine (ICMM) was held in New Delhi. It was organised by Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), Ministry of Defence (MoD).
• The Defence of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Exercise (DANX-2017) was conducted under aegis of Andaman & Nicobar Command from 20 to 24 November 2017.
• The world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was successfully test fired from Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet for the first.
• The Union Defence Ministry has approved procurement of 260 Software Defined Radios (SDR), a naval communication sets for Indian Navy at cost of Rs. 490 crore to ramp up surveillance on the high seas.
• The 2017 International Multilateral Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (IMMSAREX) was held under the aegis of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in Bangladesh from November 26 to 28,  2017.
• Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted the Regional Level Marine Oil Pollution Response Exercise named ‘Clean Sea-2017’ at sea off Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
• India and Singapore have signed Bilateral Agreement for Navy Cooperation that will allow Indian Navy ships logistical support, including refueling at Singapore’s Changi Naval Base located near disputed South China Sea (SCS).

Defence Current Affairs December 2017

• Indian Navy Day is observed every year on 4 December to celebrate achievements and role of the naval force to the country. This year is 46th Navy Day.
• The Combined Military exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior- 2017’ between India and the UK was held at Mahajan Field Firing Range near Bikaner of Rajasthan. It was third joint military exercise between India and UK. The first exercise was conducted in 2013 at Belgaum, Karnataka and second exercise was held in 2015 in UK.
• The Surface to Air Missile (SAM) AKASH was successfully tested with indigenous radio frequency seeker against target UAV Banshee. It was successfully launched from Launch Complex-III at ITR Chandipur.
• South Korea and United States have launched Vigilant Ace, their largest-ever joint aerial drills. The exercise comes after North Korea tested Hwasong-15, its most advanced and powerful Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) as part of its weapons programme.
• The Indian Armed Forces Flag Day is observed every year on December 7 to honour the soldiers, airmen and sailors of India who fought on the borders to safeguard country’s honour.
• Godrej Aerospace has won order from BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. (BAPL) for supply of additional 100 units airframe fuel management systems for BrahMos Air-Launched Cruise Missile. Godrej Aerospace is unit of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. It has been associated with BrahMos since 2000 and most recently it had completed supply of its 100th airframe for the missile.
• The eight edition of India, Maldives bilateral military exercise EKUVERIN 2017 was held in India in Belagavi, Karnataka. The aim of the exercise was to conduct military training between armies of both countries with emphasis on counter insurgency, counter terrorism operations (CICT Ops).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commissioned scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari into the Indian Navy in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is first of the six Scorpene-class submarines built under the strategic Project 75 built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) with assistance and technology transfer from France’s DCNS. The commissioning comes days after Indian Navy observed the golden jubilee of its submarine wing.
• Indian Navy in collaboration with Sri Lankan counterpart has successfully completed second phase of joint oceanographic survey conducted off the South Western Coast of Sri Lanka. The Indian side has handed over the survey charts to the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy. The survey had commenced in October with the arrival of Indian Naval Ship Sutlej in Sri Lanka.
• The Southern Command of Indian Army conducted major army exercise called ‘Hamesha Vijayee’ in deserts of Rajasthan from December 16 to 22, 2017. The purpose of the exercise was to evaluate capability of armed forces to strike deep into enemy territory in an integrated air-land battle.
• An Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) named ICGS Sujay was recently commissioned into Indian Coast Guard (ICG). It is sixth and last in the series of six 105m OPV built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Limited for ICG.
• The 11th edition of Naseem-Al-Bahr (Sea Breeze) 2017 Naval exercise between India and Oman was held at Said Bin Sultan Naval Base, Wudam in Oman.
• Indigenously developed Prithvi Advanced Air Defence (AAD) supersonic interceptor missile was successfully test-fired from a test range in Chandipur in Odisha. It is capable of destroying any incoming ballistic missile in low altitude.

Defence Current Affairs January 2018

• The Defence Ministry has given its final approvals for the procurement of 131 Barak missiles for Indian Navy and 240 precision-guided munitions (PGM) for Indian Air Force (IAF) together estimated at Rs.1,714 crore. The proposals were cleared by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. It is a regular procurement through the revenue expenditure.
• China has successfully developed new underwater surveillance network to help its submarines get stronger lock on targets while protecting nation’s interests along maritime Silk Road, which also includes Indian Ocean. The project is part of unprecedented military expansion fuelled by China’s desire to challenge United States in world’s oceans.
• On January 10, 2018, the Corps of Army Air Defence celebrated its 25th raising day. Corps of Army Air Defence is one of the active corps of Indian army tasked with protection of Indian air spaces from enemy aircrafts and missiles, specially below 5000 feet.
• The Union Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved procurement of P-8I Training Solution for Indian Navy and Low Intensity Conflict Electronic Warfare System (LICEWS) for Indian Army at total cost of Rs 2419.32 crore.
• Indian Navy has decommissioned INS Nirbhik and INS Nirghat warships at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai (Maharashtra), after a glorious 30 and 28 years respectively in the service of the nation.
• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned a state-of-the-art patrol vessel at Karaikal in the Union Territory of Puducherry. It was commissioned by Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy. With the commissioning of the Coast Guard station at Karaikal now has five vessels.
• The biennial search and rescue exercise between Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Japan Coast Guard (JCG) was held near Chennai, Tamil Nadu in Bay of Bengal. This was eighth such in series of ‘National Maritime Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise’. Ships and aircraft of Coast Guards from India and Japan, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force (IAF) and National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) took part in it.
• China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy has commissioned Rizhao, a new missile frigate, in a naval port in Dalian, China. It is China’s indigenous missile frigate named after Rizhao city in Shandong Province of China.
• Indigenously developed long-range surface-to-surface Agni-5 ballistic missile was successfully test fired successfully from Abdul Kalam Wheeler Island, Odisha.
• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has cleared procurement proposal of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,895 carbines on fast track basis for Rs 3,547 crore.
• Alpha Design Technologies Ltd. has signed Rs. 45-crore deal with Ministry of Defence to supply indigenous simulators for gunnery and missile firing from BMP II vehicles to Indian Army.
• The second indigenously built offshore patrol vessel (OPV) named built by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Shipyard for Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was launched at Kattupalli Shipyard, Tamil Nadu. It is expected to be inducted into service by September 2018 after trials on the equipment.
• Indian Navy has launched Scorpene submarine INS Karanj at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), Mumbai, Maharashtra. It the third Scorpene class submarine built by MDL under ambitious Project 75 of the Indian Navy.
• The India-Vietnam Bilateral Army Exercise (VINBAX-2018) was conducted at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. It is the first military exercise between the two countries. The six day-long military exercise (from January 29 to February 3, 2018) was conducted as part of joint training undertaken with friendly foreign countries by Indian Army.

Defence Current Affairs February 2018

• The Maratha Light Infantry celebrated 250 years of its existence on 4 February 2018. The first battalion of regiment was raised as ‘Second Battalion Bombay Sepoys’ on this day in 1768.
• State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for first time has successfully flown home-made 5.8-tonne Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) with its own automatic flight control system. The 20 minute maiden flight of the multirole copter was flawless with the engagement of the flight control system throughout.
• Indigenously developed short-range nuclear capable ballistic Agni-1 was successfully test-fired from mobile launcher located at Integrated Test Range of Dr Abdul Kalam Island (Wheeler Island) off the Odisha.
• The Chief of US Air Force, General David L Goldfein flew a sortie in indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. With this he became first foreign military chief to fly Tejas aircraft. He was accompanied by Air Vice Marshal AP Singh as a co-pilot during the short flight.
• China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has commissioned its new generation J-20 fourth-generation stealth fighter into combat service. With this, China became second country in world to commissioned domestically developed stealth aircraft after United States.
• The Union Ministry of Defence (MoD) has constituted 13-member Raksha Mantri Advisory Committee on Ministry of Defence Capital Projects (RMCOMP).  It will be headed by former secretary Vinay Sheel Oberoi.
• Indian Army is contributing approximately 2300 personnel to support United Nations Peacekeeping Missions to South Sudan & (UNMISS) in order to bring peace and normalcy in the war-torn country.
• The Indian Navy has unveiled the Integrated Automatic Aviation Meteorological System (IAAMS) at INS Garuda, naval air station located in Kochi, Kerala. It is overall fourth air station installed with this integrated system.
• Tri-service maritime exercise ‘Paschim Lehar’ was held off India’s western coast with an aim to build interoperability between Indian Navy, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Coast Guard.
• The Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Defence Minister has approved capital acquisition of 7.4 lakh assault rifles, 17,000 light machine guns, 5,719 sniper rifles and Mareech advanced torpedo decoy systems for Indian Navy worth Rs. 15,935 crore. DAC is Defence Ministry’s highest decision-making body on procurement.

Defence Current Affairs July 2018

• The Union Ministry of Defence has sanctioned construction of 17 new baffle firing ranges at various Military Stations, Cantonments, Training Establishments. The proposed baffle shooting ranges can facilitate firing from 300 to 500 meters.
• Indigenous fighter aircraft Tejas of No 45 Squadron (The Flying Daggers) of Indian Air Force (IAF) has formally commenced operations from Sulur Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu. With deployment of Tejas, its squadron ‘Flying Daggers’ took up active wartime role towards safeguarding national skies.
• India and Bangladesh have agreed to institute Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) as an annual exercise between navies of two neighbouring countries. The first edition of CORPAT between two navies was inaugurated by Indian Navy’s Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba during his visit to Bangladesh. The aim Navy Chief’s visit was to consolidate bilateral defence relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.
• Six global aircraft manufacturers have responded Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Request for Information (RFI) to supply 110 fighter aircrafts to replace its ageing fleet of MiG-21s and MiG-27s, which are being phased out of service. Of the six bids received, Lockheed Martin F-16 and SAAB Gripen are single-engine fighters, while Dassault Rafale, Boeing F-18, Eurofighter Typhoon and United Aircraft Corporation MiG-35 are twin-engine fighters.
• State-owned defence electronics company Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saab for jointly marketing L-Band 3D air surveillance radar (RAWL-03) which is co-developed by the companies. Saab is Swedish aerospace and defence firm that serves global market with world-leading products, services and solutions in military defence and civil security.
• Indian Army has singed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with State bank of India (SBI) on Defence Salary Package. It is revised version of first MoU between SBI and Indian Army signed in 2011 and was renewed again in February 2015 to add suited requirements of serving soldiers, pensioners and families.
• DRDO has successfully test-fired supersonic cruise missile under extreme weather conditions, as part of the service life extension programme for Indian Army. The missile was fired from a mobile autonomous launcher from the Integrated Test Range at Balasore, Odisha.
• Indian Army is going to resume trials of US-made M777 ultralight howitzer in the Pokhran firing range, Rajasthan. During the trails local ammunition will be used and tentatively 100 to 150 rounds will be fired. The trials will begin after they were suspended in September 2017 following a barrel burst caused by faulty ammunition during firing.
• The 19th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas was celebrated across India on 26 July 2018 to commemorate the success of Operation Vijay and remember brave sacrifice of Indian soldiers during 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil War.
• Indian Air Force (IAF) for first time will participate in multinational air exercise Pitch Black – 18 (PB-18) in Australia hosted Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It will be three week multi-national large force employment exercise (27 July to 17 August 2018) conducted from RAAF Base Darwin and RAAF Base Tindal.
• Two types of indigenously built high-power multi-fuel engines V-46-6 and V92S2 were handed over to Indian Army for first time under Make in India. These engines were manufactured by Engine Factory Avadi (EFA), a unit of Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
• Indian Army has awarded Rs. 100-crore contract for 81 high mobility 10×10 vehicles to India’s leading vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland. This is for first time Indian vehicle manufacturer will deliver heavy duty, high mobility vehicles for the launchers. This will reduce dependency on imports.
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman approval proposal for acquisition of 8 Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs) for Indian Coast Guard at an approximate cost of Rs 800 crore. It also approved platform specific guidelines for procurement of Naval Utility helicopters. Similar guidelines for the other categories will be issued soon. DAC is Defence Ministry’s highest decision-making body on capital procurement of Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force).
• India is in talks with United States to procure National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System-II (NASAMS-II), an advanced air defence system at $1 billion to defend National Capital Region (NCR) from aerial attacks. The proposal is in Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) stage now which was approved by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has approved implementation of Strategic Partnership guidelines. It is considered as major step towards boosting private sector participation in domestic defence manufacturing. The policy had come into effect in May 2017 but progress was delayed due to lack of specific guidelines.

Defence Current Affairs August 2018

• China successfully tested its first cutting-edge hypersonic “waverider” flight vehicle (aircraft) Xingkong-2 (Starry Sky-2). Waverider is flight vehicle that flies in atmosphere and uses shockwaves generated by its own hypersonic flight with air to glide at high speed. Currently, United States and Russia have been carrying out similar experiments.
• Joint military exercise Maitree 2018 between Indian Army and Royal Thai Army was conducted in Thailand from 6 to 19 August 2018. It contributed immensely in developing mutual understanding and bonhomie between armies of both countries in order to counter terrorism.
• The projects for defence industrial corridor in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh were launched recently by Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. It was launched as part of the Union Government’s efforts to develop specialised zones dedicated to defence production in the state.
• Indian Navy has launched Operation Madad, major rescue and relief operation in flood-hit Kerala. Indian Army also has launched Operation Sahyog to rescue people in flood-hit Kerala. Both operations will support rescue and relief efforts of civil administration and National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF).
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman approved procurement of six indigenously designed and manufactured Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPVs) for Indian Navy. DAC is Defence Ministry’s highest decision-making body on capital procurement of Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force).
• Iran has unveiled Fateh Mobin (Bright Conqueror) next generation short-range ballistic missile capable of striking targets on land and sea. The missile has successfully passed its tests. It was unveiled as part of Iran’s thrust to further boost its defence capabilities at time of rising tensions with United States.
• Israeli Navy has announced to procure multi-purpose Barak 8 missile defence system, jointly developed by India and Israel. It will be used by Israeli Navy’s Sa’ar-6 corvettes to expand its operational capabilities of Israeli navy, including defence of Israel’s territorial and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and strategic facilities from diversified threats.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his addresses to the nation on occasion of 72nd Independence Day from Red Fort announced that permanent commission will be granted to serving women officers of armed forces. Henceforth, women officers who have been selected through Short Service Commission (SSC) in defence forces will now have option to take up permanent commission (PC).
• Indigenously developed Helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) ‘HELINA’ was successfully flight tested from Indian Army Helicopter at Pokhran range. The weapon system was tested for its full range.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully tested indigenously developed light weight glide bomb Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW) dropped from an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft. Total of three tests with different release conditions and ranges were conducted at Chandan range near Pokhran in Rajasthan.
• Joint platoon level military exercise Maitree 2018 between India and Thailand was conducted in Thailand from 6 to 19 August 2018. It was platoon level exercise between Indian Army and Royal Thai Army that comprised of infantry component.
• Pitch Black – 18 (PB-18), biennia multinational air exercise hosted by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) concluded recently Darwin, Australia. It was the largest Pitch Black ever conducted by Australia, which saw participation of 16 nations and more than 140 aircraft, the current edition.
• Indian Airforce has formally launched The Stores, Proactive, Efficient and Expeditious Despatch of Extra Size/ Wt Consignment (SPEEDEX) contract. It was concluded in June 2018 between with Balmer Lawrie & Co Ltd and Ashok Travel and Tours for air and surface component respectively.
• Iran has unveiled first domestically manufactured fighter jet nicknamed Kowsar. It was unveiled at defence show held in the capital city of Tehran.
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Peace Mission 2018 was held in Chebarkul, Russia. Military contingents of the all eight SCO member nations (China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, India and Pakistan) participated in this exercise. The exercise was aimed at enhancing cooperation between member states to deal with growing threat of terrorism and extremism. It was for first time since independence, India and Pakistan simultaneously took part military exercise, though armies of two rival neighbouring countries had earlier worked together in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions.
• Indian Air Force (IAF) launched Trans-Himalayan Mountain Terrain Biking Expedition (THE MTB) as part of its celebration of 86th Anniversary on 8 October 2018. The expedition was started on 17 Aug 2018 from Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) in Ladakh for Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh. DBO and Kibithu are two forward most outposts of India in North and in East with DBO being highest airfield in the world located altitude of 16614 feet.
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved procurement of 14 Vertically Launched Short Range Missile Systems. Of these, 10 systems will be indigenously developed and remaining four will be imported. These missile systems will help boost self-defence capability of ships against anti-ship missiles. DAC is Union Defence Ministry’s highest decision making body on capital procurement of Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force). It is chaired by Defence Minister.
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved procurement 24 anti-submarine capable multi role helicopters to enhance capability of Indian Navy at sea. This approval will allow Government to sign contract US based aviation giant Lockheed Martin for purchasing 24 MH-60R helicopters for Indian Navy.
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has approved procurement of 111 utility helicopters for Indian Navy at cost of over Rs 21,000 crore. DAC is Union Defence Ministry’s highest decision making body on capital procurement of Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force).
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved procurement of 150 indigenously designed and developed 155 mm Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems for Indian Army at approximate cost of Rs 3,364.78 crores. This procurement will further quest for modernisation of Armed forces.
• Russia is going to conduct Vostok-2018 (East-2018) military exercise in central and eastern Russian military districts from September 11 to 15, 2018. It will be biggest war games ever conducted by Russia since Zapad-81 (West-81) exercise conducted by erstwhile Soviet Union in 1981 which had seen involvement about 100,000 to 150,000 troops.
• India’s only aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya for the first time will be fitted with marine hydraulic system to boost the air operations of the ship. It will be fitted with two marine hydraulic systems whose technical terms go by “GS-1MF” and “GS-3”.
• Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri has reached Port of Darwin, Australia to participate in multilateral regional maritime exercise KAKADU 2018 conducted by Australia. The ship was earlier deployed in South China Sea and Pacific Ocean for over four months and had represented Indian Navy in multinational exercises MALABAR 18 at Guam and RIMPAC 18 at Hawaii.
• India has inked $346 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance Karnataka State Highways Improvement III Project (KSHIP-III) for improvement of over 400 km of state highways in Karnataka. This will help in enhancement of connectivity and access to economic centres across 12 districts in Karnataka.

Defence Current Affairs September 2018

• India, Kazakhstan joint army exercise KAZIND will be conducted between Indian and Kazakhstan Army in Otar region, Kazakhstan from 10 to 23 September 2018. This will be third joint military exercise between two countries which have history of extensive cooperation in defence arena. The second edition of the exercise was held in India in 2017.
• Ukraine has launched annual joint military exercise named Rapid Trident with United States and other NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) member countries. The exercise will place in western Ukrainian village of Starychi from September 2 to 15, 2018. Its main goal is to practice countering armed aggression in conditions of the hybrid war. It is being conducted week before Russia holds its biggest military exercise Vostok-2018 since Cold War, in eastern part of the country and with participation of China and Mongolia.
• Cyient Solutions & Systems Pvt. Ltd has bagged order from Indian Army to supply SpyLite mini UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) systems for high altitude aerial surveillance. Cyient Solutions & Systems Pvt. Ltd is joint venture between IT firm Cyient and BlueBird Aero Systems of Israel.
• American security and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has entered into an agreement with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) to manufacture wings of its F-16 fighter jets in India. Producing F-16 wings in India will support Central Government’s flagship ‘Make in India’ programme and strengthen Lockheed Martin’ strategic partnership with TASL.
• State-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has bagged order worth Rs. 9,200 crore for supply of seven Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) systems to Indian Navy. In this regard, it has entered into a contract with Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE). The LRSAM will be fitted onboard seven ships to be built by these two shipbuilders. This was highest-ever single value order bagged by BEL. This contract has pushed order book of BEL beyond Rs 50,000 crore for the first time in single financial year.
• Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully carried out first ever midair refuelling of indigenously developed light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas. The midair refuelling test conducted involved dry linkup, meaning no fuel was actually transferred between IAF Il-78 tanker and Tejas fighter jet through its air-to-air refuelling probe.
• India and United States will conduct their annual combat exercise “Yudh Abhyas” at Chaubatia in Uttarakhand from 16 to 29 September, 2018. The exercise will be held soon after both countries hold their inaugural top-level “2+2” dialogue in New Delhi.
• India, Sri Lanka joint naval exercise SLINEX-2018 was held at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from September 7 to 13, 2018. SLINEX exercise started in 2005 was previously held once in two years and now it has been converted to annual event this year onwards.
• India, Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant 2018 commenced at Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area in Ulaanbaatar (capital of Mongolia). Nomadic Elephant is annual bilateral military exercise started in 2006. It is designed to strengthen partnership between Indian Army and Mongolian Armed Forces.
• Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully carried out first ever mid-air refuelling of indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas MK-1 over Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. With this, India joins in elite group of countries which have successfully developed air-to-air refuelling system for military aircraft.
• Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) is gearing up to undertake sea trials of India’s first ocean surveillance ship by end of September 2018 or first week of October 2018. This ship is now simply referred as VC 11184 and will be formally named after its induction into the Indian Navy.
• The first field training military exercise MILEX-18, as part of the Bay of Bengal initiative for multi-sectoral technical and economic cooperation (BIMSTEC) commenced at Foreign Training Node at Aundh in Pune, Maharashtra. All member BIMSTEC countries, except Thailand and Nepal will take active part in this exercise. Thailand and Nepal will only be sending group of observers.
• The second edition of Nepal-China joint military exercise named Mt Everest Friendship Exercise-2018 (Sagarmatha Friendship-2018) commenced in China’s southwestern Sichuan province. The 12 day long joint exercise will focus on combating terror and disaster management trainings. Sagarmatha is the Nepali name for Mt Everest, which stands in between both the countries.
• Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned indigenously built patrol vessel ICGS Vijaya in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is second in the series of 98 m offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) commissioned by ICG.
• India and United States joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 commenced at Chaubattia, Uttarakhand. It will be fourteenth edition of exercise in Yudh Abhyas series which was started in 2004 under US Army Pacific Partnership Program. This will be fourth time exercise will be conducted at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted first successful trials of indigenously developed third generation Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM). Two rounds of missile were flight tested in operational configuration in two days from Ahmednagar range in Maharashtra.

Defence Current Affairs Questions 2018 – 2018 [All Months]