Defence Current Affairs 2026 for Government Exams

The <b>World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA)</b> Global Air Power Rankings 2026 ranked the <b>Indian Air Force (IAF)</b> as the <b>3rd-most powerful air force</b> globally, behind only the United States and Russia, staying ahead of China's PLAAF for the <b>5th consecutive year</b>. When all air arms (Army, Navy, Air Force) are considered together, the IAF ranks 6th overall with a True Value Rating (TVR) of <b>69.4</b>; the US Air Force tops with a TVR of <b>242.9</b> (5,004 aircraft). The assessment evaluated 129 air services across 103 countries. Pakistan's air force ranked 18th and Bangladesh 83rd.

The Indian Navy commissioned the indigenous stealth frigate INS Mahendragiri (F38), the sixth and final Nilgiri-class (Project-17A) frigate, into the Eastern Fleet at Visakhapatnam, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presiding. Designed by the Warship Design Bureau and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, it bears the motto "Mighty, Majestic, Matchless". Sister ships: Nilgiri, Himgiri, Udaygiri, Taragiri, Vindhyagiri.

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Mahendragiri (F38) on 11 July 2026 at the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam, in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan. It is the sixth of the Project 17A (Nilgiri-class) indigenous stealth guided-missile frigates, designed by the Navy's Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, with over 75% indigenous content. Named after the Mahendragiri range in the Eastern Ghats, it carries BrahMos and Barak-8 missiles and joins the Eastern Fleet. Its motto is 'Sthitpragyah, Raneshu, Aprajitah' (steadfast, wise, invincible in battle). Project 17A frigates are all named after Indian mountain ranges.

DRDO handed over the Final Operational Clearance for the indigenous Netra Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system in Bengaluru, making India the fifth country with indigenous AEW&C capability.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan released the first comprehensive 'Joint Air Defence Doctrine', aimed at integrating multi-service anti-aircraft radars and assets under a unified tri-service interface for coordinated air defence.

DRDO conducted three consecutive successful flight trials of the indigenous Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha - a man-portable system against low-altitude threats and drones.

DRDO's DRDL conducted a long-duration ground test (over 1,000 seconds) of an actively cooled full-scale scramjet combustor in Hyderabad - a foundation for India's Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme.

PM Modi commissioned three warships at Kolkata: INS Dunagiri (a Project 17A Nilgiri-class stealth frigate by GRSE), INS Sanshodhak (Survey Vessel Large) and INS Agray (Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft).

June 2026 saw India's largest single-month naval induction in recent years - five indigenous platforms: two Project 17A stealth frigates, one survey ship and two ASW shallow water craft - part of a planned ~19 warships in 2026.

INS Malwan, the second of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft built by Cochin Shipyard, was delivered to the Navy, boosting coastal anti-submarine capability.

India inducted INS Aridhaman, its third indigenous nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) under the Advanced Technology Vessel project, joining INS Arihant and INS Arighaat.

INS Taragiri, the fourth Project 17A (Nilgiri-class) stealth frigate (~6,670 tonnes) built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam.

The Project 17A stealth frigate INS Dunagiri was delivered from GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers), along with the survey vessel INS Sanshodhak, ahead of their later commissioning.

INS Anjadip, an Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Chennai, part of the Navy's record induction plan for 2026.

Alongside MILAN, the Indian Navy hosted the International Fleet Review 2026 and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs at Visakhapatnam, aligned with the 'MAHASAGAR' vision.

The Indian Navy is set to commission a record 19 warships in 2026 - its biggest single-year addition - including INS Udaygiri and a Nistar-class Diving Support Vessel, roughly one vessel every six weeks.

The Indian Coast Guard inducted ICGS Samudra Pratap, its first indigenously designed and built Pollution Control Vessel (built at Goa Shipyard); at 114.5 m and 4,170 tonnes it is the largest ship in the ICG fleet.

Navy Day was marked with an Operational Demonstration at Shangumugham Beach, Thiruvananthapuram, with President Droupadi Murmu as Chief Guest; theme 'Combat Ready, Cohesive, Credible and Aatmanirbhar Force'.

The multilateral UN peacekeeping exercise Khaan Quest 2026 ran 20 June to 3 July at the Five Hills Training Area, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with the Indian Army participating in checkpoint, cordon-and-search, counter-IED and casualty-evacuation drills.

India's maiden multilateral military Exercise PRAGATI-I 2026, held at Umroi, Meghalaya, brought together troops from 12 friendly nations for counter-terrorism drills in jungle and semi-mountainous terrain.

The fourth edition of the India-Egypt joint special forces exercise 'Cyclone' was held at Anshas, Egypt, focusing on special-forces training and counter-terrorism cooperation.

A high-intensity tri-service military drill was conducted 24-28 March 2026, focused on coastal and island defence and joint operational readiness for maritime security.

The 16th edition of the India-US joint Special Forces exercise was held at the Special Forces Training School, Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh, from 24 February to 16 March 2026.

The 7th edition of the India-Japan joint military exercise concluded at Chaubattia, Uttarakhand, running 24 February to 9 March 2026, to enhance interoperability in jungle and semi-urban terrain.

The Indian Navy's flagship multilateral exercise MILAN 2026 was held under the Eastern Naval Command with 74 friendly foreign countries, 42 ships/submarines and 29 aircraft; the closing ceremony was aboard INS Vikrant.

The 13th edition of the annual India-Kyrgyzstan bilateral special-forces exercise 'Khanjar' focused on urban and mountain warfare, sniping and counter-terrorism, strengthening India-Central Asia defence cooperation.

India carried out the second developmental trial of the Long-Range Land-Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast, advancing indigenous cruise-missile capability.

On 10-11 June 2026, DRDO conducted two consecutive flight tests of its multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence interceptors AD-1 and AD-2 from the Integrated Test Range off the Odisha coast, validating capability against ICBM-class threats.

The Indian Army successfully tested its newly inducted FPV kamikaze loitering-munition drone system 'Divyastra MK-1' under extreme combat configurations in Jodhpur, reflecting the push toward drone warfare.

In early June 2026, DRDO and the IAF successfully flight-tested the RudraM-II air-to-surface missile from an airborne platform under extreme release conditions, demonstrating the maturity of India's indigenous precision-strike weapons.

DRDO test-fired the indigenous Naval Anti-Ship Missile (Medium Range), NASM-MR, off the eastern coast. It has a range of about 300 km and uses INS+GPS midcourse guidance with a radar altimeter for sea-skimming flight.

DRDO completed developmental trials of the final configuration of the UAV-launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM-V3) in air-to-ground and air-to-air modes at a test range near Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.

DRDO's DRDL achieved a run-time of over 1,200 seconds (20 minutes) in an actively cooled full-scale scramjet combustor test in Hyderabad, a foundation for India's Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme.

DRDO conducted the second flight test of its Long-Range Hypersonic Anti-Ship Missile (LR-AShM) off the Odisha coast at hypersonic speeds, a major leap in India's strike capability.

India announced plans to integrate the DRDO-developed Astra Mk-2 Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missile - with a range up to ~240 km - onto Mirage 2000 fighters to boost aerial dominance.

The third live-fire test of the US Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW / 'Dark Eagle') with a Common Hypersonic Glide Body was conducted from Cape Canaveral.

DRDO fired two Pralay quasi-ballistic missiles in quick succession from the same launcher off the Odisha coast, validating rapid multi-missile deployment; Pralay is a 150-500 km surface-to-surface missile.

DRDO successfully flight-tested the Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket (~120 km strike range) at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha, hitting the target with precision.

A HAL review on 8 June 2026 emphasised LCA Tejas Mk1A timelines: 18 airframes prepared and six GE engines delivered, with GE to deliver 20 engines between June and December 2026; the first Mk1A from the Nashik line was targeted for end-June.

The first C-295 medium tactical transport aircraft manufactured in India completed its maiden flight, a milestone for domestic aerospace manufacturing. A total of 40 aircraft are being built at the Tata-Airbus Final Assembly Line in Vadodara, Gujarat, for the Indian Air Force.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Advanced Weapon System Complex at DRDL Hyderabad, supporting Mission Sudarshan Chakra - a planned three-layer missile defence shield for India.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with Vietnam's Defence Minister in Hanoi and jointly inaugurated the Indian War Memorial at Imjingak Park, Seoul, with South Korea's Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

May 2026 marked the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor (7-10 May 2025), India's response to the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, with commemorations highlighting drone and multi-domain warfare lessons.

An Indian Air Force Su-30MKI crashed after take-off for a training flight in Karbi Anglong district, Assam, killing both pilots. The Su-30MKI is the IAF's frontline multirole fighter.

The 78th Army Day was observed with a parade at Jagatpura, Jaipur - the first ever held outside a cantonment area - under the theme 'Year of Networking and Data Centricity'.

Reports indicated India began developing two new interceptors under Phase-III of its Ballistic Missile Defence Programme, designed to counter hypersonic weapons, MIRVs and non-ballistic atmospheric-entry vehicles.

The Defence Acquisition Council advanced a major modernisation package, including a decision to acquire five additional S-400 Triumf air-defence systems from Russia, plus remotely piloted strike platforms and transport aircraft.

The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Rajnath Singh, cleared a large package (~$25 billion) including five additional S-400 Triumf air-defence systems from Russia, multirole transport aircraft and remotely piloted strike platforms.

The Ministry of Defence signed two contracts worth a combined Rs 858 crore: one with Russian entities for the Tunguska air-defence system, and one with Boeing for P-8I maritime-reconnaissance-aircraft maintenance.

The Defence Acquisition Council approved the indigenous Air Defence Tracked System, a mobile platform to fill the short-range air-defence gap for mechanised formations.

The MoD signed contracts worth Rs 5,083 crore for ALH Mk-III helicopters from HAL for the Indian Coast Guard, and VL-Shtil surface-to-air missiles for the Indian Navy.

India and the US moved close to concluding a Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreement (RDPA) to ease defence-industrial sales, with a senior US delegation visiting India during the month.

The Defence Acquisition Council approved procurement proposals worth about Rs 3.6 lakh crore, anchored by 114 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault (~Rs 3.25 lakh crore) - 18 from France and 96 assembled in India - plus six P-8I aircraft and T-72 tanks.

During Putin's visit, platforms including the Su-57 fighter, drones, air-defence systems and submarine technology were discussed, with both sides agreeing to reorient defence ties toward joint R&D and co-production.