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Concept representation of the Indian Navy's Project-18 next-generation destroyer

Project 18: The Biggest Warship India Has Ever Tried to Build

The Indian Navy has finalised a design for Project 18, its next-generation destroyer. Why the 11,000-tonne warship marks a leap from destroyer to cruiser, and what remains unconfirmed

TNB Editorial August 19, 2026

India's Kaveri fighter jet engine on display at Aero India, developed by DRDO's GTRE

Defence

Kaveri 2.0: India’s Forty-Year Fight to Build Its Own Fighter Engine

India's Kaveri engine failed the Tejas for decades. Now a redesigned Kaveri 2.0 targets 90kN of thrust and a place on future fighters. Inside the forty-year fight to build an indigenous fighter engine.

TNB Editorial August 11, 2026

Agni-4 nuclear-capable ballistic missile lifting off during a launch from Odisha

Defence

India Test Fires Agni-4 and the Real Message Is in the Word ‘Trial’

India launched an Agni-4 ballistic missile from Chandipur on 6 August 2026. The detail that matters is not the 4,000 km range but who fired it, and why a user trial says more than a routine test.

TNB Editorial August 11, 2026

A Dassault Rafale fighter jet in flight, the aircraft type at the centre of India's 114-jet deal

Defence

France Has Answered India’s Rafale Question and the Answer Runs Through Four Indian Companies

France's response to India's 114-Rafale proposal includes a first-ever assembly line outside France, with Tata, L&T, Mahindra and HAL each paired to a French partner. What the plan means for indigenous content and India's fleet.

TNB Editorial August 11, 2026

Active Antenna Array Unit of the DRDO Uttam AESA radar, the component Astra Microwave will supply to HAL

Defence

The Uttam Radar Just Entered Production and a Private Firm Is Building Its Heart

HAL has placed a Rs 2,205 crore order with Astra Microwave for the heart of the indigenous Uttam AESA radar, marking its shift from lab to assembly line. What it means for the Tejas Mk1A and private defence industry.

TNB Editorial July 31, 2026

Kawasaki C-2 transport aircraft taking off, a contender for India's MTA programme

Defence

Japan’s C-2 Is the MTA Contender Nobody Is Talking About

India's MTA requirement has quietly grown from 30 tonnes towards 40, and that changes the contest. Why Japan's Kawasaki C-2 fits the gap better than the favourites, and what still stands in its way.

TNB Editorial July 24, 2026

Kusha missile lifting off during its maiden flight test from APJ Abdul Kalam Island

Defence

Kusha Takes Flight: India’s Own Long-Range Air Defence Shield Clears Its First Test

India's Kusha long-range air defence missile completed its maiden flight test off the Odisha coast. What the system is, why it ends a costly dependence and how far it still has to go.

TNB Editorial July 23, 2026

Netra AWACS aircraft of the Indian Air Force with its distinctive dorsal radar antenna

Defence

Netra AEW&C: India’s Eye in the Sky Just Grew Up

India's Netra AEW&C is now fully combat-ready after its Final Operational Clearance. Inside the system that watched over Balakot, the Rs 19,000 crore Mk2 programme and the uncomfortable arithmetic of India's surveillance fleet.

TNB Editorial July 21, 2026

Nagastra-1 and Nagastra-2 loitering munitions on display, examples of India's existing drone strike capability

Defence

Indian Army Seeks Indigenous One-Way Attack Drones with 1,000 km Strike Range

The Indian Army has begun a process to acquire indigenous long-range loitering munitions with a 1,000 km strike envelope, GPS-denied navigation and AI-enabled targeting, The Economic Times reports. The Indian…

TNB Editorial July 13, 2026

INS Mahendragiri, the sixth Project 17A stealth frigate, during sea trials ahead of commissioning

Defence

INS Mahendragiri Joins the Fleet: Where India’s Project 17A Frigate Programme Stands in 2026

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Mahendragiri, the sixth Project 17A stealth frigate, at Visakhapatnam on 11 July 2026, leaving just one ship of the seven-strong Nilgiri class still to come.…

TNB Editorial July 13, 2026

Project 18: The Biggest Warship India Has Ever Tried to Build

Kaveri 2.0: India’s Forty-Year Fight to Build Its Own Fighter Engine

India Test Fires Agni-4 and the Real Message Is in the Word ‘Trial’

France Has Answered India’s Rafale Question and the Answer Runs Through Four Indian Companies

The Uttam Radar Just Entered Production and a Private Firm Is Building Its Heart

Japan’s C-2 Is the MTA Contender Nobody Is Talking About

Kusha Takes Flight: India’s Own Long-Range Air Defence Shield Clears Its First Test

Netra AEW&C: India’s Eye in the Sky Just Grew Up

Indian Army Seeks Indigenous One-Way Attack Drones with 1,000 km Strike Range

INS Mahendragiri Joins the Fleet: Where India’s Project 17A Frigate Programme Stands in 2026

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