Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari on Tuesday inaugurated the newly established Weapon Systems School (WSS) at Air Force Station Begumpet, Hyderabad. This follows the approval for the creation of a new Weapon System (WS) branch in 2022.

“The new branch will have four streams; flying stream to operate the weapons and systems in airborne platforms like the Sukhoi-30 MKI and C-130J; remote stream to operate remotely piloted aircraft; mission commanders and operators for Surface to Air and Surface-to-Surface weapon systems, and intelligence stream for handling space-based intelligence and imagery,” the IAF said in a statement.

Aimed at recalibrating and transforming the IAF as a future-oriented force, the formation of this new training establishment is a gigantic leap for the armed forces in general, and IAF in particular, it stated.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed an MoU to establish three state-of-the-art testing facilities in Chennai under the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor - one each in Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), Electronic Warfare (EW) and Electro Optics (EO) domains. The MoU, under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS), was exchanged between senior officials of MoD and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane in New Delhi on July 02, 2024.

With an outlay of Rs 400 crore, the DTIS was launched by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh in May 2020 to set up state-of-the-art testing facilities in collaboration with private industry and Central/State Government, promoting indigenous defence production, reducing military equipment imports and enhancing self-reliance. To provide impetus to the defence and aerospace sectors within the Defence Industrial Corridors, seven testing facilities were approved - four in Tamil Nadu and three in Uttar Pradesh. The MoU for three facilities in Tamil Nadu has been signed today.

The DTIS provides up to 75% government funding as ‘Grant-in-Aid’, with the remaining 25% funded by the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPVs), comprising Indian private entities and State/Central Governments.

Aditya-L1, India's first solar observatory mission, has finished its first halo orbit at Lagrange Point 1 in just 178 days. Launched on September 2, 2023, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft was inserted into its targeted halo orbit on January 6 this year. The orbit is about approximately 1.5 million km from Earth.

"During its travel in the halo orbit, Aditya-L1 spacecraft was be subjected to various perturbing forces that may have caused it to depart from the targeted orbit. It underwent two station-keeping maneuvers on February 22 and June 7, respectively, to maintain this orbit. Today's 3rd station-keeping maneuver has ensured that its travel continued in to the second halo orbit path around L1," ISRO said in a statement on July 2.

In previous decades, communication heavily relied on postal services, with people predominantly exchanging letters. Postal workers have long been integral to society, and each July 1, National Postal Worker Day commemorates their invaluable contributions. The occasion not only celebrates their service but also recognises the challenges they endure. Despite adverse conditions, these dedicated individuals traverse miles daily to ensure timely delivery of letters and packages, fostering connections between people and communities.

Every year on July 1, National Postal Worker Day is commemorated to recognise the contributions of all individuals within the postal service, from clerks and drivers transporting letters to distant locations, to delivery partners.

Every year, India celebrates Chartered Accountants Day (CA Day) on July 1 to mark the establishment of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). This day is observed to signify the role of chartered accountants in shaping the financial and economic sectors of India.

This year, ICAI is celebrating the 76th year of its existence as it is India's one of the oldest and most respected financial and accounting organisations.

The Institutes of Chartered Accountants of India came into existence on July 1, 1949, when the parliament passed The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 to develop the profession of Chartered Accountants. Before the establishment of ICAI, the accounting profession in the country was unregulated. The ICAI introduced a framework that governs education qualification, and professional conduct of Chartered Accountants nationwide.

Every year, World Sports Journalist Day is celebrated on July 2, 2024. Sports has emerged as one of the significant career paths. Many people with special interest and deep passion for sports and journalism often pursue 'Sports Journalism'.

Sports Journalists Day marks the success of sports media professionals and motivates them to put more effort into spreading knowledge about sports among the general public. Many news agencies organise events to honour their sports journalists on this special day.

India has successfully developed and certified SEBEX 2, a new explosive that is 2.01 times more lethal than standard Trinitrotoluene (TNT). Certified by the Indian Navy, this high-performance explosive is said to be among the most powerful non-nuclear explosives in the world. It aims to revolutionize bombs, artillery shells, and warheads by enhancing destructive power without adding weight, and could have significant export potential.

According to an ET report by Manu Pubby, the new formulation of SEBEX 2 has been rigorously tested under the Indian Navy’s Defence Export Promotion Scheme.

Officials indicated that final certifications were completed recently.

"The development of the explosive will enhance the potency and efficiency of weapons and ammunition in use," officials said.

Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has partnered with MosChip® Technologies, and Socionext Inc. for the design and development of a High-Performance-Computing (HPC) Processor SoC based on the Arm® architecture and built on TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited) 5nm technology node.

C-DAC, established to develop and deploy the state-of-the-art supercomputing technology in India, is working towards its complete indigenization & in this direction has developed indigenous compute node RUDRA, Trinetra-Interconnect and System Software stack. Further, for complete indigenization of HPC system development, C-DAC is designing an indigenous HPC Processor AUM. Keenheads Technologies, an Indian Startup, has been engaged by C-DAC as Program Management Consultant (PMC) for the project.

C-DAC is collaborating with the consortium of MosChip Technologies, India and Socionext Inc., Japan for design & development of this indigenous HPC Processor AUM, based on the high-performance Arm Neoverse™ V2 CPU platform, and incorporates advanced packaging technology. This approach allows them to retain ownership of unique differentiators, providing a significant competitive edge.

The Bangladesh Navy has signed a deal with India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) for an 800-tonne ocean-going tug — a major contract to be signed under a $500-million line of credit that was extended to Bangladesh by India for the purchase of defence equipment.

The deal was inked in Dhaka on Sunday in the presence of representatives of GRSE and the Bangladesh Navy’s directorate general of defence purchases.

It coincided with a four-day visit to Bangladesh by Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, which was aimed at strengthening bilateral defence relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.

Tata Group has once again been named India’s most valuable brand, according to the latest Brand Finance report. The group’s brand value has soared to $28.6 billion, marking a 9 per cent increase thanks to a strong focus on digitalisation, e-commerce, electric vehicles, and electronics. This makes Tata the first Indian brand to approach the $30-billion mark, reflecting the growing confidence in the Indian economy.

Infosys ranks second with a brand value of $14.2 billion. HDFC Group follows in third place with a brand value of $10.4 billion, significantly boosted by its merger with HDFC Ltd.

Savio D’Souza, Senior Director at Brand Finance, attributes Tata's rise to its rigorous organisational refinement and embrace of digital transformation and advanced technology. Tata's brand visibility has also benefited from its sponsorship of the Indian Premier League, aeronautical rebranding, and the growth of its retail sectors, including Westside and Tata Consumer Products.

LIC Group, Reliance Industries, SBI Group, Airtel, HCL Tech, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra, and Zetwerk are also among the top Indian brands.