Defence News Questions and Answers

Answer: C

INS Karna was commissioned at Visakhapatnam.

INS Karna is the base of the Indian Navy's marine commandos (MARCOS) for the Eastern Naval Command, commissioned at Bhimunipatnam near Visakhapatnam on 12 July 2016.

Mumbai and Kochi are the headquarters of the Western and Southern Naval Commands, and Chennai has a naval area headquarters, but the MARCOS base INS Karna is at Visakhapatnam, headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command.

Answer: A

Rustom-II was designed and developed by DRDO.

The Rustom-II (later called TAPAS-BH-201) is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru, a DRDO laboratory. Its first flight took place in November 2016.

ISRO builds launch vehicles and satellites, not military drones; MiG is a Russian aircraft maker; and HAL is a production partner for aircraft but did not design Rustom-II.

Answer: C

The objective is to secure better future for the youth of Ladakh.

The Ladakh Ignited Minds project, launched by the Indian Army in 2021 with corporate partners, coaches students from Ladakh for national entrance examinations for engineering and medical courses, so that young people from the region can compete for professional careers.

It is an education and outreach programme, not a peace, counter-insurgency or border-guarding operation, so the other three options describe military aims the project does not have.

Answer: B

Dustlik-II was held between India and Uzbekistan.

Dustlik means friendship in Uzbek. The second edition of this joint field training exercise between the Indian Army and the Uzbekistan Army was held in March 2021 at Chaubatia, Ranikhet, in Uttarakhand, focusing on counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain.

India's exercises with the other countries have other names: Yudh Abhyas with the USA, INDRA with Russia and Shakti with France.

Answer: A

Nomadic Elephant is held with the Mongolian Armed Forces.

Nomadic Elephant is the annual India-Mongolia joint military exercise, focused on counter-terrorism and peacekeeping in semi-urban and mountainous terrain. The 2024 (16th) edition was held at Umroi in Meghalaya in July 2024; editions alternate between the two countries.

India's exercises with the other countries have other names: AUSTRAHIND with Australia, Agni Warrior and Bold Kurukshetra with Singapore, and SADA TANSEEQ with Saudi Arabia.

Answer: C

The third country is Sri Lanka.

Dosti is the trilateral coast guard exercise of India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, begun in 1991 between India and the Maldives and joined by Sri Lanka in 2012. It is held every two years, and its 15th edition took place in the Maldives in November 2021, shortly before this exam.

The exercise focuses on maritime search and rescue, pollution response and cooperation in the Indian Ocean among the three neighbours. Indonesia, Japan and Myanmar do not take part in it.

Answer: B

The carrier commissioned in November 2013 is INS Vikramaditya.

INS Vikramaditya is the former Soviet carrier Admiral Gorshkov, bought from Russia and rebuilt there. It was commissioned on 16 November 2013 at Severodvinsk and became the largest ship in the Indian Navy.

INS Vikrant is the trap. The original Vikrant had been decommissioned in 1997, and the new indigenous Vikrant was only launched in 2013; it was commissioned much later, in 2022. INS Samudrarakshi is not an aircraft carrier in the Indian Navy's fleet.

Answer: C

The National War Memorial was dedicated in New Delhi.

The Prime Minister dedicated the National War Memorial (Rashtriya Samar Smarak) on 25 February 2019. It stands near India Gate in New Delhi and honours the soldiers who have died in India's wars since independence.

Jammu, Itanagar and Noida have their own memorials, but the national memorial is in the capital.

Answer: B

The submarine 'Fateh' was launched by Iran.

In February 2019 Iran unveiled the Fateh, a locally built submarine able to fire cruise missiles, describing it as a product of its own defence industry.

Pakistan and Israel operate submarines but did not launch this one, so 'None of these' also fails.

Answer: B

The new Gurkha battalion was to be raised by the British Army.

The British Army has recruited Gurkhas from Nepal for two centuries through the Brigade of Gurkhas. In 2019 it announced an expansion of the brigade, including a new specialised infantry battalion, recruiting several hundred more Nepalese Gurkhas.

The Indian Army also has Gorkha regiments, but India is not among the options. The Japanese, US and French armies do not recruit Gurkhas in this way.