#defenceministry

Times of India | Defence ministry issues RFP for 5th-generation stealth jet project AMCA; 3 private players in race, HAL out AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information. India’s defence ministry has issued a request for proposal (RFP) to three private firms—Tata Advanced Systems, Larsen & Toubro in partnership with Bharat Electronics, and Bharat Forge in collaboration with Bharat Earth Movers—to develop and produce the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a 5th‑generation, twin‑engine stealth fighter that will compete with the US F‑35 and Russia’s Su‑57. The AMCA prototype programme, budgeted at about ₹15,000 crore, will be overseen by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and, for the first time, will not involve Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which remains focused on the 4.5‑generation Tejas. Bidders must submit responses by the end of next month, with bids opened on 28 July; the first prototype is targeted for early 2027, flight testing for a multi‑role version between 2028‑29, and serial production expected in the mid‑2030s at a new Integration and Flight Testing Complex in Andhra Pradesh. The AMCA is planned to feature super‑cruise, internal weapons bays, advanced AI, an operational ceiling of 55,000 feet, and a payload capacity of 1,500 kg internally and 5,500 kg externally. Read more: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/defence/news/defence-ministry-issues-rfp-for-5th-generation-stealth-jet-project-amca-3-private-players-in-race-hal-out/articleshow/131360976.cms #Defenceministry #AMCA #Tata #LarsenToubro #RajnathSingh #ChandrababuNaidu

The Guardian | Gordon Brown says he queried Andrew’s ‘unacceptable costs’ as trade envoy by Rowena Mason Whitehall editor AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information. Gordon Brown revealed that in 2008 he ordered a colleague in the business department to question Prince Andrew — Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor — about “unacceptable costs” incurred while serving as a UK trade envoy, and he now urges police to widen their probe to include the prince’s use of public money. Brown noted that Prince Andrew regularly travelled on RAF flights and had asked for a separate fleet of government‑funded aircraft, a request the former chancellor rejected and reported to the queen. After Prince Andrew’s February arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office amid investigations into his dealings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Brown called for officials from the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Business and Trade and the Foreign Office to be interviewed and their records examined, and for a parliamentary select committee to assess whether public funds were misused for private or illicit purposes. Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/29/gordon-brown-andrew-mountbatten-windsor-costs-public-funds #GordonBrown #PrinceAndrew #JeffreyEpstein #RAF #DefenceMinistry #AndrewMountbatten_Windsor

Secret UK-Israel military deal in place throughout genocide Dundee Central MP Chris Law said: “The refusal by the UK government to publish details of this military agreement exposes the severe lack of transparency and accountability surrounding their ongoing relationship with the Israeli government.  “While we do not know the details of the 2020 military agreement, we do know that the MoD has provided critical support to the IDF since October 2023. Questions must be asked why there has been no effort to amend or update the agreement in light of Israel’s actions over the last two years.”  He added: “It is therefore clearly absolutely crucial that parliamentarians, the public and the press continue to put pressure on the UK government to end all military relations with Israel, and that part of this must include the government finally coming clean about the contents of the 2020 military agreement.”  https://www.declassifieduk.org/secret-uk-israel-military-deal-in-place-throughout-genocide/ #UK #declassifiedUK #Israel #genocide #Gaza #DefenceMinistry @palestine @palestine@fedibird.com