India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Jamal K. Malik · Postby **Jamal K. Malik** » 03 Jul 2009 22:38

India Inc makes strategic moves on defence deals
Old but good one news

A Sharma · Postby **A Sharma** » 06 Jul 2009 15:54

DRDO Technology Focus on Armoured Tracked Vehicles

Gerard · Postby **Gerard** » 15 Jul 2009 07:51

Govt to chip in with India Microprocessor

Kakarat · Postby **Kakarat** » 21 Jul 2009 22:21

EXCLUSIVE: India's Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA-70) - LiveFist

Hiten · Postby **Hiten** » 22 Jul 2009 15:25

BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Limited gets AS-9100 Certification

....This certification was achieved within a record time of 9 months with the concerted efforts of all the employees.

The AS-9100 certification is a must for any unit to undertake aerospace orders from external agencies.....

....In a period of one year, BrahMos Aerospace' turnover grew from Rs 7 crore to Rs 26 crore. The company is aiming for a turnover of Rs. 1000 crore in 4 years time.
....

Hiten · Postby **Hiten** » 30 Jul 2009 17:49

Chilli grenade: New anti-riot weapon

....Scientists at India’s Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) say bhut jolokia (pictured here) will be used in place of chloroacetophenone, the main chemical component in tear gas, which can cause “long-term pulmonary, carcinogenic and reproductive effects”.

“In counter-insurgency operations, the use of chilli-based weapons will help in incapacitating and capturing the person rather than killing him,” said Lokendra Singh, Director of the Defence Research Laboratory in Tezpur, Assam. “Capturing an insurgent is always a better option, as it helps in investigations and yields more information.”....

JaiS · Postby **JaiS** » 31 Jul 2009 05:48

Revamping DRDO

Drevin · Postby **Drevin** » 31 Jul 2009 11:18

HAL forms unified helicopter complex to cater to growing business

This info is more relevant on this thread. Looks like the helicopter business is now a major earner for HAL. About time.

Kailash · Postby **Kailash** » 31 Jul 2009 15:57

http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_tata-israeli-co-in-defence-systems-jv_1278568

JaiS · Postby **JaiS** » 04 Aug 2009 05:52

Armed forces to get more snoop-power

The 1.13-million strong force has also projected a requirement of seven “troops” of the Rustom drones being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation and Aeronautical Development Establishment in a Rs 1,000 crore project with Israeli help.

As a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) drone, Rustom will be capable of operating for 24 hours, with a 300-km range and a 10,000-metre maximum altitude. Army, of course, is already inducting the indigenous Nishant and Lakshya UAVs.

Rajat defines a "troop" as a group of 6-8 birds.

A Sharma · Postby **A Sharma** » 10 Aug 2009 20:58

DRDO Newsletter for Aug 09
Unmanned Ground Vehicle on BMP II Vehicle Platform

Kailash · Postby **Kailash** » 12 Aug 2009 15:29

Something more about the PXE program in the DRDO newsletter

Fakir Mohan University all set to establish research laboratory

...the Department of Physics has received a grant of nearly Rs 2 crore under the Twelfth Finance Commission for setting up a laboratory on nanotechnology and further we are in touch with IIT, Kharagpur for a sophisticated lab to facilitate research here.

and for those in India with some time and interest

The university has begun the master degree course on the subject with course fee of Rs 13,000 per semester. The admission is done on the basis of an entrance test across India. Since the defence scientists and officers of the DRDO share their knowledge and impart training to the students with an opportunity of field exposures in the unit (PXE), the quality of education has improved.

tsarkar · Postby **tsarkar** » 12 Aug 2009 17:10

There was a lot of discussion on what exactly was the SCAN seeker in Brahmos.

Refer page 9/12 of DRDO newsletter above, “He was responsible for design and development the Signal Processor for SCAN Imaging Radar.”

BrahMos Block II uses improved signal processing in its seeker to discriminate land targets against clutter or false positives that is usually not possible (or required) in standard anti ship missile seekers.

aditp · Postby **aditp** » 17 Aug 2009 14:10

LARSEN AND TOUBRO - EADS defence JVs hit hurdle

Vipul · Postby **Vipul** » 25 Aug 2009 00:59

BEL plans Rs 1,500-cr joint tech ventures.

Bharat Electronics Ltd expects to invest Rs 1,000-1,500 crore in joint ventures to create critical technologies for national security over the next three years. It is pursuing three-four joint ventures with multinational and domestic companies, BEL’s Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Ashwani Kumar Datt, told Business Line.

The defence public sector company has been in talks for technology tie-ups with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd and Elbit Systems Electro-optics (El-Op), Europe’s Selex Galileo and Thales, Boeing and the Hyderabad-based Astra Microwave.

Out of the dozen possibilities under consideration, “Our target is that at least one should get decided by March 2010; and a few more during 2010-11,” said Mr Datt, who took charge of the Rs 4,600-crore company in May. “We may not need more than three or four joint ventures.”

BEL develops futuristic products for the Armed Forces that contribute 80 per cent of its revenues. Mr Datt said it had short-listed thermal imagers, ATM radars, air-borne electronic warfare systems, missile electronics and guidance systems as priority technologies to acquire through tie-ups or special arrangements.

“Over two-three years we should be investing Rs 1,000-1,500 crore for these.” Last year, it roped Bharat Dynamics Ltd and Tata Power Co into a consortium to make the Akash surface-to-air missiles on the IAF’s Rs 1,200-crore order. It has similar arrangements with ECIL and HAL and a Rs 2,500-crore solar cells venture plan with fellow PSU BHEL.

Acquisition of night-vision technologies, now available with very few countries, he said, was a priority, for which BEL was talking with Elbit El-Op and Photonis. Night vision goggles and binoculars for personnel and electro-optic systems mounted on vehicles, battle tanks, aircraft and ships give a big boost to internal security.

Potential partners had been engaged in discussions for some time now, but as owners of high technology, they preferred to have larger stakes in a joint entity than the 26 per cent FDI that the Ministry of Defence allows. This was an important issue in some of the joint venture proposals that are being discussed, Mr Datt said.

Until last year, the cash-surplus BEL planned to buy one or two technology-rich companies overseas with a kitty of Rs 50-100 crore. “We are wiser now than before that acquiring companies abroad is difficult. It is unlikely to happen.”

Last year, it enlisted KPMG to advise on new growth areas. “The aim is to create a new area that can give us business of Rs 500 crore in two years,” Mr Datt said. “We have agreed on five areas for exploration. KPMG has been retained to give us more information on the investment required, returns on it, the business potential and the mode of doing it.”

For the current year, BEL plans to invest Rs 700 crore across its production units towards new manufacturing/testing equipment and for establishing a new business venture.

KrishnaMu · Postby **KrishnaMu** » 27 Aug 2009 01:08

Pokhran II not fully successful: Scientist

K Santhanam, senior scientist and DRDO representative at 1998 Pokhran II tests has admitted that yield of the thermonuclear explosions was more a "fizzle" rather than a big bang.

Hiten · Postby **Hiten** » 27 Aug 2009 01:51

Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister

V.K. Saraswat, Chief Controller, R & D, (Missiles and Strategic Systems), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), will take over as Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister from September 1

dinesha · Postby **dinesha** » 28 Aug 2009 17:14

Astra Micro bags Rs 81cr DRDO order

In a filing to the BSE on Friday, the company said the order involved design, development, testing, installation and commissioning of radar subsystems, which has to be completed in the next 30 months

SSridhar · Postby **SSridhar** » 02 Sep 2009 19:05

L&T CMD's overview of his company's involvement in Indian defence projects

Another sector which you are very passionate about is defence. We have been talking about it over the last few years but we have not seen much of an action on the ground. You have signed a joint venture with EADS, now going forward how do you capture the opportunity that is coming your way?

Well, L&T has been very deeply involved in India’s defence sector for more than 14-15 years. Except that we were involved more for prototyping and design and engineering and working with DRDO, the Defence Research Organisation. Since the private sector was not allowed to participate in the major programmes under TOT (technology transfer) and consequently I think our exposure- of private sector as a whole - has not been to the fullest extent of their capabilities.

Notwithstanding that L&T still went ahead and have created a factory for composites in Baroda, precision manufacturing in Coimbatore, the shipyard and the heavy engineering in Hazira, a very large shipyard- world-class shipyard- for defence is coming up in Kattupalli.{near Chennai} In addition to that L&T EADS, electronic warfare, all of those systems, radars that is spread over Pune and Bangalore. So you can see we are covered on 5 locations for different degree of specialisation which is required for India’s defence need. I think what we need now is an encouragement for all of us to exploit the facilities that we have created and really come up with a meeting with India’s urgent need of defence and that means a level playing field between the private sector and the government sector, longstanding kind of report which was declaring 7 to 8 or 10 companies from private sector for defence ratnas so that they can get on with participating in the various major programme of India’s defence as yet to really take off.

But when it comes to joint venture with EADS you have not yet got the approval for the joint venture, it is just an MoU which has been signed between the two...

Now the approval is nearly finalised now because it is waiting for foreign investment clearance and it will come very soon. It is a proper process that takes 10-12 weeks but the joint venture preparation, training and getting ready is being done anyway.

A Sharma · Postby **A Sharma** » 05 Sep 2009 02:37

DRDO Newsletter for Sept 09

Indian Air Force has signed an MoU with BEL for the supply of 30 numbers of Rohini Radars at a value of Rs 2001 crore. This is in addition to the order of seven numbers of Rohini radars already placed with BEL at a cost of Rs 275 crore.
This radar is a shining example of the success story of indigenous 3 D surveillance radar development by LRDE with BEL - Industry partnership.”

Gerard · Postby **Gerard** » 07 Sep 2009 02:45

MKU Displays Boltfree Ballistic Helmets and Instavest Body Armour at DSEi

ramana · Postby **ramana** » 08 Sep 2009 23:06

IDSA summary of
Revitalising the Ordnance Factories report

A Sharma · Postby **A Sharma** » 09 Sep 2009 04:48

Powerhouse of technology
Driving force

Gerard · Postby **Gerard** » 12 Sep 2009 22:59

Defence hub hits farmland hurdle

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)’s plan to set up an establishment on the outskirts of Guwahati has run into rough weather with farmers opposing the move to acquire farmland for the project.

Sanjay M · Postby **Sanjay M** » 13 Sep 2009 11:12

So if you want to turn an oncoming airstream into plasma, the best way seems to be to aim an opposing jet of plasma in front of yourself. I guess having some plasma shooting out in front of you has the best chance of mixing with that oncoming airstream and turning it into plasma too. Nothing couples with a gas like another gas does, which is why combustion of fluids has been a mainstay of aviation propulsion. But it seems that idea can be applied to plasma dynamics too. In combustion, you seed a little spark and you get a big flame. In plasma dynamics, you inject a little plasma and get a lot more plasma - especially in the presence of an electromagnetic field. Turning that oncoming airstream into plasma then makes it flow around your aircraft much more smoothly at high mach numbers. You can also manipulate that flow much more effectively using electromagnetic fields, which can have a much more effective coupling than the mere surface contact of conventional control surfaces.

Somehow I'm thinking that you could use this principle on a zeppelin or dirigible to have the most noticeable impact, because they are the bluntest of bodies, and would thus experience the most radical drag reduction. Instead of a needle-nosed jet, would it be possible to have a needle-nosed high-altitude airship traveling at 200mph through the thin upper atmosphere? The needle sticking out from the nose would be a high-voltage electrode with a plasmajet tip to ionize the oncoming airstream. The zeppelin's metallic frame/superstructure would be integrated with an electromagnetohydrodynamic coil that would accelerate the surrounding plasma stream to achieve propulsion. The whole thing would be powered by a pebble-bed nuclear reactor.

---------------

http://eprints.iisc.ernet.in/17858/

Effect of counterflow argon plasma jet on aerodynamic drag of a blunt body at hypersonic Mach numbers

Mahapatra, D and Sriram, R and Jagadeesh, G (2008) Effect of counterflow argon plasma jet on aerodynamic drag of a blunt body at hypersonic Mach numbers. In: Aeronautical Journal, 112 (1137). pp. 683-687.

Official URL: http://www.raes.org.uk/aero_journal.asp?searchtext...

Abstract

An experimental investigation of aerodynamic drag reduction by counter now plasma jet injection from the stagnation region of a hemispherical blunt cylinder model flying at hypersonic Mach numbers are presented. Experiments are carried out in a hypersonic shock tunnel at four different jet-to-pitot pressure ratios namely 15.3, 24-52, 72.5 and 96.67 and three supply powers, namely 1.8KW, 2.7KW and 3.6KW. The flow fields around the test model are visualised using high speed schlieren technique. Direct force measurement is also performed using a single component accelerometer balance. The weakly ionised argon plasma jet has ill electron temperature around 6,400K and electron number density similar to 1.64 x 10(15)cm(-3). With plasma jet at pressure ratio 72.5 and 1.8KW supply power the reduction in drag is found to be similar to 28% (more than its cold jet counter part) although the plasma jet momentum is less than its cold jet counter part.

sunny y · Postby **sunny y** » 14 Sep 2009 12:17

BOLT system to give Indian army an edge on the battlefield

http://idrw.org/?p=843

Even if the enemy knocks out a few tanks which have the device, the communication system would not be affected as long as two tanks having the device installed are functional. “It is a self-healing network. As long as two devices are alive, information flow will continue,”

No, That is cool....

aditp · Postby **aditp** » 22 Sep 2009 22:55

And what would this be ? Also which radar is being used?

Indiahas successfully tested a locally designed and manufactured 35mm anti-aircraft gun. India wants to replace hundreds of imported (in the 1970s) anti-aircraft guns 40mm guns. These fire 5.5 pound (2.5 kilogram) shells at the rate of 300 a minute. Max altitude is about 4,000 meters (13,000 feet). The Indian 35mm weapons system would also use an Indian radar and other locally made components.

A 35mm anti-aircraft weapon is already in use by Pakistan, where they manufacture, under, license, the Swiss Oerlikon weapon. India has also purchased technology and technical services from Oerlikon, for the development of the Indian 35mm autocannon. The 35mm shells weigh about 1.65 pounds (.75 kilograms) and have similar range to the older 40mm ones. This AAA (Anti-Aircraft Artillery) is still useful against helicopters and transports, and jets that are moving slowly over the battlefield.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/articles/20090922.aspx

animesharma · Postby **animesharma** » 23 Sep 2009 17:21

I guess it will be a nice thing to see such research in india.

Please have a look at two surv. module designed by Ideaforge, a product design firm in IITB incubator.
http://www.ideaforge.co.in/MAV/MAV.html
Zeppelin IV - Quadrotor Platform
This hovering platform is a versatile flying machine. It requires minimal take-off and recovery area therby making it suitable for urban usage. Once put on GPS-hold mode, it acts like a virtual pole in the sky streaming high quality live video to the ground station with all camera controls in user’s hand.

Fireball - Fixed Wing Platform
This micro fixed wing flying platform can be operated from small open spaces or roof-top of buildings and can gather critical visual information in real time. Its quick deployment time and high airspeed make sure the user reaches the area of interest in short time

(Please follow the ideaforge link above to see these two videos.)

vishwakarmaa · Postby **vishwakarmaa** » 23 Sep 2009 20:36

animesharma,
can you correct the links please. Videos not loading.

shravan · Postby **shravan** » 23 Sep 2009 20:47

^
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBGrcr_d4yA Zeppelin IV - Quadrotor Autonomous Vehicle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-wud09EfME Fireball - Fixed Wing Autonomous Vehicle

A Sharma · Postby **A Sharma** » 28 Sep 2009 04:35

BEL Annual Report : 2008-09.

Short Range Battle Field Surveillance Radar,developed by LRDE, has been upgraded with the introduction of following features: Automatic target classification, introduction of Thermal Imaging Camera, establishment of networking of four radars connected to one command post using wireless LAN and transmission of Radar data & video to the command post for monitoring. The radar has been successfully evaluated by an independent team.

Upgradation of Schilka Weapon System has been carried out by BEL jointly with M/s. IAI, Israel. The upgradation activities carried out include replacement of the Radar with state-of-the-art active phase array Radar, introduction of modern fire control system, main & auxiliary engines of the vehicle, optronics, air conditioner for crew comfort, modern user friendly displays etc. The system has undergone User Trials, DGQA & MET evaluations.

TARANG Line Replaceable Units, developed by Defence Avionics Research Establishment, have been packaged on to a single mechanical chassis and configured as a Line Replaceable Unit for MiG-29 Aircraft.

Dmurphy · Postby **Dmurphy** » 28 Sep 2009 13:26

Interview with Puneet Kaura, Executive Director of Samtel Display Systems (SDS)

enqyoob · Postby **enqyoob** » 28 Sep 2009 18:42

DOOs rush to DRDO

1.13 lakh applications for 220 posts at DRDO
By siliconindia news bureau
Monday,28 September 2009, 02:15 hrs

Bangalore: Recession seems to have turned the tide for employers and employees alike. With the ongoing job losses, the Defence Research and Development Organization is turning out to be a much sought after destination for job seekers. The premier defence organization received a whooping 1.13 lakh applications for the scientist entry test held recently.

The applications were received in response to an advertisement in May for 220 posts in the Defence, the R&D wing of the ministry of defence, a release said here today. More than 70 percent of the applicants appeared for the examination conducted on September 6 this month at 139 centres in 31 cities. For the test held in September last year to induct 500 scientists, only 43,215 had applied.

The organization is attracting more talent, because of the opportunities it provides to work on challenging technologies, in excellent working environment of laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, improved compensation, career growth prospects and performance oriented complementing scheme.

The DRDO has 52 laboratories....

Katare · Postby **Katare** » 29 Sep 2009 02:08

Thanks to 6th pay commission too! Entry level scientist would get ~Rs40K/month as starting salary which is twice of what Infy or TCS is offering to entry level engineers. :mrgreen:

animesharma · Postby **animesharma** » 29 Sep 2009 04:20

But what about the increment in Gov pay scale. They can not match pvt sector in case of deserving talents.

vera_k · Postby **vera_k** » 29 Sep 2009 04:57

^^^

They'll be fine as long as they find ways to hold on to the productive people. Important thing is to be able to get their hooks into the most promising talent.

animesharma · Postby **animesharma** » 29 Sep 2009 12:26

ISRO had similar problems... they pay better starting packages, but over the years the experienced lot migrate to pvt sector for better opportunities. This fact was acknowledged by senior ISRO officials, and the fact is same for other organizations.It was contained a bit after ISRO implemented a new recruitment policy.(Recruiting ME/M.techs and not BE/B.techs)

Talking of talents, DRDO didn't receive enough applications even in IIT campus recruitments. And it was quite low turout as compared to MNCs.
Trade wise, attriction rate is high in electronics, mechanical, computer sciences, aerospace etc. (20% approx).

I can not provide a proof, but 3 years ago applications received by Maharastra State electricity board was less than total vacancy for junior engineer rank. Hopefully, the days will return soon.

In the long run, say 10 years.. The attriction rate is high and it can only be contained if positions of national importance are subjected to mullah just enough to retain them.

Since liberalization, gov sector tech jobs are always in competition with pvt sector.
the current surge in gov job demand is as a result of slowdown in hiring by pvt sector in india. As of today,gov mullah is for sure better than pvt mullah, but in next few year another boom will come in pvt sector and the recent history will repeat itself.

Katare · Postby **Katare** » 29 Sep 2009 20:38

That is problem with govt jobs, the highest paid employee of GoI can get obly ~13x of the lowest paid employee. One way is to phase out or outsource low skilled jobs to increase the pays on top of the pyramid. But again govt can't compete on salary alone with private sector. Govt jobs offer power, prestige, security, assured career growth, certain life style and ability to make a difference for greater goods.

AnimeshP · Postby **AnimeshP** » 29 Sep 2009 20:59

Katare wrote:That is problem with govt jobs, the highest paid employee of GoI can get obly ~13x of the lowest paid employee. One way is to phase out or outsource low skilled jobs to increase the pays on top of the pyramid. But again govt can't compete on salary alone with private sector. Govt jobs offer power, prestige, security, assured career growth, certain life style and ability to make a difference for greater goods.

Add to that .. medical, housing, dept. related perks and assured pension, I think it is a good deal these days.

PS: before this turns into an argument about the merits of these, I would like to say that I am all for these

animesharma · Postby **animesharma** » 30 Sep 2009 01:20

I do agree Government employee receive many perks along with basic pay, and to add to that they generate some extra perks for themselves.

the Idea of gov units competing on price is going to take us no where, except for churning out sick units. Gov pays on scale basis, while pvt sector pays on person basis.

IMO, the approx CTC for a gov job is almost as good as a pvt job, if you also include some adjective factors.

Outsourcing is ok for non-strategic units like NTPC, ONGC or ITI ( :roll:

). they need it badly.
But Units of national importance are units not for profit, they can offer adventure in their way, but can't offer money for your own adventure.

ISRO has taken a good approach, the IIST solves some problem..helps administration implement stricter norms against attrition.

The topic "Employee retention policy" needs a wider debate to reach any conclusion. At best, i can speculate. Not being a part of any such org suits me not to comment more on this topic.

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