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

The Military Issues & History Forum is a venue to discuss issues relating to the military aspects of the Indian Armed Forces, whether the past, present or future. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.
Post Reply
Gyan
BRFite
Posts: 1183
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

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

Post by Gyan »

In a public IAF report it is written that ALL ball bearings used in IAF aircraft are imported because there are no "testing" facilities in India (inspite of civilian capacity to manufacture industrial level ball bearings). Does anybody ever tries to explore PLAN B?
shiv
BRF Oldie
Posts: 34982
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: Pindliyon ka Gooda

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

Post by shiv »

Gyan wrote:In a public IAF report it is written that ALL ball bearings used in IAF aircraft are imported because there are no "testing" facilities in India (inspite of civilian capacity to manufacture industrial level ball bearings). Does anybody ever tries to explore PLAN B?
If you can locate the source document and post a link it would be more credible.

Ball bearings are of course a "strategic industry" and in WW2 German ball bearing industries wre specifically attacked. If what Gyan says is true all that needs to be done against India is to sanction ball bearings
Attacks on German Ball Bearing Industry
Ball bearings had important civilian and military applications, and naturally it was the latter that attracted the attention of Allied leadership, who believed that by disrupting ball bearing production, German ability to produce machines of war would likely be disrupted as well. The first raid on Schweinfurt took place on 17 Aug 1943, during which 184 B-17 bombers attacked the city at a high rate of loss; although the inflicted damage was not as extensive as the US 8th Air Force had wanted, it did temporarily destroy about 34% of the city's production capacity. Another notable raid on Schweinfurt took place two months later on 14 Oct 1943, during which an even higher rate of loss was suffered (60 of the 229 attacking B-17 bombers were lost); "Black Thursday" would temporarily put these attacks on German industrial centers on halt until long range escort fighters were to become available. During the war, Schweinfurt would be attacked for a total of 22 times by both US and British bombers, dropping a total of 7,933 tons of bombs. Air defense for the factories (and the city itself) included the usual anti-aircraft guns located on the ground as well as a large number of fighters. Production of ball bearings slowed as the war's end neared, coming to a complete stop on 11 Apr 1945 when troops of US 42nd Infantry Division captured the city. While Allied bombing technically reduced the output of ball bearings at Schweinfurt, the German decision to relocate and disperse the factories to different sites actually played the main role in the city's production decline. Today all four of the major ball bearings producers remain in business, though with different names due to mergers and acquisitions in the following years.
Gyan
BRFite
Posts: 1183
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

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

Post by Gyan »

Refer Internal page 21 para 3 about Ball Bearings

http://bharatshakti.in/wp-content/uploa ... r-2016.pdf
shiv
BRF Oldie
Posts: 34982
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: Pindliyon ka Gooda

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

Post by shiv »

Gyan wrote:Refer Internal page 21 para 3 about Ball Bearings

http://bharatshakti.in/wp-content/uploa ... r-2016.pdf
Good. Thanks
3.Aviation Grade Bearings
.
BRDs have been pursuing indigenisation of aero engine bearings, and other aviation grade bearings used in different parts of an aircraft with civil firms for the last few decades. However, most of the aviation grade bearings in use by various aircraft fleets of IAF today are still being imported. One of the primary reasons for this is non availability of test facilities required for qualification of aviation grade bearings. Thus, there is a requirement to develop test facilities for qualification of aviation grade bearings in consultation with Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), which is the certifying agency for all indigenous aviation products.
Incidentally CEMILAC can pose restrictions on flights of Indian planes after accidents.

I know a retired test pilot who saw the Mahindra aircraft plant that was acquired in Australia. Australian rules ensure that if a new design has a crash or accident - the project can quickly get back on its feet and start testing again.

But with CEMILAC we see
1. Indias AWACS fying Idli - HS 748 never flew again
2. Saras never flew again
3. IJT was dismissed and was almost relegated

All it needs is one accident and the project will be killed in India

Who controls CEMILAC?
srai
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5240
Joined: 23 Oct 2001 11:31

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

Post by srai »

^^^

I think some of it has to do with cultural differences. In India, the penalties for a failure is way too high; this means people will take an overly cautious approach to things and become less daring/bold by avoiding risks. This often leads to indecision and slow progress. A "failure" should be viewed as a learning experience and should be accepted as a natural process when building things. Other thing that I have observed is there are way too many critics and finger-pointing; there is less of nurturing from all elements involved to make things a success. This will happen eventually as India learns to build and use its own things and take pride in doing so.

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
-- Thomas A. Edison
Neela
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4102
Joined: 30 Jul 2004 15:05
Location: Spectator in the dossier diplomacy tennis match

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

Post by Neela »

shiv wrote:
Gyan wrote:In a public IAF report it is written that ALL ball bearings used in IAF aircraft are imported because there are no "testing" facilities in India (inspite of civilian capacity to manufacture industrial level ball bearings). Does anybody ever tries to explore PLAN B?
If you can locate the source document and post a link it would be more credible.

Ball bearings are of course a "strategic industry" and in WW2 German ball bearing industries wre specifically attacked. If what Gyan says is true all that needs to be done against India is to sanction ball bearings
Attacks on German Ball Bearing Industry
Ball bearings had important civilian and military applications, and naturally it was the latter that attracted the attention of Allied leadership, who believed that by disrupting ball bearing production, German ability to produce machines of war would likely be disrupted as well. The first raid on Schweinfurt took place on 17 Aug 1943, during which 184 B-17 bombers attacked the city at a high rate of loss; although the inflicted damage was not as extensive as the US 8th Air Force had wanted, it did temporarily destroy about 34% of the city's production capacity. Another notable raid on Schweinfurt took place two months later on 14 Oct 1943, during which an even higher rate of loss was suffered (60 of the 229 attacking B-17 bombers were lost); "Black Thursday" would temporarily put these attacks on German industrial centers on halt until long range escort fighters were to become available. During the war, Schweinfurt would be attacked for a total of 22 times by both US and British bombers, dropping a total of 7,933 tons of bombs. Air defense for the factories (and the city itself) included the usual anti-aircraft guns located on the ground as well as a large number of fighters. Production of ball bearings slowed as the war's end neared, coming to a complete stop on 11 Apr 1945 when troops of US 42nd Infantry Division captured the city. While Allied bombing technically reduced the output of ball bearings at Schweinfurt, the German decision to relocate and disperse the factories to different sites actually played the main role in the city's production decline. Today all four of the major ball bearings producers remain in business, though with different names due to mergers and acquisitions in the following years.
Benefits of ball bearing R&D and productionization is really far-reaching especially also for Indian textile industry.
High speed spinning and weaving machines use these ball bearings. Machinery imported from Germany contain ball bearings from a company called SKF (Swedish). But the costs are prohibitive to replace them. And in the cut-throat market with heavy competetion from Bangladesh, China and Vietnam, every paise counts. So Indian textile manufacturers have resorted to using Chinese ones or making this locally. They wear out much much faster resulting in machine downtimes. But texttile industyr has 24/7 shifts and mechanics are always there.
BTW, SKF is also into aerospace.
kapilrdave
BRFite
Posts: 1566
Joined: 17 Nov 2008 13:10

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

Post by kapilrdave »

^^ Sadly, no Indian ball bearing manufacturers comes anywhere close to SKF wrt to the technology. SKF spends HUGE amount in R&D and are decades ahead of Indian companies. While local companies are also spending somewhat in R&D - just like SCB for engines - the material is becoming the barrier for them. India needs to spend on material science big time as that is the only avenue which is stopping our engineering growth it seems.

That said, given the kind of budget IAF has, SKF bearings should not be too costly for them. For other civilian industries, yes, they are costly.
DexterM
BR Mainsite Crew
Posts: 372
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

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

Post by DexterM »

kapilrdave wrote:^^ Sadly, no Indian ball bearing manufacturers comes anywhere close to SKF wrt to the technology. SKF spends HUGE amount in R&D and are decades ahead of Indian companies. While local companies are also spending somewhat in R&D - just like SCB for engines - the material is becoming the barrier for them. India needs to spend on material science big time as that is the only avenue which is stopping our engineering growth it seems.

That said, given the kind of budget IAF has, SKF bearings should not be too costly for them. For other civilian industries, yes, they are costly.
SKF is deeply embedded in many industries in India. India is one of the global hubs for manufacturing and is considered a key player. They are as Indian as possible for a Swedish company with almost all senior management in Pune and Bangalore being Indians (except the CEO) for many years. And for defense purchases, they do enable alternative modes of purchase (to ensure reliable and corruption-free delivery). Mostly sounds like rhetoric, but there are some insights here.
Gyan
BRFite
Posts: 1183
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

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

Post by Gyan »

Guys do not miss the main point:-

We don't even have "testing" facility to test aviation grade ballbearings.
Neela
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4102
Joined: 30 Jul 2004 15:05
Location: Spectator in the dossier diplomacy tennis match

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

Post by Neela »

My point is this.
Clearly this is a strategic industry. And there are benefits for other industries as well.
So it makes sense to invest into facilities for research.
kapilrdave
BRFite
Posts: 1566
Joined: 17 Nov 2008 13:10

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

Post by kapilrdave »

Gyan wrote:Guys do not miss the main point:-

We don't even have "testing" facility to test aviation grade ballbearings.
Who will test in this testing facility? Is there any lab working on such ball bearings which is deprived of such a facility? Genuine question.
vina
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6046
Joined: 11 May 2005 06:56
Location: Doing Nijikaran, Udharikaran and Baazarikaran to Commies and Assorted Leftists

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

Post by vina »

Bearings.. All the global leaders , from SKF to FAG to Timken have been in India for a LOOONG time, and manufacture here as well, and not to mention pretty competent local Indian folks as well. All kinds of bearings are made here , all for civilian uses only.

The trouble is , with largely Russian origin equipment and no local design beyond screwdrive griri and kit assembly, there would have been no one to make military /aerospace bearings to GOST standards . It would be simply sub scale and not worth any manufacturer, Indian or global to make it only for India. Imports are inevitable.

It is ONLY when you OWN the design and you design it yourself and you pick from the parts bin of what is available locally that is well established and is a global standard(you always have a choice during design, and as a designer you pick what is readily available and firmly leave the custom / exotic parts out unless it is absolutely necessary).

Trouble is , our civilian systems are per global & western standards while military systems (especially legacy ones) are GOST /Soviet standards. That is a big reason why it would be difficult to leverage the civilian industrial base to the military one , unless it is designed here!
vina
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6046
Joined: 11 May 2005 06:56
Location: Doing Nijikaran, Udharikaran and Baazarikaran to Commies and Assorted Leftists

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

Post by vina »

kapilrdave wrote: Who will test in this testing facility? Is there any lab working on such ball bearings which is deprived of such a facility? Genuine question.
Any ball bearing maker will have the facility. Nearly all the reputed ones are here as well. You give them volumes, and if it is a standard spec, they and the local guys will make it for you. Anyways, the product can always be tested in a facility abroad. This "Testing facility" is red herring. The bearing business and the spares business has to do with the choices made in inducting the platform.
kapilrdave
BRFite
Posts: 1566
Joined: 17 Nov 2008 13:10

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

Post by kapilrdave »

DexterM wrote:
kapilrdave wrote:^^ Sadly, no Indian ball bearing manufacturers comes anywhere close to SKF wrt to the technology. SKF spends HUGE amount in R&D and are decades ahead of Indian companies. While local companies are also spending somewhat in R&D - just like SCB for engines - the material is becoming the barrier for them. India needs to spend on material science big time as that is the only avenue which is stopping our engineering growth it seems.

That said, given the kind of budget IAF has, SKF bearings should not be too costly for them. For other civilian industries, yes, they are costly.
SKF is deeply embedded in many industries in India. India is one of the global hubs for manufacturing and is considered a key player. They are as Indian as possible for a Swedish company with almost all senior management in Pune and Bangalore being Indians (except the CEO) for many years. And for defense purchases, they do enable alternative modes of purchase (to ensure reliable and corruption-free delivery). Mostly sounds like rhetoric, but there are some insights here.
True. But they have not imparted their material technology with Indians. Neither will they do it ever.
ldev
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2616
Joined: 06 Nov 2002 12:31

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

Post by ldev »

^^
Why go to SKF? You have homegrown people such as NBC bearings, part of the CK Birla Group, have been making bearings for years, and supply to all the automotive OEMs. Let HAL work with them to develop the kind of bearing they want.
kapilrdave
BRFite
Posts: 1566
Joined: 17 Nov 2008 13:10

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

Post by kapilrdave »

@vina, the question is about aviation grade ball bearings. I don't know how different quality standards are for this type of ball bearings, but since it requires a separate facility altogether, I very much doubt that anyone in India is working on such a precision tech in this field.
kapilrdave
BRFite
Posts: 1566
Joined: 17 Nov 2008 13:10

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

Post by kapilrdave »

In a long run, SKF bearing are not costly either for their durability.

Baba Ramdev's Patanjali has installed Saharanpur made cheap copies of German machinery. It has resulted into continuous ongoing maintenance and costly production shortfall.
Gyan
BRFite
Posts: 1183
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

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

Post by Gyan »

Kindly note that IAF states in a "Public" document that absence of "testing" facility is the "primary" reason for non availability of indigenous aviation grade ball bearings. We also were unable to manufacture Su-30MKI tyres till we collaborated with MRF. Have we made any attempt to invite local manufacturers to take the plunge??? by helping them with appropriate lab and testing infrastructure?? What is the standard cut on buying imported spare parts? 30%?
ldev wrote:^^

Why go to SKF? You have homegrown people such as NBC bearings, part of the CK Birla Group, have been making bearings for years, and supply to all the automotive OEMs. Let HAL work with them to develop the kind of bearing they want.
Last edited by Gyan on 01 Jun 2016 18:55, edited 1 time in total.
kapilrdave
BRFite
Posts: 1566
Joined: 17 Nov 2008 13:10

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

Post by kapilrdave »

vina wrote:Bearings.. All the global leaders , from SKF to FAG to Timken have been in India for a LOOONG time, and manufacture here as well, and not to mention pretty competent local Indian folks as well. All kinds of bearings are made here , all for civilian uses only.
The bolded part is not entirely true. ALL types of bearings are made here like we make Su-30MKI here. Actually making basic bearings is not at all a complicated thing. But the age has grown so much that cutting edge tech is required in all aspect. We make them, but essential technology for the precision is not with us. Indian folks are competent no doubt. But as I said earlier, we don't have material. Let alone giving the technology, SKF trainers do not even name the material. They refer them with some "material number xyz".
DexterM
BR Mainsite Crew
Posts: 372
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

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

Post by DexterM »

You are right in the fact that they only name the material with a code. The composition is a trade secret. And note that they do the same across all factories, including Argentina. Nothing is out of place there. Why do we need the composition if they are manufacturing the bearing to our spec and it bears out *forgive the bad pun? They have been making in India for far longer than the companies we are talking of. Swedish firms have been entrenched in Mh and Ka for decades now. And they understand industry needs well enough to be part of the development cycle for many manufacturers. Our focus should be on whether they can manufacture and test locally, and then deliver on time. My money would be on Yes, they will.
Karan M
Forum Moderator
Posts: 20773
Joined: 19 Mar 2010 00:58

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

Post by Karan M »

Image

for this i wonder if DRDO is planning to use its XV-2004 radar?
Bhurishrava
BRFite
Posts: 477
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

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

Post by Bhurishrava »

cross posted
http://www.financialexpress.com/article ... ia/270524/
ADA Group's Reliance Defence has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Ukraine-based ANTONOV for assembly, manufacture and MRO of Antonov platforms in India for both commercial as well as military aircraft.
sudeepj
BRFite
Posts: 1976
Joined: 27 Nov 2008 11:25

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

Post by sudeepj »

The main point, if any of the newly discovered bb rona dhona is this: The world today is highly specialized and this highly specialized expertise congregates in dense clusters in specific locations. No one country can make all the high tech equipment it needs. Even if we wanted to, we will probably only begin to get 'there', even if there was a 'war like' effort put in place for a few decades. From bbs to silicon chips, to advanced mathematical techniques, to advanced lenses, to exotic materials... the story is the same.

These specialized products and knowledge is exchanged between countries that have agreed to be in a 'rules based system'. To be a part of this system will mean restricting our 'autonomy' but in practical terms, increasing our capability tremendously. This is the trade off.
Kartik
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5721
Joined: 04 Feb 2004 12:31

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

Post by Kartik »

FlightGlobal Analysis- Tata's "Make in India" sweet spot
19 April, 2016
| BY: Greg Waldron
| Singapore


It is difficult to overstate the reverence with which the Tata name is held in India. On a recent flight to Hyderabad, Flight International sat with an aerospace engineer from the subcontinent. He works for one of the top names in aircraft engines, and has had roles in international OEMs. When asked if he would work for an Indian aerospace firm, he shrugged.

“Would you work for Tata?” asked Flight.

“Ah!” he cried. “Of course I would. Everything Tata touches turns to gold.”

Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) gets its name from India’s most respected business family. Tata Sons, which owns 100% of TASL, is India’s most prolific business conglomerate. Apart from TASL, seen as a key driver of growth, Tata has interests in cars, pharmaceuticals, hotels, utilities, steel, consulting, and many other sectors. The family founded Tata Airways in 1932, although the carrier was taken over by the government after the Second World War to become Air India. Today, Tata is back in the airline business, with a 51% stake in full service airline Vistara (Singapore Airlines holds the other 49%), and 30% of AirAsia India (AirAsia holds 49% and an Indian investment firm 21%).

Though founded only nine years ago, TASL has grown to 1,800 employees across three Indian cities. It has obtained significant work packages from OEMs such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Sikorsky, Airbus, Pilatus, and Ruag. Its key aerostructures production facilities are located amid scrubby, dusty farmland an hour south of Hyderabad by car. Flight recently spent the afternoon with the company, to discuss where Tata sees itself in the Indian aerospace market and in the global supply chain.

“In India, we want to be an interesting company for the government as a key customer, and to be a partner of choice for global OEMs who are looking at India,” says chief executive Sukaran Singh. “This is our overall strategic objective. In order to undertake this, it is imperative for us to be able to provide deep value addition, and build Indian intellectual property.”

TASL’s work packages include the fuselage of the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter, the empennage of the Lockheed Martin C-130J, the aft fuselage and tail cone for the Boeing CH-47 Chinook, the wing assembly and other major work on the Pilatus PC-12, and major work on Ruag’s Dornier 228NG, for which it produces 3,000 detailed parts, as well as the fuselage, empennage, and wings. It also has component work on several other programmes, including structural work on the Cobham refuelling pods found on the Airbus Defence & Space A400M and Embraer KC-390. Pending work includes a joint venture with Boeing that will produce the AH-64 Apache fuselage.

TASL, through a joint venture with Lockheed, also has the ability to produce the centre wingbox of the C-130J. After producing 20 units as spares it has placed the tooling in storage, although it is hopeful of obtaining more wingbox work in future.

In most cases, bringing work packages to TASL involves detailed analysis of the previous manufacturer’s techniques and methodologies. Subsequently, TASL develops its own tooling and processes.

“Even if [a previous supplier] thought they knew it, they may not have captured it on paper,” says Singh. “Tribal knowledge is critical. It's never really all there, because of changes that were made and ways of working and how they did it on an everyday basis. A core part of a successful transition is having people who can interpret the language, understand the culture, and observe it carefully. In some cases the team videotaped entities before they closed shop. So, all new trainees would see that.”

C-130s by night

It is not always smooth. A TASL executive recounts that when the company was figuring out how to do wingbox work for the C-130J, it had very little time in a previous supplier’s factory to examine processes and methodologies. All it had to go on was a very rushed visit in the evening.

“That was a peculiar case,” says Singh. “We were transitioning from a company with whom Lockheed was negotiating in order to get work packages to us. We didn't have too much time with that particular case. Generally, the transitions are away from OEMs. The S-92 was transitioned from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the C-130J from an American company. In all these different transitions there is a mixed reception. Sometimes they are co-operative, sometimes they are not very co-operative.”

To get all this done, the company has placed a premium on its workforce. One objective is obtaining international talent who can assist with processes and knowhow. TASL also places a strong focus on training factory management and production staff. The Hyderabad location features a large training centre, where staff of all levels receive months of training. To reinforce a safety culture, a guard at the school’s door asks all who enter to wear protective eyewear – even when no activity is taking place. Production staff spend months learning precision manual skills related to aerospace production. They are carefully graded and assessed and after graduation are required to take refresher courses. Given Tata’s prestige locally, TASL says it has no shortage of recruits.

The assembly halls themselves would not appear out of place in developed nations. They are well lit and immaculate. The busiest halls are for the C-130J empennage and TASL’s component production facility. The S-92 line, owing to weakness in the heavy lift helicopter segment, is somewhat quieter. The PC-12 line is busier, and the Do 228NG line is still being brought up to speed. A bustling office in one of the production halls is planning fuselage production for the AH-64 – a project that will be run by a joint venture between Boeing and TASL.

In every hall one finds notice boards detailing all aspects of production, such as customer satisfaction, defects, and Kaizan efficiency metrics.

“The Tata culture has a philosophy to learn from the best in class, so doing the Kaizan has come very naturally to us as something we should absorb,” says Singh. “Each global OEM transition also comes with a pre-packaged training programme. They always have people come, and there is a lot of learning from that. There is a skill base for absorption and there is a push from their side to transfer. Put it all together and we have a programme management office that is centralising all the learning. So when new projects come we have an understanding of how to do it.”

Apart from getting more defence work, the company also hopes to expand into more commercial work. Singh indicates discussions have been held with Boeing for civilian workshare, but he did not want to discuss details for projects that have yet to be officially announced.

C295W work beckons

The real prize in TASL’s sights is among India’s most pressing defence requirements: an aircraft to replace the air force’s antiquated fleet of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL)-built HS 748 Avros. New Delhi has already approved the Airbus Defence & Space C295W for the 56-aircraft requirement. Critically, the deal calls for 16 aircraft to be purchased from overseas, and 40 to be produced by a private company in India – as opposed to government-owned HAL. TASL will be the production partner for this lucrative deal.


“This will really differentiate us from anyone else in India,” says Singh. “We hope this will act as an anchor for us to get the type of capability and skillset that can then attract many other programmes.”

According to Airbus, the programme is “on schedule”, and field trials are being planned in conjunction with New Delhi.

Singh also offers insights into how private sector firms such as TASL can work alongside a government-favoured company such as HAL. He believes the advent of India’s private aerospace sector, which will benefit from the government’s “Make In India” programme, will create an “ecosystem” that will free major government firms like HAL and Bharat Electronics to pursue higher-end work and integration, as opposed to “doing everything internally.”

Looking forward, TASL hopes to do more work in areas such as design, as opposed to the “build to print” model where it makes structures and components based on a blueprint from an OEM. Another area of interest is modifying aircraft to perform special missions. Singh says there is no capability to do such modifications in India, and also no maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities for mission-adapted aircraft. Additional growth areas for TASL include avionics and other subsystems. The company also has a thriving missile business. Commercial MRO is not out of the question, but would require changes in India's regulatory regime.

“As TASL we have an opportunity to go to all the aerospace companies in the world, especially where they have no footprint in a relatively low-cost country, and provide the same proposition we demonstrated with Lockheed and Sikorsky,” says Singh. “In that sense it's a very interesting ‘Make In India’ sweet spot.”

Karan M
Forum Moderator
Posts: 20773
Joined: 19 Mar 2010 00:58

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

Post by Karan M »

Nice. Impacts the social and well being of the nation and also keeps corrupt at bay.

http://computer.financialexpress.com/ne ... ors/17754/

Milk test strip, first of its kind in India, to thwart adulterators
By FE Bureau on June 2, 2016
An easy-to-use kit allows testing of milk to thwart milk adulterators. It helps to find out whether what you are drinking is milk or urea, starch, boric acid, soap/detergent, neutraliser, hydrogen peroxide or something else

Geeta Nair

An easy-to-use kit allows testing of milk to thwart milk adulterators. It helps to find out whether what you are drinking is milk or urea, starch, boric acid, soap/detergent, neutraliser, hydrogen peroxide or something else. The strip-based milk-testing kit is the first of its kind in the country. The Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysuru, has transferred the technology developed by them to Navi Mumbai-based Pearl Corporation.

DFRL is under the life science cluster of DRDO. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar, released the milk kit at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology in Pune on Tuesday. Pearl Corporation has commercialised the technology and launched the milk testing kit under the ‘Test-o-Milk’ brand.

Initially developed to prevent adulterated milk from reaching soldiers, the kits were being used in the field by the defence services. “It is now being commercialised and we want to take this technology to the masses,” Mahesh Rathi, director of Pearl Corporation, said. There was a need for this technology as there is no way to check milk adulterants at home; milk adulteration has reached alarming proportions, he said. This led Rathi to DFRL, which was already using it for the armed forces.

Pearl Corporation will be manufacturing the kit in Navi Mumbai and Daman and will sell it through medical shops and pharmacies. The packs come with a DFRL logo. It is currently being sold across major cities of Maharashtra and will be launched in MP, Rajasthan and Delhi, with a pan India launch by the end of the year. “With the easy-to-use kit, milk can be be tested with test strips that detect chemical adulterants. Though a number of technologies are already available in the market, they target institutions and use a lot of hazardous chemicals, and the equipment is expensive, he said.

The availability of adulterants has emboldened milk vendors all over India to mix synthetic milk in natural milk. The synthetic milk is a mixture of vegetable oil, urea, cane sugar, neutraliser and detergents at appropriate proportions.

The kit will be a deterrent for milk vendors and adulterators, Rathi said. The kit also provides strips to check the microbial quality of milk for freshness, and a lactometer to detect the presence of water.
Karan M
Forum Moderator
Posts: 20773
Joined: 19 Mar 2010 00:58

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

Post by Karan M »

DRDO claims breakthrough in using solar energy for heating at night
Print This Pageshare
Tech to make troops’ shelters cosy

It utilises phase-change materials (converting solid to liquid and liquid to solid on change of temperature, thereby releasing heat) to store thermal energy
It has a thermal trap area over the roof that utilises greenhouse concept for creating a tunnelling effect to trap solar heat in the shelters for the troops

Also in this section
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation ... 45648.html
DRDO claims breakthrough in using solar energy for heating at night

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 1
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has claimed to have made a breakthrough in developing technology for utilising solar heat harnessed during the day for heating rooms during the night at extreme altitude.

The Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), a DRDO laboratory based at Leh, has developed a shelter for troops that uses non-conventional energy for heating, instead of fossil fuel. The shelter, costing about Rs 60 lakh, was tested through the winter at Chang La, located at 17,600 feet in Ladakh, with temperature as low as minus 40°C. The DRDO established the world’s highest research station there last year.


Scientists at DIHAR said while solar energy could be harnessed and stored in batteries for later use, the same is not applicable for solar heat and conventionally solar heat can be used only while the sun is shining. Claimed to be the only kind of shelter, it utilises phase change materials (converting solid to liquid and liquid to solid on change of temperature, thereby releasing heat) to store thermal energy collected from evacuated tube solar collectors. It has a greenhouse based thermal trap area over the roof and utilises greenhouse concept for creating a tunnelling effect to trap solar heat in the shelter.

“The shelter maintained a temperature of 7-10°C when the ambient temperature stood around minus 30°C. Other shelters in similar conditions have temperature of minus 10-15°C,” a DIHAR scientist said. “However, there is a need to operate a diesel generator for six hours during the peak winter months (January and February) when the temperature falls below minus 30°C,” he said.

At present, the Army uses “bhukaris” and generator-run electrical appliance to heat spaces like barracks and bunkers in Ladakh as well as the North-East, consuming lakhs of litres of kerosene and diesel every year. The non-conventional energy shelter would be environmentally beneficial in ecologically sensitive areas, besides generating carbon credits.
Karan M
Forum Moderator
Posts: 20773
Joined: 19 Mar 2010 00:58

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

Post by Karan M »

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp ... 661571.ece

Indigenous aero engine stays on radar, says DRDO official

New efforts, tweaks and hopefully a Rs. 2,600-crore grant are being explored to salvage 25 years of work and resources of over Rs. 2,000 crore spent on the Kaveri and use the engine’s derivatives in unmanned strategic projects of the future - probably with a different name.

‘Ghatak’

Already its spinoff version has been identified as the engine for ‘Ghatak’, a tentatively named future unmanned combat aircraft on which early studies have been taken up at two aeronautical labs based in Bengaluru.

“There is potential for derivatives of the Kaveri engine to be used for strategic purposes and other programmes. For anything in future that requires a 50-kilo-Newton engine [& its multiples,] here is a readily available one. Only a few engineering adaptations are required,” said K.Tamilmani, Director-General of DRDO’s Aeronautical Systems, who demits office on May 31 after about three years in the post.

The military research establishment has not given up the quest for a potential Indian powerplant for future military systems, he indicated.

‘A critical need’

Asked if a ‘flying’ Indian engine cannot be ruled out in the future, Dr. Tamilmani told The Hindu the development of aero engine technology and product was long identified as a critical need in defence research.

“The engine should be ours one day. It will, should happen, it may take time. Its technology development needs focus. The engine is also top priority for defining the shape of any aeroplane design and must be frozen first.”
Karan M
Forum Moderator
Posts: 20773
Joined: 19 Mar 2010 00:58

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

Post by Karan M »

India's first lithium ion battery soon, will cut imports from China

By: GizBot Bureau Published: Wednesday, June 1, 2016, 15:01

In a step towards self-reliance to meet defence requirements and to cut the dependence on imports, especially from China, India is all set to produce its first lithium ion (Li-ion) battery. India's first lithium ion battery soon, will cut imports from China

The Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu, has set up the first indigenous Li-ion fabrication facility that has applications in defence, solar powered devices, railways and other high end usages.

The facility is to start industrial level production in two months.

"It's the first time that we will have our own technology and potential to produce Li-ion batteries domestically. This would help in cutting costs as well as our dependence on the foreign market," professor Vijayamohan K. Pillai, CECRI Director, told IANS. CECRI is part of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). "In two months we will attain capacity to produce at least 100 batteries in a day at our lab," he added.

Over 33 billion Li-ion batteries are used globally. China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and some Western countries are the major manufacturers of lithium ion batteries. India has one billion users of lithium ion batteries, mostly used in mobiles and laptops.

CECRI has also invited investors for mass production. According to experts, mass production of indigenous Li-ion batteries would reduce the cost manifold as compared to the imported batteries. "Imported batteries are very expensive. The domestic programme can bring the price down". India's first lithium ion battery soon, will cut imports from China

For now, 100 percent of Li-ion batteries or cells are imported.

"Some investors have already shown interest. A Canada-based NRI is willing to install a plant in India. On June 3, we have (former DRDO chief) V.K. Saraswat visiting our fabrication facility. His visit gives hope for good investments," Pillai said. The CECRI technology includes solution for a 400 mAh (milliampere hour) battery to power solar lanterns. The other versions have different user-end capabilities, including heating power tools and those used in firing torpedoes, for which India procures batteries from France. "The application is also for railway lighting and signalling, for which Indian Railway majorly uses lead acid batteries which are polluting. Railways also use Li-ion batteries which are imported and expensive," Pillai said.

However, domestic manufacture of Li-ion batteries for laptops and mobile phones still seems a distant dream.

"For laptops and mobiles, we have a long way to go. Although there's a plan, we must understand that we for now don't have that kind of expertise here and depend on China, Japan and Taiwan. They have several years' head-start," said Pillai. He added that even if India produces its own Li-ion batteries for laptops and mobiles, "we will not be able to justify the cost".

Beside Li-ion, to cope with India's ambitious clean energy programme, CECRI is also working on indigenous "zinc bromide redox flow battery", with target capacity of 500 Watts. "This is for the grid level storage of energy harnessed from solar and wind energy. The target is 2022. However, we will have something to show by two years," said Pillai.

Read more at: http://www.gizbot.com/accessories/news/ ... 33033.html
Karan M
Forum Moderator
Posts: 20773
Joined: 19 Mar 2010 00:58

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

Post by Karan M »

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... t-2828025/

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar has urged the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) to shoulder the responsibility to generate new knowledge, fulfill defence needs and also take this technology to civilian and commercial use after fulfilling the defence needs.

Parrikar, who was speaking at the 8th convocation of DIAT in Pune on Tuesday, also asked the institute to involve the alumni more for better brand building and growth.

Parrikar said that DIAT is fully complementing DRDO laboratories by carrying out fundamental and exploratory research leading to development of new science and technology at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1, 2 and 3 and work with DRDO labs which take it to higher levels of 4, 5 and 6. “This ecosystem was developed with a lot of thought and is serving long term benefits to the defence of the country,” Parrikar said.

DIAT awarded 110 M.Tech, 23 PhD and 8 MS by Research degrees during the convocation. Thirteen M.Tech students received medals for topping M.Tech programmes.

S Christopher, secretary, department of defence, said that production value of systems based on DRDO technologies that have been inducted into the services has crossed Rs two lakh crore and is rising progressively. This year, it would go up to Rs 2.5 lakh crore, he said.
wig
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2162
Joined: 09 Feb 2009 16:58

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

Post by wig »

Why India's defence indigenisation is in a rut by P V Athavale (R), Air Marshal
Tejas FighterThe end goal of defence procurement should be not import or indgenisation, but securing the country through able and ready armed forces, says Air Marshal P V Athawale (retd)

The maxim 'machines do not make things, humans do' is reflected in the status of indigenous defence manufacturing in India.

India's dubious distinction as the top global importer for defence purchases is not due to lack of technology, but predominantly due to lack of commitment and synergy of human effort.

Even so, the commitment from the government is most unequivocally visible today compared to the decades spent in rhetoric about promotion of Indian industry, especially the private sector.

While the commitment for action is strong, the progress will not be well directed unless we understand and resolve the conflict which paralyses us in the status quo.

Continual tinkering with Defence Procurement Procedures or thicker rulebooks look like solutions but result in little progress when there is no change in the way we think about the deadlock.

The world we have created is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.
-- Albert Einstein

Indian Air Force acquisitions are major contributors towards India's standing among global arms importers. The examples and discussions hereon are, therefore, specific to the air force or military aviation requirements.

Dr Eliyahu M Goldratt put forward the Theory of Constraints (The Northern River Press, 1990) and proposed a wonderful method of working towards resolution of conflicts that restrict achievement of the goal. He articulated that non-achievement of goals in any system was due to a very small number of constraints (at least one constraint).

These, called core constraints, have usually been in existence for long and are intuitively well known. Many compromising solutions have possibly been implemented over and over again without success. A few examples of the compromising virtual solutions are:

Compel the air force to buy Indian and not foreign equipment.
Deny them technology, and they (the Defence Research and Development Organisation and defence public sector organisations) will make.
We cannot go to a single private company -- let DRDO or DPSUs subcontract to private industry.
A fatter rule book; write detailed DPPs.
Air force telling Indian industry 'We support indigenisation; make excellent equipment and we will buy.'
Goldratt thought of the core problem as a dark black cloud and termed the method to a solution the 'Evaporating Clouds method.'

The need is to invent solutions where the problem won't exist. To find solutions, he emphasised on 'No Blames.'

When you blame others, you give up your power to change.
-- Robert Anthony

He explained that a problem existed only if in satisfying two positive requirements leading to the objective, the corresponding prerequisites (or actions) were in conflict. The requirements are genuine. However, to meet corresponding requirements, different departments perceive prerequisites (actions) differently depending upon their local measures.

The situation is depicted below:




In the context of the deadlock between actions for indigenous defence manufacturing, the conflict can be represented as shown below:




The solution begins with identifying assumptions that 'cloud' our minds and then 'evaporating' the cloud by verbalising and invalidating some of our assumptions while reinforcing others and then finding a solution that meets both the system requirements (B and C).

Some of the system requirements may also have to be reviewed. The budget is limited -- Our forces cannot possess all state-of-the-art platforms at any given time.

Indian Premier League cricket is the best example, where a franchise has to maximise its firepower within the given budget following the norms laid down for acquiring foreign players.

Similarly, it may be necessary to decide the minimum force level (acquisition) that can be indigenous, even if below par with globally top of the line; the follow up developments/upgrades must aspire to be state-of-the-art. The frontline needs, however, will have to be met with globally competitive platforms.

The answer lies in all parties coming together. Consequently, in the environment of trust that will develop, the air force may be assured that its acquisition needs for foreign purchase will not be jeopardised due to unrealistic timeframes of indigenous programmes.

It will be better prepared to accept indigenous effort. The conflict cloud is as shown below. Verbalising assumptions (some inappropriate and others valid) can indicate a solution to this dilemma. A few examples of assumptions that have been in existence for decades are indicated.

One more vital cloud needs to be dissipated -- the fear of private industry. Despite exciting discussions in seminars, nothing much has resulted about getting private industry's participation in a level playing field. The cloud is shown below.

The example of inappropriateness of one of the system's requirements is explained alongside. Examination of other assumptions can follow.

Indigenous design/development and defence manufacturing have unique challenges like a single user market and a single R&D agency -- the government. Industry, including the private sector, can grow only if the following measures are implemented:

Until a 50 per cent satisfaction level, the armed forces are put in the driver's seat and accordingly measured for indigenisation. Industry will race ahead after that.
Defence R&D is well supported by the armed forces (partnership in vital projects) with measurable targets for achievement by both.
Defence PSUs are measured for performance predominantly by the amount of indigenous design/development and manufacture and not profits made through licensed manufacturing and support services.
Defence manufacturing is made more assured and profitable for private industry.
Today's solution may not be relevant tomorrow. As the indigenous capability improves, a new force mix will have to be evolved and pursued. Strong indigenous industry exporting to friendly neighbours can further strengthen regional balance.

It is the hope that whatever the relevant solutions in the changing tomorrows, below par indigenous weapon systems will never have to be bought by the Indian armed forces.

Let us always remember that the end goal is not import or indeginisation but securing the country through able and ready armed forces.
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/why-i ... 160606.htm
A Sharma
BRFite
Posts: 1206
Joined: 20 May 2003 11:31

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

Post by A Sharma »

June Newsletter 2016

Tejas Real Time Simulator ready for formal Training
Thermal Assisted Friction Stir Welding Machine established at NMRL
Nitesh
BRFite
Posts: 903
Joined: 23 Mar 2008 22:22
Location: Bangalore
Contact:

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

Post by Nitesh »

The headline seems to be misleading, if IAF officer it has done decent job:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 668562.cms
ADRDE director Debasish Chakraborti was not available for comment following the release of the CAG report. A senior IAF officer at Kheria air base here, where paratroopers are trained, said, "The quality of imported CFF parachutes is better than indigenously made ones. At present we are using ADRDE parachutes and they have done a decent job so far."
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

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

Post by Singha »

Image
Aditya G
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3565
Joined: 19 Feb 2002 12:31
Contact:

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

Post by Aditya G »

Shakti system for P71?
tsarkar
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3263
Joined: 08 May 2006 13:44
Location: mumbai

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

Post by tsarkar »

^^ Newly developed EW suite for INS Vikrant
Kakkaji
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3866
Joined: 23 Oct 2002 11:31

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

Post by Kakkaji »

A Sharma
BRFite
Posts: 1206
Joined: 20 May 2003 11:31

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

Post by A Sharma »

Astra Microwave Conf Call

Sir, second thing is – you were expecting that the precision approach Radar testing will be
complete by this month. So can you give us some update on what is happening over there?
B Malla Reddy: It is in fine tuning, yes at HAL Airport.
M.V. Reddy: It is in fine tuning and the trials would be sometime in the month of June.
B Malla Reddy: Yes, AESA trials will be in June.
Rahul Gajare: This is the same radar which …
B Malla Reddy: Yes.


Okay, second and the last question I have right now is; you were looking at opportunities in the
BARAK 8 missile, you know LR-SAM missiles, so any development in that side?

M.V.Reddy: Some of the subsystems we have taken into that development, so that development part is
going on by the replacement of the import one and then apart from that the seekers which I
mentioned in the last conference call, so that program is on. We are developing both X-band as
well as KU-band seekers.

And regarding that Akash we hear that BEL is also planning this QR-SAM, so in that will we
be also production agency for the sub systems and also the QR-SAM?
M.V. Reddy: Yes, we already have orders for T/R modules for the QR-SAM radar and for then the missile
front, we are planning to develop a seeker on NCNC basis and a proactive development, we
have initiated the design and probably we would be able to complete in a one-year timeframe
now.
Ranjeet Shivram: And the order can likely happen in FY18 for this QR-SAM?
M.V. Reddy: Yes, FY18 yes. FY18 definitely I think it should happen

And lastly, on our that BrahMos seeker with RCI; so what stage are we and are we completed?
When can we get orders for that?
We have initiated as I said the development part and it is going on; that is still in the progress,
probably it may take another 10-12 months’ time to complete the field evaluation and to
approach BrahMos for the orders.
ramana
Forum Moderator
Posts: 59773
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

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

Post by ramana »

Kakkaji wrote:Any defence applications here?

Nalco, MIDHANI plan to set up lithium-aluminium alloy plant

Only defence applications. This is 7000 series Al alloys. Very high strength.
Post Reply