Military plans to add raft of weapons next year to bolster combat readiness

NEw new delhi: The amerind armed services is on trend to bolster up its combat readiness with the induction of a raft of weapons and systems next year, including fighter jets, warships, an indigenous nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, locally made transport planes, basic trainers, missiles, long-range rockets and different types of loitering munitions, people aware of the matter said on Thursday.The key platforms that will enter service include the light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A), nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine Aridaman, some Project 17A stealth frigates, India-made C-295 transport aircraft, Akash next-generation surface-to-air missiles, and drones for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), the people said.The induction of the delayed LCA Mk-1A is among the most awaited ones. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) plans to deliver at least five LCA Mk-1As to the Indian Air Force by the end of financial year 2025-26; the target revised from 10 fighter jets that the state-run plane maker was hoping to deliver under an earlier timeline.The IAF has so far placed two separate orders for a total of 180 LCA Mk-1As with a combined value of ₹1.1 lakh crore to shore up its fighter fleet, with the first contract for 83 jets inked in February 2021, followed by a second one for 97 fighters in September 2025. To be sure, not a single plane has been delivered thus far, and the first aircraft under the 2021 order was to be delivered in March 2024.Another key commissioning in early 2026 will be that of the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, Aridaman; it will be the navy’s third Arihant-class submarine, and will serve as an undetectable launch platform for missiles armed with nuclear warheads. A fourth SSBN codenamed S-4* will enter service in 2027. SSBN stands for ship submersible ballistic nuclear or nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.The navy commissioned its second indigenous SSBN, INS Arighaat, at Visakhapatnam in August 2024, strengthening India’s nuclear triad or ability to launch strategic weapons from land, sea and air. The United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China are the only other countries that can deliver nuclear warheads from a submarine.India’s first indigenous SSBN, the 6,000-tonne INS Arihant, was commissioned nine years ago and it successfully completed its first deterrence patrol in 2018, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi then triumphantly announcing that the success of the submarine “gives a fitting response to those who indulge in nuclear blackmail.”The IAF will induct its first India-made C-295 transport aircraft next year under a ₹21,935-crore contract being jointly executed by Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Limited. The defence ministry inked this contract with Airbus Defence and Space for 56 planes in September 2021. The European aircraft maker has already delivered 16 planes in fly-away condition, while the rest are being assembled in India at a Tata facility in Gujarat’s Vadodara city.The first made-in-India C-295 will roll out of the Vadodara facility in September 2026 and the remaining 39 by August 2031.The Project 17A stealth frigates Taragiri, Mahendragiri, Dunagiri and Vindhyagiri will be commissioned into the navy by August-September 2026. The ₹45,000-crore P-17A (Nilgiri class) is a follow-on of the Shivalik-class (P-17) stealth frigates and represents a significant upgrade over the previous warships. Three P-17A stealth frigates are already in service.The navy is working on becoming fully self-reliant by 2047 when India celebrates 100 years of independence. Around 60 warships are under construction at various Indian shipyards.