Indian Missiles and Munitions Discussion - June'14

John · Post by **John** » 08 May 2015 20:40

I would expect something with bigger booster if they are planning on it being ground launch missile so more than likely it is air launched..

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 08 May 2015 21:16

probably application could be a ngarm2 with long range and high manouver till end to tackle the emerging threat of s300 and s400 big radar systems. we need something with 2.5x the range of the kh31p to take shots at s400 from outside the range of its big missiles.

or a safer to play around solid fuel replacement for the upcoming brahmos-mini. liquid fuel air launched missiles are out of fashion...I think Kingfish was the last one?

rsingh · Post by **rsingh** » 08 May 2015 21:33

SSridhar wrote:BrahMos Land-attack Cruise Missile Successfully Test Fired From Car Nicobar Region - New Indian Express
An advanced version of supersonic BrahMos land-attack cruise missile was successfully test fired for the first time in full operational configuration in the eastern sector on Friday, revalidating the formidable weapon’s precision strike capability.

Defence sources said the land-to-land configuration of BrahMos Block–III version was flight tested from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL) in Car Nicobar region for its full-range of 290-kms at about 1.10 pm. MAL is an autonomous vehicle with its own communication, power supply and fire control system.

Meeting all flight parameters including high level manoeuvers, the supersonic cruise missile successfully hit the designated land-based target with desired accuracy, officials confirmed. The launch was the 47th test-firing of BrahMos, with the missile achieving unmatched precise hit.

“The test has once again established our missile as an incredibly lethal weapon with pin-point accuracy to take on enemy targets anywhere. I congratulate the Indian Army on this successful launch”, CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace Limited Sudhir Kumar Mishra said in a statement.

Have we tested in that region before? Is it new testing site?

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 09 May 2015 10:30

News report mentioned this was block 3 version and steep dive mode was tested.

vasu raya · Post by **vasu raya** » 09 May 2015 22:47

Another test firing, BrahMos meets targets

New Delhi: India on Saturday successfully test-fired an advanced version of the BrahMos land-attack cruise missile from the Car Nicobar Islands, the second such exercise since yesterday.

"The land-to-land configuration of BrahMos Block?III version was test launched from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL) for its full-range of 290-km at 1330 hours," defence sources said.

Today's test, the 48th test firing of the missile, met all flight parameters, including high-level manoeuvres.

The supersonic cruise missile hit the designated land- based target with the desired accuracy. A similar test yesterday, too, was concluded sucessfully.

The BrahMos missile has been jointly developed by India and Russia.

The multi-mission missile, having a range of 290-km and a Mach 2.8 speed, is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against sea and land targets.

The air version of the BrahMos is being readied for flight trials soon on Indian Air Force's Su-30 MKI strike fighter.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 10 May 2015 07:12

Austin wrote:News report mentioned this was block 3 version and steep dive mode was tested.

I believe that this is 'vertical' dive that was tested successfully. . A steep dive from a high altitude at supersonic speed and high maneuvers at multiple waypoints were new capabilities that were proved in the Sep. 6, 2010 test flight by BrahMos Block III. progressively, the AoA was increased. The c. 2014 test was supposed to have demonstrated 65 degree AoA.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 10 May 2015 15:17

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... =TOI_AShow

NEW DELHI: The Army on Tuesday got some supersonic firepower to take on enemy fighters, helicopters, drones and sub-sonic cruise missiles with the induction of the indigenous Akash surface-to-air missile system.

The Akash missiles, which have an interception range of 25km, will progressively replace the obsolete air defence weapons in the Army, as was reported by TOI in March. The Army has initially ordered two Akash regiments, with six firing batteries and hundreds of missiles each, for around Rs 14,180 crore. While the first regiment will be fully in place later this year, the second one will follow by end-2016.

"The capability that we have with this system will ensure that it takes care of vulnerability of our assets. Akash is a step towards self-realization of indigenization," said Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag.

As was first reported by TOI, IAF has already begun to deploy six Akash missile squadrons in the north-east to counter China's build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC), which includes eight fully-operational airbases in Tibet. IAF has ordered eight Akash squadrons for Rs 6,200 crore, with the first two coming up at the Mirage-2000 base in Gwalior and Sukhoi-30MKI base in Pune.

Looks like IA batteries are the tank mounted BLRs and what not? Might explain the much higher cost vs IAF version.
IAF seems to be using Akash for its high priority AFB (Upg Mirage/Su-30 MKI are core of our fleet) first.

Gyan · Post by **Gyan** » 10 May 2015 15:29

Vertical dive may also be inductive of testing max range in hi hi hi mode. My guess off course is that Brahmos in hi hi hi glide mode has a range of 1000km+.

srai · Post by **srai** » 11 May 2015 08:01

Karan M wrote:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... =TOI_AShow

NEW DELHI: The Army on Tuesday got some supersonic firepower to take on enemy fighters, helicopters, drones and sub-sonic cruise missiles with the induction of the indigenous Akash surface-to-air missile system.

The Akash missiles, which have an interception range of 25km, will progressively replace the obsolete air defence weapons in the Army, as was reported by TOI in March. The Army has initially ordered two Akash regiments, with six firing batteries and hundreds of missiles each, for around Rs 14,180 crore. While the first regiment will be fully in place later this year, the second one will follow by end-2016.

"The capability that we have with this system will ensure that it takes care of vulnerability of our assets. Akash is a step towards self-realization of indigenization," said Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag.

As was first reported by TOI, IAF has already begun to deploy six Akash missile squadrons in the north-east to counter China's build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC), which includes eight fully-operational airbases in Tibet. IAF has ordered eight Akash squadrons for Rs 6,200 crore, with the first two coming up at the Mirage-2000 base in Gwalior and Sukhoi-30MKI base in Pune.
Looks like IA batteries are the tank mounted BLRs and what not? Might explain the much higher cost vs IAF version.
IAF seems to be using Akash for its high priority AFB (Upg Mirage/Su-30 MKI are core of our fleet) first.

Finally we know what constitutes an IA Akash regiment. The IA put 25 x SA-6 systems into 2 Groups. This would mean each group consists of 2 regiments, each with 6 batteries. If all of the SA-6s are to be replaced, that would amount to another 4 Akash regiments (or 24 batteries).

sankum · Post by **sankum** » 11 May 2015 12:17

IAF Akash battery cost approx. Rs 340Cr each and is Rs 388 Cr with fixed infrastructure cost.

For IA 12 battery (2 Regiment) cost of Rs 14180Cr is erroneous as each battery will cost Rs 1181 cr according to report.

An earlier DRDO official gave the figure for IA at 2000 missiles and 48 batteries in a magazine interview.

That is 8 Regiments with each having 250 Akash missiles and cost matches that of IAF being @Rs 295 CR/ battery with 66% of number of missiles per battery as compared to that of IAF.

dinesha · Post by **dinesha** » 11 May 2015 21:50

India validates precision strike capability of BrahMos land-attack cruise missile
http://www.army-technology.com/news/new ... le-4573244

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 13 May 2015 02:12

sankum wrote:IAF Akash battery cost approx. Rs 340Cr each and is Rs 388 Cr with fixed infrastructure cost.

For IA 12 battery (2 Regiment) cost of Rs 14180Cr is erroneous as each battery will cost Rs 1181 cr according to report.

An earlier DRDO official gave the figure for IA at 2000 missiles and 48 batteries in a magazine interview.

That is 8 Regiments with each having 250 Akash missiles and cost matches that of IAF being @Rs 295 CR/ battery with 66% of number of missiles per battery as compared to that of IAF.

Need to check the costs but 2 regiments at 12 batteries overall is accurate. I had worked that out before too.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 13 May 2015 02:12

Identify the missile

sum · Post by **sum** » 13 May 2015 04:02

^^ Nirbhay?

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 13 May 2015 06:10

BRAHMOS

Kanson · Post by **Kanson** » 13 May 2015 10:59

vasu raya wrote:
Kanson wrote:^ what is the weight of AAD/Prahaar ? and what is the payload weight ? If you see that, there can be other better solutions.....
With air launch we hope to add more range to it and maybe if we add some context,

1) you need reach into Afghanistan and the use of Brahmos isn't justified, Nirbhay will be attempted to be countered with AMRAAM equipped F-16s
2) modifications would need to be performed on the Mig-29, Rafale in future to equip it with Brahmos-M, the air launch of AAD/Prahaar is a head start
3) MKI with one centerline Brahmos and two AADs under wings, with the AADs acting as decoys with no warhead and high RCS to draw the AMRAAMs or S-300 class SAMs either away from the MKI or the Brahmos itself to increase its success
4) AAD could be used to target stealth drones and the J-series stealth aircraft which have low RCS but may not be as agile as conventional fighter aircraft, the AAD provides a bigger seeker aperture than the Astra
5) Borrowing from MALD-J (air launched decoy and jammer) concept, while the AAD decoy is doing ECCM with target aircraft having Jammer pods, Astra can still sneak-in in passive/anti-radiation mode without its seeker going active?
6) air-launched AADs in the BMD role around key cities if the ground launchers are gone or overwhelmed, at the very least it would impact adversary's calculation

Lot of creative solutions. I'm sure IAF is listening to yours...

I find this concept ( to my view) easily sell-able as Boost-phase BMD. US toyed with similar solution first as satellite-killer and then as boost-phase BMD.

6) air-launched AADs in the BMD role around key cities if the ground launchers are gone or overwhelmed, at the very least it would impact adversary's calculation

Kanson · Post by **Kanson** » 13 May 2015 11:22

Thakur_B wrote: You don't need a throttleable ramjet to strike ground targets. This may be Astra 3 or some sort of SAM. Can't be QRSAM because ramjet is no good for such small ranges. That would imply Astra-3 or VLRSAM.

Yes there is a long-range SAM and AAM are in the pipeline.
Regarding ARM news mentions it as liquid fueled. I wonder what would be the compulsion other than throttleability of the missile to use liquid fuel in this age...

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp ... 327616.ece

A new state-of-the art, anti-radiation missile that can target enemy radars and communication facilities is being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

At present there is no such missile in India’s arsenal, while some advanced countries, including the US, Israel and Russia, have such a weapon, top DRDO sources told The Hindu here on Sunday. The government recently gave the go-ahead for the project, and the design work has already begun at one of the key DRDO laboratories here.

Sources added that in any war scenario, radar and communication facilities of the enemy would be the first target.

The new air-to-surface 100-km range tactical missile picks up radiation or signals emitted by radars and communication systems, homes on to the target and destroys the network.

The missile’s front-end comprises a sensor to pick up various radio frequencies. It will be a single-stage, liquid-propelled system, sources said.

The missile is expected to be ready in the next three to five years. After a series of developmental trials, it will be integrated with fighter aircraft, including Sukhoi and Light Combat Aircraft.

this was date 2013 and anytime post 2016 we can hear/see this missile. And if we see the tendor timing and duration for execution....well lets see.

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 13 May 2015 14:17

Karan M wrote:Identify the missile

There are no missiles, just the outer cylinder (e.g., green one) that seems to hold a sealed missile. Brahmos goes directly into square cross-section VLS. Seems bit fat for a Nirbhay. Could this be the K-15?

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 13 May 2015 14:20

IMHO, its the Brahmos. Giveaway is the folded fin on the Green outercasing.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 May 2015 14:38

an only sauth indians wear full sleeve shirts with arm sleeves buttoned down but shirt hanging loose outside belt due to heat.
its got to be the brahmos-keltron plant.

kit · Post by **kit** » 13 May 2015 19:55

Singha wrote:an only sauth indians wear full sleeve shirts with arm sleeves buttoned down but shirt hanging loose outside belt due to heat.
its got to be the brahmos-keltron plant.

not quite tfta ish

was thinking about a fully automated plant making missiles just like a car factory

kit · Post by **kit** » 13 May 2015 20:17

http://www.cnet.com/news/why-raytheon-d ... -missiles/

a good read on how missile factories were and now !

tsarkar · Post by **tsarkar** » 15 May 2015 00:04

^^ In addition to the giveaway fin, the gap between the cylinders is for the airflow in Brahmos.

Regarding the solid ramjet missile, I remember Meteor having a boron based propellant. The tailfin assembly looks like Astra, but the image crops the fin. A nozzle diameter of 130 mm.

I speculate an A2A application.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 15 May 2015 03:53

The SSFDR is an Indo-Russian JV, sanctioned in May 2013, end use is not mentioned.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 15 May 2015 04:00

kit wrote:
Singha wrote:an only sauth indians wear full sleeve shirts with arm sleeves buttoned down but shirt hanging loose outside belt due to heat.
its got to be the brahmos-keltron plant.
not quite tfta ish

was thinking about a fully automated plant making missiles just like a car factory

A fully automated plant was planned for SRSAM (w/MBDA)

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 15 May 2015 05:03

KaranM

What is SSFDR?

Kanson · Post by **Kanson** » 15 May 2015 17:05

Info from past....
dated 2012

India's missile power will be enhanced with defence scientists now working towards increasing the range of various missiles.
The range of surface-to-air missiles, which is presently 50 km will be increased to 300 km.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is also aiming to increase the range of

air-to-surface missiles up to 400 km

and air-to-air missiles up to 300 km,

according to Avinash Chander, DRDO chief controller R&D (missiles and strategic systems) and director Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL).

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 15 May 2015 17:10

ramana wrote:KaranM

What is SSFDR?

Sorry, SFDR -Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet Propulsion Technology
Project Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) was started in May 2013 with the objective of developing
state-of-the-art SFDR propulsion technology, which can operate at varying altitudes and speeds. The
development and demonstration of SFDR propulsion system is a joint venture of DRDO and Russia

DRDO a glimpse,

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 15 May 2015 17:12

SSFDR would be solid state flight data recorder - thats developed by some bangalore pvt firms for ADA (LCA) and IAF.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 15 May 2015 19:20

KaranM, Do you get to read AIAA journals on the web?

Lots of primary gnan and if you let the mind wander lets you know what's happening!!!

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 16 May 2015 10:51

Shocking! The alarming situ of our ammo supplies is now international mainstream media news.
From the CAG report,we will not be able to meet the req. amt. until 2019,so for 4 years we will be extremely vulnerable.One can imagine the Pakis and Chinese rapidly planning their next war with India!
The GOI should immediately import the required ammo,more important than capital weapon systems.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 53351.html
Why is the Indian military running out of ammunition?

The current ammunition reserves would struggle to last 20 days in the event of war

Doug Bolton
Friday 15 May 2015

The Indian army, the world's third largest standing army, is rapidly running out of bullets.

War wastage reserves (WWR) are collections of military material held in reserve in case of war. This includes bullets and other form of ammunition, as well as equipment, weapons and fuel.

In India, the norm is that WWR should last for 40 days of intense fighting, allowing time for production to be ramped up and delivered to the military.

However, according to a recent report from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), the army needs more budgetary support to reach 50 per cent of the target capacity of the WWR.

In other words, the Indian army does not yet have enough ammunition to last even 20 days, and it's not expected to have a full stock of ammunition until 2019 at the earliest.

An Agni-II nuclear missile is showed off at a Republic Day parade in New Delhi in 2006. Some types of ammunition would not even last for 10 days if a war were to break out.

The army will only have a full stock of WWR in 2019 if the targets of a £2 billion ammunition production 'roadmap' are met, something that the CAG says is unlikely.

The shortage comes at a militarily important time for India, just after the raising of a 90,000-man strong Mountain Strike Corps in 2014.

The corps are stationed in the mountainous north of the country, along the border with China and Chinese-occupied Tibet, in order to discourage any feared Chinese aggression on northern Indian territories.

India has a record of arming itself against China - a short border war in the Himalayas between the two countries in 1962 gave India the impetus to develop its own arsenal of nuclear weapons.

And India's constantly hostile relationship with Pakistan makes the ammunition shortage even more worrying for the military. Without a sufficient stock of war material, there are fears in India that the country would not be able to defend itself in the event of war.

Young Indians protest against nuclear weapons - India first developed its own nuclear arsenal in the 1960s, in response to conflict with China. The shortage of supplies is blamed on a number of factors - there have been political problems with getting funds to the military, and problems with imports from other countries. Due to bureaucratic problems, from 2008-2013 only 20 per cent of the intended ammunition import was actually imported.

The inadequate production rates of India's 39 ammunition factories is another issue.

The huge size of India's military, which has 1,325,000 members, with another 1,155,000 reserves, means that it is difficult to keep up stocks, even when the country both imports and produces its own ammunition.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year announced that India would be cutting back on weapons exports, and instead would try to become a major exporter and producer of its own weapons and ammunition - however, this ambitious plan seems to have contributed to the recent shortage.

The shelf life of ammunition is also causing difficulties - properly stored, bullets and shells can last for decades. But with large stocks of such material, ammunition can degrade unnoticed, causing problems when it is fired.

The new 'roadmap' to having a full WWR stock has been put into action, but it remains to be seen whether the targets will be delivered. In the meantime, Indian defence ministers will continue to worry about their country's war readiness.

RKumar · Post by **RKumar** » 16 May 2015 13:07

Why this obessiveness with import?
Why not modernized existing factories?
Why not give license to private companies to setup new factories?
Why not invest in better storage infrast?
Why not invest in better inventory management system?

Each of these steps will remove wastage. In turn better availabliy when n where an item is required in adequate quantity at a cheaper price. we can quickly increase orders without delay or paying 10x times during war

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 16 May 2015 15:43

Pvt. companies? The pvt. companies,some of whom have for years provided desi alternatives to firang components are simply fed up with the DRDO which they say is all talk and BS and full of red-tape (worms).I know one co. which prefers to export its products without any problem rather than trying to sell at home.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 16 May 2015 16:17

I have no idea how automated our ammo plants are , but one of the ways to keep a surge production capacity ready to deliver in 3-4 weeks new lots of ammo is automation instead of relying on extra manpower , which cannot be kept on the payroll waiting for a war. with machines , with periodic upkeep they can just be kept idle and run 24 hrs if needed.

RKumar · Post by **RKumar** » 17 May 2015 14:16

Philip wrote:Pvt. companies? The pvt. companies,some of whom have for years provided desi alternatives to firang components are simply fed up with the DRDO which they say is all talk and BS and full of red-tape (worms).I know one co. which prefers to export its products without any problem rather than trying to sell at home.

I am not talking at components, but a complete solution. What is wrong with producing the ammo as long as firing system is under state control. On top each ammo produced anywhere should carry a unique identification number. If any irregularity is found, heavy monetary penalty should be imposed. No need to revoke the license but big monetary penalty

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 17 May 2015 15:38

Phillip wrote:Pvt. companies? The pvt. companies,some of whom have for years provided desi alternatives to firang components are simply fed up with the DRDO which they say is all talk and BS and full of red-tape (worms).I know one co. which prefers to export its products without any problem rather than trying to sell at home.

Yes yes sure more drunk Air Marshal told me stories.. Zero awareness of a topic to discern the truth or nuance, yet bombast and bovine faecal matter at full flow.. Might want to look up what the private sector provides some time, how the established and reputed firms actually meet defence requirements and how each of these firms was roped in by the DRDO as an alternative to the DPSU structure.

Alpha Microwave, L&T, Godrej&Boyce, Data Patterns, HBL Electronics, VEM Technologies, SLN Tech, Tata SED, System Controls, Alligator Design, Pinaka Aerospace, Walchandnagar co.. and hundreds of other firms which work on everything from rocket motors to radar MMICs are all DPSUs which work with the DRDO. Of course all their hundreds of items are only exported.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatime ... lio-tasl/2

TATA SED CEO

Chaudhry recalls how after the peaceful nuclear explosion of 1974, the defence establishment quietly shifted the onus of research to a private sector organization — the strategic engineering division (SED) of the then Tata Electric Company to bypass the sanctions. "Today we consider the DRDO our guru," says Chaudhry who also has built a prototype of the 155 mm howitzer gun (a Bofors-type gun).

Col H Shankar, CEO Alpha Design Tech

Let us also acknowledge the good work that has been done by the public sector, specifically the DRDO and the private sector, in their own spheres. There have been gaps but I am sure those will be filled up in the days to come. This being an EME seminar, it is my own great pleasure as an ex-EME officer, 71 years old. I joined the Army when I was 21 years old. So it is about 50 years as a soldier and in our own company we have more than
about 18 EME and Signals officers and men who are contributing.Ofcourse we also have with us exDRDO people there as well as about 300
youngsters. Thus, I am sure that there will be more such spheres of excellence made out in the MSME field.

VK Saraswat
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/intervi ... 760187.ece

Today, DRDO has groomed 400 industries and has their support. We have galloped in electronics.

Today if I want a rocket motor I can go to Godrej or Walchandnagar or to BDL. Today if I want a computer I can go to private industries and hundreds of them are available. I can give specification of a launcher to at least ten industries in this country who can manufacture one.

All this, despite MOD which ignored DRDO recommendations, and now Parrikar has reversed the below policy, agreeing with DRDO.
http://www.business-standard.com/articl ... 083_1.html

The Sarvatra, an assault bridge, which allows advancing tanks to spearhead to quickly bridge canals and water obstacles, remains denied to Indian strike forces even though its design was completed years ago. The reason: Defence Minister AK Antony wants to give the lucrative order for manufacturing Sarvatra bridges to MoD-owned Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), rather than to Larsen & Toubro, the private company that spent a decade designing the Sarvatra in partnership with the Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO).

Antony has ignored the recommendations of the army, the DRDO, and his own officials, while nominating BEML as the nodal agency for the Rs 170 crores contract to build the first eight Sarvatra bridges. In a baffling order, Antony has noted on file that he agrees with the army’s and DRDO’s recommendations in favour of L&T; but he nominates BEML as the nodal agency for the first eight bridges. This controversial decision, with the potential to attract CAG and CVC intervention, has not yet been implemented.

PS: If DRDO has its way even system integration will be done by the private industry

PPS: The Russians and their corrupt system of baksheesh-trials is being methodically taken apart by Indian industry, more pain for you. Get used to it. Might well come a time, when even a screw they try to sell is rejected.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 17 May 2015 15:45

ramana wrote:KaranM, Do you get to read AIAA journals on the web?

Lots of primary gnan and if you let the mind wander lets you know what's happening!!!

Thanks for the tip Ramana, will look it up. This sort of stuff is what makes BR so valuable.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 17 May 2015 15:58

Regarding policy changes, here is what was in Parrikars interview on change from Antony times.

"what I want is change in process, improve industry interaction"..

Basically he referred to fact DRDO works with pvt/SMEs to develop items, and is then forced by MOD policy to go for another tender for mass production. So SMEs feel shortchanged as DPSUs may step in. Parrikar has asked for a change in this & proposes that the development partner be a production partner for some five years!

This is the first substantial step in making the private sector a full fledged production partner for system level programs which was blocked by Antony despite DRDO's every effort to put the private sector on par with DPSUs.

After working with L&T, Alpha etc, they were forced to go back to the DPSUs by MOD for mass production. Even that will be dropped. Only remaining question is of industrial financing which is where smaller firms struggle.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 18 May 2015 05:57

If it is a matter of industrial financing. Even that will not be a problem, if the firm has a written order from the MOD. The banks will have no hesitation in providing a loan for working capital.

But the firm order must be placed by the buyer in writing. I guess that this is where things suffer.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 May 2015 12:30

You can pick a few successes,but the DRDO's record is if anything a patchy one.Why we still import 70% of weaponry from abroad. The revamping of the DRDO has long been a subject of discussion in parliament,the media,etc.,but the reorganization has yet to be completed to yield meaningful results,why certain key systems are still years behind schedule.

I've seen some of the items that a co. has developed for the DRDO,supplied certain items for decades,but have to take the DRDO BS and are fed up.This time they weren't even interested in participating at the air show. One key item is probably on a firang system which has been sold to India! Giants like Godrej,Tatas,L&T,etc. have numerous ways in which they can influence govts. It is the innovative med/small entrepreneurs who suffer most the whims and fancies of the DRDO. I've asked a few cos. which can participate in certain sectors very well, but refuse .When asked why they do not ,they say because of the red tape,corruption,etc. The DRDO is no saint. This has nothing to do with Russian or any other firang imports. I know another co. which used to supply the IN/CG earlier and has stopped doing so for reasons mentioned above,MOD "red tape". Just one report on how the DRDO protects its incompetent kind.

http://corruptionindrdo.com/tag/cag/

PM scraps DRDO’s ‘retirement benefits’ committee
Posted on September 21, 2014 by admin

ABHINANDAN MISHRA New Delhi | 20th Sep 2014 – The Sunday Gaurdian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to scrap the Departmental Peer Review Committee (DPRCs) of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) in an attempt to revamp the outfit. The main job of this committee of DRDO scientists is to grant extensions to fellow scientists. The committee has come under scrutiny after complaints that all that these scientists do is to park retiring and retired colleagues in important posts year after year. “The PM has ordered the scrapping of the committee that reviews cases to grant extension of service to scientists who are superannuating. Giving repeated extensions to scientists, whose capabilities could be questioned, is one of the major problems with the DRDO,” a DRDO official said.