This Week in Explainers: How Tejas fighter jet came crashing down during Dubai Air Show

India is bolstering its defences amid threats from its rival countries like Pakistan. The Indian Army could be moving from ‘Cold Start’ to ‘Cold Strike’ doctrine. But why?

The United States has agreed to provide Javelin missiles and Excalibur artillery rounds to India. New Delhi’s long-time ally, Russia, is also willing to give it full technology transfer for the fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighter jet.

In a big blow to Maoism in India, the security forces killed top rebel leader Madvi Hidma in Andhra Pradesh. He was one of India’s most wanted Maoist commanders.

Here’s all this and more in our weekly roundup from India.

1. The formation of the ‘Rudra brigades’, announced by Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi earlier this year, indicates India could be shifting to the ‘Cold Strike’ programme. The Indian Army has long adopted the ‘Cold Start’ strategy, which was formulated in the wake of the 2001 Parliament attack.

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However, some say that the Cold Start doctrine has become outdated, given the emergence of new threats, including multi-domain warfare. The Indian Army is now converting some of its more than 250 single-arm brigades into Rudra ‘all-arms’ brigades. Is this a shift to the Cold Strike strategy? We explain.

2. India’s Tejas fighter jet crashed at the Dubai Air Show while demonstrating an aerial display before a large crowd. The Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot died as the 4.5-generation fighter aircraft plunged to the ground.

An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at Dubai Air Show, today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident.

IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief.

A court of inquiry is being…

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) November 21, 2025

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Condoling the death, the IAF said a “court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident.” This was reportedly the second crash involving the fighter jet in 24 years. Read our report to know what happened.

3. India’s defence remained in the spotlight this week. The US has approved two separate Foreign Military Sales (FMS) proposals, under which it will provide advanced munitions, associated equipment, training, and sustainment elements to New Delhi.

The two packages, valued at an estimated $92.8 million, would help India procure the FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system and M982A1 Excalibur precision artillery. The acquisition of these weapons would enhance India’s frontline capabilities and deepen strategic defence ties between the two countries. Read our story to know more.

4. Russia is reportedly ready to provide technology transfer for its fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighter jet to India. The offer comes ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India next month.

The Sukhoi Su-57 is a twin-engine military aircraft known for its super-manoeuvrability. It also boasts stealth capabilities, advanced missile and electronic warfare systems. If New Delhi accepts Moscow’s offer of unrestricted technology transfer of the Su-57 jet, it will help plug the gap in the Indian Air Force’s squadron strength. We take a look here.

5. Madvi Hidma, the commander of the Maoists Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion 1, was killed by security forces in the Maredumilli forest in the Alluri Sitaramaraju district of Andhra Pradesh earlier this week. Born in Puvarti, a remote village in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, he was the only tribal member from the Bastar region on the Central Committee of the CPI (Maoist), its top decision-making body.

Hidma was involved in at least 26 Maoist attacks, including the 2010 Dantewada massacre in which 76 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed. However, he was successful in evading security forces for years until now. His death is being perceived as a big blow to the ‘red terror’. Read our report to know more.

6. Notorious gangster Anmol Bishnoi has been deported to India by the US. The younger brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is wanted for several criminal cases in India, including the murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique.

Anmol is on the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) ‘most wanted’ list. He had fled to the US in May 2022 using a forged passport before Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s killing. We take a look at the many crimes of Anmol Bishnoi here.

7. A feud in former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family was out in the open after his party Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) drubbing in the state Assembly elections last week. It all started with Lalu’s daughter Rohini Acharya’s post that said she was “quitting politics” and severing ties with the family.

कल मुझे गालियों के साथ बोला गया कि मैं गंदी हूँ और मैंने अपने पिता को अपनी गंदी किडनी लगवा दी , करोड़ों रूपए लिए , टिकट लिया तब लगवाई गंदी किडनी .. सभी बेटी - बहन , जो शादीशुदा हैं उनको मैं बोलूंगी कि जब आपके मायके में कोई बेटा - भाई हो , तो भूल कर भी अपने भगवान रूपी पिता को…

— Rohini Acharya (@RohiniAcharya2) November 16, 2025

Later, Lalu’s other daughters — Rajlakshmi, Ragini, Hema and Chanda — quietly left the family’s Patna residence with their children and left for Delhi, signalling a deeper rift within the family. Tejashwi Yadav’s alleged mistreatment of his elder sister, Rohini, is reported to be behind the family war. But what happened? We explain here.

8. Bollywood movie Dhurandhar, boasting a multi-star cast, has been making waves since its trailer was released this week. The Aditya Dhar-directed film is based on “incredible true events”, with many saying it has similarities to Pakistan’s Operation Lyari.

Pakistan’s authorities had launched a large-scale operation in 2012 to infiltrate and dismantle a major gang network operating out a Karachi town known as Lyari. We take a look at it here.

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