Astra missile test successful

♦ Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted flight-test of indigenous Astra missile on 11 july 2025.

♦ This Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air missile was flight tested from Sukhoi-30 Mk-I platform in Odisha. 

♦ Astra has a range exceeding 100 kilometers and is equipped with state-of-the art guidance and navigation system.

♦ According to the Defence Ministry, two launches were carried out against high-speed unmanned aerial targets at different ranges, target aspects and launch platform conditions.

♦ In both the cases, the missiles destroyed the targets with pin-point accuracy. During the tests, all subsystems performed accurately.

♦ These successful flight tests have re-established the accuracy and reliable performance of Astra weapon systems with indigenous seeker.

New green energy

♦ Indian researchers have developed a new green energy material that could revolutionize energy storage technology.

♦ Scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, in collaboration with Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), have engineered a lanthanum-doped silver niobate (AgNbO₃) compound that significantly enhances supercapacitor performance.

♦ Supercapacitors, known for their rapid charging and discharging abilities, often fall short in energy storage capacity.

♦ The new material overcomes this limitation by increasing energy density without sacrificing speed or stability.

♦ This innovation marks a significant step in India’s contribution to sustainable energy solutions amid the global push for cleaner and more efficient technologies.

INS Tamal

♦ The Indian Navy commissioned its latest stealth frigate, INS Tamal (F 71), at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia on 1 July 2025.

♦ INS Tamal is the eighth multi-role stealth frigate under Project 1135.6 and the second vessel in the follow-on Tushil class of ships. 

♦ The first of the class, INS Tushil, was inducted into the Navy in December 2024.

♦ All seven earlier ships are part of the Western Fleet, the primary combat arm of the Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command.

♦ INS Tamal will be commanded by Captain Sridhar Tata, a specialist in gunnery and missile warfare.

♦ Although built in Russia, the frigate includes 26% indigenous systems, such as the BrahMos long-range supersonic cruise missile and the Humsa-NG sonar system.

♦ The construction of the next two ships of the class in India is expected to further expand joint technological capabilities.

♦ Launched in February 2022, INS Tamal completed extensive sea trials between November 2024 and June 2025, successfully testing her advanced weaponry, including the Shtil-1 surface-to-air missile system, artillery guns, and torpedoes.