Vessel Type and Class: INS Ikshak is the third vessel of the Survey Vessel Large (SVL) class. The earlier two vessels are:
INS Sandhayak (J18) (The first of the class)
INS Nirdeshak (J19) (The second of the class)
The ship was commissioned into the Indian Navy at a ceremonial event held at the Naval Base in Kochi on Thursday.
Strategic Importance: The commissioning significantly strengthens India’s hydrographic survey and maritime operational capabilities.
Versatile Platform: Beyond survey work, the ship is capable of operating as a platform for humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and medical support operations.
Inclusivity Feature: INS Ikshak is the first SVL designed with dedicated women’s accommodation, highlighting the Navy’s commitment to inclusivity.
The fourth ship is named INS Sanshodhak (J24) and is currently launched, awaiting commissioning.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
The Minister for Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, announced that the Centre will soon release a national policy on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
SAF is aviation fuel derived from non-fossil sources.
“Drop-in” Fuel: Chemically similar to conventional jet fuel; can be blended (up to 50% currently) and used in existing aircraft engines and airport infrastructure without modification.
India’s Production Advantage: Minister Naidu highlighted India’s unique position as an agricultural powerhouse with over 750 million tonnes of available biomass, giving it the capacity to become a global leader in SAF production.
India has a surplus of 213 million tonnes of agricultural residue, along with adequate manufacturing capacity for SAF.
The global need for SAF is expected to rise sharply, from 2 million tonnes currently to 183 million tonnes by 2040.
India has set initial blending targets:
1% blending by 2027, requiring 30 million litres of SAF.
2% blending by 2028, requiring 62 million litres of SAF.
Local oil makers collectively have an annual production capacity of 70 million litres, indicating India is on course to meet domestic demand and emerge as a global producer.
GPS Spoofing
Aircraft flying over Delhi have been experiencing “severe” GPS spoofing for the past week. Occurrences have been reported within a 60-nautical-mile radius of the Capital.
Impact on Navigation: The spoofing is causing false navigation data, including incorrect aircraft positions and misleading terrain warnings.
Definition: GPS spoofing is a type of cyberattack that deliberately manipulates the Global Positioning System (GPS) signals a receiver is picking up.
The goal is to deceive the GPS receiver into calculating and displaying an incorrect position, navigation, and time (PNT) data, making the device (like an aircraft or ship) believe it is located somewhere it is not.
Safety Redundancy: Despite the issue, aircraft systems are built with several redundancies, such as the Inertial Reference System, which can operate safely for up to five hours even if a primary system fails.
Southeast Asia Scam Hubs
Recent Case: About 500 Indian citizens who fled the KK Park hub are set to be repatriated.
Scam centers are known as “compound crime” facilities—industrial, jail-like complexes secured by high walls and armed guards.
The model relies on human trafficking and forced labor to commit cybercrimes on an industrial scale.
Victims from countries including India, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Africa, and Latin America are flown to regional hubs like Bangkok, then trafficked overland and forced across borders into Myanmar or Cambodia.
Once inside, passports are confiscated. Victims are told they have been “sold” and must work to pay off an invented “debt.” They endure 12-hour workdays running online scams and are tortured on refusal to work.
Example:KK Park in Myawaddy township, Karen State, Myanmar, is a notorious, purpose-built “scam city.”
Myanmar’s Civil War and Scam Hub Proliferation : The civil war and 2021 coup have created “failed state” conditions and a profound lack of rule of law, enabling scam centers to converge in inaccessible and autonomous non-state armed group-controlled territories and vulnerable border areas.
China’s crackdown (leading to the handover of 41,000 criminal suspects by the end of 2023), merely displaced operations south toward the Thai border (and to Mandalay and Yangon), causing scammers to pivot from Chinese victims to other nationalities.
Cambodia is a major hub, with centers in Sihanoukville, Bavet, and O’Smach, often in repurposed casinos or “Special Economic Zones.”
Criminal Enabler:The Huione Group, a financial services conglomerate, is identified as a “critical node” and the “world’s largest criminal marketplace” financially enabling these operations.
It allowed scammers to sell stolen data, malicious software, and money laundering services and broker deals between scammers and money “mules.”
A mule (specifically a money mule) is a person who is recruited to transfer or move illegally acquired money on behalf of criminals.
The “Pig Butchering” (Shà Thủ Pán) Scam – It’s a combined investment and romance scam where the term refers to “fattening” the victim (the pig) before “slaughtering” them (stealing all the money).
Scammers spend many days or weeks building trust with victims, often by faking a romantic relationship and they convince the victims to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms and then disappear with all the funds.
