Defence Current Affairs MCQs

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The Indian Army has officially selected the US-based firm Shield AI to supply its advanced V-BAT autonomous drones under an emergency procurement deal, marking a major step in adopting AI-driven warfare systems. This procurement is significant as it enables India to integrate Hivemind AI software, allowing sovereign development and control of autonomous military capabilities. The V-BAT autonomous unmanned aerial system (UAS) is developed and manufactured by Shield AI, a US-based defense technology company. The V-BAT is classified as a Group 3 Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) designed for long-endurance and high-risk missions.

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Indian Navy inaugurated MILAN Village on 15 February 2026 at Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, where Exercise MILAN 2026 is being held. Exercise MILAN 2026 is conducted at Visakhapatnam from 15 to 25 February 2026. The exercise focuses on anti-submarine warfare, air defence, search and rescue and cooperative security operations. It is organised along with International Fleet Review 2026 and Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Conclave of Chiefs. It supports the Prime Minister’s MAHASAGAR vision for free, open and rules-based seas.

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Indian Coast Guard inaugurated India’s first Waterjet Production and Testing Facility of Marine Jet Power in Goa on 13 February 2026. The facility will manufacture, test and maintain advanced waterjet propulsion systems for high-speed vessels. It supports Aatmanirbhar Bharat by reducing dependence on foreign technology. India became the third country after the United States and South Korea to host such a facility. Indian Coast Guard operates over 100 Marine Jet Power systems and 42 more are under construction. It will support maintenance, regional exports, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, skilled jobs and defence indigenisation.

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China recently showcased the CJ-1000, a land-based scramjet-powered hypersonic cruise missile, during a military parade in Beijing. It is developed indigenously by China and is considered the world’s first operational land-based scramjet-powered hypersonic missile. It is road-mobile and mounted on a 10-wheel diesel-electric hybrid transporter erector launcher for quick deployment. It has an estimated range of at least 2,500 kilometres. It is more advanced than hypersonic glide vehicles like China’s DF-17 and Russia’s Avangard.

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Reports indicate that Iran is close to finalising a defence deal with China to procure CM-302 supersonic anti-ship missiles to strengthen its naval strike capability. The CM-302 is a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile developed by China and is the export variant of the YJ-12 missile deployed by the Chinese Navy. The missile is specifically designed to target and destroy large naval vessels and other high-value maritime assets. It is powered by a liquid direct-flow air-breathing jet engine with four air intakes, enabling sustained high-speed flight. The missile can travel at speeds of around Mach 2.5 to Mach 3, making it extremely difficult for enemy air defence systems to intercept.

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Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully conducted three consecutive flight trials of the Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) at Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. VSHORADS stands for Very Short-Range Air Defence System and it is a Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS). It is indigenously designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat under DRDO with other laboratories and production partners. It is a lightweight, short-range, surface-to-air missile used to destroy aircraft and helicopters. Maximum range is 8 kilometres and it can engage targets up to 4.5 kilometres altitude.

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The Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth Rs 5,083 crore for defence acquisitions. Procurement includes six Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Mk-III in Maritime Role for the Indian Coast Guard. Contracts also cover Surface-to-Air Vertical Launch (SAM) Shtil missiles for the Indian Navy. Shtil missile is a medium-range, ship-based, vertical-launch surface-to-air missile system developed by Russia. It primarily uses the 9M317ME semi-active radar homing (SARH) missile.

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The Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) was recently used by the United States for the first time in operations by United States Central Command during the conflict with Iran. It is a surface-to-surface guided ballistic missile designed to strike long-distance targets with very high precision. The missile is developed mainly for the United States Army by Lockheed Martin, a major US aerospace and defence company. It has an open system architecture and modular design, allowing upgrades and integration with new technologies.

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Kheybar Shekan Missile is a long-range solid-fuel ballistic missile developed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran. Recently, Iran claimed that IRGC used Kheybar Shekan missiles to target the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an Israeli Air Force command centre. The missile belongs to the Khorramshahr missile family and represents an advanced generation of Iran’s missile system. It has an approximate range of about 1,450 kilometres, enabling strikes across much of the Middle East region. It uses solid fuel technology, which allows faster launch preparation, easier storage, and improved mobility.

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The Indian Navy is set to commission INS Taragiri (F41), a stealth frigate, on 03 April 2026. It is the fourth ship of the Nilgiri-class (Project 17A), built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilding Limited and designed by the Warship Design Bureau. The ship is a modern reincarnation of the earlier INS Taragiri (Leander-class frigate) and is built for high-speed, high-endurance, multi-dimensional naval operations.