[gardenerextraordinaire]

Link Kaveri engine to power fifth generation fighter aircraft

Under development for over two decades, the indigenous fighter jet engine â??Kaveriâ?? will be used for powering the home-grown fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

Being developed by DRDOâ??s Gas Turbine research Establishment (GTRE), the Kaveri was initially being developed for the LCA Tejas programme but now it will be used on the AMCA, which is expected to be ready by 2016-17, senior officials told PTI here.

The AMCA is a twin-engine indigenous fighter aircraft programme for which initial sanctions have already been accorded by the Defence Ministry, they added.

The indigenous fighter aircraft engine programme was first started in 1986 and has suffered delays and cost over-runs. It was also marred by the technology denial regimes in the 90s.

After not being able to get the desired thrust for powering fighter aircraft, the DRDO entered into a Joint Venture with the French engine manufacturers Snecma to further enhance its capabilities.

â??In recent times, the engine has been able to produce thrust of 70-75 Kilo Newton but what the IAF and other stake-holders desire is power between 90â??95 KN.

â??I think with the JV with Snecma in place now, we would be able to achieve these parameters in near future,â?� they said.

On using the Kaveri for the LCA, they said the engine would be fitted on the first 40 LCAs to be supplied to the IAF when they come for upgrades to the DRDO in the latter half of the decade.

Due to the absence of an indigenous engine, GE engines from the United States were procured to power the LCAs and recently, another tender was awarded to the American company for supplying 99 engines for the advanced version of the Tejas.

On the present status of the programme, officials said the maiden flight test of the Kaveri was completed successfully during the Flying Test Bed (FTB) trials at the Gromov Flight Research Institute in Moscow November last year.

During the coming months, 50-60 test flights will be carried out to mature the engine in terms of reliability, safety and airworthiness.

These trials would pave the way for further flight trials of Kaveri engine with a fighter aircraft, they added.

[hhynmtrxcp]

DRDO chief V K Saraswat on Sunday said India has scaled a position which has enabled it to export missiles and weapon systems to “friendly” nations in a few years from now.


Speaking to reporters, Saraswat, however, noted that the requirements of the country’s amed forces will have to be met first since the DRDO’s production capacity was limited.


“Our technology and the weapon systems are competitive. There is tremendous export potential. But we have to first make sure we have real output in terms of numbers and quality,” he said.


Saraswat, who is also Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister said the export policy would be restrictive and would be based on the interests of the country.

[hHwJ229h]

Balasore (Odisha): Close on the heels of successful test fire of Agni-V missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, its Director Saktipada Dash has been appointed as Director of the prestigious Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL), Hyderabad.

Dash handed over charge to M V K V Prasad who took over on Tuesday as the new Director of ITR, defence sources said. Prasad was a senior scientist at Defence Research Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad before the new appointment.

Having done his B Tech in Electronics & Communication Engg from IIT, Kharagpur in 1977, Dash was involved in the design development of avionics systems for all the missile programmes like Trishul, NAG, Akash, Astra, Brahmos, Prithvi and Agni which are now under production.

He was the first Odia to become the Director of ITR, Chandipur. For his outstanding contribution for the DRDO missile programme, he has received Prime Minister’s DRDO award for path breaking research and performance excellence four times for various projects like Prithvi and Agni.

He had the unique recognition of being the Director of three DRDO laboratories.

[qzgCVHex]

Link Coming soon: â??Smart soldiersâ?? with robots for hi-tech battles

Taking cover from the enemy fire, a soldier quietly takes stock of the enemyâ??s position using surveillance robots and launches counterattack! It may sound futuristic but the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army are in the advanced stages of developing such â??smart soldiersâ?? who would be equipped with the latest technology and gadgets to fight any battle.

The Rs 200 crore â??Soldier as a Systemâ?? project, which started around three years ago, is aimed at enhancing the capabilities of individual combat soldiers in lethality, battle command compatibility, survivability, mobility and others.

â??These smart soldiers will be geared up for all kind of battle scenarios. They would be equipped with the latest communication systems,â?� DRDOâ??s chief controller (R&D) W Selvamurthy told DNA.
â??Indian Army is a part of it in a big way. We are working in complete synchronization with them. Several army officers are working with us on this project,â?� he said.

He said the DRDO is developing the peripheral support systems, including communication devices, guns, lighter bulletproof jackets, helmet-mounted display and health monitoring units.
A special suit is also being prepared that would have a capability to adapt to all kinds of weather. â??In summers its pores will open for ventilation and in winters it will stop chilly winds,â?� Selvamurthy said.

Monitors fitted on the suits would relay health-related information of a soldier to his main control centre to help them decide on his battle capability.

The DRDO has also developed a high-tech communication and information system, which would be integrated with it. This mainly includes a digital compass, GPS and hand-size computer.

Small robots with surveillance capabilities have also been developed and they would be controlled using the hand-size computers. The gun would also night vision capabilities.

â??Using these systems, soldiers will be able to have awareness of the battlefield. Besides, the communication system would keep all such smart soldiers connected to each other â??tracking each othersâ?? position on the battleground. They will also be able to scan the areas around and have a virtual feel of the war-field,â?� he added.

Selvamurthy said: â??Under these projects, we are developing support systems to enhance efficiency, lethality, mobility, survivability and sustainability of soldiers. Developmental trials of all these support systems are going on after which all they would be integrated. Once that is done, it will then go for user trials.â?�
â??It will take another four-five years for it to see the light of the day.

No country has such kind of system now. Several countries are working on this system as well,â?� he added.

[Teligacio]

Link DRDO UCAV programme moves forward
By SP's Special Correspondent

In a significant boost to India's classified unmanned combat aerial vehicle programme, titled AURA (autonomous unmanned research aircraft), the government is considering bestowing it with "major project" status. Sources in the Indian Air Force (IAF), the primary customer for the ambitious stealth UCAV, have been pushing for greater Ministry support for a programme that is likely to be one of India's most momentous in the future.

With the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) leading the effort, and string of DRDO labs and academic institutions like IIT-Kanpur working on different elements of the proposed strike drone, the IAF is keen that scientists deliver a state-of-the-art platform to augment the country's growing manned fleet.

The AURA programme, led by ADA's Dr Biju Uthup and a handful of specialised scientists, is currently working to freeze the preliminary design configuration of the drone. ADA and DRDO have been in discussions with several countries for possible technology tie-ups, though the IAF has insisted that the AURA's major components and systems be designed in-country. In an ideal situation, the AURA's materials, engine, on board electronics, software and sensors will be developed and built in-house. One of the chief development effort associated with the AURA programme is the Dehradun-based Defence Electronics Application Laboratory's (DEAL) effort to develop brand new secure datalinks that will allow the AURA to meld into existing and future net centric infrastructure in service with the IAF and other two services.

While the DRDO has spoken out about the AURA programme, it is still designated classified and the IAF would like it to be treated as a secret programme until the engineering development phase.

[Frinzer]

DRDO â?? DU MOU for Enhanced Academic Interaction and R&D collaboration

â??Students get a glow on their faces whenever there is a talk of getting an opportunity to work in DRDOâ?�, stated Prof Dinesh Singh, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi, addressing a galaxy of DU academicians and top DRDO scientists during a brief ceremony held in Delhi on 23rd January late in the evening, in which DRDO and University of Delhi entered a memorandum of understanding aimed at enhancing academic interaction and R&D collaboration. Prof Singh described it as a Red Letter day in the history of University of Delhi as DRDO is a place where countries best minds work to develop technologies to defend the country. â??It is imperative for a University to serve the country and this MOU is a step in this directionâ?�, stated Prof Singh. Mentioning about the Universityâ??s newly set-up â??Cluster Innovation Centreâ?� he described it as a program thatâ??s going to change the way students learn.

Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat, SA to RM, Secretary Deptt. of Defence R&D and DG, DRDO, in his address highlighted the long standing relationship of mutual collaboration between DU and DRDO right from the days of Prof DS Kothari, the first SA to RM and an eminent physicist from the University of Delhi. Congratulating the gathering, he described the MOU as a step in formalizing the collaborative efforts between the two great institutions and making them more focused, he said, â??we made an
informal beginning about a year ago leading to this MOU, I am sure the champions on both the sides will take leadership role to fructify the collaborationâ?�. Emphasizing the role of academic institutions in development of newer technologies, especially in areas where the maturity level of technologies was low (0-3 on a 10 point scale), he briefly discussed the ladder approach evolved and followed in DRDO in developing new products. He set the road map by identifying certain key areas for collaboration
such as laser physics, cyber security, cryptography, nanotechnology, MEMS, and sensors for specific applications.

Earlier, welcoming the gathering, Dr Bhujanga Rao, Distinguished scientist and Chief Controller R&D (HR) stated that coming together of these two great organisations will provide synergy and the MOU will be an excellent opportunity for all stake holders. Shri R K Sinha, IAS and registrar University of Delhi, Prof. Madan Mohan Chaturvedi, Head, Cluster Innovation Centre, Dr A K Singh, Director, Human Resources Development, DRDO, Directors of Delhi based laboratories of DRDO and several senior
professors of DU were present during the ceremony.

[freddystone]

Link Developing digestible food items for armed forces, key task for researchers
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 08:00 IST
Nandita Vijay, Bangalore

Development of palatable and digestible operational food items for the armed forces is a major task before food researchers.

â??The innovations which are being done should have a practical approach for the end-user with much load on the economy. There is need to rationalise the special food items with respect to the existing ration scale to ease procurement audit procedures,â?� explains Lt Col H K Tiwari, Indian Navy BV (base victualling) Yard, Mumbai.

In a presentation on Indian Navy and Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL): Scope and Future, he said that it was important for DFRL to direct its research to develop packaging technologies for the fresh provisions intended for sea-going ships as they were subjected to delay.

â??The unexpected inordinate delays resulted in the ripening of fruits and the softening of vegetables. It was of utmost need to focus on the development of mandatory packaging properties like safe transport,â?� he added during an International Symposium on Recent Trends in Processing & Safety of Speciality Foods and Operational Foods, organised by DFRL.

Mysore-based DFRL is the leading centre for food research in the country engaged in developing quality operational food items for the armed forces. â??The requirement of high fibre and high energy foods having long shelf-life was called for,â?� he stated.

According to Shashi Bala Singh of Defence Institute of Physiology, and Allied Sciences, the success of military operations largely depends on physical and mental status of the soldiers. Nutritional requirements of the armed forces personnel and adequacy of ration scales have been determined after conducting studies under actual field conditions. Decreased food intake due to high altitude anorexia causes negative energy balance leading to loss of body mass in low-landers visiting the high altitudes.

High carbohydrate diets are beneficial under hypoxic environment of high altitudes during early days of acclimatisation. The taste thresholds and sensitivity change at high altitude along with disturbances in appetite regulatory hormones. â??This is where the planning of ration for combat operations is a challenging task as the balance between nutrient requirement for optimum health and palatability needs to be ensured,â?� he said.

[Unamannuato]

Link DRDO seeks nod for domestic AWACS

Buoyed by the success of its indigenous eye-in-the-sky last December, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has pushed for a homemade version of the advanced Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) that can peer deep into enemy territory from higher altitudes.

Days before testing the maiden flight of its Airborne Early Warning & Control system in Brazil, the DRDO shot off a proposal to the Defence Ministry seeking Rs 850 crore to â??design and develop AWACS for the IAFâ?�.

The DRDOâ??s proposal does not identify a technology partner but keeps open the option of taking on consultants as and when required. The aim is to develop long-range radars with onboard command, control and communications for both tactical and air defence forces from higher altitudes, says the proposal sent on November 21.

The AWACS is extremely useful for India in large conflicts as it surveys a wider expanse of airspace and coastlines, and can monitor large number of aircraft and warships from a greater height than the AEWCs. Moreover, it can provide a 360-degree coverage of aircraft movement and troop build-up nearly 400 km inside neighbouring terrains compared to normal 250 km (375 km extended) detection with a 240-degree vision of AEWCs.

The DRDO proposal highlights this ability of AWACS to track multiple targets through large distances, said sources.

So far, India has got three Phalcon AWACS, the last of which was delivered in mid-2011, from Israelâ??s Elta. A major follow-on contract has been rumored since April 2008 but the contract is yet to be signed.

Armed with more than double the number of control operator stations, AWACS can trap more electronic intelligence and communications intercepts from air as well as maritime and key border stations.

The Rs 1,800-crore AEWC development programme, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security in October 2004, was â??a major milestoneâ?� towards realising the dream of indigenous AEWC to put India into a select club of countries.

[roundman]

DRDO works on hypersonic vehicle February 18, 2012

Dr Tessy Thomas, project director, AGNI, Advanced Systems Laboratory, DRDO, Hyderabad said that the work on the project had already started and technology is under development. She said, “The work of the project is on, thorough testing is required for this project as it is for passenger travelling. It can also be extended to space tourism.”

Dr Thomas who is popularly known as Missile Woman, was interacting with school and college students at a progamme “Women achievers in science” organised by the Women's Cell, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE). She said the Agni V, the 5,000-km range Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile, will be ready soon.

[rXpX]

BrahMos test flight for Sukhoi-30 by year end
TNN | Feb 26, 2012, 06.41AM IST

The BrahMos missile for the Indian Air Force which can be launched from a Sukhoi-30 is being developed and a test flight will probably be held by the end of this year, said Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, chief controller, R&D, DRDO and chief executive officer and managing director of BrahMos Aerospace. The BrahMos missile used an air breathing scramjet propulsion technology and hence was more fuel efficient than a traditional rocket-powered missile, he said.

Pillai was in Trichy on Saturday to deliver a lecture in the ongoing Pragyan 2012 of the National Institute of Technology, Trichy (NITT). According to him, the paradigm of India's progress must be in the course of a leap frog in technology. "When the world had a cruise missile, India went forward to make a supersonic cruise missile," he said.

He also touched upon the predictions for the future in technology in all spheres of life. "The future belongs to self-driven cars (which have been tested by DRDO in an ongoing project), flying cars, stem cell surgery, morphing airframes, solar power satellite and a space lift," he explained.

On the future of energy, he stressed that nuclear and solar power are the sources. Pillai also mentioned about the latest research into nano-solar cells that claim efficiency of 50% at low costs.

Turing his attention on BrahMos, Pillai stressed on the versatility and elite characteristics of the world's only supersonic cruise missile. Capable of being launched from land or sea to any target on land or sea, with a speed of Mach 2.8 (2.8 times faster than the speed of sound, which is three times faster than the USA's contemporary Tomahawk cruise missile). The BrahMos is the brainchild of Pillai's team comprising the DRDO, India and NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) of Russia.[hr]
Decks cleared for first test of 5000-km range Agni-V missile
Rajat Pandit, TNN | Feb 26, 2012, 01.35AM IST

India has begun final preparations for the first test of its most-ambitious strategic missile, the 5,000-km Agni-V, which will prove to be both a technical as well as logistical challenge.

The Agni-V, which will bring the whole of Asia, 70% of Europe and other regions under its strike envelope, will be tested from Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast towards end-March to early-April, top defence sources said.

"We are almost ready for the test. There are no technical glitches or problems. It's more of a scheduling and logistical issue now since the missile will travel halfway across the Indian Ocean," said a source.

"Countries like Indonesia and Australia as well as international air and maritime traffic in the test zone will have to be alerted a week or 10 days before the test. Moreover, our warships, with DRDO scientists, tracking and monitoring systems, will have to be positioned midway and near the impact point in southern Indian Ocean,'' he added.

The nuclear-capable Agni-V, about 50-tonne in weight and 17.5-metre tall, is bound to generate waves. Once the three-stage missile becomes operational by 2014-2015 after "four to five repeatable tests", as promised by DRDO, India will break into the exclusive ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) club that counts just US, Russia, China, France and UK as its members.

India could have gone for a higher strike range but believes the solid-fuelled Agni-V is "more than adequate'' to meet current threat perceptions and security concerns. The missile can, after all, even hit the northernmost parts of China.

With a canister-launch system to impart higher road mobility, the missile will give the armed forces much greater operational flexibility than the earlier-generation of Agni missiles. "The accuracy levels of Agni-V and the 3,500-km Agni-IV (first tested in November 2011), with their better guidance and navigation systems, are far higher than Agni-I (700-km), Agni-II (2,000-km) and Agni-III (3,000-km),'' said the source.

India, of course, cannot match China in terms of its vast nuclear and missile arsenals, with missiles like the 11,200-km range Dong Feng-31A even unnerving the US. But missiles like Agni-IV and Agni-V will certainly add teeth to its credible minimum nuclear deterrence posture.

The Agni missiles will get deadlier once MIRV (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles) payloads for them are developed. An MIRV payload on a missile carries several nuclear warheads, which can be programmed to hit different targets. A flurry of such missiles can hence completely overwhelm BMD ( ballistic missile defence) systems.

[www.forumsovetov.ru]

2nd international conference on electronic warfare in B'lore

Association of Old Crows (AOC), India Chapter, Bangalore, is organising, The Second International Conference on Electronic Warfare: EWCI 2012 from February 22 to 24.

The event is supported by DRDO, Bharat Electronics Limited and Integrated Defence Services (IDS), and will be held at the Indian Institute of Science.

Dr U K Revankar, former Director of Defence Avionics Research Establishment(DARE), a premier establishment under DRDO, also the President of AOC India Chapter, is the conference Chairman and I V Sarma, Director (R&D), BEL, Bangalore, the Co-Chairman, according to a DRDO statement.

"This conference provides the forum for the presentation and discussion of technical material related to all aspects of electronic warfare(EW).This prestigious event is an opportunity for international leaders in EW from defence, government, industry and science and technology to meet and shape the future of this vital element of modern warfare", it said.

An international EW exhibition with more than 60 exhibition stalls is an added attraction.

Dr V K Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Director General, DRDO, would inaugurate the conference and the exhibition, it was stated.

[echocassidyde]

Bhubaneswar: India is on par with other countries in electronic warfare, senior scientist Saktipada Dash, who took over as director of a prestigious defence electronics research laboratory, said Wednesday.

"We are almost on par with other countries in electric warfare," said Dash who took charge as director of the prestigious Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL) at Hyderabad Tuesday.

DLRL, a lab of country's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been designing and developing electronic warfare systems covering radar and communication frequency bands for the Indian army, navy and air force for over four decades.

"Communication technology and radar technology is changing very fast. Everybody is updating their systems. We will have to find out what they are doing and counter that", he said in a telephone interview, explaining the challanges ahead.

He said to make its systems effective efforts are always on to upgrade country's electronic warfare systems. Some systems have already been developed and are being used by army, navy and air force.

"Some more are under progress", he said, adding that those cannot be divulged because they are highly classified.

Born in the Odisha's Cuttack district 1955, Dash stood first in the state's higher secondary board. He did his B.Tech in electronics and communications from the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur in 1977.

He was deeply involved in the design and development of electronics systems for the Trishul, Nag, Akash, Astra, BrahMos, Prithvi and Agni missile programmes.

He has received Prime Minister's DRDO Award for path breaking research and performance excellence four times.

Dash was credited with hundreds of flights tests and evaluation of missiles and weapon systems during his previous assignment of over five years as director of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.

[arindiruppyr]

Vishwas Kothari, TNN | Mar 18, 2012, 06.35AM IST

The defence research and development organisation (DRDO), which has been allocated Rs 10,640 crore in the Union Budget 2012, will put a major thrust on projects including development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Kaveri-II engine for the light combat aircraft, and new generation and tactical short-range missiles, in the year ahead.

"The allocation is 6% more than what we had received last year. We expected an 8% increase, but the allocation meets our requirements by and large," said DRDO's director general V K Saraswat during a visit to the Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (VRDE) at Ahmednagar, about 110 km from here.

Saraswat, who is also the scientific advisor to the minister of defence, performed the 'ground breaking' ritual for the country's first of its kind vehicle dynamics test track. The Rs 26.99-crore facility will go operational from November 2013 at the VRDE for testing of defence and commercial vehicles. Chief controller of research and development S Sundaresh and VRDE director C P Ramanarayanan accompanied Saraswat.

The DRDO chief identified other thrust areas related to development of a new system for the 155-mm artillery gun, a bi-modular charge system, which is ammunition for the 155-mm Howitzer gun, and new materials for high-temperature and armoured applications, including those required for hypersonic missiles and new generation turbines.

He said, "Almost 40% of the DRDO's budget goes into development of strategic systems, while the remaining 60% is utilised for the science and technology-based programmes. The UAVs form a key component of these programmes while the focus is also on the new generation missile systems that go beyond the existing Agni V."

Referring to the area of armament, Saraswat said, "It has been almost a couple of decades since the country has opted for development of a new gun system. The time is ripe for us to do undertake strong activities in this area. The Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment is working on this new system."

He added, "The bi-modular charge system or BMCS, as it is commonly referred to, has successfully gone through various trial processes and is now set to go for production by the Ordnance Factories soon."

Asked about the defence offset from the $ 11-billion deal for 126 French-made Rafale combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force, Saraswat said, "The matter is being handled by another department (the Defence Offset Facilitation Agency), but we expect that the provision of offset is used to bridge the technology gap. We have given a list of items to our offset management team to work on."

The offsets, which were first introduced in the Defence Procurement Policies of 2005 and 2006, refer to the provision of foreign vendors, who are awarded defence contracts worth Rs 300 crore or more, to plough back at least 30% of the contract value into Indian defence production or R&D.

The upcoming vehicle dynamics test track forms part of the DRDO's effort to further the armed forces' requirement of state-of-the-art ground vehicles with excellent manoeuvrability and power to weight ratio under low intensity conflict operations.

Incorporation of high-end technologies like anti-lock braking and anti-roll over mechanism become crucial to achieve this objective. Evaluation of technology-intensive vehicles meant for induction in the Army need special purpose tracks and instrumentation systems. The test track will seek to address these requirements.

[wbeachcomber]

''Evolve own strategy for self reliance'', says Antony to DRDO


New Delhi, Mar 19 (ANI): Defence Minister A.K. Antony has called upon the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to take a relook at the goal of self-reliance in a globalized economy.

In his inaugural address to the 36th DRDO Directors'' Conference here today, Antony said: "Today, we are again standing at the crossroads, where the imperative need for modernization in a globalized environment is exerting pressure on the very essence of ''Self Reliance''. In such a scenario, we need to evolve our own strategy for ''Self Reliance in 21st Century''."

Stressing on the need to meet the timelines of the three services, Antony said: "No doubt, there may be a few legitimate reasons for the delay, but we must make every effort to strictly adhere to timelines. DRDO can win the confidence and trust of the Users, i.e., our Armed Forces, only if it meets timelines and delivers the best and the latest equipment and weapon systems."

The Defence Minister underlined the need for synergy between the DRDO and the Services.

"The single most important facet of your operations must be the DRDO-User relation. Both the Services and DRDO must increase their synergy, while finalizing developmental projects and strategies. Secondly, I would like our Armed Forces to actively participate in development programmes, both in management, as well as implementation to ensure that more indigenous systems are inducted," he said.

Antony further said the government recently approved technology acquisition through offsets.

"We must leverage offsets to bring in critical technologies to provide a further boost to our existing capability. Today, there is enough space in our defence industry for both the Public and Private sectors to do business. We must ensure active participation of all stakeholders, including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in defence production," he added.

The Chairman of the Standing Committee of Parliament on Defence, Satpal Maharaj, speaking on the occasion noted with satisfaction that the share of R&D in the Defence Budget has risen to six percent from one percent in the 1960s.

The Standing Committee had recommended 10 percent as compared to 15 percent being invested by certain countries in our neighbourhood, he added.

National Security Adviser Shri Shivshankar Menon asked the DRDO scientists to "avoid reinventing the wheel", and instead focus on reducing critical dependency on foreign suppliers in specialized sectors like defence electronics.

The Chief of Naval Staff and Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee Admiral Nirmal Verma noted that self-reliance in defence industry still remained elusive.

"Achievement of total self-reliance in a globalised world is neither affordable nor practicable. To my mind it could be far better to aim for optimum self-reliance", he added.

Voicing concern on delays, Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma said that it has resulted in lag in technology with the role of self-reliance taking a severe beating.

He said that in a bid to give boost to R&D, the Transfer of Technology (ToT) will soon be a part of the offset component of defence contracts.

The Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri, Secretary, Deptt of Defence R&D and DG DRDO, Dr. VK Saraswat, called for the setting up of the Defence Technology Commission and a bigger role for DRDO in picking up the production partner post-development stage of products developed by the DRDO.

He said that the first flight of the Agni-V missile is likely to take place next month. (ANI)

[rhiniddibiarmr]

Besides asking for more funds for research and development (R&D), the Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) has pleaded not to let its successful indigenous weapon programmes be scuttled by substandard manufacture in defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and in production units of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).

There is a serious concern within the DRDO after the Arjun tank, which outperformed the Russian T-90 tank in army trials last year, disappointed the frontline combat units for whom it was bulk-produced by the Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi (HVF). The apparent reason: poor manufacture and ineffective quality control.

DRDO chief V K Saraswat, during the organisation’s 36th Laboratory Directors’ Conference that concluded here, on Wednesday, demanded that DRDO have a say in choosing the factory that manufactures its systems.

Seeking intervention of the defence minister, Saraswat stated: “DRDO is mandated to develop prototypes and then hand over to production agencies for large-scale manufacture. But we have realised that a substantial amount of handholding is required in the post-development phase. DRDO would like to play a lead role in (the) selection of production partners and the lead integrator for production of DRDO-developed products, so as to ensure seamless transfer of technology, productionisation and product support.

DRDO seeks to pre-empt potential production glitches in the 248 Arjun Mark II tanks that HVF Avadi will build. Another concern is the Tejas light combat aircraft. While the DRDO-headed Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has developed the Tejas, it will be mass-produced by public sector giant, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which is apparently insufficiently prepared for the job. Saraswat also drew attention to the need for “hand-holding” by DRDO in producing the Akash missile system, being built by two DPSUs — Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Ltd.

Top DRDO sources tell Business Standard that identifying a production partner at the start of a project, and involving that partner through the development process, is essential for successfully delivering a high-tech product to the military. Instead of the current practice of the MoD arbitrarily nominating a DPSU or OFB factory to build the product, usually when development is almost completed, the DRDO would select a capable partner company from the outset, from the private sector if necessary.

But the MoD quickly made it clear that DRDO would not be given discretionary powers. Defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma agreed it was crucial to involve a production partner from the beginning of a project, but arbitrary selection was not an option. “For selection of a production partner at the development stage itself, a fair and transparent methodology is much essential. Also, preferably, there should be multiple development or production partners instead of a single production partner,” said Sharma.

Defence Minister A K Antony also implicitly opposed Saraswat’s proposal, suggesting DRDO discretion might contravene the requirement for transparency. “You must develop this collaboration in a transparent manner. Otherwise, midway, you will land in trouble. We will not tolerate any malpractices… otherwise, ultimately, we will have to cancel the collaboration. At every stage, you must see that we are proceeding as per correct procedure.”

“The problem is that nominating a DPSU like BEL, or an ordnance factory, for mass producing an equipment is considered transparent. But choosing a private sector company, even on logical grounds, risks being viewed as a malpractice,” says the CEO of a private sector company pursuing opportunities in defence production.

Almost Rs 1,50,000 crore worth of DRDO-developed military equipment have already been introduced into service with the military. The bulk of this has been produced by the public sector, although private sector manufacturers are now beginning to get a small share of the production.

[finnmontserrat]

BrahMos develops anti-aircraft carrier variant of the missile
PTI | 04:03 PM,Mar 31,2012

New Delhi, Mar 31 (PTI) Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos has developed an anti-aircraft carrier variant of the 290-km supersonic cruise missile. "We have achieved the capability to attack aircraft carriers using the supersonic vertical diving variant of the missile and after demonstrating the capability recently with high precision, we will now offer this to the Indian Navy," BrahMos chief A Sivathanu Pillai said here today. He was asked to comment on the recent two successful test firings of the missile. Pillai said the test firing for the steep dive variant was done for the Army and after its success, the path is clear for the induction of the fourth regiment of the missile for mountain warfare. The army has plans of deploying this missile regiment in the Northeast along the borders with China and the proposal was accorded sanction in a Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting last year. The development comes in the backdrop of China's first aircraft carrier undergoing scientific testing and training exercises ahead of its commissioning in August. The BrahMos chief said the tests were also to evaluate certain new systems of the missile, which are produced by the Indian industries so that bulk production clearance can be given for integration. "This will facilitate faster induction in the Indian armed forces," he said. Pillai said with the Indian forces planning to induct a number of new aircraft such as the 126 multirole combat fighter jets and the MiG 29K naval fighters, BrahMos was considering developing a smaller version of the BrahMos missile for them. At present, the company is developing an air-launched version of the Su-30MKI, which falls in the heavy weight category among fighter jets.

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LCA team gets first naval variant

The Indian Navy, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the others that constitute Team LCA (light combat aircraft) have been successful in getting the first prototype of the LCA naval variant LCA-NP 1 airborne.

The next challenge staring in the eye will be to evolve a testing methodology to check the compatibility of the aircraft on the Indian Navy carriers.

The Indian Navy, along with ADA, has sought the help of the United States Navy to share its expertise while resolving some of these issues, although the US will not have full privy to the design and development of the indigenous aircraft.

“With the US having over half-a-century of experience in developing and maintaining carrier-borne aircraft, we are getting valuable help from to resolve issues, especially with the undercarriage and related problems,” a source familiar with the developments said.

Sources in the Navy said the US Navy is not being paid for the consultancy as the arrangement is a government-to-government arrangement. “We only take care of their travel accommodation and other requirements,” a source said.

Under the memorandum of understanding signed for the purpose, the US consultancy will not cover design-specific or commercial aspects.

It is specifically for carrier-borne operations and they are also helping Team LCA with crucial technologies like the ski jump take off and arrest landing –– technologies that make the LCA naval version a great asset for the Indian Navy –– allowing it to take off from vessels during war and other counter-insurgency operations and land back on them.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, ADA Chief P S Subrahmanya said: “The US Navy Carrier Suitability Test Team is, in fact, conducting audits of our test findings which has been very beneficial for us given the fact that this is India’s first attempt at developing a carrier-borne fighter.”

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DRDO 'Heated Gloves' bags national award in polymer category

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DIAT to provide eyes and ears for country’s first armed war bird - Indian Express

As India prepares to join the elite club of countries possessing Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV), a DRDO laboratory in the city has been working on conceptualising and designing the eyes and ears of India’s first armed war bird.


Scientists at DRDO’s Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), a deemed university, have been working on designing radars and sensors of Aura, the first indigenous UCAV currently under development at the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Bangalore.


In an exclusive interview, DIAT Vice-Chancellor Prahlada said, “Scientists at DIAT are working on development of radars for the UCAV programme currently under way at ADA. The expected timeline for development of a prototype is about a year-and-a- half from now. The radar will provide C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) capability to the aircraft. Research is on on development of lightweight radars to reduce weight of the aircraft, save maximum energy and provide realtime feedback to the control centre,” said Prahlada.


Aura, a stealth UAV capable of firing precision-guided munitions at targets is expected to add teeth to the country’s existing fleet of UAVs. While the first flight is expected to take place in 2015, the targeted year of induction 2017. Prahlada added, “Work is currently on regarding selection of materials, components and technological aspects of the radars. We are currently working with our own budgets.”


It may be noted that DIAT receives annual funds of Rs 50 crore and is expected to get an increased funding of Rs 100 crore per year over the next three years. “DRDO wants to develop DIAT into a centre for basic research, which can then be implemented in technology being developed at DRDO laboratories and industries. World over, the basic R&D is outsourced to universities and that is exactly what is being implemented here at DIAT. The laboratory has already entered into an agreement with Naval Postgraduate School and professors there regularly interact with researchers here and vice-versa. Plans to enter into a collaboration with Israel are under way,” he said.

The laboratory has 200 MTech students and 50 PhD scholars. Future plans include introduction of a management wing to confer an MBA equivalent degree to personnel from the DRDO, Armed Forces and even civilian sectors. Prahlada also spelt out the need for starting an aeronautical programme at DIAT.

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After the successful launch of Agni-5 Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), India is all set to develop reusable rockets which will combine the technologies of both ballistic and cruise missiles.


As part of plans to develop reusable ballistic missiles, Defence Research and Development Organisation will test indigenously developed scram jet engine next year, DRDO Chief V K Saraswat said in an interview to Doordarshan.


"We have propulsion technology, we have re-entry technologies, we have the technology which can take a re-entry system which will deliver a payload and have yet another re-entry system which will bring the missile back when it re-enters the atmosphere on its return journey," he said.


"We have demonstrated the performance of a scram jet engine operating at Mach six speed (six times the speed of sound)," he said.


On the range of Agni-5 missile which was scuccessfully test-fired recently off Odisha coast, the DRDO chief said with moderate modifications, "it can be extended to any range which is of our interest."


On technological capability available with the agency, he said, "DRDO has built the necessary technologies, production infrastructure and design capability for developing a booster or a sustainer... We have the capability to develop a re-entry nose cone which can withstand higher temperature and velocity."


Reacting to reports that India does not possess sufficient indigenous technology for missile guidance systems, Saraswat said Agni-5 has used a completely indigenous and high precision missile guidance system with "0.001 degrees of per hour accuracy."


On criticism that DRDO sometimes does not live up to expectations, he said the agency was as good as its counterparts in advanced countries.


"Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), F-18 and Eurofighter took similar number of years and cost wise they were three times more than what we have put in our LCA," he said.


On development of Kaveri engine, Saraswat said it too has performed well and was, "flown an IL-76 aircraft in Russia, 55 hours of successful flight... We are going to upgrade it so that it can be used in India's LCA Mark-II and future systems."