1. Bharat Forge, Tata and L&T in race to make AMCA fighter

Three private sector companies, Bharat Forge, Tata and L&T  have been shortlisted to develop and manufacture next-generation fighter jets under the Advanced Multirole Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, with a final winner to be decided within the next three months, according to a report in the Economic Times.

Sources told the Economic Times, after a scrutiny of technical bids by seven Indian entities, three companies -- Tata Advanced Systems Limited, Larsen & Toubro and Bharat Forge -- have been shortlisted, with the remaining companies like state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) out of the race.

2. DRDO carries out successful test of SFDR missile

Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has carried out a successful demonstration of Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha on February 3. The successful demonstration places India into an elite league of nations possessing this technology that enables developing long-range air-to-air missiles to give a tactical edge over adversaries.

All the subsystems, including Nozzle-less Booster, Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet motor and Fuel Flow Controller, performed as per expectations after being initially propelled by a ground booster motor to the desired Mach Number. The performance of the system was confirmed by the flight data captured by several tracking instruments deployed by ITR, Chandipur, along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The launch was monitored by senior scientists from various laboratories of DRDO, including Defence Research & Development Laboratory, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Research Centre Imarat and ITR.

3. Adani Defence and Leonardo sign MoU to build military helicopters in India

Adani Defence & Aerospace, the defence and aerospace arm of Adani Enterprises Ltd, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Leonardo establish a fully integrated helicopter manufacturing ecosystem in India. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh was also present during the signing of the MoU.

Targeting the Indian Armed Forces' requirements, particularly for Leonardo's advanced AW169M and AW109 TrekkerM helicopters, the collaboration will deliver phased indigenisation, robust maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities, and comprehensive pilot training. This will mark the comeback of Leonardo Helicopters in the Indian market after 2014, as it was blacklisted due to a corruption scandal in a deal involving the procurement of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters for the Indian Air Force. On 14 November 2021, the Indian Government lifted the ban on Leonardo.

4.    General Anil Chauhan, CDS, meets with the Prime Minister of Armenia

General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), accompanied by the Indian Delegation, interacted with Mr Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, exchanging views on the evolving Geopolitical Landscape and prevailing Security Environment. The discussions also highlighted emerging opportunities for collaboration and avenues to further strengthen Bilateral Defence and Strategic Cooperation.

5.    India-Tanzania co-chair Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meeting

Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) Amitabh Prasad co-chaired the fourth edition of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting between India and Tanzania, held in Zanzibar from 2 to 3 February. The two sides discussed cooperation in military training, maritime security, defence industry collaboration and also explored new areas like counter terrorism, Peacekeeping training and training in niche areas of EW, Cyber, and AI to expand bilateral defence cooperation further.

6. Embraer announces completion of  first KC-390 aircraft for ROKAF

Embraer announced on 3 February at the Singapore Airshow that the first KC-390 Millennium military transport aircraft for the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) has reached the final stage of its assembly process. The aircraft will now proceed to the production flights ahead of the integration of specific systems to meet ROKAF requirements.

South Korea had ordered three KC-390 Millennium aircraft from Embraer on 4 December 2023. Uzbekistan is an undisclosed customer for the KC-390 Millennium aircraft announced by Embraer at the Singapore Airshow 2026. According to BreakingDefense.com, in December 2024, an undisclosed customer had ordered two KC-390 Millenium aircrafts, and it is likely Uzbekistan. The KC-390 Millennium is also participating in the Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) of the Indian Air Force.

7. Airbus and Singapore achieve full certification of A3R capability on A330 MRTT

Airbus and Singapore have achieved full certification of the Automatic Air-to-Air Refuelling (A3R) capability on the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). The Certification was granted by the Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) following an extensive qualification and flight-test campaign conducted in close collaboration with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA).

This represents a key milestone in the continued development of the A330 MRTT platform and marks a world-first in aviation, with the campaign confirming the A3R system’s maturity, safety, and reliability across a wide range of mission profiles. With this certification, the RSAF becomes the first air force globally to introduce A3R on its fleet of A330 MRTTs, operated by 112 Squadron, setting a new benchmark for automated refuelling.

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.