SOAR is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. It aims to integrate Artificial Intelligence literacy into school education and vocational training systems. The initiative prepares students and educators for an Artificial Intelligence-driven economy. The Union Government has committed ₹500 crore for a dedicated Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence in Education.

Indian Coast Guard Ship Samudra Pratap was commissioned on January 5, 2026. It is India’s first indigenously designed pollution control vessel. The ship was built by Goa Shipyard Limited. It is equipped with advanced pollution detection and containment systems.

Taimoor is an indigenously developed air-launched cruise missile designed to strike land and sea targets with high precision. It uses subsonic turbojet propulsion and has a strike range of up to 600 kilometres. Stealth features include a box-shaped fuselage, X-type tail, and foldable wings. The missile flies at very low altitude to evade enemy radar systems.

The Industrial Research and Development Promotion Program is implemented by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. It supports research and development in engineering, natural sciences, and social sciences. Recently, relaxations were announced to help deep-technology start-ups gain official recognition.

Gulf Shield 2026 is a joint exercise involving all Gulf Cooperation Council member states. It focuses on joint operational integration and combat readiness. The drills test unified military planning and response to regional threats.

The Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications released the National Frequency Allocation Plan 2025. The plan governs radio-frequency spectrum management in India and identifies spectrum bands for Fifth Generation, Fifth Generation Advanced, and future Sixth Generation networks.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully conducted a salvo launch of two Pralay missiles from the same launcher off the Odisha coast. Pralay is an indigenously developed solid-propellant quasi-ballistic missile equipped with high-precision guidance.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced that the nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile system has entered active service. The missile has a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometres and can attain speeds of up to Mach 10.

Exercise DESERT CYCLONE was conducted jointly by the Indian Army and the United Arab Emirates Land Forces. The exercise took place at Al Hamra Training City and focused on urban warfare, building clearance operations, and Improvised Explosive Device awareness. It was conducted under a United Nations mandate to improve interoperability for multinational peacekeeping missions.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation developed the Sea Water Desalination System. It was designed to meet drinking water needs of soldiers deployed in remote and saline areas. The system can be manually operated or engine-driven and is suitable for naval and high-altitude deployments such as Pangong Tso.

The RQ-170 Sentinel is a stealth unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the United States. It was designed by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division. The drone supports intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare missions. It was recently sighted at a naval base in Puerto Rico.

<p>The 13th edition of Exercise KHANJAR, a joint military exercise between India and Kyrgyzstan, started at Misamari, Assam. The 2026 edition focuses on urban warfare and counter-terrorism operations under the United Nations mandate.</p>