Went to buy a bottle. Stood in front of the shelf for 20 minutes pretending to compare brands while actually waiting for one of them to make eye contact and choose me.
According to india today ben strokes will register for next year's IPL i sense CSK is going for him if Hardik Pandya doesn't work ( they might release veer and try to buy him back for a cheaper amount)
man arranged marriage is so scary better we stay single
Ukrainian MAAWLR mobile air defence system, built on a pickup truck chassis and designed to counter drones, was reportedly destroyed by a Russian FPV drone strike in the Kharkiv sector.
What's interesting is that the MAAWLR isn't a simple MANPADS setup. It carries an electro-optical targeting system, can integrate with external radars, and is capable of firing a wide range of missiles including AIM-9M, AIM-120, IRIS-T, AIM-132, R-27 and APKWS II. Depending on the missile used, it can engage aerial targets out to 6–15 km.
Yet a relatively cheap FPV drone was able to take it out.
For India, this highlights the growing importance of highly mobile, networked SHORAD systems such as the indigenous VSHORADS, Akash-NG and future vehicle-mounted anti-drone platforms should be protected. Modern air defence is no longer just about shooting down aircraft and helicopters it's increasingly about surviving against swarms of low-cost FPV drones hunting high-value assets.
If everything goes well, a designated finisher is on his way to CSK.
The trade window is already cooking and we're just getting started.
Exciting times ahead!
I would like to hear your stories on how you guys cope with break-up
China isn't waiting for us.
Whether it's babugiri, procurement delays, or the import lobby, the result is always the same: critical capabilities arrive years late.
One of the biggest examples is AWACS the flying command centers that detect threats, coordinate fighters, and provide the situational awareness modern air warfare depends on.
Today, India relies on just 3 Phalcon AWACS on aging Il-76 airframes and a handful of Netra Mk1 aircraft. While Netra is a capable system, it cannot fully replace larger AWACS platforms.
The upcoming Netra Mk2 is promising, but delays continue while China keeps expanding its airborne early warning fleet.
For a country facing threats on multiple fronts, India realistically needs 10-12 AWACS-class aircraft to ensure continuous coverage and wartime readiness.
The bigger concern? Even the aircraft carrying these systems are aging. Our transport fleet is heavily dependent on old Russian platforms and imported aircraft with limited long-term replacement plans.
Modern wars are won by information as much as firepower.
Fighters may shoot down enemy aircraft, but AWACS are what make the entire air war possible. India needs more of them, and fast.
The part that always gets me is this: Retd. Col Rajesh Pawar speaks about soldiers having to buy basic equipment from their own pockets, and honestly, anyone who has spent time around infantry or SF veterans has heard similar stories. I remember an SF officer telling in a podcast he had spent nearly ₹7 lakhs importing personal gear from the United States because the issued equipment simply wasn't meeting operational requirements. Many Special Forces and infantry officers have historically purchased their own boots, optics, plate carriers, pouches, cold-weather gear, and other mission-critical equipment, often sourcing them from companies like Armasen Tactical or importing them directly from abroad. What's frustrating is that fixing a large portion of these issues wouldn't require some massive defence budget revolution. The cost of properly equipping thousands of frontline soldiers is often less than the price of a handful of imported fighter jets. India loves discussing billion-dollar acquisitions, but for decades many of the men actually carrying rifles on the ground have been spending their own salaries to get equipment that should have been issued in the first place A military's combat effectiveness isn't measured only by the platforms that make headlines. Sometimes it's measured by whether the soldier at the tip of the spear has the right boots, optics, body armour, and communications gear when it matters most.
Massive attack in Barhkan area of Balochistan . Convoy included DC and Commandant of FC Heavy gunfire and explosions reported, operation still on
BLA's Majeed brigade leading the operation
Source BLA's spokesperson in his telegram group
Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, fondly known as "Bindaas," was a brave constable of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and a recipient of the prestigious Shaurya Chakra for his exceptional courage and supreme sacrifice in the fight against terrorism.
During a highly sensitive covert counter-terrorism operation, Mudasir successfully tracked the movements of a terrorist group and skillfully guided them toward an ambush position. In the ensuing encounter, he displayed remarkable composure and bravery under fire, eliminating one terrorist before making the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. The operation ultimately resulted in the neutralization of three Pakistani terrorists.
His courage, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to protecting innocent lives remain an enduring source of inspiration, particularly for the youth of Kashmir. Shaheed Mudasir Sheikh exemplified the highest ideals of service and sacrifice, laying down his life to safeguard peace and security in the Valley.
At a time when narratives about Kashmir are often contested, the legacy of Mudasir Sheikh stands as a powerful reminder of the true spirit of Kashmiriyat courage, selflessness, duty, and a commitment to protecting one's people from violence and extremism.
Heroes like Mudasir never truly die. They live on in the memories of those they protected, in the proud history of the Jammu & Kashmir Police, and in the gratitude of a nation they served with honor.
( Source his Shaurya chakra citation released by Government of India and news articles)
Pic credit : online
Prakhar Gupta's latest guest, Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat, has one of the most extraordinary stories to come out of Kashmir's insurgency.
As a young man in the late 1980s, Bhat reportedly crossed into Pakistan for militant training and joined the insurgency. Years later, disillusioned by what he says he witnessed across the border, he switched sides and began working as an undercover asset for the Indian Army. According to multiple accounts, he spent decades infiltrating terrorist networks and assisting counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir. Some reports even credit him with helping neutralize hundreds of militants and providing intelligence before major attacks.
According to his own accounts and reports written about him, he eventually began working covertly with Indian security agencies. Over the following decades, he infiltrated militant networks, gathered intelligence, identified safe houses, and helped security forces track insurgent commanders. Supporters describe him as one of the most successful undercover assets used during the peak years of militancy in Kashmir many kashmiri youth who are part of hizbul surrendered to the army thanks to him
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The latest mortar carrier being marketed by Nibe has once again sparked the familiar "screwdrivergiri" debate. Critics argue that the system appears heavily derived from the Israeli Spear mortar, with the most obvious change being the vehicle platform rather than the core technology itself. The problem isn't using foreign technology—every major defence industry does that. The problem is presenting rebadged or lightly modified imports as indigenous breakthroughs. Make in India was meant to encourage genuine design, engineering, and manufacturing capabilities, not simply assembling overseas products under a local label. When such projects are showcased as major indigenous achievements, it risks undermining the credibility of the very self-reliance initiative they are supposed to support. Real indigenization deserves recognition; rebadging should be called what it is.
Pictures
The mortar system made by elbit called spear
The same product with a Sanskrit name made by Nibe which was exposed by nitin gokhale in his article which nibe opposed during their trials to indian army
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Maybe I'm missing something, but every time I hear Vishnu Som talk about how Tejas Mk1A and Mk2 will be obsolete and India should join FCAS, I end up with the same question:
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What exactly are we supposed to fight with until then?
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FCAS is a future program. The IAF's squadron shortage is a present problem. Tejas Mk1A is flying today, Mk2 is meant to fill the medium fighter gap, and both can actually be inducted this decade.
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Yet the discussion often jumps straight to sixth-generation fighters as if they're already sitting on the flight line.
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If a conflict breaks out in the next 10 years, are we supposed to tell the enemy:
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"Please wait, we're still negotiating our FCAS workshare agreement."
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By all means, explore FCAS and partner if it makes sense. But air forces fight wars with aircraft they actually have, not with concept art and PowerPoint slides.
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Future fighters are great. Squadron strength today is better.
The attack on the chemist outside Shri Kumar Medicos in Sector 11 chandigarh is disturbing enough on its own, but what caught my attention was the weapon allegedly used by the shooters. From the available footage and images, it appears similar to the Pakistan-made pistols and submachine guns that have increasingly surfaced across Punjab in recent years.
This is no longer an isolated trend. Punjab Police reported recovering over 800 Pakistan-linked weapons in the last three years, many allegedly smuggled through drone routes across the border. Authorities say these weapons are increasingly ending up in the hands of gangsters, extortion rackets, and terror-linked modules. I am worried about how these weapons end up this side of the border when BSF is quite active in the International border . ( Pic credits X )
One of the more interesting AEW&C concepts proposed by Elta was a Boeing 737NG equipped with a triple-array AESA rotodome. Instead of relying on a traditional mechanically scanned radar, the rotating dome would house three AESA radar faces spaced 120° apart, combining electronic beam steering with mechanical rotation for near-continuous 360° coverage. The design aimed to leverage the 737's long endurance, high power generation, and large mission payload while providing fighter-sized target detection out to roughly 400 km or more. In theory, it would have offered better tracking, faster refresh rates, and greater resistance to jamming than legacy AWACS platforms, effectively bridging the gap between classic rotodome systems like the E-3 and modern fixed-array platforms such as the E-7 Wedgetail. Now i understand why netra Mk 2 was sidelined 🫠DRDO had proposed an even better one with 4 arrays, having GaN TRMMs. ( Picture from aero india off twitter)