Current Affairs - Defence

On 18th July, 2022, the Prime Minister of India unveiled ‘SPRINT Challenges’, aimed at giving a boost to the usage of indigenous technology in Indian Navy, during Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar ‘Swavlamban’ in New Delhi.

The Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 324 was commissioned into the Indian Navy at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam.

• The unit is the first Naval Squadron on the Eastern Seaboard operating the indigenously designed and built Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) MK III (MR) helicopters.

The Indian Navy has decommissioned INS Gomati after 34 years in service on 28th May 2022.

• The warship was inducted on April 16, 1988. The ship is the third of the Godavari class guided-missile frigates and is the oldest warrior of the Western Fleet.

Yard 11880 (INS Vagsheer), the sixth and last submarine of the Indian Navy’s Kalvari class submarines of Project 75 was launched on 20 April 2022 at the Kanhoji Angre Wet Basin of Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).

Israel has successfully tested the new “Iron Beam” laser-based interception system.

• The "Iron Beam" is the "world’s first energy-based weapons system" that uses a laser to shoot down incoming unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), rockets and mortars.