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India's ambitious Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme is at a critical juncture, with nearly two decades of development behind it and the country's first indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter still awaiting its prototype. As delays, procurement hurdles and questions over accountability continue to shape the programme, can India accelerate its stealth fighter ambitions and emerge as a credible player in advanced combat aviation?

On Episode 64 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som speak to former Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) RKS Bhadauria, about India's fifth-generation fighter programme, the delays surrounding the AMCA, the role of private industry and the urgent need to strengthen India's indigenous military aviation capabilities.

Episode 64

Watch now: https://youtu.be/XXm0An3QVG4

This episode examines the technological, industrial and strategic challenges shaping India's future air power. With China advancing its stealth fighter capabilities and India's AMCA programme facing a crucial test, does the country have the national will, institutional efficiency and industrial commitment to build its next generation of combat aircraft?

As artificial intelligence accelerates the speed, scale and sophistication of cyber threats, state-sponsored hackers and criminal networks are increasingly targeting India's government institutions, research centres, businesses and critical infrastructure. With AI-powered attacks now capable of exploiting vulnerabilities and gaining unauthorised access in under three hours, how prepared is India for a new era of cyber warfare?

On Episode 63 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som speak to Nicholas Butts, Director of AI and Cybersecurity Policy at Microsoft, about the growing cyber threats facing India, the role of AI in modern cyber warfare, and the vulnerabilities that could have serious implications for national security.

India has built a credible nuclear submarine capability, but its conventional submarine fleet is ageing, its numbers are falling short, and its next major acquisition is still years away. With 17 diesel-electric submarines in service, only six of them considered contemporary, how did India's submarine programme lose decades, and can the long-delayed Project 75(I) bridge the capability gap with Pakistan and China?

On Episode 62 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som discuss the state of India's conventional submarine fleet, the delays that have held back modernisation, and the critical decisions that will shape the future of underwater warfare.

Episode 62

Watch now: https://youtu.be/ct7gvhuz7JI

India's conventional submarine fleet: Why 17 boats do not tell the full story

The Scorpene programme: Delays, missing capabilities, torpedo integration and the proposed DRDO-developed AIP retrofit

Pakistan's Hangor-class submarines: How air-independent propulsion could change the underwater balance

Project 75(I): The proposed ₹1 lakh crore deal for six advanced submarines with TKMS and Mazagon Dock

Two lost decades, a lost quarter-century: How delays and idle production lines weakened India's submarine-building capacity

The Kilo and HDW legacy: Why upgrades cannot replace ageing submarine hulls

India's indigenous sonar capabilities: Where domestic defence technology has made significant progress

Why India can build nuclear submarines and advanced warships, but still struggles to develop its own conventional submarine design

From the collapse of submarine-building momentum to the long road ahead for Project 75(I), this episode examines the decisions, delays and capability gaps shaping India's underwater warfare preparedness. Can India rebuild its conventional submarine fleet before the next generation of threats arrives?

 

India has been discussing the F-35 for nearly two decades. With six American stealth fighters recently participating in Tarang Shakti exercise in India and the US ambassador signalling the importance of the relationship, is the F-35 a serious option for the Indian Air Force, or is the deal still a non-starter?

On Episode 61 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som examine the long history of American fighter jet offers to India, why successive proposals have failed to translate into acquisitions, and the strategic and operational hurdles that continue to stand in the way of the F-35.

Episode 61

Watch now: https://youtu.be/bOmKBGsb96Y

Why six F-35s in India send a message, and what their participation in Tarang Shakti means

The 20-year history of F-35 engagement with India, from early briefings to renewed US interest

Why the F-35 remains a difficult proposition for India, despite repeated American overtures

The S-400 question: why India's Russian air defence system complicates a potential F-35 deal

Why the F-16, F/A-18 and other American fighter aircraft have failed to secure major Indian orders

Can the F-35 integrate with India's existing fighters, AWACS platforms and air command-and-control networks?

Where does Russia's Su-57 fit into India's search for a fifth-generation fighter?

From the F-35's long history with India to the future of stealth warfare, this episode examines why a fighter that has repeatedly featured in discussions with Washington remains far from an Indian acquisition. What would it take for the F-35 to become a viable option, and should India even want it?

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What does it take to build an Indian light tank for the world's highest battlefields, and why is the Zorawar's induction facing challenges?

On Episode 60 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som speak to Lieutenant General Karanbir Singh Brar (Retd.) about the origins of India's Zorawar light tank, the operational lessons from the 2020 India-China standoff in Ladakh, and the challenges of developing and inducting indigenous armoured platforms.

Episode 60

Watch now: https://youtu.be/4ci6SYVAyKk

How the 2020 Ladakh standoff triggered the push for a light tank

Why the Zorawar was designed for high-altitude warfare

The thinking behind its 25-tonne weight, mobility and amphibious capability

The debate over armour protection and the proposed induction of 59 tanks

Make in India: Why the Zorawar is a milestone for indigenous tank development

What went wrong with the Arjun tank programme, and the lessons for future projects

Drones, AI and network-centric warfare: How modern battlefields are changing

Why tanks remain critical to capturing and holding territory

Watch Episode 60 of #CtrlAltDefence.

For nearly 25 years, the Indian Air Force operated one of the world's fastest and most secretive reconnaissance aircraft in near-total secrecy.

The MiG-25 Foxbat could climb beyond 65,000 feet, cruise at more than twice the speed of sound and cross sensitive airspace before an adversary could fully react. But what was it actually like to fly this extraordinary machine?

On Episode 59 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som speak to Air Marshal Sumit Mukerji and Wing Commander Pradeep Jaswant Thakur, two former MiG-25 pilots who reveal what it was like to fly the Foxbat and carry out some of India's most closely guarded reconnaissance missions.

Episode 59

Watch now: https://youtu.be/n5blYF7aE1s

Flying the MiG-25 at Mach 2.4 and above 65,000 feet

The extreme pressure suit and claustrophobic cockpit

What happened when the aircraft's skin temperature crossed 300°C

Seeing the curvature of the Earth from the edge of the stratosphere

The truth behind the legendary 1997 MiG-25 mission over Pakistan

The MiG-25's reconnaissance missions during the Kargil War

How its cameras captured critical strategic intelligence

The extraordinary mission to photograph a total solar eclipse

From its extreme operating altitude and blistering speed to its pressure suits, enormous reconnaissance cameras and covert missions, this episode takes you inside one of the most extraordinary chapters of Indian military aviation.

India finally retired the MiG-25 in 2006, after nearly 25 years of service.

But the stories of the men who flew it, and the missions they carried out in secrecy, remain a remarkable part of the Indian Air Force's history.

Watch Episode 59 of #CtrlAltDefence.

What really happened behind India's 2016 surgical strikes across the Line of Control? How was the operation planned, what happened inside the crucial meetings before the mission, and what did it take to bring every soldier back safely?

On Episode 58 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som speak to Lieutenant General Satish Dua (retd.), the former Chinar Corps Commander who was at the centre of the planning and execution of the 2016 surgical strikes, in a rare first-hand account of one of India's most significant special forces operations. Ten years after the Uri terror attack and the operation that followed, Lt Gen Satish Dua revisits the decisions, preparations, risks and execution of the mission.

Episode 58

Watch now: https://youtu.be/4EiqBT1uU2w

How the 2016 surgical strikes were planned after Uri

What happened when Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar arrived in Srinagar

How the young officers and soldiers for the mission were selected

Who chose the targets and how the Army prepared for the operation

What Lt Gen Satish Dua saw as the strikes unfolded in real time

How the targets were engaged and what happened on the ground

Why the unnamed soldiers who carried out the mission remain at the heart of the story

Episode 58 takes you inside the operation through the recollections of one of the key commanders at its centre.

Watch now.

What does it take to face four enemy fighters alone, survive a close-range dogfight and return to base with a damaged aircraft and almost no ammunition?

On Episode 57 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som speak to Flt Lt Alfred Tyrone Cooke, Vir Chakra, one of the most remarkable fighter pilots of the 1965 India-Pakistan War, in what became his final interview.

Flt Lt Alfred Cooke passed away on September 18, 2026, just three days after recording this conversation.

Episode 57

Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfZ6UBjj2Hw

The September 7, 1965 mission that made Alfred Cooke a legend

How he took on four Pakistani Sabres over West Bengal

The dogfight that saw him shoot down at least one Sabre

How he engaged another aircraft at extremely close range

Why his Hunter's ammunition configuration became a source of lasting anger

His reflections on war, service, sacrifice and the men he fought against

Recorded just days before his passing, this episode preserves the extraordinary first-hand account of a fighter pilot who spent decades carrying the memories of one of India's most remarkable aerial battles.

From the skies over West Bengal in 1965 to his reflections more than six decades later, Alfred Cooke recounts the mission, the dogfight, the decisions that followed and the reasons he felt his story had never been fully told.

This is his final interview.

Watch now.

What does it take to build, operate and sustain a nuclear submarine? And after INS Arihant, where does India's undersea warfare capability go from here?

On Episode 56 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som speak exclusively to Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru (retd.), the first commanding officer of INS Arihant, India's first homegrown nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.

Episode 56

Watch now: https://youtu.be/wxUwPjfiKgI

How INS Arihant went from years of preparation to its first sea trials

The reactor's first criticality and the journey towards full power

How India progressively tested the K-15 and K-4 submarine-launched missiles

The challenge of acoustic quieting and making submarines harder to detect

India's military is at a once-in-a-century turning point - and drones, AI, autonomy and software could fundamentally change the character of warfare.

On Episode 55 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor speaks to Lieutenant General Raj Shukla (retd.) about the technological revolution reshaping modern warfare, the lessons emerging from Ukraine, and why India needs to rethink its military doctrines, force structures and defence spending before it falls behind.

Episode 55

Watch now: https://youtu.be/YXpr9hrkPFc

Why drones and AI are transforming the character of warfare

How autonomous systems and algorithmic warfare are changing the battlefield

What Ukraine has revealed about the future of war

Why traditional platforms like tanks, artillery and fighter aircraft face a new challenge

Why software, data and AI could be as important as weapons platforms

Why India needs to rethink its approach to military modernisation

Should India redirect a larger share of its defence budget towards drones, AI, autonomy and cyber capabilities?

Can India's defence startups scale from promising innovators into major military suppliers?

The case for deeper civil-military fusion and greater private-sector participation

From Ukraine's drone revolution and autonomous warfare to India's defence startups and military modernisation, this episode examines a bigger question for India's vision ahead. 

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