NEWS 24-07-2019. NEWS FOR 26-JUL (FRIDAY) 1. Chandrayaan-2, India’s 2nd moon mission (after Chandrayaan-1, 2008) was successfully launched by GSLV-MkIII-M1 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Besides being India’s 2nd mission to the moon it is the 1st-ever mission to be spearheaded by two women. With this India became the 1st country in the world to land a rover on unchartered Lunar South Pole. 2. Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 313, the 5th Dornier Aircraft Squadron was commissioned into Indian Navy. The INAS 313 has been named as ‘Sea Eagle.’ It will be used for maritime surveillance, Search and Rescue Operations and to provide targeting data to weapon platforms. 3. In a major reshuffle in Army :- Lt. Gen. M.M. Naravane has been appointed as next vice-chief of armed force. Lt Gen Anil Chauhan will be new General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command. Lt Gen AS Kler has been appointed as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of South-Western Command. Lt Gen I S Ghuman has been appointed as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Command. Lt Gen RP Singh has been appointed as head of Western Command. 4. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 1 km long Ujh Bridge in Kathua district and 617.40 m long Basantar Bridge in Samba district of Jammu & Kashmir. Roads and bridges in border areas will provide smooth connectivity and will also be vital for Indian Army for deployment in border areas. 5. Indigenously produced lightweight bullet proof jacket Bhabha Kavach was launched at International Police Expo 2019 held at New Delhi. It can withstand bullets fired from an AK-47 rifle, 5.56mm INSAS bullet and 7.65mm bullet of self-loading rifle (SLR).6. Indian Army has successfully conducted summer user trials of NAG, 3rd Generation Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM). It is a 3rd-generation fire and forget class missile. It is capable of engaging highly fortified enemy tanks in all weather conditions. It has day and night capabilities. It is launched from NAG missile carrier (NAMICA) which is capable of carrying up to 6 combat missiles. It has a minimum range of 500 meters and maximum range of 4 kilometers. 7. The 8th edition of annual Joint Military Exercise ‘Hand-in-Hand’ between India and China will be held at Shillong, Meghalaya in December 2019. 8. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed a $50 million deal with India to supply complementary Naval MRSAM systems to Indian Navy and Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders. It can defend against a range of assault marine, air and ground threats. It comprises of several key state-of-the-art systems, such as command and control digital radar, launchers and interceptors along with advanced homing seekers. 9. Donald Trump, President of United States of America has announced that US would not sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, a major NATO ally after Ankara purchased S-400 missile defense system from sanctions-hit Russia. 10. International Court of Justice (ICJ) has directed Pakistan to review conviction order of Kulbhushan Jadhav and, until then, put his death sentence on hold. ICJ also asked Islamabad to allow New Delhi consular access at earliest. 11. Indian sprinter Hima Das extended her sensational run by claiming her fifth gold of the month as she returned to her pet 400m competition with a season-best time of 52.09s in Czech Republic. < < Back