UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

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Pratyush
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Pratyush »

indranilroy wrote:
Pratyush wrote:Looks like a scaled composites Rutan Long-EZ
It is not scaled. They replaced the pilot with the payload.

IR,

That is the name of the Air craft that has been converted from Manned to unmaned. Sacled Composites is the name of the original designer of the Aircraft.

The Co was founded by one Burt Rutan.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Juggi G »

Image
Indranil
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Indranil »

Pratyush wrote: IR,

That is the name of the Air craft that has been converted from Manned to unmaned. Sacled Composites is the name of the original designer of the Aircraft.

The Co was founded by one Burt Rutan.
Oh! Thank you. I didn't know the name of the company was Burt Rutan. I am actually making an aeromodel of the same.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Shrinivasan »

Taramak reports on Rustom UAVs.
Rustom-1 to don the role of short-range UAV; Rustom-H project is officially R-II now
http://tarmak007.blogspot.com/2011/07/a ... range.html

Rustom's proven capabilities include: (
(i) taxi take-off with automatic nose-wheel steering;
(ii) extended pilot control for taking the platform to the centre of the runway;
(iii) autopilot mode for the flights, including way-point navigation (WPN) and get-you-home features;
(iv) redundant Flight Control System, hardware and software and
(v) integrated C-Band data-link.

Jingo Heart Kush Hua... Hope & Pray that IA should induct these in good number!!!
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by chetak »

Shrinivasan wrote:Taramak reports on Rustom UAVs.
Rustom-1 to don the role of short-range UAV; Rustom-H project is officially R-II now
http://tarmak007.blogspot.com/2011/07/a ... range.html

Rustom's proven capabilities include: (
(i) taxi take-off with automatic nose-wheel steering;
(ii) extended pilot control for taking the platform to the centre of the runway;
(iii) autopilot mode for the flights, including way-point navigation (WPN) and get-you-home features;
(iv) redundant Flight Control System, hardware and software and
(v) integrated C-Band data-link.

Jingo Heart Kush Hua... Hope & Pray that IA should induct these in good number!!!
Hope that they at least asked Burt before topoing the design!! 8)

I watched this nifty number do some of it's taxi trials.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Shrinivasan »

chetak wrote:Hope that they at least asked Burt before topoing the design!! 8)
I watched this nifty number do some of it's taxi trials.
I too had this question, did we but the design or are we paying royalty? Another Pooch, Are me building the air-frame in desh or are we buying it from "Burt Rattan". It would be cost effective to manufacture this in HAL by acquiring the necessary rights and design (for a price)
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by suryag »

Hope we learn from the Chinese and bother less about topofied designs
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by chetak »

Shrinivasan wrote:
chetak wrote:Hope that they at least asked Burt before topoing the design!! 8)
I watched this nifty number do some of it's taxi trials.
I too had this question, did we but the design or are we paying royalty? Another Pooch, Are me building the air-frame in desh or are we buying it from "Burt Rattan". It would be cost effective to manufacture this in HAL by acquiring the necessary rights and design (for a price)
I heard that the airframe was Indian built at a private factory.

For the longest time, there was a N registered (meaning Amerikhan registered) Rutan aircraft that was hanging around at CABS, belonged to a srilankan owner if rumors were to be believed. This seems to be the very same one that has now metamorphosed into the new avatar.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Singha »

maybe taneja aerospace makes the airframe part
http://indiadefenceonline.com/2215/indi ... v-project/

I dont think there is any question of royalty or license fees as scaled composites is not a consultant and are not supplying any expertise or technology here. we must have chosen that airframe config because it was known to work and satisfied our need - just as the bandar chose the f16 as a starting point :)

likewise we should shamelessly clone and plagiarize aspects of the searcher and heron models too if it suits the next bigger rustom or any other project.

with a requirement of 1500 uavs, we are to uav's what china is to bullet trains - a hungry market - perhaps the worlds second biggest after usa. vendors would be loathe to lose access...
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by chetak »

Singha wrote:maybe taneja aerospace makes the airframe part
http://indiadefenceonline.com/2215/indi ... v-project/

I dont think there is any question of royalty or license fees as scaled composites is not a consultant and are not supplying any expertise or technology here. we must have chosen that airframe config because it was known to work and satisfied our need - just as the bandar chose the f16 as a starting point :)

likewise we should shamelessly clone and plagiarize aspects of the searcher and heron models too if it suits the next bigger rustom or any other project.

with a requirement of 1500 uavs, we are to uav's what china is to bullet trains - a hungry market - perhaps the worlds second biggest after usa. vendors would be loathe to lose access...
It's high time we ripped off the amerikhans and the israelis and who ever else....

Why not?

In our supreme national interest.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by akimalik »

chetak wrote:and who ever else....
Just this weekend, one of the flyers on our airfield had brought an RC model of a UAV (it was a Chinese model) which looked quite similar to the Nishant.
I guess the "specs" are pretty common-place, the issue is with getting the endurance and equipment to fit (and like seniors have oft been saying, that is where the real tech-challenge lies).
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by nikhilarora »

Has anyone else seen it? Has been seeing an UAV (most probably the Rustom UAV) doing night flying for sometime@Outer ring road and HSR Layout doing low altitude flying. Looked like an UFO. :mrgreen: . I will try to arrange for pics, shot a couple, but my phone had no flash, so it has come very dark and not recognizable!
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by nikhilarora »

Good news - Muh meetha ho jaye moment!

Rustom-1 will hit production!

http://idrw.org/?p=3101
Reports are emerging that Rustom-TD which was used has a Technology demonstrator for the bigger Rustom-H project which will be India’s high-altitude long endurance (HALE) platform ,will also hit productions.

Rustom -1 which has been build with in collaboration with private players has completed its flight testing ,and has successfully demonstrated its Flight worthy characters ,which has per original plan was to make way for the development of bigger DRDO designed Rustom-H ,which will fulfill HALE UAV requirement put forward by three armed forces of India . but it seems to emerge that Indian army is currently impressed with Rustom- 1 performance and wants it to be developed into MALE UAV to be used in its services .

Rustom-1 MALE UAV is based on NAL’s LCRA manned platform ,which was used for experimental purpose in mid 80′s and it was basically a Long-EZ built for research purposes by a team headed by Professor Rustum Damania, using a kit bought from a US company called Rutan.

Rustom-H which DRDO hopes will be ready by 2014 will have higher endurance level and also will be able to operate at higher altitude level .DRDO has also not ruled out possible armed variant based on Rustom H.

Armed variant of Rustom H ,will be Test bed for the further development for combat variants of UAV , which DRDO plans to develop .

DRDO has planned to Develop Autonomous combat drone with Artificial intelligence ,which has been named has AURA ,first flight of which is expected at end of this decade .
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by sourab_c »

This is the rumored "mother of all missiles" / "mother of all UAVs" that was supposed to be tested by the US.

US military loses contact with hypersonic aircraft
The US military lost contact with an unmanned hypersonic test aircraft shortly after its launch, defence officials have said.

The Falcon Hypersonic Test Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) - capable of reaching any target in the world in less than an hour - began a test flight from atop a rocket on Thursday.

Contact was also lost with a similar craft during the first mission.

The HTV-2 is designed to travel at 13,000mph (21,000km/h).

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), which is funding the HTV-2 programme and overseeing the tests, said the small craft was capable of reaching speeds of Mach 20.

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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by SaiK »

couldn't hear details of npr discussion today [had to hurry off to aapice] (search for it - it appeared like voice of steve inskeep)... pakis are desperately seeking for khan drones.. they want drones now.. and f16s.

ref also:-
http://www.bharatrakshak.com/NEWS/newsr ... wsid=15527 29. What the Corps Commanders would want in return for ground operations in North Waziristan is the US strengthening the air strike capability of the Pakistani military through the supply of Drones and related technology and more F-16 aircraft. If the US agrees to strengthen Pakistan’s offensive air strike capability, that would have implications for India.
what are they up to? / right thread?
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Pratyush »

A couple of write ups in the regarding the use of Armed drones and the consequences thereof.

What Happens When Everyone Else Starts Using Drones?


Coming Soon: The Drone Arms Race
“The virtue of most U.A.V.’s is that they have long wings and you can strap anything to them,” Mr. Gormley says. That includes video cameras, eavesdropping equipment and munitions, he says. “It’s spreading like wildfire.”
Late last month, a 26-year-old man from a Boston suburb was arrested and charged with plotting to load a remotely controlled aircraft with plastic explosives and crash it into the Pentagon or United States Capitol. His supposed co-conspirators were actually undercover F.B.I. agents, and it was unclear that his scheme could have done much damage. But it was an unnerving harbinger, says John Villasenor, professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. He notes that the Army had just announced a $5 million contract for a backpack-size drone called a Switchblade that can carry an explosive payload into a target; such a weapon will not long be beyond the capabilities of a terrorist network.
“I think of where the airplane was at the start of World War I: at first it was unarmed and limited to a handful of countries,” Mr. Singer says. “Then it was armed and everywhere. That is the path we’re on.”
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by RKumar »

DRDO tests Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Rustom-1)
The UAV, re-named Rustom-1, took off in inclement weather for its maiden test flight, and landed successfully meeting all the parameters after a 12-minute sortie. Lieutenant Col V S Thapa led the exercise carried out by Aeronautical Development Establishment, a DRDO laboratory.

The successful test comes 16 months after the DRDO aborted the maiden flight of Rustom on November 15, 2009. The flight was terminated after 20 seconds of take off. Rustom-1 has several features including GPS-controlled Way Point Navigation. The UAV has an endurance of 12-15 hours and could carry payloads up to 75 kg to a maximum altitude of 25,000 feet.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by suryag »

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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Singha »

US opens a new national bird base in ethiopia to fight somali islamists

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15488804
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by nits »

This drone can stay in the air for 4 days!
The maiden flight of a revolutionary United States-made drone aircraft that can stay in the air for up to four days at 65,000 feet, prying at terror safe havens in countries like Pakistan, is just days away.The 'Phantom Eye', made by Boeing's secretive Phantom Works division, is a high-altitude long endurance unmanned airborne system which is powered by hydrogen.The inaugural flight of the new drone will take place at Edwards Air Force Base in California and is expected to last between four and eight hours, the Daily Mail reported.

'Phantom Eye is the first of its kind and could open up a whole new market in collecting data and communications,' Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works, said.
Image
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by rohitvats »

Uncle, as usual, leading the way in every possible tech field.

But the best part - "prying at terror safe havens in countries like Pakistan"
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Kanson »

India made significant progress recently in using Hydrogen source as fuel.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Altair »


Can this aircraft be modified to carry a missile in its belly and remote pilot? It provides a great flexibility to land and takeoff without a runway,hover and fire at targets and there is no fuel exhaust as it is electric.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Pranav »

Altair wrote: Can this aircraft be modified to carry a missile in its belly and remote pilot? It provides a great flexibility to land and takeoff without a runway,hover and fire at targets and there is no fuel exhaust as it is electric.
Interesting concept - combination helicopter and plane, without having to rotate the engines relative to the frame. If it's OK for the pilot to be on his back while hovering, he can be upright while cruising.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Altair »

Pranav wrote:
Altair wrote: Can this aircraft be modified to carry a missile in its belly and remote pilot? It provides a great flexibility to land and takeoff without a runway,hover and fire at targets and there is no fuel exhaust as it is electric.
Interesting concept - combination helicopter and plane, without having to rotate the engines relative to the frame. If it's OK for the pilot to be on his back while hovering, he can be upright while cruising.
Pranav
Indian Army chief said he was looking for a platform which can hover around targets for a duration and fire the missile when they are confident of a confirmed kill.
This kind of system may be useful for reconnaissance and kill, but because of low speed once spotted it is history.
This is particularly interesting because it can be launched from places in Kargil,Dras sectors without much of a runway.
Altair
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Prabu »

India developing aerial vehicle similar to American Predator drone (Rustom 2!)

I am not sure, why India should announce such things in advance ? Is it not better to announce after it is Test flown and ready to use ?
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Shrinivasan »

Prabu wrote:India developing aerial vehicle similar to American Predator drone (Rustom 2!)

I am not sure, why India should announce such things in advance ? Is it not better to announce after it is Test flown and ready to use ?
We have been showcasing Rustom HALE (now named Rustom-2) in AeroIndia for the last couple of years, so this is not a new news. We just completed the 5th flight of Rustom-1 MALE and supposedly they have completed testing all flight characteristics in the clean configuration, the next phase is integration of payload, hence this announcement. There is a multi year roadmap on the Rustom UAV/UCAV project which was already published, we are just talking about a milestone update. It has its use.
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Post by Craig Alpert »

Arming RQ-7 UAVs: The Shadow Knows…
The difference between the Army’s RQ-7 Shadow UAVs and their brethren like the USAF’s MQ-1A Predator, or the Army’s new MQ-1C Sky Warriors, is that the Shadow has been too small and light to be armed. With ultra-small missiles still in development, and missions in Afghanistan occurring beyond artillery support range, arming the Army’s Shadow UAVs has become an even more important objective. It would take some new technology, but that seems to be on the way for the US Army’s RQ-7B Shadow UAV fleet…
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Leo.Davidson »

Shrinivasan wrote:
Prabu wrote:India developing aerial vehicle similar to American Predator drone (Rustom 2!)

I am not sure, why India should announce such things in advance ? Is it not better to announce after it is Test flown and ready to use ?
We have been showcasing Rustom HALE (now named Rustom-2) in AeroIndia for the last couple of years, so this is not a new news. We just completed the 5th flight of Rustom-1 MALE and supposedly they have completed testing all flight characteristics in the clean configuration, the next phase is integration of payload, hence this announcement. There is a multi year roadmap on the Rustom UAV/UCAV project which was already published, we are just talking about a milestone update. It has its use.
::: MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION :::
With the existing wing design, I do not know how much payload it will be able to carry ???
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Indranil »

^^^ What is your question regarding the present wings?
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Leo.Davidson »

The Rustom design is a slim/slender 'cranked arrow' delta wing and the load bearing position of the wings are to the aft of the fuselage. This design with canards may be an elegant design.

But loading the wing (payload) will make the Tail HEAVY.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by rakall »

Leo.Davidson wrote:The Rustom design is a slim/slender 'cranked arrow' delta wing and the load bearing position of the wings are to the aft of the fuselage. This design with canards may be an elegant design.

But loading the wing (payload) will make the Tail HEAVY.
What you refer to is Rustom-1. It is more of a TD & gap-filler..

The longer endurance version Rustom-2/Rustom-II/Rustom-H is completely different.. Check archives for pics from AI09.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Leo.Davidson »

Can you post some pics?
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by suryag »

Sirjee google it and you will find it
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Indranil »

Leo you are right about the layout of the Long EZ model which is the basis of Rustom-1. So at the moment the payload would be roughly the weight of two human beings ... the idea there is a proof of concept and using it for reconnaissance.

And for that it is one of the best airframe that could be chosen for it's extremely low drag characteristics.

But increasing payload could be also be done by scaling up the aircraft.

I have no clue about what you are speaking of canards ... because the Rustom-1 has one and it is critical to its flight characteristics.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Gaur »

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/worl ... 982396.cms
"Iran's military has downed an intruding RQ-170 American drone in eastern Iran," Iran's Arabic-language Al Alam state television network quoted the unnamed source as saying.
I have little trust in Iran but if the news is true then it again shows how wrong is the general perception that stealth is some impregnable tech...almost magically so.
But personally I take all of Iran's claims with a bucket of salt.
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Re: UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Post by Neshant »

Even the Taliban managed to down a couple of low flying UAVs during the start of the US-Afghan war back in 2001. They needed to fly low to map the terrain and hence fell prey to small arms fire.

US is working on mapping equipment that can work at higher altitudes so these crafts don't need to fly so low.

Its got nothing to do with stealth which is evasion of radar. These crafts were probably shot down just by sight alone i.e. eyeballign it or with infrared goggles.
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