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

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 29 Aug 2008 07:52

ASPuar wrote:Surya, I dont understand...

1. The armys mentality and that of the airforce are quite seperate.

2. If the price is more than they expected, why wouldnt they question it. If youre buying something, you want to get it for the best price possible, no?

3. The airforce, like the army has heavily suffered from DRDO delays, and is likely somewhat cheesed off too. The navy went the other route, and packed its projects chock full of Naval experts. Theyre having no problems with their indiginisation progs, for the most part (save dockyard delays).

as Paul says, it is most likely a canard from aroor. no other source has mentioned such a thing and even with cost escalation, akash should be way cheaper than foreign stuff.

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 30 Aug 2008 23:38

Competition to make micro spying gadget that flies

Can you build a micro spying gadget that flies and can transmit real time video information? This challenge was thrown to engineering students Saturday by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).Commemorating its 50th anniversary, DRDO has invited engineering students to design and develop the prototype of a lightweight, low cost, electronic aerial surveillance system.

“In this competition the students are desired to design and develop a micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for surveillance purpose. The UAV should remain airborne for a minimum of two minutes at a minimum height of 30 metres and do imaging of a proportionate area below,” said a DRDO official.

Also the sensor should be able to detect man-sized objects during its flight.

“The UAV should be able to transmit recognisable real time video information to the ground receiver point located in the observation area,” the official added.

The students need to form a team and then select a guide before embarking on designing the UAV.

The winning team will walk away with a cash reward of Rs.300,000 and the second team will get Rs.200,000.

During the screening 10 entries will be selected by a screening committee from DRDO and external experts. They will be awarded a cash prize of Rs.50,000. The 10 teams will then be required to submit a functional prototype along with detailed design report.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/unc ... 90557.html

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 02 Sep 2008 14:19

New platform for engg students

Engineering students of leading educational institutions will soon get a platform to get involved in defence research as the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) is planning to open its research facilities for them.

Talks are on with institutions like the University of Pune (UoP) and IITs of Mumbai , Kanpur and Delhi, ARDE director Surendra Kumar told TOI on Monday. "The students will be allowed to use the facilities for a year," he added.

Kumar was speaking on the sidelines of the golden jubilee celebrations of the institute on Monday. A photo exhibition on the achievements of ARDE was opened and the former director and scientists were honoured for meritorious work on the occasion.

The ARDE is a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Its main area of research is design and development of conventional armaments for the Indian armed forces. It is also involved in prototyping, testing, evaluation and transfer of technology . The work consists of basic and applied research, modelling , simulation and software development of armaments.

Kumar said the process of finalising the details for the student programme is on and is likely to get completed within three months. Following that, memorandum of understandings will be singed with various institutes. The ARDE is planning to allow 15 students for the programme. Initially , students pursuing postgraduation studies will be able to take part in the programme, he said.

He said that on the one hand, students will get a chance to work for the leading defence institute, and on the other, the ARDE will get fresh talent. "These facilities could so far be used only by researchers associated with the defence department."

On security measures, Kumar said students will not be involved in projects concerning "strategic information" and sensitive data will not be shared with them.

Kashinath Deodhar, divisional head, Futuristic Technology , ARDE, said the programme will boost research activity. "Earlier, only ARDE scientists got degrees from the UoP. Now, students of various institutions will be able to carry out research at the defence institute."

Speaking during the golden jubilee function, UoP vicechancellor Narendra Jadhav stressed the need for research institutes joining hands with educational institutions . "A tie-up between the ARDE and the UoP will help students get exposure and the research institute fresh talent."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune ... 434920.cms

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 02 Sep 2008 20:22

Tata Industries looks to invest $350 million into global start-ups, including aerospace.

Tata Industries Limited is reportedly planning to invest around Rs1,500 crore ($350 million) into international start-up businesses.Tata Industries managing director Kishore Chaukar has said that his company, which is the group's flagship that acts as a promoter of businesses for the Tata Group, is looking at breakthrough technologies, and would consider getting into an emerging business.

Chaukar said that during the past two years Tata Industries and Tata Sons have together invested around Rs125 crore in supporting new technological research by various individuals globally in the fields of solar energy, drug discovery, contract research, water recycling and biotechnology.

He said that investments in these individual research products ranged from a relatively miniscule Rs60 lakh, to around Rs50 crore. Tata Industries had extended financial support to Zurich-based Institute of Polytechnic, which conducts research and development for flexible photovoltaic cells.

Chaukar said that if the technology were to click, Tata Industries would take a significant stake in the 100MW solar power plants that the institute would set t up. Tata Industries has a plan to set up a 120MW solar power plant by 2010, for an estimated Rs600 crore.

Chaukar said that under the program, Tata Industries had also funded four people from from IIT Kharagpur and Kanpur, who are trying to develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which was the project funded for Rs60 lakh.Chaukar said that initially they wanted to fund only Rs20 lakh, but the project needed more funding, and hence the investment went up. He said that a top defence official recently saw the prototype of the UAV, and has offered to ''purchase the entire production''.

He said that subsequent to this offer, the IITians have requested additional funding of Rs5 crore, which Tata Industries is ready to give.Chaukar also said that a professor at Harvard University is working on a 'fluid' technology through which one can know a person's health profile. He said once the technology is fine-tuned, Tata Industries could invest up to Rs1,000 crore in the project ''depending on the terms and conditions.''

Tata Industries has also invested Rs80 crore in the area of drug discovery, supporting research into diabetes and metabolic dysfunctions. The company also invested in biopharmaceutical company, Indigene.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 03 Sep 2008 03:13

The services never allow one system to be develped from womb to deployment,. This prevents teh technology spinoffs for the system. Every time a new feature is brochured they want it on the system under design/development which further delays it.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 04 Sep 2008 19:24

BAE India looking at building ships.

Systems India, subsidiary of the Britain-based global defence company BAE Systems, is planning a foray into shipbuilding besides expanding operations in India with more joint ventures and partnerships, a top company official said here Thursday.

"We are open to shipbuilding and will explore it. Our team will start working on it from the year end," Julian Scopes, the newly appointed president of BAE Systems India, told reporters. "We are working out plans for more strategic tie-ups in India. We are no more an aircraft company," he added.

BAE has a partnership with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in Bangalore since 1983. Scopes said BAE was waiting for the Indian government's clearance for its strategic tie-up with the auto giant Mahindra and Mahindra (MM) to manufacture heavy armed land vehicles besides artillery equipment.

"Once we get the consent of the Indian government, our shares in the company would go up from 26 percent to 49 percent. This will give us a better economic recognition," he said.

BAE is also working on more partnerships with the state-owned Indian firms involved in defence research and development. "We want to expand in India. We are now limited to selling Hawks and linked to other smaller programmes concerning defence sector," Scopes said.

The company delivered over 12 advanced jet trainers Hawk to the Indian Air Force (IAF) this year. Scopes, however, refused to comment on an incident where a Hawk trainer skidded off the runway.

By this month-end, the IAF is hopeful of getting 24 of these trainer jets to start its first advanced pilot training course. Under the deal, India is buying 24 Hawks off the shelf and remaining 42 fighters will be assembled at the HAL facility in Bangalore under technology transfer from BAE systems.

The first HAL built Hawk trainer was inducted by the IAF on Aug 15. BAE Systems and HAL are scheduled to complete the delivery of all 66 aircraft by 2011.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 07 Sep 2008 08:34

Time right for industry to help meet defence needs

Addressing the valedictory session of the seminar ‘INDAIR 2008 --A strategic partnering of Indian Air Force and industry on modernization and indigenisation’, Mr Pallam Raju said that there was ample opportunity for the Indian industry in the defence sector and it should take advantage of this and invest in upgrading its technological capability. “The government has removed all barriers to enable active and transparent cooperation between the Indian industry and the armed forces.”

Avinash R · Post by **Avinash R** » 12 Sep 2008 12:05

New device to counter IED attacks on vehicles

Udhampur (J-K), Sept 12 (PTI) With attacks on convoys in Jammu and Kashmir on the rise, a vital life-saving equipment that the army has claimed to have developed can be the perfect foil for such aggression.

"In order to counter the use of remote controlled IEDs by militants on army convoys, the Advance Base Workshop of Northern Command here has designed and developed some counter equipment," a senior official of the army's Electrical and Mechanical (EME) unit said.

Two life-saving devices have been named as Ashi (for moving vehicles) and Inder Pillai (for mounting-on vehicles), the official told PTI.

"They (the vehicles) have come out successful in user and test trials," he said.

The EME unit has already floated tenders for supply of items for manufacture of equipment for the two devices that includes printed circuit boards, Motorola chips, gazettes, communication equipment and others chips, the official said.

These devices will give army convoys in Jammu and Kashmir the highest level of shield against IED and landmine attacks by militants.

Defence spokesman Lt Col S D Goswami said the two devices will serve in a big way in countering terror strikes.

Besides these, ABW has also designed and developed counter mob jammer and has modified vehicles to provide NIJ (National Institute of Justice)-level protection, the highest level of protection against all types of guns and rocket launchers.

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 13 Sep 2008 12:57

Why defence products fail to make the cut

Indigenous defence products face a battle for survival even before they enter the Services: the battle to conquer the minds of the top brass. Many products fall by the wayside battered and bruised; many are buried without an epitaph. The brains of the Defence Research and Development Organisation claim they are being wronged. They say the men in uniform are biased and votaries of foreign products. But the generals, admirals and marshals harp on one simple point: “Quality. We can’t risk the lives of men and women by compromising on standards. By the time DRDO meets our expectations, the technology has usually become outdated.” The DRDO’s record with the army is the poorest in terms of time and cost overruns faced by many a project. Its products for the navy and air force, like advanced missiles or torpedoes or the Light Combat Aircraft, have faced similar problems but are yet to be pronounced dead. We list a few martyrs whose demise and burial deserves attention.

The Bridge Layer Tank

A direct casualty of the Arjun row. The Research and Development

Establishment (Engineers) equipped the Arjun chassis with a sliding bridge. The 24-m steel bridge is perched atop the chassis and can be slid into position to help an armoured column cross rivers or trenches. After crossing the BLT-Arjun retrieves the bridge and folds it to transportation mode within 10 minutes. “But the army refuses to touch anything with an Arjun

suffix. The BLT has nothing to do with the tank except the chassis. All existing tanks, like the T90, can speed across this bridge, adding to the operational pace of the column,” says DRDO.

The army cites the dilemma over Arjun as a reason to say no to the BLT. But “there is no logic to any of the army’s demands. It first wanted the span of another type of bridge to be 40 metres. When we proved the technology, they said it must be made 46 metres, citing intelligence inputs that Pakistan had widened its river banks to 46 metres. So what happens if Pakistan further widens them to 50 or 52 metres?”

The army also refused to accept an amphibious floating bridge and

ferry system even for trials. This Bond-type vehicle, which can run on the road and float on water (its wheels are retractable like those of an aircraft) and lay stable bridges on any water body, was discarded without even an evaluation of its merits.

Arjun Tank

This mainline battle tank is revving to go on a mission to prove its critics wrong. But the Army has almost sealed its fate. No fresh orders will be placed after the one for 124 tanks already contracted to the Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi. This puts the project in limbo as a minimum order of 500 is needed to break even on the massive infrastructure invested for building Arjun.

Scientists at the Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment claim Arjun is the most advanced tank in the 60-tonne class. The last 36 years of development saw advanced technology and sophistication entering every corner of the tank, making it an ideal war machine for Indian conditions.

But the Army prefers the Russian T90. The list of complaints against Arjun is long: “It has failed in crucial trials. The most recent extended trials saw transmission and engine failures. In one case a bearing broke down completely. Imagine such a thing happening in a live situation.”

DRDO says the failures occurred during extended trials. “Normally a tank is supposed to operate for 3,000 km before it goes for an overhaul. The Army forced Arjun to do another 2,000 km and the reported failures happened after more than 4,000 km. Nothing will progress if they keep shifting the goal posts. Why don’t they do a comparative trial between Arjun and T90 against a laid down set of parameters?”

There are no takers for this contest in the Army, suggesting that DRDO’s complaints deserve a hearing, as its scientists have corrected every minor error pointed out in the last three decades.

The Automated Mine Layer

This has been a long-pending demand of the army, to minimise human interference in mine-laying operations. The DRDO developed several prototypes but each was sent back for improvements. “The army has no consistency. Every time we give them a new type with the latest technology, they come up with a fresh demand,” says DRDO. The latest model can plant all types of land mines used by the army. The driver or commander can select the type of mine from a panel and it moves on a conveyor belt. The only level where the soldier needs to intervene is to remove the fuse.

“The army wanted that also to be automated. When we installed that provision they wanted the same to be done for a new type of mine under development,” says a top DRDO scientist. “Why can’t they start using it and allow us to install new features when the new mines enter their inventory?”

Long-range mortar

The army wanted a mortar with a range of 10 km to be deployed along the western borders. The specifications were stringent, including the parameter defining its barrel length, making it compatible to be mounted on a mule. The Armament Research and Development Establishment completed the project in time but the army had a problem with its weight.

At 500 kg, they said the gun was too heavy to handle and transport. Though ARDE suggested a slight reduction in range to reduce the weight, the army didn’t budge.

Finally, the project was declared closed. But the anti-climax is more interesting: After the project was declared closed, the army went shopping in Israel and returned home with a mortar of 9 km range!

Submachine Carbine

This was conceived to replace the sten-gun now used by the Services. There is a huge demand of five lakh pieces. But the DRDO’s modern gun had few takers in spite of its infrared targeting device and effective firepower. The Services prefer foreign guns to the modern submachine carbine which weighs less than many of its international competitors.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/stor ... 7FlL5aBQ==

sum · Post by **sum** » 13 Sep 2008 13:58

The army cites the dilemma over Arjun as a reason to say no to the BLT. But “there is no logic to any of the army’s demands. It first wanted the span of another type of bridge to be 40 metres. When we proved the technology, they said it must be made 46 metres, citing intelligence inputs that Pakistan had widened its river banks to 46 metres. So what happens if Pakistan further widens them to 50 or 52 metres?

Wonder if the IA growls like this to the Russians/Israelis when they show their new product...

t 500 kg, they said the gun was too heavy to handle and transport. Though ARDE suggested a slight reduction in range to reduce the weight, the army didn’t budge.

Finally, the project was declared closed. But the anti-climax is more interesting: After the project was declared closed, the army went shopping in Israel and returned home with a mortar of 9 km range!

No comment...

Truely, a tragic farce going on in which the Army is chopping its own leg and not even realizing it..

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 13 Sep 2008 15:05

Seems like the army top brass has come into the grip of foriegn arms dealers and their Indian agents (who are usually retired officers like Admiral Nanda). These people have developed a habit of looking at short-term gain and ignore long-term pain.

sunilUpa · Post by **sunilUpa** » 13 Sep 2008 17:48

What is the weight of Israeli mortar?

vina · Post by **vina** » 13 Sep 2008 19:57

agupta wrote:Beautiful question - that DDM and DRDO-apologists on this mortar topic want to ignore...

So if a)Israeli mortar = 9km + lightweight => portable
b)DRDO mortar = 10km + overweight => not transportable
and the Army chose a) that would make perfect logical sense.

What's the DDM outrage about ?

Just goes to prove that the army knows diddly squat about what it wants and does not have the organizational brains and temper to be a developer of anything. They can only be shoppers. If they put in transportability and weight requirements upfront, then they wouldn't be any room to complain about transportability would it ? . The Army specifices specs, the DRDO meets it /betters it and the army says.. oh.. we didnt put it in the specs, but we want it to do X, Y and Z in addition to what we told you.. Oh, we will tell you about X, Y and Z only when your product is close to be being deployed and you have spent tremendous amount of effort in developing it and not during design.. We are slow you see .. for us even reading brochures and talking to all the arms dealers takes time..

sunilUpa · Post by **sunilUpa** » 13 Sep 2008 20:11

vina wrote: Just goes to prove that the army knows diddly squat about what it wants and does not have the organizational brains and temper to be a developer of anything. They can only be shoppers. If they put in transportability and weight requirements upfront, then they wouldn't be any room to complain about transportability would it ? . The Army specifices specs, the DRDO meets it /betters it and the army says.. oh.. we didnt put it in the specs, but we want it to do X, Y and Z in addition to what we told you..

Err the 'detailed specifications' issued by Army (including the barrel length, so that it can be transported) did not include weight and need to be transported?

P.S- I am not interested in DRDO/Army bashing, just want to know some facts.

ChandraS · Post by **ChandraS** » 13 Sep 2008 21:39

sunilUpa wrote:
vina wrote: Just goes to prove that the army knows diddly squat about what it wants and does not have the organizational brains and temper to be a developer of anything. They can only be shoppers. If they put in transportability and weight requirements upfront, then they wouldn't be any room to complain about transportability would it ? . The Army specifices specs, the DRDO meets it /betters it and the army says.. oh.. we didnt put it in the specs, but we want it to do X, Y and Z in addition to what we told you..
Err the 'detailed specifications' issued by Army (including the barrel length, so that it can be transported) did not include weight and need to be transported?

P.S- I am not interested in DRDO/Army bashing, just want to know some facts.

Here's the most likely candidate - Israeli Mortar

The A 7 was designed for rapid deployment units and for operation by fewer personnel than previous models, and fires to range of 8,500 m using the M59 bomb and 9,500 m with the M100 bomb.

Soltam

Ammo
120 mm

Maximal reach
10,500 m

Crew
4

Weight
225-341 kg

So there you go. The DRDO mortar nearly 1.5 to 2 times heavier for a measly 1km extra range.

Sorry boss, the army is wholly justified if this Israeli mortar is the one.

Vina,

I understand and agree with your point of lack of 'sufficient' foresight and research temper. But not all projects can ride along in the wake of a genuine one.

ChandraS · Post by **ChandraS** » 13 Sep 2008 22:37

"Though ARDE suggested a slight reduction in range to reduce the weight, the army didn’t budge."

Without knowing what this reduced weight and range are...how can we say that one side was wrong and the other right?

There was a post with the above quote which seems to have been deleted subsequently. So this is just a general point I make in addition to my previous post

Regarding the bolded part - how slight of a reduction in range are we talking about and how much of the weight is going to be reduced by it? The DRDO mortar is nearly 1.5 - 2 times heavier for an extra 1km range. I am not very knowledgeable about armament systems. But from general principles of engineering, I can say that it will be very difficult, nearly impossible, to match the weight of the Israeli system for the slightly reduced range(~1-1.5km max). The Indian system in its current state cannot even be accepted as Mk 1 to have continuing upgrades in the next versions. It is nowhere comparable to its foreign brethren. DRDO can come up with a revised system nearly comparable to the Israeli one and I will fully support its testing/evaluation and adoption by IA.

Of the five products listed in the IE article, the long range mortar is the odd one trying to ride in the wake of the others. The rest of the projects have demonstrated capabilities comparable to contemporary systems and hence should be inducted as Mk1 with follow on versions improving on their specs.

Katare · Post by **Katare** » 14 Sep 2008 00:10

We would never get all the facts so a factual discussion is out of question.

The debate has to be about larger contours of the situation. Did Army chose to work with DRDO instead of just comparing the products, did they actively promote and cooperate with them did they tried to accommodate the first generation product.

Did DRDO tried to understand the operational requirements of Army? Did DRDO conduct a technology survey to find out what is the existing "state of the art" in the mortar tech for 10Km range? Did they tried and come close to those standards?

The biggest question that I always wonder about is how come they get to a situation after years of working where they have such glaring differences between customer expectation and final product. This shows a clear and wide communication gap and sense of ownership by customer.

They need to bring better product development structures which ensures that customer has significant stake in success or failure of the project. The structure must also ensure that the project doesn’t mature if it is progressing with unacceptable specifications.

ChandraS · Post by **ChandraS** » 14 Sep 2008 09:24

Katare & AGupta,

I was commenting on the IE article stating the long range mortar as one of the 'successful' DRDO projects being rejected by the IA. The rudimentary info in the article is sufficient enough to realize that the mortar case doesn't belong to the 'successful' projects listed in the report.

Not passing value judgements on the the IA or DRDO. Though the article may have been instigated by DRDO (just my 2 paisa)

Both of you make very valid points. Fully agree with it.

John Snow · Post by **John Snow** » 14 Sep 2008 10:28

DRDO needs to understand the requirements better and the Army should communicate better their requirements.

We can see by reverse enginnering that the tube length etc that DRDO does not have Alloy/Metal combination that Israeli company had, to reduce the weight.

DRDO is surely handi capped by not having good and reliable metallurgy, even though there are white elephants like DMRL and Midhani

Raj Malhotra · Post by **Raj Malhotra** » 14 Sep 2008 10:36

Let us assume DRDO is incompetent. Now the Army has also repeatedly rejected all the contenders in the world for 155mm cannons, so we will assume that Army is so brilliant that whole world is bunch of idiots? Even assuming that only Bofors cleared or nearly cleared the trials, what about other two dozen manufacterers, are they fools toooo?

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 14 Sep 2008 13:14

This may be the one.
http://ofbindia.gov.in/products/data/weapons/wme/3.htm

Israeli one
Israeli one

But there are other motors that are light weight and accepted by the Army for other roles.
Link

sunilUpa · Post by **sunilUpa** » 14 Sep 2008 18:05

Hold your horses please! That article is a piece of crap planted by some one. Without having even basic information, let's don't start bashing DRDO or IA.

Weight of 500 kg is way too high as compared to contemporary systems available worldwide. Infact it is the weight which makes it completely unsuitable for mule transport.

It is the same IA which accepted over a million INSAS, and now being accused of not accepting MCMC due to foreign influence!.

A Sharma · Post by **A Sharma** » 15 Sep 2008 15:39

DRDO Newsletter for Oct

An advanced composite technology, unique for gun barrel applications, designed and developed by ARDE, Pune, has been transferred to the OFB, Kolkata, for large-scale production.

84 mm Lightweight Launcher System developed

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 16 Sep 2008 00:49

Pre-empting the deadly blasts

INDIAN defence scientists are putting their brains together evolve an early warning technology that will insulate soft terror targets like markets and malls from serial blasts.

The country has undertaken three projects to develop an effective counter measure against the crude bombs used by ultras to choreograph their macabre dance anywhere at will. Termed stand-off detection mechanism, the effort is to develop a gadget that can detect vapours of explosive chemicals or any such concoction from 50 metres away. Scientists hope that by deploying an array of such gadgets security agencies will be able to guard innocent lives against surprise blasts.

Sources in DRDO’s High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune, told to this website's newspaper that they were working on an Infrared-based micro electrical mechanical system (MEMS) that will be activated if there are vapours or traces of suspicious chemical combinations in the vicinity. In a joint research effort with the University of Hyderabad, the HEMRL is also working on a photoelectric fluorescent mechanism that changes colour in the presence of chemical combinations. “The effort is to fit this technology into a portable device that can be carried by a beat cop. It will alert him when he passes any suspicious chemical object,” sources said.

The CSIR has also commissioned the DRDO with an MEMS-based solution to the terror menace. Research into this concept is being jointly done with the IIT, Mumbai.

“We’re working on a terahertz technology with Hyderabad University. The challenge is to develop technology that can be engineered,” said A Shubhananda Rao, HEMRL director. Research into this advanced realm of chemical technology is progressing worldwide. “Russians are working on a laser-based system. Though the UK has developed a warning mechanism, its reliability is yet to be proved,” sources said.

The Army, meanwhile, has placed global tenders for a point-detection kit that can be deployed in sensitive public places. Several world players have submitted bids that are being scrutinised by the HEMRL

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/stor ... HEMRL,MEMS

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 16 Sep 2008 07:50

Alongside that one will surely need this, another hightech machine.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 16 Sep 2008 10:38

Also have they thought of inducing high frequency electric pulses to induce the firing circuitof the IED to get triggered or busted.

Kakarat · Post by **Kakarat** » 18 Sep 2008 14:53

Bomb slayers of the futures

http://www.drdo.com/dpi/ROV.jpg

Machine that takes the bang

A Sharma · Post by **A Sharma** » 18 Sep 2008 15:20

DRDO offers anti-explosive 'robots' to Centre

With terrorists striking Delhi and some major cities, the country's premier R&D institution, DRDO, is hard selling three of its anti-explosive devices to the Home Ministry to tackle the threat.

"We are in discussions with the Home Ministry to sell our three devices -- a remotely operated bomb disposal vehicle (ROV), 'Sujav' Electronic Support Measure and 'Safari' Electronic Counter Measure -- to agencies dealing with explosive-related cases," a top DRDO scientist told PTI here today.

Developed by Pune-based Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) of the DRDO, the ROV could be used for disposing off bombs without the personnel coming in contact with explosive material.

Since the time army began using the devices in insurgency-affected Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and North Eastern States three years ago, they have been of great attraction both among the personnel and the public, who get to watch the machine in action on several occasions.

ROV robot could be used by the defence and paramilitary forces for mine detection and nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) threat surveys too and it does the job without exposing the men to threats from anti-personnel mines or NBC weapons, DRDO scientists said.

A totally indigenous product, the robot has been developed by a team of 10 engineers about five years ago and it promises to drastically cut down loss of life of personnel in the urban warfare setting.

Another version of the ROV robot -- its controller unit works from 500 metres -- is equipped with four cameras and an extending arm that can be used to pick up suspicious objects to check for explosives and to defuse bombs.

Using an inbuilt x-ray scanner to detect explosive devices in a suitcase or a bag, the ROV uses an on board water jet to fire a stream of water capable of piercing a suitcase or half-an-inch of plywood to defuse the bomb, scientists said.

Suspicious objects can be scanned with the x-ray and the water jet can destroy the batteries which power the bombs, they said.

The robot, which has an endurance of three hours, can also climb stairs and is therefore useful in multi-storied buildings, where bombs have been placed.

The ROV is also designed for carrying out nuclear, biological and chemical reconnaissance and can even monitor contamination levels using its sensors and detectors.

The DRDO is also proposing to the Home Ministry that it purchase other indigenously developed counter-insurgency assets for its anti-terror operations, particularly for jamming radio signals used to trigger bombs.

First among the two products were 'Sujav', a compact communication electronic warfare suit, which is basically a frequency jamming equipment.

'Sujav' has an in-built ability for direction finding, search and monitoring capabilities covering 30 to 1,000 Mega Hertz and jamming within 30 to 500 MHz frequency range.

Another product is the 'Safari' device for jamming Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) basically to ensure protection of convoys moving in troubled areas.

"What DRDO is offering to the Home Ministry is a combination of both 'Sujav' and 'Safari' to ensure both electronic support measure and electronic counter measure. That way we would be able to ensure safety of vital installations across the country, security of market places and also VVIPs," the scientists added.

K Mehta · Post by **K Mehta** » 18 Sep 2008 21:33

The last I heard about Daksh was that the army was trialling it. Any more news on that? Is it ready now?
BTW Daksh is the name given to the ROV.

vipins · Post by **vipins** » 19 Sep 2008 00:49

ROV

i took this pic during IITF 2006

ravar · Post by **ravar** » 20 Sep 2008 13:45

Does anyone know about the progress of the mini-AVATAR project that a Hyderabad based private firm was pursuing? It has been quite a while since it has been heard of...

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 20 Sep 2008 15:53

Govt likely to allow 49% FDI in defence.

Fanning the hopes of private industry, the government today said it would consider allowing 49 per cent foreign investment in the defence sector "on a case-to-case basis."

"We will stick to the policy of allowing 26 per cent FDI in Indian defence sector. We will consider allowing 49 per cent FDI only on a case-to-case basis, if the industry is able to convince us," Defence Minister A K Antony told an Assocham seminar on Defence Procurement Policy in New Delhi.

Stating that India favoured openness in its defence deals, Antony assured the industry there would be no more "veil of secrecy" surrounding the tendering process.

"We believe in open deals. There will be no more veil of secrecy in the Request for Proposals. Details would be made available to all industry representatives by placing the tenders on the net, except in the most sensitive cases, which is a minuscule number," he said.

Claiming that the government believed openness would ensure speedy procurement, the Minister said best equipment at affordable prices would be the norm for allotment of contracts.

"Earlier, only a select few companies got the RFP. But with the implementation of the new Defence Procurement Procedure-2008 (DPP-08), we will ensure every industry gets the tender details. That way we ensure transparency and also widen the vendor base," he said.

A Sharma · Post by **A Sharma** » 23 Sep 2008 15:38

Vayu's interview with the heads of DRDO

A Sharma · Post by **A Sharma** » 24 Sep 2008 06:20

PINAKA:The Divine Bow
Arming India

A Sharma · Post by **A Sharma** » 24 Sep 2008 06:47

Flying High with Parachutes

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 24 Sep 2008 19:45

Mahindras tap UK behemoth.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) plans to form a joint venture with BAE Systems to make anti-landmine vehicles.
A few months back, M&M had sought the Foreign Investment Promotion Board’s (FIPB) approval for the joint venture.
The Mahindras propose to hold a 51 per cent stake in the joint entity, while the British company will own the rest.

“Our application is pending with the FIPB. It is some time ago that we filed it,” said an M&M official.
BAE Systems is a global defence and aerospace company with 97,500 employees worldwide. Its sales exceeded £15.7 billion ($31.4 billion) in 2007.

Earlier this year, M&M signed a memorandum of understanding with BAE to manufacture the anti-landmine vehicles.
A top M&M official told The Telegraph that “the Indian automobile industry derives a lot of technological know-how from the defence and aerospace segment. Therefore, any deal in this segment is only too logical.”

While current norms allow up to 26 per cent foreign direct investment in defence, Union minister of defence A.K. Antony had recently said the government could raise this limit to 49 per cent on a selective basis.However, it is not clear whether the joint venture’s mine-proof vehicles will fall under the defence or the automobile sector. The country’s foreign direct investment rules classify the manufacture of arms and ammunition as defence production.

Sources say the two companies are in talks about the production of BAE’s RG-31 landmine-protected vehicles that are used in the US, Canada and by the United Nations.

The British defence group has supplied 165 armoured vehicles, called Casspir, to the Indian Army since 1999.

“M&M is a world-class company with skills to become a strong partner of BAE to develop mine-protected vehicles,” said Mike Mendoza, managing director of BAE’s Indian operations.

putnanja · Post by **putnanja** » 25 Sep 2008 00:15

DRDO to make missiles lighter, cost-effective

DRDO to make missiles lighter, cost-effective

Composite material, which can withstand very high temperatures and are robust, finds application in aerospace, the light combat aircraft and satellites.

M. Somasekhar

Hyderabad, Sept. 24 With an intention to make the country’s missiles lighter, cost-effective and possess greater hit power, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) is augmenting its composite materials facilities and capabilities.

An independent centre for composite testing and evaluation is being set up at the Hyderabad-based Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), the premier lab guiding the long range missile — Agni programme and providing key technology inputs to other missiles.

ASL already has composites production centre (Comproc), which fabricates the lightweight material for Agni and other missiles. “In 6-7 years, we want to make all the stages of the Agni missile composite structured,” said Mr Avinash Chander, Director of the Laboratory under DRDO.

“At present, the payload and a small portion (nose tip) of Agni is made of composites, while the rest is metallic. Progressively, we will make the airframe, the upper stages and payload completely composite,” he told Business Line. There is lot of interest from the private sector in the composites arena and no dearth of raw materials, he added. Composite material, which can withstand very high temperatures and are robust, finds application in aerospace, the light combat aircraft and satellites.

The ASL provides composites and solid propulsion systems to most missiles such as Prithvi, Akash, Nag and Astra, Mr Chander said.Another initiative taken up by ASL is in the area of non-destructive evaluation of materials. This would help in assessing the health of the missile systems and components.

Cost-effective

Since we cannot bring these back from the field, the testing done through NDE tools and methods on site would make it cost-effective, he added.

These techniques are useful in detecting degradation of materials, cracks or other minor defects, which can reduce the life of the missile or make it ineffective.

Typically, ultrasound and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques are used. Asked about Agni-3, the long-range, surface to surface missile, Mr Chander said it has been cleared for induction into the Defence forces.

“We will do user trials when required, but it is ready for manufacture and induction,” he said. The missile was tested thrice between July 2006 to May 2008, with the first being a failure.

On Agni-V, he said the development is progressing.

“We can test it in two to two and half years. Two out of three stages will be composite, which will reduce its weight and increase range,” he added.

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 25 Sep 2008 01:06

Switch roles from being a purchaser to seller

India's dependence on developed countries for uninterrupted supply of military-related critical accessories can be minimized only if the country switch roles from being a purchaser to seller of defence equipment, ' a senior scientist in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said here on Wednesday.

Having set up a high-tech research-developent-production ecosystem,it was high time that 'we as a nation switch roles from being a purchaser to seller of defence equipment,' which would substantially contribute towards boosting the GDP, Dr W Selvamurthy said.

'Our dependence on the developed countries for uninterrupted supply of critical accessories, spares and life cycle support can only then be minimized,' he said.

Delivering the 8th Evangeline Memorial Endowment Lecture at Karunya University, on the outskirts, Selvamurthy said that there can be situations especially during conflicts between nations when these supplies of spares and accessories from the manufacturing nations were denied or throttled, thereby making all our military equipment non-operational.

Hence, a sustained effort on indigenization of Defence Science and technology would ultimately provide us the technological know-how and know-why and thus in turn result in continuous evolution of product upgrades,he said.

However, it must be pointed out that the Strategic National Capability created by indigenous R and D has resulted in India's special status in the World, Selvamurthy said.

Stating that the Strategic systems developed by DRDO cannot be imported or developed jointly with any country in the present era of embargoes and technology denial, Selvamurthy said that the development of strategic systems cannot be thus left to the market forces.

To sustain the pace with economic growth, India's commitment to self-reliance was inescapable, he said, adding indigenous capabilities in cutting edge technologies also gave India the much needed leverage.

Global powers almost solely depend on their own homegrown technologies and arms import constituted a minor portion--0.5 per cent--of the total imports, he said.

India though low down on the Human Developent Index, has the unenviable position of being one of the World's largest weapons purchasers importing defence equipment worth more than Rs.40,000 crore annualy, which was eight per cent of India's
total imports and 50 per cent of total defence expenditure.

'The imported technologies were not really designed for us. Moreover no country will ever offer the latest technologies to us.Given our vast borders, stringent climatic conditions, large capital acquisitions and immense costs it is imperative that we look towards home-grown technologies,' he said.

The recent success of DRDO in launch of Interceptor Missile and Agni-III has taken India to elite club of a few developed nations with similar capacity, he said.

With positive indicators such as stable 8-9 per cent annual growth, rising foreign exchange reserve, a booming capital market and rapidly expanding FDI inflows, India is emerging as the third fastest growing major economic power in the world, Selvamurthy said.

www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1192948

neerajb · Post by **neerajb** » 25 Sep 2008 08:18

A Sharma wrote:PINAKA:The Divine Bow

Can someone elaborate 'six degrees of freedom of trajectory' in the context of Pinaka?

Thanks in advace.

Cheers....

Jaeger · Post by **Jaeger** » 25 Sep 2008 10:59

A Sharma wrote:PINAKA:The Divine Bow

I would be very appreciative if someone could provide another link or upload the file somewhere... for some reason am not able to access the DRDO site at all...