1. Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Air Force on a three-day visit to India

The UK's Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, is on a three-day visit to India. He began his visit on 23 March by paying homage to the fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial. Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Air Force, also met with Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force. Discussions focused on enhancing operational cooperation, interoperability, and strengthening bilateral air power ties.

2. Chief of Defence Staff meets with the Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Air Force

General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), met with Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Air Force. Both reaffirmed the growing strength of the India–United Kingdom defence partnership. Exchange of instructors continues to be a key pillar of the bilateral cooperation matrix, alongside significant strides in enhancing defence intelligence collaboration. The CDS commended the successful conduct of the 17th Military Sub Group Meeting and expressed confidence in advancing a deeper, more integrated, and future-ready defence engagement.

3. US Under Secretary of War arrives in New Delhi

US Under Secretary of War Elbridge Colby arrived in New Delhi on 24 March. This visit was announced by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who stated in a post on X that he is looking forward to welcoming the Under Secretary of War for Policy to India. This will be Colby’s first official visit to India. He is widely regarded as one of the key figures behind US defence policy during the second term of the Trump administration. The visit comes amid ongoing tensions in West Asia and follows recent engagements by top US military leaders.

4. NSG issues NIT to procure 86 semi-automatic sniper rifles

The NSG (National Security Guard) has issued a Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) to procure 86 units of semi-automatic sniper rifles. The rifles will be chambered in 7.62 × 51 mm. The NSG currently operates the German Heckler and Koch PSG-1 semi-automatic sniper rifle, procured in the 1980s. The new rifles will replace the HK PSG-1 sniper systems.

5. Lockheed Martin begins final assembly of F-35A for Germany

The first F-35A Lightning II aircraft for the Luftwaffe, or German Air Force, has progressed further along the mile-long production line at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas site, as it was hoisted by an overhead crane to the final assembly station. This aircraft is one of the first eight German F-35s currently under production at the facility. German F-35s began major assembly at the Marietta, Georgia, site in December 2024. Germany ordered 35 F-35A fighter jets in 2022.

6. Sikorsky delivers UH-60MX Black Hawk to the US Army

Sikorsky, on 23 March, announced the successful flight testing and delivery of the US Army’s experimental UH-60MX Black Hawk helicopter, fully integrated with the company’s MATRIX autonomy suite. MATRIX enables automated landing-zone detection and obstacle avoidance, ensuring safe operations in degraded visual environments and expanding the tactical envelope for Army missions.

It allows improved aircraft survivability with real-time terrain and obstacle awareness, helping pilots and autonomous systems avoid threats while reducing exposure to hostile fire and hazardous terrain. The open architecture design reduces maintenance hours, resulting in a measurable decrease in lifecycle costs. Automation of routine flight-control tasks allows pilots to focus on mission-critical decisions, increasing overall sortie effectiveness. MATRIX establishes a scalable baseline for emerging capabilities such as launched effects, contested logistics, and fully optionally piloted or uncrewed operations.

Chakra Desk

Chakra News is a specialised digital media platform committed to in-depth coverage of India’s defence, national security, geopolitics, and critical technologies.