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

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

Post by krisna »

Rs. 1 lakh-cr. orders for DRDO products
In terms of tangible outputs, the value of orders executed/under execution for the Services has crossed Rs.100,000 crore. This gives us a return-on-investment of approximately five times. The cost of similar products, when imported, may be four to five times this value [of Rs.100,000 crore],” said Dr. W. Selvamurthy, Chief Controller, Life Sciences, DRDO.
In life sciences, the DRDO products which are under production and valued at Rs. 600 crore, are ready-to-eat meals, light-weight foldable stretchers, anti-leucoderma cream, and anti-eczema ointment.
( this news to me) :)

most important of all is
In addition to money value, tactical knowledge is built in these sectors by the DRDO. If we import these items, we will depend on the suppliers for maintenance and repair. When we develop and manufacture them, it leads to industrial growth in the private and public sector,” said Dr. Selvamurthy.
good going, keep it up.
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Post by krisna »

Airborne Early Warning Aircraft ready for roll out by next year
The country's Airborne Early Warning Combat Aircraft will be ready for roll out in January next year with flight trials starting by this year-end, Defence Minister A K Antony said here today.
The Centre for Air-Borne Systems (CABS), DRDO, Bangalore, is developing the Air-borne Early Warning and Control system which would be integrated into the Brazilian-manufactured Embraer-145 aircraft, officials said.
The system, designed to detect and distinguish hostile aircraft, would help in enhancing the surveillance and strike capability of the IAF. It can be used to direct fsighters and strike aircraft to their targets and warn them of hostile enemy aircraft in the area from miles away.The system would provide the Indian Air Force with the capability to track missile and network with ground stations.
It comprises many sub-systems like radar and communication links that are being designed and developed by DRDO. This is a multi-laboratory programme of DRDO coordinated by CABS, Bangalore.The EMB-145 aircraft is being modified to carry DRDOs Active Array Antenna Unit (AAAU), mounted on top of the aircrafts fuselage, officials said.
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by ramana »

DRDO Newsletter:Dec 2010

Has details of Rustom and Kaveri testing.
The other finer details of ongoing activites are heartening.
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by SriSri »

The Evolution of Defence Procurement Procedure 2011 - Analysis by Colonel Kuber

^^ One of the best analysis on this subject I've come across till now!
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by chackojoseph »

India unveils latest Defence Procurement Procedure-2011 amid skepticism

Reacting to the Defense Production Policy 2011, Nidhi Goyal, Director, Deloitte said "The Ministry of Defense (MOD) is encouraging participation of the Indian industry and supporting them to become self-reliant. This is tried to be achieved by a new production policy and recently released DPP 2011. This systematic approach by the Government although slow could be expected to meet dual benefits, i.e. boosting Indian industry and at the same time encouraging foreign companies for procuring goods used for homeland security and civil aviation and meet offset obligations.

We need to wait and see how effectively the government works with the private sector to develop indigenous platforms and systems given the limitations of time and technology that may be available in the country."
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by Manish_P »

Despite small successes in submarines sonar and systems integration, what DRDO has to show for itself is basically a long list of white elephants: the LCA; the Arjun tank, which the Army finds no future in; and the missile programme which has only seen the Prithvi missile inducted so far
:roll:

Link: Clueless in South Block
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by Surya »

only thing he got mostly right was
Between an overconfident DRDO that almost always over-estimates its capacities; a politician-bureaucrat ruling class that has little knowledge of defence issues; and defence services that have systematically been kept out of strategic decision-making, we have a state of stasis.

should have added

defence services which barring the Navy do not understand how to be involved in local growth and are willing to cu and a media full of retards (barring tarmak007 and a couple of others).
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by VinodTK »

Paying for India's Defense Policies
If the Indian government wants to use offsets as an interim measure to bring in foreign manufacturers, it should do away with the FDI cap. Higher stakes in companies could help add value to the offsets policy: Boeing's purchase of 34% of Aero Vodochody, a Czech firm, as an offset deal in 1998 is a good example.

The FDI regime has wrecked such opportunities. A proposal last year by India's Ministry of Commerce to increase the FDI cap in defense manufacturing was rejected outright by the defense ministry. By both sheltering local firms from real competition and yet requiring foreigners to invest in them with offsets, the government wants the best of the old socialist way of nurturing its infant industries and the new capitalist way of acquiring foreign know-how. So far it has failed to secure either.

India should scrap offsets altogether and remove the FDI cap to provide a better investment climate and attract foreign manufacturers. As defense production becomes a part of larger industrial growth in India, the world's largest democracy will become a stronger power.
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by ramana »

What a BS and he claims to be working for a strategic think tank! No power puts its military production into foreign hands.
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Post by chackojoseph »

Last edited by chackojoseph on 21 Jan 2011 07:42, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by D Roy »

In the Materials arena, the significant achievements
include development of low alloy steel DMR-1700 as
a cost-effective replacement for 250 grade maraging
steel and its successful application in Akash and
Agni missile boosters; development and flight trials
of lightweight composite armour for Mi-17 helicopter.
Various indigenous materials such as polymer matrix
resins, broadband microwave-absorbing composites,
structural adhesives, sealants and lubricants have
been developed and approved for missile and other
applications.
http://www.drdo.gov.in/drdo/pub/nl/2011/january.pdf
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by shiv »

anyone seen this
Image
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by chackojoseph »

NKP,

That's not same as NBC vehicle.

4 NBC vehicles, info can be found below. The product is from Life Sciences which has spearheaded NBC defence in India. They even train troops for NBC.

DRDO hands over 4 NBC RECCE vehicles to Indian Army

India flags off indigenious NBC Recce Vehicle
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Post by chackojoseph »

Yes my friend. The auto drive is meant for ops in hazardous area.

Just that the NBC Recee vehicles are manned. Is not auto mode. That's the difference I wanted to put forward.
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by chackojoseph »

DRDO Jan 26 display

It answers a lot of project status like varunashastra.
Last edited by chackojoseph on 25 Jan 2011 06:52, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by vera_k »

ramana wrote:What a BS and he claims to be working for a strategic think tank! No power puts its military production into foreign hands.
In normal circumstances, there's logic to what he says. The modus operandi followed by most countries (think China, or Bhaba's BARC) is to get production established by hook or crook. And once the technology in on-shore, use all possible resources to steal the technology and built cloned versions.

But this will not work in India in light of existing legal protections. Another one of the burdens of democracy perhaps.
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Post by shukla »

krisna
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Post by krisna »

I thought I read a post regarding mahindra attempting to build a civilian aircraft.( did not find it)
apologies if already posted.
Multi mission aircraft NM5-100
specifications
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by VinodTK »

DRDO plans to set up commercial arm
While plans to go commercial would involve setting up a commercial arm on the lines of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Antrix Corporation to aggressively market its spin-off technologies, the objective to diversify is to assist the civilian
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Post by VinodTK »

2011 will see India entering the fighter plane industry
While on one hand it was an escalation of self esteem being a citizen of India, on the other hand it was a true showcase of negligence, carefree attitude, and apathy of our so-called authorities and security system towards the general public and kids. Well, the parade show was undoubtedly incredible, but the security and sitting provision was despicable.

The reason why this year's parade was important was because it was the first year when India will be turning into a participant in the global fighter plane industry with the Tejas and the PAKFA-T-50 .

Now instead of the US-Soviet Cold War, we may very well enter an era of the Indo-US cold war with fighter planes posing over the Indian ocean.
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by Nikhil T »

20 top scientists quit DRDO in last 6 months: Saraswat
BANGALORE: In a severe blow to the already shrinking number of researchers in defence laboratories across the nation, 20 top scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) have quit their jobs in the last six months.

With the economy looking up and IT sector beginning to hire in a big way, defence scientists are opting for better opportunities. Scientists working in the field of computer science, electronics and communications are the most sought after by the private sector, as per DRDO records.

Vijaykumar Saraswath, scientific adviser to defence minister A K Antony, said on Friday: "In the last six months, I have signed about 20 resignations of top scientists. We are losing scientists from our labs and IT sector is picking them up. There were no such en masse resignations in the last two years."

To retain the bright scientists, he said "we need to have good HR policies, which are now in place,", he added.
But there is hope. A large number of young NRI science graduates are approaching DRDO for work. "Also, there are a lot of youngsters from our own universities who have shown interest in pursuing research. We are looking forward to recruiting youngsters," said Saraswat.

In 2008, when 285 scientists had resigned over the span of three years, defence minister A K Antony had promised incentives to arrest the attrition rate in DRDO. The proposed incentives included providing career enhancement opportunities to scientists by granting them study leaves.
Wonder what these *new* HR policies are?
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Post by chackojoseph »

No top level scientist has left DRDO in recent years : DRDO

As per DRDO "no top level scientist has left DRDO in recent years, except for reasons of superannuation. During past six months, about 20 young scientists have left the organization seeking more lucrative jobs. In an organization with over 7500 scientists the number is certainly not a cause of concern."
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Post by vina »

Posting the obituary of Charles H.Kaman from the NYT in full. The day we can have a 26 year old Aerospace Engineer or Material Science guy or Naval Architect or Mech Engg or Engg Physics guy pursuing his dream from his mom's garage and there is an ecosystem to sustain and nurture him, that is when India will truly take off in all areas.

Unfortunately, right now, it is only in IT/Vity is it remotely possible. Things have improved. 25 years ago, to get a Baboo to grant you a business license and do anything on your own (like opening a business bank account) was a nightmare. I have spoken with a couple of dudes in the IT/Vity sector who 25 years ago were doing work in the private sector for DRDO et al and never saw a dime and their parent companies moved them into "growth areas" in IT/Vity.

Charles H. Kaman, Helicopter innovator, dies at 91
Charles H. Kaman, Helicopter Innovator, Dies at 91
By MOTOKO RICH
Charles H. Kaman, an innovator in the development and manufacture of helicopter technology and, following a wholly different passion, the inventor of one of the first electrically amplified acoustic guitars, died on Monday in Bloomfield, Conn. He was 91.

Mr. Kaman, who had suffered several strokes over the last decade, died of complications of pneumonia, his daughter, Cathleen Kaman, said. He lived in Bloomfield.

Mr. Kaman (pronounced ka-MAN) was a 26-year-old aeronautical engineer when he founded the Kaman Aircraft Company in 1945 in the garage of his mother’s home in West Hartford, Conn. By the time he retired as chairman in 2001, he had built the Kaman Corporation into a billion-dollar concern that distributes motors, pumps, bearings and other products as well as making helicopters and their parts.

Within the aerospace industry, Mr. Kaman is best known for inventing dual intermeshing helicopter rotors, which move in opposite directions, and for introducing the gas turbine jet engine to helicopters. The company’s HH-43 Huskie was a workhorse in rescue missions in the Vietnam War.

Mr. Kaman, a guitar enthusiast, also invented the Ovation guitar, effectively reversing the vibration-reducing technology of helicopters to create a generously vibrating instrument that incorporated aerospace materials into its rounded back. In the mid-1960s he created Ovation Instruments, a division of his company, to manufacture it.

The Ovation allows musicians to amplify their sound without generating the feedback that often comes from using microphones. It was popularized in the late 1960s by the pop and country star Glen Campbell, who played it on his television show, “The Glen Campbell Good Time Hour,” and who appeared in advertisements for the company. A long roster of rock and folk music guitarists began using it as well.

With his second wife, Roberta Hallock Kaman, Mr. Kaman founded the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, which trains German shepherds as guide dogs for the blind and the police. Since 1981, Fidelco has placed 1,300 guide dogs in 35 states and four Canadian provinces, said Eliot D. Russman, the foundation’s executive director.

“It came down to the helicopters, guitars and dogs,” Mr. Kaman’s eldest son, C. William Kaman II, said in a telephone interview.

In addition to his daughter, Cathleen, an artist who is known professionally as Beanie Kaman, and his son William, Mr. Kaman is survived by another son, Steven; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Born on June 15, 1919, in Washington, Charles Huron Kaman was the only child of Charles William Kaman and Mabel Davis Kaman. As a teenager, he loved building model airplanes from balsa wood and tissue paper and flying them in indoor competitions. He had once hoped to be a professional pilot but abandoned that ambition because he was deaf in his right ear.

He received his bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the Catholic University of America in 1940. After graduating, he went to work at Hamilton Standard Propeller Corporation, a unit of United Aircraft. He soon met Igor Sikorsky, another pioneer in helicopter design, who ran United’s helicopter division and who inspired Mr. Kaman to begin developing his own parts.

One of his first inventions was the “servo-flap,” which could be added to the edges of a rotor blade to help stabilize a helicopter. But one of his greatest contributions was to introduce jet engines to helicopters.

“It gave them more power,” said Walter J. Boyne, chairman of the National Aeronautic Association and the author of numerous books on aviation. “Helicopters really moved into their own.”

Terry Fogarty, who worked closely with Mr. Kaman for nearly a decade developing the K-MAX “aerial truck,” said Mr. Kaman, who developed the first remote-control helicopter in 1957, envisioned an unmanned cargo helicopter that would take over the “dull, dirty and dangerous missions.”

The company is developing such a helicopter, based on the K-MAX, and has a contract to deploy it to the Marine Corps for use in Afghanistan.

Mr. Kaman married Helen Sylvander in 1945; they divorced in 1971. Later that year he married Roberta Hallock, who died last year.

Ms. Kaman recalled her father strumming different versions of the Ovation in a studio at home, trying to figure out how deep or shallow to make the rounded back to produce the best sound.

“That was his big gift to the three of us,” she said. “When he would come home, he would play guitar.”
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by krisna »

DRDO's UAV 'Nishant' completes confirmatory flight trials
Nishant, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has successfully completed the series of confirmatory trials conducted by the Indian Army at Chandan Range Pokharan recently.
The Army conducted the successful flight trials before taking delivery of a set of four Nishant - UAVs together with ground systems.
Explaining the salient features of the versatile Nishant - UAV, which is capable of being launched from a hydro pneumatic launcher, without the need of a runway, Dr Prahlada, Chief Controller Research and Development (Aeronautics and Services Interaction) said: "The launch vehicle can be parked in a safe area and moved to any location for launching when ever required making it very versatile."
He said the system consists of the air vehicle supported by "ground control station" equipment mounted on "Tatra" vehicles. It has endurance up to 4.5 hrs.
The payloads that can be carried onboard Nishant for surveillance includes Electro Optical, Electronic Intelligence and Communication Intelligence payloads. It can also be used for counter insurgency operations.
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by sunny y »

For How long times these trials are gonna continue ??
Nishant has been under trials for so many years.....When are they gonna finally induct it in large numbers ??
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Post by VinodTK »

U.S. Commerce chief eyes India military, nuclear deals
The trade mission comes on the heels of last week's announcement that the United States was easing restrictions on exports of high-technology goods to India in recognition of stronger economic and national security ties.

"That export control announcement has really opened the door for increased high-technology trade and cooperation between the United States and India. The purpose is our trade mission ... is to take advantage of that open door," Locke said.
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by ramana »

Nishant has 4.5 hrs flight time with jet engine! Wow thats good stuff. Whats its payload capability?
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by merlin »

ramana wrote:Nishant has 4.5 hrs flight time with jet engine! Wow thats good stuff. Whats its payload capability?
Nishant does not have a jet engine!
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Post by D Roy »

yeah it has the almighty wankel.
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by Sagar G »

The performance of the pay load sensors in particular has been better than even the imported UAVs with the Army.
This is the most important achievement.These sensors will also be used for our indigenous aerostat program and as they are performing better than the imported ones the import lobby will find it hard to write it down.
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Post by SaiK »

http://www.bharatrakshak.com/NEWS/newsr ... wsid=14335

Defence exports from Ordnance Factories have slided from "a paltry Rs 41.07 crore in 2008-09 to a laughable Rs 12.28 crore in 2009-10
Don't know which countries?
However, FDI should be technology-centric with inherent flexibility. "It could be 26 per cent for low-tech products, 51 to 74 per cent for matured systems and 75 to 100 per cent for cutting-edge technologies," he suggested.
Shouldn't those percentiles be reversed, 75-100% on low tech to 26% in cutting edge tech..

This feeling in desh that 100%FDI would get deep ToT, IP base is totally illogical and crappy thoughts. No one would want 100%FDI unless the production costs are dead cheap, especially when the world markets are taking a hit.

Now, with 100%FDI, we can export these cutting edges to ourselves, with key IPs with firangi hands.
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Post by Vipul »

Indian industry could drown in defence offsets flood: Mahindra.

A top private sector company today warned that defence offsets opportunity for Indian firms could lead to complacency and underlined the need for using the policy smartly and wisely to build long-term capability.

Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, Anand G Mahindra said Indian industry needs to use the defence offsets policy wisely. "The offsets policy in its progressive incarnation is a fundamental game-changer".

"It (defence offsets policy) is a powerful mechanism to ensure that large purchases from abroad are matched by large spends domestically", he said at the Aero India 2011 international seminar here.

"And it's certainly opening up new way of doing business, leading to partnerships, co-investments and joint development plans", Anand Mahindra said while cautioning that the offset situation was creating a flood and "our industries were positioning themselves to serve these waters".

"But really the danger is that the flood could drown us....," he said, adding that guaranteed business always "lulls us into complacency".

"I believe offset policy is only an enabler and not an end in itself. If we are smart, we are going to use this as a stepping stone to become part of the global supply chain", Mahindra said.

Offset policy should be used to build long-term capability.

Mahindra also said India should go in for technology co-creation. "Being co-developers of future technologies, we immediately establish our utility in the global supply chain, we enhance our capability to generate future technologies and ensure we are not left behind in the growth of technology".

He also stressed the need for India to become increasingly collaborative."We must move towards increased public-private partnership".

India's private sector in aerospace and defence sectors should go beyond domestic focus and Tier-III capability and aspire to gain a larger share in aerospace and defence products.

At present, India's private sector in aerospace and defence sector is far from being effective partner it should be.

"Private sector today lacks scope and scale," he said. Global experience has shown that entering into collaboration results in greater innovation, Mahindra said, adding "We would benefit from adopting this model."

Mahindra Aerospace, a division of the $7.1 billion Mahindra Group, is participating in Aero India 2011, which is commencing here from February 9 and will showcase the GA8 TC-320 Airvan, designed and built by GippsAero.

Airvan is a 8-seat multi-role aircraft that can readily be converted to carry freight or passengers

The company is positioning it as an ideal aircraft for a variety of operations including humanitarian relief, charter, tourism, medevac, aerosports (parajumping), surveillance, freight and training.
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Post by Vipul »

MGA bags deal for Eurpfighter, Airbus Parts.

In one of the largest aerospace outsourcing contracts awarded to a mid-sized Indian firm, Maini Global Aerospace (MGA), a group company of the Bangalore-based Rs200- crore group Maini Precision Products, has bagged a multi-million dollar contract from German engine maker MTU Aero-Engines to make components for Eurofighter Typhoon and Airbus planes.

The engineering group, best known as maker of Reva, the country's first ever electric passenger car, will develop engine components for multi-role combat aircraft Eurofighter Typhoon and next generation A380 and A320 planes of Europe's Airbus, the world's largest aircraft maker. The deal will be signed during the Bangalore Air Show (Aero India 2011) which takes off on 9 February.

"With the commercial aero-engine market expected to generate about $740 billion sales over the next 20 years, we are now looking forward to growing the relationship with MTU on a strategic level," said Naresh Palta, chief executive, Maini Aerospace.

"The group will invest around $30-40 million in the next four to five years to scale up its infrastructure and capacity," said Palta, who was earlier an executive director at public sector major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Last year, the group bagged an outsourcing contract worth up to $10 million from Marshall Aerospace, subcontractors for Boeing, the chief American rival of Airbus.

The multi-year contract now positions the Mainis as strategic suppliers to the German major that has total revenues of $ 3.5 billion and partners with aero-engine manufacturers such as GE, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce to source aero-engine components.

"For them this is the India test, to see whether private industry in India can actually deliver as per German standards," said Gautam Maini, managing director, Maini Precision, who led the aerospace foray for the group even as younger brother Chetan Maini made waves with Reva. "Aerospace is going to be a big market in five to eight years. The business cycle ranges between seven and eight years. It was a quantum shift, something we had to believe for a long-term," says Maini.

Maini Aerospace, which got Snecma, a major French manufacturer of engines, as its first customer, has now developed more than 900 built-to-print parts in the past six years. These involve contracts from global customers such as Safran, BAE Systems, Eaton, Goodrich and Magellan Aerospace . It is also working with state-owned HAL to make components for various projects.

''It took us almost two years to sign this supply agreement after several rounds of inspections and testing of our capabilities by MTU engineers,'' Gautam Maini said. ''In the aerospace industry it is quite normal to take so much of time as buyers will have to be 100 per cent sure about the precise quality of the component.''

Maini also had to do equal amount of due diligence to win a supply contract from Marshall, a UK-based company that is a tier one supplier to Boeing's military aircraft used by defence forces in many countries in the world. In the first phase of the contract Marshall will buy 70 different types of structural products from MGA over a period of time.

Maini pointed out that making components for aircraft is a highly challenging job as it needs high degree of engineering skills and precise manufacturing capabilities to achieve the highest quality levels. ''That is why we have very few aerospace components companies in India, though many make auto components.''

MGA is in the process of building a new factory on a 15 acre land near Neelamangala, Bangalore, for the aerospace business and plans to invest around Rs25 crore for new machines and new facilities.
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India should develop indigenous technological base: Antony
It is imperative for India to be self-reliant by developing a strong technological base in critical technologies and be alert 24x7 in the rapidly changing scenario, Defence Minister A.K.Antony said on Monday.
I do not think any country in the world, however friendly they are, would like to part with their most modern ’A’ grade technology with any other. That is the reality,” he said, inaugurating the eighth edition of Aero India 2011 International Seminar here.
Until we gradually develop our own strong technological base in critical technologies we cannot say India has come of age,” he said while reiterating thrust on achieving self-reliance in critical defence technologies.
well said. No country will give us the reqd tech no matter what the off sets etc. we have to develop the tech.
Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju said DRDO has close to 800 industry partners for development of defence products and India partners institutions in 20 countries.
putnanja
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by putnanja »

Air Chief’s veiled dig at China
Touching on the topic of reverse engineering, Nayak indirectly questioned China and said: “Is reverse engineering ethical or is it an illegitimate entry through the backdoor?” He added that the world knew of a country that recently got a fifth generation aircraft recently.

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Although Naik did not name China, it was apparent that the remark was directed at India’s northern neighbour and its latest aircraft, which is ahead of India’s Tejas and is meant to be a fourth-generation aircraft. It will probably be in line with, or more advanced than, India’s fifth-generation aircraft T-50, being jointly developed with Russia.

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Didn't Air Marshal Barbora once upon a time say there was no harm in reverse engineering? And which major country in the world hasn't done reverse engineering or industrial spying on competitor's products?

China is doing what it has to do to maintain its national security, and if we had done the same decades earlier, indian defence industry would have been remarkably different today :roll:
Karan M
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by Karan M »

^^
The disparity between Barboras and Naiks comments only serves to indicate the confusion that is there in the higher echelons of the IAF & even many other levels. On the one hand, they note we want completely indigenous systems, but when that path turns out to be hard, the comments are about "why re-invent the wheel" or "look at how China reverse engineers". Until the IAF has a better grasp of how challenging aerospace development is, from the technology development end & is a true partner in the process, it will continue to have such a dichotomy expressed in the views of officers, with different sections singing different tunes, as versus Navy, which has a more uniform consistent view.

But, China's reverse engineering path is not best suited for India. India went down that path once trying to reverse engineer a Soviet SAM system, and then later changing that program to a "one to one copy" with more advanced features, but even that project was dropped since more capable SAM-3 system was available from Russia (Reference, weapons of peace). So, Indian Armed Forces will never accept reverse engineered arms beyond a point, because they will have better systems available from import.

The only option for India then, given such high demands and short timelines - 5-10 years required for weapons system, is to simultaneously pursue collaborative programs (eg Brahmos, T-50) while at the same time, spending on longer term local programs. Of course, the problem here is the absolutely incompetent Indian media & even some sections of the establishment, who dont understand the need for the latter (local programs), will continue to attack programs like LCA in national media & a customer who is yet to become a true partner (IAF) as versus demanding end customer, adds to the challenge.
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector

Post by Vipul »

Pipavav Shipyard signs protocol with Russian firm.

Pipavav Shipyard has signed protocol with Rosoboron Export, a Russian government arm for defence co-operation with foreign governments.

According to an exchange announcement, the Protocol is for four additional numbers of Stealth Frigate under Russian collaboration at the yard of the company. The Russians have delivered three Stealth Frigates for India and balance four are under construction at Russian yard.

This protocol will help the company to develop state of art technology to build frontline warships on a cost-effective time-bound basis. The company is the first private sector shipyard in India post-independence to be approved for building of warships.

The protocol also covers the mid-life updates, dry docking, repairs & modernisation of submarines of Russian origin in use by the Indian Navy.
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