UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

[sanman]

Russian flying AK (old)

[MeshaVishwas]

Day 2 of the Chief of the Air Staff's conference, and the head of the RAF quips, "Shortly after the war in #Ukraine the #TB2 was king, but ... I’m told by a fellow air force chief that it only flew 42 missions – I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s a fact too good to check!"

- Aviation Journalist Gareth Jennings on Twitter

[sohamn]

For the speed at which it flies, aerodynamics matters less compared to say a fighter. for e.g. look at a cessna 172 - very poor aerodynamics but flies pretty well

[sanman]

Small US startup developing a quieter electric ducted fan - which could be useful for drones, among other things

https://newatlas.com/aircraft/whisper-a ... ropulsion/

https://www.whisper.aero/

[sanman]

[sanman]

[sanman]

[Hriday]

https://x.com/Sputnik_India/status/1821 ... -CRPw&s=19

EXCLUSIVE: INDIAN ARMY INDUCTS TINY KAMIKAZE DRONES FOR COUNTER-TERROR OPERATIONS

15 cm in length and weighing 260 grams, this drone will enter terrorists hideouts & eliminate militants avoiding surrounding obstacles, Maj. Samar Toor of Zulu Defence told #SputnikIndia.

EXCLUSIVE: Hover-B kamikaze drone to target terrorist hideouts in Kashmir 24/7

- equipped with 400-gr grenade that can detonate remotely
- sends video streams
- equipped with night vision
- can be sent up to 2 km away from the base

[sanman]

[sanman]

[Manish_P]

EXCLUSIVE: INDIAN ARMY INDUCTS TINY KAMIKAZE DRONES FOR COUNTER-TERROR OPERATIONS

15 cm in length and weighing 260 grams, this drone will enter terrorists hideouts & eliminate militants avoiding surrounding obstacles, Maj. Samar Toor of Zulu Defence told #SputnikIndia.

EXCLUSIVE: Hover-B kamikaze drone to target terrorist hideouts in Kashmir 24/7

- equipped with 400-gr grenade that can detonate remotely
- sends video streams
- equipped with night vision
- can be sent up to 2 km away from the base

This is very good to hear.

[sanman]

[Manish_P]

https://x.com/Sputnik_India/status/1821 ... -CRPw&s=19

EXCLUSIVE: INDIAN ARMY INDUCTS TINY KAMIKAZE DRONES FOR COUNTER-TERROR OPERATIONS

15 cm in length and weighing 260 grams, this drone will enter terrorists hideouts & eliminate militants avoiding surrounding obstacles, Maj. Samar Toor of Zulu Defence told #SputnikIndia.

Incidentally very recently a drone of roughly similar dimensions was made fast enough to beat a Formula 1 car

[Manish_P]

India unveils lethal swadeshi kamikaze drones with 1000 kms range

Dr Abhay Pashilkar, Director of the National Aerospace Laboratories, who is spearheading the research says, "India is developing these fully indigenous kamikaze drones, they are a game-changing 21st century new age war machine".

The Indian kamikaze drone will be around 2.8 meters long with a wingspan of 3.5 meters, weigh about 120 kg and carry an explosive charge of 25 kilograms.

Dr Pashilkar told NDTV, that the Indian loitering munition will have an endurance of about nine hours meaning, that once launched, it can continuously hover in the area of interest. After the target is identified, the controller after authorization can send the do-and-die drone on its suicide mission.

The kamikaze drone will use a 30-horsepower Wankel Engine designed and developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories and can fly continuously for 1,000 kilometres with a maximum speed of 180 kilometres per hour.

The Indian version will be able to work in GPS-denied scenarios and can use the Indian NAViC for navigating and homing on to the target.

[sanman]

A bomber drone seems like a worthy goal -- especially given the clear benefits of glide-bombs

But are we again bungling the job?

[Rakesh]

Despite MQ-9B purchase, the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy revive TAPAS
https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/ ... vive-tapas
13 Sept 2024

[Rakesh]

Below is part of a twitter thread from a twitter user who went to the IDAX (Indian Defence Aviation Exposition) at Jodhpur.

https://x.com/Tanishq_bafila/status/1834891314086740194 ---> Had a chat with the DRDO team & when I asked that is it true that Drishti's actual performance is around 15-16 hours? He smiled and said yes it is.

[Rakesh]

Below is part of a twitter thread from a twitter user who went to the IDAX (Indian Defence Aviation Exposition) at Jodhpur.

https://x.com/Tanishq_bafila/status/1834891314086740194 ---> DRDO ANTI-DRONE SYSTEM RANGE.

* For a target that of RCS 0.1m: 8Km

* For a target that of RCS 0.01: 4KM

* For a target that of RCS 0.01: 2KM

[sanman]

[sanman]

[sanman]

Are our robot/drone weapons meaningfully different than what everyone else has?
Or are ours just copy-paste?

[Manish_P]

The GoI needed Lebanon to do this... Galwan wasn't enough?


Lebanon explosions: Indian government's new CCTV rules means 'ban' on these Chinese companies

The Indian government reportedly seems set to restrict the use of Chinese-made surveillance equipment in the country, following recent coordinated pager explosions in Lebanon. Multiple sources familiar with the matter revealed to The Economic Times (ET) that the government is set to accelerate the implementation of guidelines that favor local vendors in the surveillance market.

"Currently, CP Plus, Hikvision and Dahua control more than 60% of the market in India and they will have to step up their efforts in improving the localization content in their surveillance portfolio and double down on R&D.

"In light of the pager explosions, the government will be taking a close look at critical sourcing of certain components or parts of the supply chain," an industry source told ET. "The government's policy on surveillance cameras is likely to come into effect on October 8, which will effectively eliminate Chinese players from the market, benefiting Indian companies."

Those in the know also said that lately, the Indian government has been rejecting Chinese CCTV equipment tenders and has been preferring European players like Bosch. Notably, it is estimated that Bosch is around 7-10x more expensive than its Chinese counterparts.

[sanman]

The GoI needed Lebanon to do this... Galwan wasn't enough?

Lebanon explosions: Indian government's new CCTV rules means 'ban' on these Chinese companies

Hopefully this becomes the new nucleus of a renewed effort to reduce our supply/import dependency on China.

Suppose we supplement it with a new law imposing maximum liability on anyone whose import of Chinese goods results in harm due to weaponization of supply chain.

[Sharads]

Strategically-minded thorough article.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/0 ... itiveness/

China’s manufacturing dominance has resulted in a domestic workforce with the experience to achieve process innovations and product improvements that have no equal in the West. And it has come with the sophisticated supply chains that support a wide range of today’s technological capabilities and serve as the foundations for the next generation.

China has taken a proactive stance to coordinate, support, and co-invest with strategic industries to commercialize emerging technologies. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has been at pains to support these domestic industries.

Besides Americans, only the Chinese have the will to power.

[sanman]

[sanman]

[Rakesh]

Loyal wingman drones: Man-machine combine set to transform aerial warfare

[Rakesh]

VIDEO: https://x.com/ANI/status/1845754004971593879 ---> Delhi: Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi says "31 predator drones have been cleared by the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security) which would include 16 for land use and 15 for maritime use, which is largely for the naval use. These are very capable platforms with large endurance and therefore they will help us tremendously in keeping our area of interest and our area of responsibility under surveillance so that we can know who is doing what and why and that is very important because that is the start point for any Naval action and we would like to ensure that as part of the overall maritime security, Indian Navy is fully aware of what is happening in our area of interest...As you are aware that when we apprehended the MV Ruen a few months back and saved 17 crews and apprehended 35 pirates, these drones which right now we have got on lease, one of them were used very extensively to monitor and track that vessel so that we could take action almost 2,000 kilometers from our shore in consonance with our para-drop soldiers which were there..."

[Manish_P]

^ and yet some question the utility of such drones and complain about their costs...

[Aditya_V]

No doubt the sea guardians are good, but at USD 3.9 Billion for 31, I suspect there must Quid Pro Quo out there, I hope its for speeding F404 Deliveries

[Manish_P]

No doubt the sea guardians are good, but at USD 3.9 Billion for 31, I suspect there must Quid Pro Quo out there, I hope its for speeding F404 Deliveries

The cost is a very valid point.

I am hoping that we can build Indian engines quickly. No just the high-end turbofans for the Fighter jets but also medium-end ones for UAVs. Development of them should be accorded highest priority.

Yes the initial products might have ceiling of 30k feet instead of the 45k feet, 6 hrs loitering time instead of 12 hrs (as example) but at least it is a start. Progress will come in iterative fashion when the ecosystem builds up.

It might be that we can get 3 indigenous birds instead on 1 foreign bird. But the numbers will help cover more ground or stay on station longer.

Of the 3 services the Navy is looked on as the most supportive. I am hoping they will step in and take the required steps.

[Manish_P]

Apologies if posted earlier

From IDRW

Zulu defence systems working on Drone fired IGLA manpad




I think this will make Pratyush ji happy

PS: Website - https://zuludefence.tech/

[YashG]

No doubt the sea guardians are good, but at USD 3.9 Billion for 31, I suspect there must Quid Pro Quo out there, I hope its for speeding F404 Deliveries

For sometime, india had not imported anything and MOD babus were running out of their fat commissions MoD babus were desperate to import something. Now this will be called a game changer by media. With 32K Crores India could have funded a whole drone ecosystem in India. Ukraine has shown all US weapons fail and only home companies can iterate continuously for a war.

[Manish_P]

IDRW reporting that the MQ-9Bs will come with pods housing the M-134 rotary minigun (which fires 7.62 mm rounds).

For 'close air support, counter-insurgency and suppression of enemy targets.'

[YashG]

The domestic production of drones in Ukraine grew from 3,000 in 2022 to estimated 4,000,000 units in 2024, a study by
@kse_ua @BRAVE1ua @mintsyfra shows. The investments increased from $5 million in 2023 to $25 million already invested this year and counting.

https://x.com/NePrytuliatysa/status/1847659183102885892

Ukraine invested $25 Mn and now is producing 4,000,000 Drone a year. A coterie of deshdrohis and jokers spent 120 times of that amount $ 3000 million on buying 31 drones. 31 vs 4000000. Lol. Those 31 drones can be downed by even toyota yielding tribal armies but 4 Million drone will wreak havoc.

When the war will come thousands of brave patriotic soldiers will pay for the commissions of our leaders with their lives. We are like this onlee.

[S_Madhukar]

So fact is State arm twists us and we pay hafta to MIC and DoD. Nice game these chaps play

[srai]

No doubt the sea guardians are good, but at USD 3.9 Billion for 31, I suspect there must Quid Pro Quo out there, I hope its for speeding F404 Deliveries

83 Tejas Mk1A cost $6.5 billion … only $1.6 billion more than the 31 Guardians

[venkat_kv]

The domestic production of drones in Ukraine grew from 3,000 in 2022 to estimated 4,000,000 units in 2024, a study by
@kse_ua @BRAVE1ua @mintsyfra shows. The investments increased from $5 million in 2023 to $25 million already invested this year and counting.

https://x.com/NePrytuliatysa/status/1847659183102885892

Ukraine invested $25 Mn and now is producing 4,000,000 Drone a year. A coterie of deshdrohis and jokers spent 120 times of that amount $ 3000 million on buying 31 drones. 31 vs 4000000. Lol. Those 31 drones can be downed by even toyota yielding tribal armies but 4 Million drone will wreak havoc.

When the war will come thousands of brave patriotic soldiers will pay for the commissions of our leaders with their lives. We are like this onlee.

Yash G Saar,
aren't we getting carried away a bit here. India's procurement needs to be completely revamped atleast when it comes to procuring from local companies that are truly doing work. But Ukraine is the last country to be emulated for this.

Saying increase of 5 million to 25 million led domestic production of drones to grow from 3000 to 4 million doesn't make mathematical sense either. Are we sure that is the total cost of the drone materials or are parts whole sale imported from Khans MIC and just put together in and around Ukraine and shown as "Atmanirbhar Ukraine" and some parts of the drones are given as "aid" ( loans in a true sense of word) and not put into expenses.

[Aditya_V]

So fact is State arm twists us and we pay hafta to MIC and DoD. Nice game these chaps play

The game played for centuries, the West has not grown rich by being nice, bit by being ruthless

[sanman]

Germany's Olaf Scholz Lobbies for India in Eurodrone (potential bomb truck)