1. Indian Navy and Royal Netherlands Navy conduct PASSEX

Indian Navy’s INS Sharda conducted a PASSEX with Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS De Ruyter off Kochi on May 7. Tactical manoeuvres, communication drills, flying operations, and a traditional steam past highlighted seamless interoperability and the strong maritime partnership between the two navies.

2. CDS releases doctrines on MUM-T at Joint Commanders Conference

General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), released doctrines on the Joint Primer on Manned and Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T), Military Cyberspace Policy, and a bilingual Joint Staff Services Duty pamphlet during the Joint Commanders' Conference (JCC) 2026 in Jaipur. Addressing military commanders, the CDS emphasised that these primers are not merely procedural updates, but represent a fundamental shift in India’s warfighting philosophy.

The MUM-T primer codifies the integration of human cognition with autonomous precision, providing a framework for sovereign AI-driven systems to operate alongside manned platforms. This is expected to significantly enhance combat effectiveness while reducing risk to personnel. The CDS added that defining joint policies would form the bedrock of joint structures and mark an important step towards theatreisation.

3. DRDO and Indian Air Force conduct maiden flight trial of TARA range extension kit

DRDO and the Indian Air Force successfully conducted the maiden flight trial of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon off the coast of Odisha on May 7. TARA, a modular range extension kit, is India’s first indigenous glide weapon system designed to convert unguided warheads into precision-guided weapons, according to a post on X by Manish Prasad.

4. USAF brings back B-1 bomber from the “Boneyard”

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer, once parked in the Arizona desert, is back in the air after an intensive regeneration and depot maintenance effort led by the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base. The aircraft departed Tinker on April 22 following nearly two years of work to restore it to combat-capable status after being placed in Type 2000 storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, commonly known as the “Boneyard.”

5. F-14 may fly again under the Maverick Act

Legislation making its way through the U.S. Congress would allow the Navy to gift three retired F-14Ds to the U.S. Space & Rocket Centre Museum in Huntsville, Alabama, potentially opening the door for one of the iconic jets to be restored to flying condition, according to a report by The War Zone. Companion bills in both the Senate and House are dubbed the “Maverick Act,” a reference to the Top Gun film franchise and the fictional Navy Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise.

The last Navy F-14 was officially retired in September 2006 after 32 years of service. Despite its retirement in the United States, the Tomcat remains under extremely tight export controls due to its continued operation in Iran, the only other country to have flown the aircraft.

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.