NEW DELHI — An Indian air force Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft crashed Dec. 13 soon after taking off near the western city of Pune. The pilots ejected safely. The crash comes as authorities are discussing the predominant reasons for the spate of crashes involving Indian air force (IAF) fighter jets. During the last three years, the IAF has lost 30 fighter aircraft and 10 helicopters in crashes.

NEW DELHI — Indian scientists are in the process of developing robots to replace human soldiers in the near future as part of the country’s unmanned warfare system. A new research facility has been set up by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and BEML Ltd., the state-run heavy engineering and defense equipment major, in Avadi, a suburb of Chennai in south India, to make robot soldiers and cargo-transporting robots for the country’s army.

NEW DELHI — India ranked as the third-largest purchaser of U.S. arms exports in fiscal 2011, with contracts worth $4.5 billion, according to a Pentagon report. U.S. arms sales to India included naval reconnaissance aircraft, transport aircraft, sea-skimming missiles and other weapon systems. U.S. foreign military sales (FMS) overseen by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) passed the $30 billion mark for the fourth consecutive year, with the total reaching $34.8 billion.