Current affairs
News for UPSC, SSC and defence exams, with the reason it matters.
July 2026
Cochin Shipyard launches ‘Machilipatnam’, seventh Mahe-class anti-submarine shallow water craft for the Navy
- Cochin Shipyard launched Machilipatnam on 29 July 2026.
- It is the seventh of eight Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft.
- The craft will hunt submarines, guard the coast and lay mines in shallow waters.
Why it matters
[Security] Big warships cannot work well in shallow coastal waters. These smaller craft fill that gap. The class is named after ports on India's coast, such as Mahe and Machilipatnam.
Rajnath Singh opens India’s first Department of Military Medicine at Command Hospital, Lucknow
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh opened it virtually on 29 July 2026.
- It is at the Command Hospital (Central Command), Lucknow.
- It is India's first department devoted only to military medicine.
Why it matters
[Security] Treating wounded soldiers on a battlefield is different from hospital care. Fast first aid in the first hour saves the most lives. The department will also support disaster response.
India marks 27th Kargil Vijay Diwas; Rajnath Singh pays tribute at Kargil War Memorial, Drass
- India observed the 27th Kargil Vijay Diwas on 26 July 2026.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid a wreath at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass, Ladakh.
- Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth also led the tributes.
Why it matters
[Security] The day marks India's victory in the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan. The Army's campaign was called Operation Vijay. The Air Force's part was called Operation Safed Sagar.
Indigenous ‘Bhargavastra’ counter-swarm drone system demonstrated to the Army in Nagpur
- Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd showed Bhargavastra to an Army team on 24 July 2026.
- The review was held at its Nagpur facility under the Make-II programme.
- It is a vehicle-mounted system built to destroy swarms of drones.
Why it matters
[Security] Cheap drones attacking in large groups are a growing threat. Firing costly missiles at each drone is not practical. Make-II projects are funded by industry, not by the government.
Navy commissions INS Malvan, second Mahe-class anti-submarine shallow water craft, at Karwar
- INS Malvan was commissioned at Karwar on 22 July 2026.
- Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, the Chief of the Air Staff, presided.
- It is the second of eight such craft built by Cochin Shipyard.
Why it matters
[Security] The ship is named after Malvan, a coastal town in Maharashtra. Malvan is linked to the naval heritage of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Craft of this class hunt submarines in shallow coastal waters.
DRDO’s GTRE receives India’s first indigenous 350 kg-thrust expendable turbojet engine
- Azad Engineering delivered the engine to DRDO's GTRE on 22 July 2026.
- It is India's first indigenous expendable turbojet engine of the 350 kg thrust class.
- GTRE stands for Gas Turbine Research Establishment, based in Bengaluru.
Why it matters
[Security] An expendable engine is meant for one use, as in missiles and target drones. Only a few nations have mastered jet engine technology. Home-made engines cut dependence on imports.
NTPC awards India’s first grid-scale 100 MWh vanadium redox flow battery project at Khavda
- NTPC Renewable Energy awarded the project to Bondada Engineering, reported on 20 July 2026.
- It is a 100 MWh vanadium redox flow battery at Khavda Solar Park, Gujarat.
- It is called India's first grid-scale battery of this kind.
Why it matters
[Environment] Flow batteries store energy in liquid electrolytes kept in tanks. They last longer and are safer than lithium-ion for long hours of storage. This helps store solar power for use after sunset.
India wins four golds at the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad, its best-ever result
- All four Indian students won gold at the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
- It is India's best-ever result at the Chemistry Olympiad.
- India finished joint first with China, Vietnam and Russia.
Why it matters
[Science] Olympiad results show the depth of India's school science training. July 2026 was a strong month, with five golds at the Physics Olympiad too. HBCSE in Mumbai selects and trains India's teams.
Skyroot’s Vikram-1 becomes India’s first privately built rocket to reach orbit
- Skyroot Aerospace launched Vikram-1 on 18 July 2026 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
- The mission was named 'Aagaman'. The rocket placed its payloads in a 450 km low-Earth orbit.
- It carried Skyroot's own SCOPE satellite and customer payloads from Grahaa Space, Cosmoserve and DCubed.
Why it matters
[Science] Skyroot, based in Hyderabad, was founded in 2018 by two former ISRO engineers. The 2020 space reforms opened rocket launches to private firms. Its suborbital Vikram-S flew in November 2022.
PM Modi flags off India’s first hydrogen-powered train on Jind–Sonipat route in Haryana
- PM Narendra Modi flagged off the train at Jind railway station, Haryana, on 17 July 2026.
- It runs on the 89 km Jind–Gohana–Sonipat section of Northern Railway.
- The train has two power cars and eight passenger cars. It can carry about 2,600 passengers.
Why it matters
[Science] A hydrogen fuel cell makes electricity from hydrogen and oxygen. Its only exhaust is water vapour. Such trains suit routes that have no overhead electric lines.
Cabinet approves Semicon 2.0 with ₹1,27,500 crore outlay for chip design and manufacturing
- The Union Cabinet approved Semicon 2.0 on 15 July 2026. Its outlay is ₹1,27,500 crore.
- It covers six areas: chip design, equipment and materials, fabs, assembly and packaging, R&D, and workforce training.
- Under Semicon 1.0, 12 manufacturing units were approved, with ₹1.64 lakh crore of investment.
Why it matters
[Economy] Semicon 1.0 was the India Semiconductor Mission, launched in 2021 with ₹76,000 crore. Semicon 2.0 moves beyond building plants to equipment, materials and design.
India wins five gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad in Colombia
- Five Indian students won gold at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026.
- It was held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, from 4 to 12 July.
- India finished joint first among 87 countries.
Why it matters
[Science and Technology] HBCSE in Mumbai trains and selects India's teams for science Olympiads.
INS Mahendragiri, sixth Project 17A stealth frigate, commissioned at Visakhapatnam
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned INS Mahendragiri at Visakhapatnam on 11 July 2026.
- It is the sixth Project 17A stealth frigate and joins the Eastern Fleet.
- Over 75% of its content is indigenous.
Why it matters
[Science and Technology] Project 17A frigates follow the Shivalik class (Project 17). The ships are named after Indian hill ranges.
DAC clears ₹52,000 crore of purchases, including Akash Tarang anti-drone system for the Army
- The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Rajnath Singh, approved capital purchases worth ₹52,000 crore on 3 July 2026.
- The Army gets Akash Tarang, an anti-drone electronic warfare system, plus a jet-based kamikaze drone system.
- The Navy gets multi-influence ground mines and shipborne unmanned aerial systems.
Why it matters
[Policy] The DAC is the top body for defence buying decisions. Its approval, called Acceptance of Necessity, is the first step of a purchase. Much of this list targets drones, both to stop them and to use them.