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CutTheClutter: Drones, F-16 upgrades to submarines & defence tech—Op Sindoor reveals deepening Pakistan-Turkey ties

Drones performed a key role in Operation Sindoor. However, they are not a recent innovation. Their military application dates back to World War I, with early experiments by the British. The interwar period and post-World War II era saw the Americans advance this technology significantly. In recent years, however, drone warfare has undergone a dramatic transformation. The term "drone" is broadly used to refer to various types of unmanned systems such as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). These platforms vary significantly in capability, with payload capacities ranging from 5 kg to over 500 kg and in roles from reconnaissance to surveillance to fatal attacks. They have proven their impressive capabilities in the entire spectrum of ISTAR-- Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) AND armed ISTAR missions as well. Watch ThePrint Consulting Editor & Foreign Policy Expert explain:

In his first address to the nation post Operation Sindoor, PM Modi drew a red line in the sand—India will not give in to nuclear blackmail by Pakistan any longer. In Episode 1661 of #CutTheClutter, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta looks at Pakistan’s behavioural pattern—making pre-emptive nuclear threats to create a sense of fear, and how India has time and again refused to take the bait.----more----https://theprint.in/opinion/pokhran-anniversary-how-we-built-the-nuclear-bomb/57500/----more----https://theprint.in/defence/pakistan-plan-to-safeguard-nuclear-storage/17525/----more----http://indiatoday.in/magazine/diplomacy/story/19900615-superpowers-try-to-avert-indo-pak-war-812675-1990-06-14----more----https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19900630-indian-analysts-believe[…]ption-as-the-ultimate-hedge-against-defeat-812750-1990-06-29

In the 1898, a British estate manager, William C Peppé dug up a Buddhist Stupa at Piprahwa and stumbled upon a soapstone casket containing relics of Gautama Buddha and a cache of precious gems, which may have been weaved into a necklace or some other form of jewellery, as part of the offerings. More than a century later, a controversy surrounds these gemstones as the heir of Peppe moves to auction them at Sotheby’s. India pointed out that even if the colonial government of that time gave custodianship to William Peppé, his descendants had no legal grounds to sell the relics.

https://theprint.in/opinion/buddhas-gems-at-sothebys-shows-indian-govt-doesnt-have-an-eye-on-colonial-loot/2622708/

https://theprint.in/india/a-category-let-terrorist-accused-of-killing-bjp-sarpanch-among-3-dead-in-shopian-encounter-police-say/2624302/