NEW DELHI — A Mirage 2000 fighter crashed in India’s western state of Rajasthan on March 5, prompting the Indian air force to ground the entire fleet. It was the IAF’s third aircraft accident in less than two months. The accident occurred at 12:30 p.m. local time, soon after the twin-seater trainer version of the aircraft took off on a routine sortie from Gwalior air base in Madhya Pradesh in central India. It crashed near Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan, according to a defense ministry official.

NEW DELHI — A day after India successfully test-fired its 290-km-range (180-mi.) BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and put into operation the second tranche of the weapon system, Pakistan on March 5 tested a nuclear-capable short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile. BrahMos has the capability of attacking surface targets by flying as low as 10 meters (33 ft.) above the ground. It can reach a speed of Mach 2.8. On the other side, Pakistan’s Hatf-2 missile can travel up to 180 km and deliver nuclear as well as conventional warheads with high accuracy.

ARMY BRASS: India has named Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh as its next army chief, a government official says. The 59-year old Singh will take charge of the service on May 31 when the incumbent Gen. V.K. Singh retires from service. Bikram Singh joined the 1.3-million force after the 1971 war with Pakistan.