Politics
India to hold its biggest drone exercise seeking air defence boost
NEW DELHI: India’s military will test drone and counter drone systems next month in a major exercise to toughen its air defences, a senior officer said on Tuesday, months after a conflict with Pakistan saw the large-scale use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
Since the four-day clash, both neighbouring countries have ramped up drone development in what analysts describe as a drone arms race. India has also announced plans to build an indigenous air defence system, dubbed ‘Sudarshan Chakra’, by 2035 — an initiative officials have likened to Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’.
The Indian military will hold exercise ‘Cold Start’, its biggest ever drone war games, in the first week of October in the presence of defence industry officials and researchers, said Air Marshal Rakesh Sinha, deputy chief of the Integrated Defence Staff.
“We will be testing some of our drones and counter-drone systems during this exercise … so that we can make our air defence system and counter-UAS completely robust,” he said on the sidelines of an industry event in New Delhi.
An Indian official described it as the biggest such domestic exercise since the Pakistan conflict, and said it would involve recreating some of the drone warfare that took place in May.
Drones and counter-drone systems will also be the baseline elements of the Sudarshan Chakra air defence system, which would also include aircraft and counter hypersonic systems, said Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, chief of the Integrated Defence Staff.
“They (Pakistan) are also working and becoming better. So, we have to go one step ahead,” he added.
- Trump hails meeting Muslim leaders and praises their efforts.
- Proposes Israeli withdrawal and Gaza rule without Hamas.
- US seeks Arab troops and funds for Gaza’s rebuilding.
US President Donald Trump’s meeting with leaders of Muslim-majority nations, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly focused on the situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East.
Participants included Turkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt, the UAE and Jordan.
The meeting lasted about 50 minutes. Calling it an honour to meet the heads of Islamic countries, Trump praised their collective efforts, saying, “You all have done an excellent job, which is commendable.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the talks as extremely productive. None of the other Muslim leaders spoke to the media after the meeting.
He also outlined US plans for an Israeli withdrawal and post-war governance in Gaza without Hamas involvement, according to US media.
Washington is seeking Arab and Muslim nations’ agreement to send troops to Gaza to enable Israel’s withdrawal and to fund transition and rebuilding programmes, Axios reported.
Israel faces global condemnation over its military conduct in Gaza, where local health authorities say more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed.
In recent weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has begun a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City, with no ceasefire in sight.
This is an ongoing story and is being updated with additional details.
- Trump hails meeting Muslim leaders and praises their efforts.
- Proposes Israeli withdrawal and Gaza rule without Hamas.
- US seeks Arab troops and funds for Gaza’s rebuilding.
US President Donald Trump’s meeting with leaders of Muslim-majority nations, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly focused on the situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East.
Participants included Turkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt, the UAE and Jordan.
The 50-minute meeting saw Trump call it an honour to meet Islamic leaders and praise their efforts, saying, “You all have done an excellent job, which is commendable.”
The Turkish President described the talks as extremely productive. None of the other Muslim leaders spoke to the media after the meeting.
Later, Trump declared the meeting extremely important and spoke to the media about ending the Gaza war, saying it could possibly be concluded soon. He added, “We are going to end something that we did not start.”
He also outlined US plans for an Israeli withdrawal and post-war governance in Gaza without Hamas involvement, according to US media.
Washington is seeking Arab and Muslim nations’ agreement to send troops to Gaza to enable Israel’s withdrawal and to fund transition and rebuilding programmes, Axios reported.
As per Al-Jazeera, the Gaza plan was reportedly not drafted by Israel, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been made aware of the details. It is believed to envisage some future involvement by the Palestinian Authority (PA), something Israel has repeatedly said it will not tolerate.
Israel faces global condemnation over its military conduct in Gaza, where local health authorities say more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed.
In recent weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has begun a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City, with no ceasefire in sight.
But Washington remains Israel’s staunchest ally.
The US and Israel boycotted a summit in New York on Monday convened by France and Saudi Arabia, where dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations to embrace a Palestinian state.
No matter how many countries recognise Palestinian independence, full UN membership would require approval by the Security Council, where the United States has a veto that it frequently uses to oppose resolutions that are critical of Israel.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres backed the moves for recognition while speaking at the Security Council later on Tuesday.
“This is the clearest path to a two-State solution: Israel and an independent, sovereign, democratic, viable and contiguous State of Palestine,” he said. “We must seize this momentum.”
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he believes Ukraine, with the support of the European Union and NATO, can win back all of the territory Russia has taken since its invasion.
Trump, who met with Ukraine’s leader at the United Nations earlier on Tuesday, has previously said that both Kyiv and Moscow would have to cede land to end the war.
“With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original borders from where this war started, is very much an option,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
In the post, Trump criticised Russia’s prosecution of the war, saying it had been fighting “aimlessly” in a war that a “real military power” would have won in “less than a week.”
“Putin and Russia are in BIG economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” the post continues.
Trump said the US will continue to supply weapons to NATO “for NATO to do what they want with them.”
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