India and Sri Lanka Begin 13th Edition of SLINEX-26 Maritime Exercise at Visakhapatnam

21 September 2026National

The Indian Navy and the Sri Lanka Navy conducted the 13th edition of SLINEX-26, their annual bilateral maritime exercise, at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh from 17 to 21 September 2026. India was represented by INS Kavaratti, an indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette, while Sri Lanka fielded SLNS Sindurala. Conceptualised in 2005, SLINEX has grown into a two-phase drill covering harbour interaction and sea manoeuvres aimed at interoperability, communication procedures and seamanship. The edition runs alongside India's wider maritime outreach this week, with INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish arriving at Subic Bay, Philippines on 20 September for the ADMM-Plus Joint Cooperation Activity, underlining India's simultaneous engagement in the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea.

Static GK

Eastern Naval Command HQ: Visakhapatnam | INS Kavaratti is a Kamorta-class ASW corvette built by GRSE, Kolkata | Sri Lanka capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte; currency: Sri Lankan Rupee

ShareWhatsApp Telegram

More International Current Affairs

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh Flies His Final Sortie in an HJT-16 Kiran at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh flew the last sortie of his career on 20 October 2026, a 55-minute flight in an HJT-16 Kiran Mk-1 (tail number U 707) from the Air Force Academy at Dundigal, near Hyderabad, with his first flying instructor, retired Wing Commander V.S. Kochar. Singh had begun flying training on the same type on 28 January 1984, and got a water cannon salute on landing. His final fighter sortie was in a Tejas on 12 October 2026 during Exercise Tarang Shakti at Jodhpur. The HAL-built Kiran first flew in 1964 and entered service in 1968.

GK ByteThe Air Force Academy at Dundigal, near Hyderabad, was established in 1969 and trains cadets for the IAF's flying and ground-duty branches | HJT stands for Hindustan Jet Trainer; HAL was founded in 1940 at Bangalore as Hindustan Aircraft Limited | The Indian Air Force was formed on 8 October 1932 and its motto is 'Nabha Sparsham Deeptam'

📅 20 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

Fifth Edition of India-Australia Exercise AUSTRAHIND Begins at Thiruvananthapuram with New Zealand as First-Time Observer

The fifth edition of Exercise AUSTRAHIND, the India-Australia joint military exercise, began on 19 October 2026 at the Foreign Training Node, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) and runs until 1 November 2026. About 240 soldiers are taking part, roughly 120 from each army. The theme is 'Joint Sub-Conventional Operations in Island and Coastal Environment under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate', with drills in surveillance and reconnaissance, protection of vital installations, coastal and island operations and HADR. New Zealand sent an observer delegation for the first time. The fourth edition was held at Irwin Barracks, Perth, Australia, from 13 to 26 October 2025.

GK ByteExercise AUSTRAHIND was first held in 2022 at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan | Australia's capital is Canberra and its currency is the Australian Dollar | Other India-Australia military exercises include the naval AUSINDEX and the multilateral Malabar exercise, which Australia rejoined in 2020

📅 19 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

DRDO's R&DE (Engineers) Develops Indigenous Armour Panels 20% Lighter Than Existing Systems

The Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), a DRDO laboratory at Pune, has developed indigenous armour panels that are 20% lighter than existing systems while meeting STANAG 4569 Level 6, the NATO protection standard requiring resistance to 30 mm armour-piercing ammunition. The panels have cleared in-house testing against DRDO's operational requirements and were listed around 1 October 2026 under the Category 'A' Transfer of Technology route, with three manufacturing licences on offer and several large firms reported interested. They are intended for future main battle tanks, light tanks and Future Infantry Combat Vehicles, improving mobility, fuel efficiency and strategic transportability in high-altitude sectors.

GK ByteDRDO was founded in 1958, is headquartered at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi, and functions under the Department of Defence Research and Development | STANAG stands for Standardization Agreement, NATO's system of common standards; STANAG 4569 sets protection levels for occupants of logistic and light armoured vehicles | DRDO's Transfer of Technology routes let Indian industry licence and manufacture DRDO-developed systems

📅 19 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

Rajnath Singh Launches IIT Kanpur's 'Greater Than Us' Campaign; Institute Plans Defence Drone Hub

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has launched IIT Kanpur's 'Greater Than Us' campaign, which aims to raise USD 1 billion by March 2029 for research in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, semiconductors, drones, MedTech and sustainability. IIT Kanpur also unveiled plans for a defence drone hub with the Ministry of Defence to indigenise critical drone components. The push adds an academic leg to a drone ecosystem the armed forces have been building through the Army's first Baaz drone battalion in Punjab and DRDO's drone-launched missile trials, and complements the Drone Rules, 2021 and the drone production-linked incentive scheme.

GK ByteIIT Kanpur was established in 1959 and began India's first computer science programme in 1963 | India's drone framework includes the Drone Rules, 2021 and a Production Linked Incentive scheme for drones and drone components announced in 2021 | The Defence Research and Development Organisation was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in New Delhi

📅 17 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

See all Defence →All Current Affairs