General Awareness · History

Indian Defence and Strategic Weapons

1,198 Questions

Indian defence and strategic weapons questions encompass the nations military history, operations, and modern warfare capabilities. Key topics include indigenous nuclear submarines, historic military operations, and joint training exercises. This domain is highly relevant for general awareness sections in competitive exams.

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Indian Defence and Strategic Weapons Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following pairs are correctly matched?

  1. Operation Cactus – launched alongside the Kutchh border to foil attempts of infiltration by Pakistan Army in 1988
  2. Operation Brasstacks – Codename of a major military exercise in Rajasthan in the year 1987
  3. Operation Surya Hope – Army’s response to the disaster ravaged Uttarakhand state in 2013

  1. 1 and 2

  2. 2 and 3

  3. 1 and 3

  4. All three
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Operation Cactus was the codename given to the intervention of Indian army in Maldives to prevent a coup in 1988. Operation Brasstacks was a codename of a major military exercise of the Indian Army in Rajasthan state of India, that took place in 1986 until its execution in 1987. Operation Surya Hope is the name given to the India Army's response to the humanitarian disaster in the Indian states of Uttarakhand, in mid-June 2013.

Multiple choice

Consider the following facts:

  1. Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh is the third officer of the Indian Air Force to have been promoted to a five-star rank in the year 2002.
  2. This distinction made him the ceremonial chief of the Indian Air Force.

Which of the above given facts is/are true?

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

In January 2002, the government conferred the rank of Marshal of the Air Force on Arjan Singh, making him the first and the only five-star officer with the Indian Air Force and ceremonial chief of the air force.

Multiple choice

Which of the following purposes does the Garuda Commando Force of the Indian Air Force serve?

  1. Relief and rescue operations
  2. Protection of critical Air Force bases
  3. For peace keeping operation across the globe

  1. 1 and 2

  2. 2 only

  3. 1 and 3

  4. All three
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Garud Commando Force is the special forces unit of the Indian Air Force. It was formed in September 2004 and has a strength of approximately 2000 personnels. Garud is tasked with the protection of critical Air Force bases and installations; search and rescue during peace and hostilities and disaster relief during calamities. Presently, Garud's are deployed in Congo as part of the UN peace keeping operations.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct for INS Tabar?

  1. It is a Talwar class frigate.
  2. It was commissioned in 2004 from United Kingdom.
  3. It is armed with supersonic missile Brahmos.

  1. 1 and 2

  2. 2 and 3

  3. 1 and 3

  4. All three
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

INS Tabar (F44) (translated as Battle axe) is the third of the Talwar-class frigates of the Indian Navy. The frigate was commissioned on 19 April, 2004 in Kaliningrad, Russia. INS Tabar is the first vessel in the Talwar-class to be armed with supersonic Brahmos (PJ-10) anti-ship cruise missiles.

Multiple choice

Consider the following facts:

  1. The first engagement of Indian Navy was against Portuguese Navy in 1961.
  2. The Navy led crucial attacks on the Chinese in the Sino-Indian War of 1962.

Which of the above is/are true?

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The first engagement in action of the Indian Navy was against the Portuguese Navy during the liberation of Goa in 1961. The 1962 Sino-Indian War was largely fought over the Himalayas and the Navy had only a defensive role in the war.

Multiple choice

Consider the following facts:

  1. The Indian Navy operates under five commands.
  2. Each command of Indian Navy is headed by an officer with the rank of Admiral.

Which of the above is/are true?

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Indian Navy operates three commands. Each command is headed by a Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the rank of Vice Admiral. Two of the three commands have a two-star commanded fleet, the Eastern and Western fleets, and each also have a Commodore commanding submarines. The Southern Naval Command is home to the flag officer sea training.

Multiple choice

Consider the following facts:

  1. Operation Trident was a naval offensive operation launched on the city of Karachi during Indo-Pak war of 1971.
  2. Operation Python dealt with the deployment of fleets in Northern Arabian Sea during 1999 Kargil War.

Which of the above is/are true?

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Operation Trident and its follow up operation Python were naval offensive operations launched on Pakistan's port city of Karachi by the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. During the 1999 Kargil War, the Western and Eastern fleets were deployed in the Northern Arabian Sea, as a part of operation Talwar.

Multiple choice

Consider the following facts:

  1. The HAL Tejas is a tailless aircraft.
  2. It was commissioned to replace MiG-21 fighter aircrafts.
  3. Tejas is the only supersonic fighter developed indigenously by Hindustan Aeronotics Limited.

Which of the above are true?

  1. 1 and 2

  2. 2 and 3

  3. 1 and 3

  4. All three
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The HAL Tejas  is a multirole light fighter developed by India. It is a tailless, compound delta-wing design powered by a single engine. It came from the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme, which began in the 1980s to replace India's ageing MiG-21 fighters. Later, the LCA was officially named "Tejas". Tailless here implies lack of horizontal tailplains. There is still a single vertical tailfin. Tejas is the second supersonic fighter developed indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited after the HAL Marut.

Multiple choice

Which of the following pairs of Naval operations launched during 2004 tsunami and their locations are correctly matched?

  1. Operation Madad – Andhra Pradesh
  2. Operation Castor – Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  3. Operation Gambhir – Indonesia

  1. 1 and 2

  2. 2 and 3

  3. 1 and 3

  4. All three
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Indian Navy routinely involves itself in relief and rescue operations conducted throughout the world. In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the Indian Navy launched massive disaster relief operations to help affected Indian states as well as Maldives, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.These included operation Madad in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Operation Sea Waves in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Operation Castor in Maldives, Operation Rainbow in Sri Lanka and Operation Gambhir in Indonesia.

Multiple choice

Which of the following pairs showing operational commands of Indian Air Force and their headquarters are correctly matched?

  1. Central Air Command – Allahabad
  2. Eastern Air Command – Guwahati
  3. Southern Air Command – Kochi
  4. Southwestern Air Command – Gandhinagar
  5. Western Air Command – New Delhi

  1. 1, 4 and 5

  2. 2, 3 and 5

  3. 1, 2 and 4

  4. 3, 4 and 5
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Indian Air Force is divided into five operational and two functional commands. Each command is headed by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief with the rank of Air Marshal. The Eastern Air Command is headquartered at Shillong and Southern Air Command at Thiruvananthapuram.

Multiple choice

Tessy Thomas is the first woman to head a missile project in the country. She was the project director for which of the following missiles?

  1. Agni V

  2. Agni VI

  3. Surya

  4. Prithvi III
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Tessy Thomas is the first woman to head a missile project in the country. She has earned the name 'Agniputri' or 'Missile Woman'. Her role model, APJ Kalam placed her in the Agni missile programme. Tessy Thomas is the project director for Agni V - the 5000 km ICBM. She is in charge of mission and guidance of Agni V.

Multiple choice

What was the code name of the operation that was launched in 1984 to capture the Siachen Glacier?

  1. Operation Meghdoot

  2. Operation Husky

  3. Operation Trident

  4. Operation Parakram
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Operation Meghdoot was the code name for the Indian Armed Forces operation to capture the Siachen Glacier in the disputed Kashmir region, precipitating the Siachen Conflict. Launched on 13 April 1984, this military operation was unique as the first assault launched in the world's highest battlefield

Multiple choice

Consider the following statements.

  1. Indian bought INS Vikrant from the Soviet Union.
  2. It was the first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy.
  3. It has the longest run of serving the Indian Navy, from 1957 till present day, to be decommissioned in the year 2015.

Which of the above is/are true?

  1. 1 and 2

  2. 2 and 3

  3. 2 only

  4. 3 only
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

India purchased the INS Vikrant from the United Kingdom in 1957. Upon her completion in 1961, she was commissioned as the first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. After a distinguished service, she was decommissioned in January 1997. She has since been preserved as a maritime museum in Cuffe Parade, Mumbai.