UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Indranil · Post by **Indranil** » 24 Aug 2019 00:00

Interesting. CABS is starting to develop a test site for an anchored aerostat at Vizag.
1. I am happy. The aerostat seems to be developed by DRDO. It's size and description (tethered/with nose and fins) means that Akashdeep/Nakshatra has been revived.
2. Reading the tender, I could infer that there will be an electrooptical payload for sure. However there was nothing to suggest a radar payload. Then, why CABS?

Gyan · Post by **Gyan** » 25 Aug 2019 16:58

Some tweets of Harsh Vardhan Thakur seems to indicate that Apart from Rustom 2, India has two more UAVs in Reaper and Avenger Class under development.

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 01 Sep 2019 06:52

India-US ‘Tailoring’ Predator UAV For Multi-Service Buy
https://breakingdefense.com/2019/08/ind ... rvice-buy/

“The weapons systems, the avionics suite, the communications suite — they all need to be tailored to India’s needs, so it works with their other equipment,” he told me on Wednesday. “Then there is the issue of integration with their other platforms.”

ashishvikas · Post by **ashishvikas** » 03 Sep 2019 13:31

Abhyas: A drone or a destroyer?

https://www.theweek.in/news/sci-tech/20 ... ssile.html

Abhyas can act as a decoy aircraft and a high speed subsonic missile
Pradip R Sagar By Pradip R Sagar September 02, 2019 18:36 IST
With the development of Abhyas, India has become the only nation to have such high-end multiple use drone technology in the sub-continent. With the development of Abhyas, India has become the only nation to have such high-end multiple use drone technology in the sub-continent.

Minutes before 12 Mirage jets of Indian Air Force entered Pakistan airspace to bomb the Jaish-e-mohammad terror camp in Balakot in the early morning of February 26, two front-line Sukhoi 30 jets also moved menacingly towards Pakistan. Their aim was to divert attention of Pakistan's air defence mechanism, so that Mirage jets could complete their mission undetected.

The IAF mission was successful as the jets pounded the JeM hideouts deep inside the Pakistan territory. But was sending Sukhois on the attention-diverting mission the only option? Was it necessary to risk life of man and machine?

The IAF establishment believes that all such effort was part of its offensive strategic mission, and hence necessary. But now, the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has a solution, which could reduce the higher risks to 'the man and the machine.'

After eight years of development, scientists of the DRDO's Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), on May 13, carried out successful flight trial of High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT), known as Abhyas.
For the uninitiated, Abhyas (HEAT) is a drone. It is designed to offer a realistic threat scenario for the practice of weapon systems. But it is much more than an aerial target. Besides for training purpose, it can be used for multiple things. It is country's first locally developed system.

If this system was available before the Balakote strikes, this drone could have been sent to fly near the border. So, these drone could have worked as decoy aircraft to test the defence mechanism of Pakistan. There would have been no need to risk Sukhois in such a mission, said officials.

After Balakot, the IAF has learnt many lessons to bolster its combat capability. The government's decision to fast-track arming of over 40 Sukhoi fighter jets with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and to tackle the shortage of Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) are an outcome of Balakot strike audit.

“The primary purpose is to sharpen the existing air-defence mechanism that is why it is named as Abhyas (means practice). These targets imitate fighter aircraft. These are peacetime operations to hone your skills,” explained a scientist privy to the development of Abhyas. The drone has the capability to cover the distance of 400 kilometers.

The flight test, which was conducted from the Interim Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha, was tracked by various radars and electro-optic systems. It can simulate a range of aircraft and missiles, as well as radar, infra-red and visual threats.

Official said Indian forces are spending a huge chunk of its budget to import aerial target drones to sharpen the air defence mechanism. A leading British firm exports such aerial targets to the three services and the DRDO as well. The DRDO officials claimed that one system of Abhyas, including the ground support, would cost around 40 lakh while the imported platform of aerial target costs close to Rs 1 crore.

Scientists pointed out that Abhyas can be used to do away with the post-launch recovery mode for Indian Navy, which is time-consuming and difficult in a scenario as the sea. It is used for defensive training of surface-to-air missile crews against anti-ship missiles and for development testing and evaluation of air defense systems.

But, Abhyas is much more than an aerial target. While making presentations before the three services last week in South Block, the DRDO scientists have conveyed that they do not see it for a narrow perspective.

“If intelligently used, Abhyas can cause huge damage to the enemy by its multiple applications. It is a very good aerial asset,” said P.S. Krishnan, former director, ADE, who has launched the Abhyas project.

“Abhyas has multiple applications. Its Radar Cross Section is increased 50 times to imitate a fighter jet. It also has a potential to be converted into a high speed subsonic missile. It can act as a decoy and also function as a jammer platform,” a scientist explained while adding that, “It is capable to carry warheads. But in its present form Abhyas is not meant for that. But in near future, it can be used depending upon your requirement.” The services can launch it with the help of a laptop anywhere.

With GPS, it has become more accurate and can even hit a window of a building. It is an armed missile once you put a warhead. With development of Abhyas, India has become the only nation to have such high-end multiple use drone technology in the sub-continent.

“In Balakot air-strike, the IAF had to risk its man and machine while trying to divert attention of Pakistan air- defence. But, with the induction of Abhyas into the services, such situations can be tackled with,” a DRDO official said.

It all started in 2012 when a group of six scientists wanted to convert the tow-body of a recoverable Lakshya-Pilotless Target Aircraft into an expendable self-propelled aerial target. The inspiration was that they had identified a mini gas turbine engine which fits inside the diameter of the tow-body. “The tow-body which is toed by a mother aircraft can be self-propelled,” said a scientist, involved in its development. He further explained that soon a launcher was made to launch Abhyas by intelligently adapting the 68mm rocket being manufactured by the Ordnance factories. And soon a wing was integrated and it was launched without the engine.

The project was, however, not without problems. “Being a miniaturised bird, it is required not only a mini engine but also a micro navigation system. After all initial hiccups and extensive simulations, Abhyas was successfully flown on May 13, last month,” he proudly added.

A low-cost target is a requirement of the armed forces. The project was sanctioned with an initial funding of Rs 15 crore. But the project picked up pace after the three services floated a global tender for procurement of 225 HEAT drone for its operational requirement in 2015.

“Abhyas was designed to be launched from a zero-length launcher by two 68mm rockets. It could fly upto an altitude of 5 kms and at a speed of 180 met/sec. It had an endurance of 45 minutes,” said the scientist.

However, little did the scientists know that that development was much beyond science and technology. It was not a national strategic project like Agni. Hence, to influence the top hierarchy to accord priority was a tough mission for the ADE scientists.

“Being a small bird, the accurate measurement of its centre of gravity and the booster thrust line was very important. The navigational sensors were MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) based and posed its own limitations although it offered advantages of space and weight,” another scientist explained.

Official said that the fuselage for the Abhyas consists of five sections, namely the nose cone, equipment bay, fuel tank bay, air intake bay and tail cone. And the material for the nose and tail cones are made up of composite material (glass fiber-reinforced polymer), whereas the material of the equipment bay, air intake bay and fuel tank are made up of an aluminium steel alloy.

After its successful launch, the DRDO will now select a private firm as developer and production partner.

Chinmay · Post by **Chinmay** » 03 Sep 2019 18:08

^^ MALD analog?

manjgu · Post by **manjgu** » 03 Sep 2019 20:37

good to keep enemy air defences busy shooting down lost cost decoys. But the decoy needs to mimic radar signature of a/c?? and speed as well?

Raghunathgb · Post by **Raghunathgb** » 17 Sep 2019 10:10

Tapas 04-19 UAV breaks down and crashes after loosing communication says Kannada news paper

https://www.prajavani.net/district/chit ... 65315.html

Link to video

https://twitter.com/BangaloreMirror/sta ... 13632?s=19

sum · Post by **sum** » 17 Sep 2019 10:55

^^ Wonder whats going on with the Rustom?

Seems to have gone under a large curtain like the Nirbhay.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 17 Sep 2019 11:15

Hope this does not deter the test and some crashes are factored in development budgets

Haridas · Post by **Haridas** » 17 Sep 2019 11:23

DRDO`s unmanned aircraft Rustom 2 crashes in Karnataka`s Chitradurga
Zee Media Bureau Sep 17, 2019, 09:57 AM IST,

https://zeenews.india.com/india/drdos-u ... 5.html/amp

ArjunPandit · Post by **ArjunPandit** » 17 Sep 2019 18:46

do they have another prototype? otherwise it would seriously delay the testing etc..stopping at a crash would be the worst thing to do..

Indranil · Post by **Indranil** » 17 Sep 2019 18:49

It entered a flat spin. But how?

Gyan · Post by **Gyan** » 17 Sep 2019 22:41

We have around 6 Rustum-2 Airframes completed

Jay · Post by **Jay** » 18 Sep 2019 00:20

We are failing means we are learning. Glad it was a prototype and not a bird in service.

Prem Kumar · Post by **Prem Kumar** » 18 Sep 2019 01:20

Ananta Krishnan said it was flying in a new, experimental configuration. Don't know what it means. But might explain the aerodynamic instability

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Sep 2019 03:31

China is reportedly about to unveil several drones including a carrier based UAV and perhaps a supersonic one too.

For some reason our UAV programmes seem to be progressing at a very slow pace.We've seen Rustom at umpteen air shows, still under development.This crash will set back the programme even further.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 18 Sep 2019 04:44

Please see the discussion in the PRC thread. China rushes equipment into service. India tests methodically. Latter is better as we are developing primarily for our own services first & foremost, not external customers. Any loss of trust there by forcing half baked eqpt into service will lead to severe loss of trust in indigenous capabilities.

Indranil · Post by **Indranil** » 18 Sep 2019 06:19

Also, China properly funds defense RnD with a strict mandate to indigenize for strategic independence. We like to strategically aligned.

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 20 Sep 2019 02:55

India-US: Important defence deals are expected to be announced next week
https://www.financialexpress.com/defenc ... k/1710230/

The Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force is already waiting for the UAVs from the US which will come through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) soon. Highly placed sources have confirmed that “The request for the UAVs from the Indian Army and the Navy is still there. In fact last week there was a meeting between the officials of both sides to discuss the sales of the UAVs.” The US administration is aware that the request for the drones by the Indian Army and the Navy have been clubbed –which means each will buy 10 each and it is different than the one that the IAF is seeking. India is looking at 30 UAVs for all its three services.

rrao · Post by **rrao** » 25 Sep 2019 11:56

How the paki drones which air dropped some 80 kilos of arms in Punjab have crossed the border with out being detected by Radars? may the RCS is too small and flying at low level?

Manish_P · Post by **Manish_P** » 25 Sep 2019 17:02

Correct. RCS is very small. They were flying at low level. Also note that Radars are not kept on all the time. The challenges are indeed many.

VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 26 Sep 2019 14:14

MALE UAV loss a setback for New Delhi

From FlightGlobal: The recent loss of a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs during experimental flight trials is a setback for an ambitious programme of India’s Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

A developmental prototype of the Tactical Advanced Platform for Aerial Surveillance Beyond Horizon-201 (TAPAS-BH-201 / TAPAS 201), crashed soon after it took off from the DRDO’s Aeronautical Testing Range located at Chitradurga, approximately 250km northwest of Bengaluru.

The MALE UAV is also known by the name ‘Rustom II’.

According to the DRDO, a new configuration of TAPAS 201 was being flight tested when the crash took place. Flight data is being analysed to ascertain the causes for the loss.

mages circulated in local media of the crash site showed a badly damaged UAV with ‘TAPAS-04-19’ markings.

The development of a MALE UAV to meet a tri-services requirement is an ambitious undertaking, considering that the DRDO’s earlier efforts at UAV development have been less than stellar.

TAPAS 201 features lofty specifications, such as an operating altitude of 30,000ft (service ceiling 32,000 feet) and the ability to take off from runways as high as 11,000 feet. The two-tonne MALE UAV will be able to carry a payload of 350kg and undertake intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for the Indian army, air force and navy.

As part of developmental trials, TAPAS 201 prototypes have displayed a maximum endurance of 1.25 hours, range of 40 km and an altitude of 14,200 feet. Testing of a higher powered engine, commenced in February 2018.

User Configuration flights started in February 2018.

There are thought to be a total of six TAPAS 201 prototypes flying. The sixth prototype, AF6, made its maiden flight in January.

ArjunPandit · Post by **ArjunPandit** » 26 Sep 2019 15:43

^^sir i fail to see how this is a setback..we have multiple prototypes. Yes it delays to the process.
Please see the messages above,
"Ananta Krishnan said it was flying in a new, experimental configuration. Don't know what it means. But might explain the aerodynamic instability"
Unlike al buraq it unfortunately doesnt work well always...

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 26 Sep 2019 18:44

It didn't crash soon after take-off

It was on its way back after completing it's flight test program for that flight. Write whatever you like in a hitjob, who cares about facts

Prem Kumar · Post by **Prem Kumar** » 26 Sep 2019 21:56

Indian journalists, in addition to being nincompoops & anti-nationals, also suffer from low self-esteem and project their fear onto others. To them "Musharraf thunders" & "China issues stern warning". And every Indian test that is not 400% successful is a "setback, blunder & disaster".

These twats have never achieved anything in their lives & have probably been told by their parents/bosses that they are a failure. So, they project those insecurities onto Indian R&D programs.

Avinandan · Post by **Avinandan** » 27 Sep 2019 00:23

Haven't heard much about RUAV and NRUAV, any updates ?
https://defenceupdate.in/hal-ruav-india ... l-vehicle/

VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 17 Oct 2019 04:08

Security Scan - Tackling Drone Threat

Indranil · Post by **Indranil** » 08 Nov 2019 23:59

Rustom-2 has completed more than 60 test flights!

VickyAvinash · Post by **VickyAvinash** » 09 Nov 2019 18:43

Indranil wrote:Rustom-2 has completed more than 60 test flights!

Thanks for update, Indranil. Strangely, nothing much in press coverage other than occasional reporting on developmental crashes.

srai · Post by **srai** » 10 Nov 2019 07:09

How many UAV test flights/hours required (on an average) to achieve IOC/FOC?

Roop · Post by **Roop** » 18 Nov 2019 06:12

Don't know if this is true, but here is a link to a report in the Jerusalem Post saying that India is all set to acquire Israel's largest armed drone, the Heron TP.

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/India ... one-608131

India considering buying ‘armed version’ of Israeli drone

India is reportedly considering purchasing 10 Israeli-made drones with missile-launching capabilities, according to a report in the Indian press. The Tribune, an Indian newspaper, reported Sunday that New Delhi is looking at the drone capable of carrying missiles - an armed version of the Israeli Heron TP, Israel’s long-range drone said to be capable of flying to Iran.

The Heron TP is Israel's largest unmanned aerial vehicle with an 85-foot wingspan, the same as a Boeing 737 airliner. It can stay airborne for 24 hours and carry a 1-ton payload. While Israel doesn't openly admit it, foreign media reported that the Heron TP is also capable of launching air-to-surface missiles.

Sources told the paper that the Indian Ministry of Defense had approved the deal last May. “We are working to finalize the deal that is estimated to be $400 million,” sources told The Tribune. If the deal goes ahead, it would be the first drones that India could use to launch attacks against ground targets.

India is one of Israel’s primary markets for defense exports. In July, Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems signed a $100 million contract with KRAS (Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd. India), to manufacture and supply 1,000 Barak 8/ MRSAM missile kits for the Indian Army and Air Force.

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 18 Nov 2019 06:49

Another similar article to above...

IAF may acquire armed drones
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/iaf-m ... 61757.html
17 Nov 2019

SRajesh · Post by **SRajesh** » 27 Nov 2019 12:02

http://ajaishukla.blogspot.com/2019/11/ ... ns-to.html
Is this true and doable
Will it benefit India in monitoring Indian Ocean Region
And as Shooklaw suggesting will we get it fairly cheaply or will Khan screw us with the 'FMS' or 'Gov to Gov' sale route!!!

Cybaru · Post by **Cybaru** » 27 Nov 2019 12:21

That would be awesome!! Would serve the whole Indian ocean well when our sats aren't covering it.

SRajesh · Post by **SRajesh** » 27 Nov 2019 12:27

Cybaru wrote:That would be awesome!! Would serve the whole Indian ocean well when our sats aren't covering it.

Sirji
Right
How do we start buy 'Global Hawk' campaign

Cybaru · Post by **Cybaru** » 27 Nov 2019 12:31

Anshaan dharna outside MoD. Go GO GO!

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 29 Nov 2019 13:19

Can they convert the Global hawk into a maritime variant without much expense? Otherwise it might be much better to go with spanking new Sea Guardians.

Vips · Post by **Vips** » 23 Jan 2020 23:10

DRDO has selected Israeli company Controp's Isea-50HD EOIR sensor for its UAV and Rustam program. It hass automatic target tracker, Continuous optical zoom, Image enhancement, local agc and otehr capabilities.

jaysimha · Post by **jaysimha** » 24 Jan 2020 13:45

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/26220 ... iqh9DIzZ0w
DRDO Selects Israeli CONTROP's Observation Payload For Drones

Thakur_B · Post by **Thakur_B** » 24 Jan 2020 19:39

Why haven't they been able to put damn Tapas into production yet.