UAVs, Drones, Remote Surveillance Tech

Omar · Post by **Omar** » 04 May 2009 23:12

Taken from DRDO Newsletter from May 09:

Tech-Fest 2009, the prestigious annual International science-and-technology festival of IITBombay, Mumbai, was held during 24-26 January 2009...Also on display were Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) based on Maruti Esteem car

Does anyone have pictures of this vehicle that they would like to share or more information on the UGV?

Gaurav_S · Post by **Gaurav_S** » 05 May 2009 14:29

Omar wrote:Taken from DRDO Newsletter from May 09:

Tech-Fest 2009, the prestigious annual International science-and-technology festival of IITBombay, Mumbai, was held during 24-26 January 2009...Also on display were Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) based on Maruti Esteem car
Does anyone have pictures of this vehicle that they would like to share or more information on the UGV?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXacY3IXVqA

KBDagha · Post by **KBDagha** » 05 May 2009 15:40

You can check my blog http://khambat-dagha.blogspot.com/ for more photos

aditp · Post by **aditp** » 05 May 2009 21:33

KBDagha wrote:You can check my blog http://khambat-dagha.blogspot.com/ for more photos

Daghaji, on your blog you have promised to upload Abhay ICV brochure. What happened? Atleast you could share the details on BR Forums.

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 12 May 2009 10:53

'Phantom Ray' to Revive Boeing's X-45C Unmanned Combat Aircraft

Boeing Targets $10 Billion Market for Leased Drones

Gaurav_S · Post by **Gaurav_S** » 21 May 2009 09:59

Enemy, ‘friendly’ satellites monitor Pak nuke sites
Akhtar Jamal

Islamabad—At a time when Pakistan is busy fighting internal and external terrorists several foreign satellites are monitoring the region and taking images of Pakistan’s nuclear sites particularly that of near Khushab and exchanging with each others. According to an authoritative source Indian, American, Israeli and French satellites have recently been engaged clandestinely taking images of suspected nuclear sites of Pakistan in an apparent bids to re-play Nuclear Card against Pakistan. Officials here are dismayed by the moves carried out by foes and friends while ignoring the fast growing nuclear and thermo-nuclear projects being worked out in India and Israel.

The latest sharing of satellite images on Pakistan are causing some concern here but experts have rejected a recent report released by American news sources on alleged expansion of Pakistani nuclear programme. MSNBC has recently telecast a detailed report on Pakistan’s nuclear programme while American Institute for Science and International Security is openly displaying latest images of Pakistani nuclear sites gained from foreign satellites in the region. According to Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) a comparison of commercial imagery of the second Khushab reactor from September 3, 2008 and January 30, 2009, shows that in the span of almost four months, there have been few changes to the structures and that there does not appear to be ongoing construction of any additional buildings.

“This indicates that major construction of the buildings associated with the second Khushab reactor may have been completed,” ISIS added and claimed that satellite pictures suggested that Pakistan was preparing for construction of a third nuclear reactor there. According to experts an Indian satellite Cartostat 2-A launched recently is busy sending telemetry data of the region to Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. While another Indian satellite equipped with multi-spectral camera onboard IMS-1 is able to send high quality imagery while the Hyper Spectral Imaging (HySI) camera onboard IMS-1 and panchromatic (PAN) camera onboard Cartosat-2A are working 24 hour to monitor the region.

On the other hand Israeli satellite TecSAR, specially designed as reconnaissance satellite, equipped with synthetic aperture radar and launch by India on 21 January 2008 is also reportedly taking and passing pictures of Pakistan and Iranian nuclear sites. Experts say that Israeli TecSAR satellite is fitted with a large dish-like antenna to transmit and receive radar signals that can penetrate darkness and thick clouds. Meanwhile another Israeli statellite, Ofek-7, also known as Ofeq 7 serving as an earth observation satellite and launched on June 11, 2007 is also equipped with most advanced technology to provide improved imagery.

The United States, Britain, France and Russia are also maintaining over a dozen military satellites tailored to take pictures of suspected nuclear and military sites. What is more bothering for area experts is the fact that drones quipped with latest and most advanced cameras can also supply pictures and images of sensitive areas and plants to the military leaders.

The American Lacrosse radar imaging satellite is one of the leading sources optimized for tactical and strategic military targets partly due to a sophisticated imaging process that involves Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), making it capable of resolving images to within 1 meter. Although the resolution is not as high as the KH series, Lacrosse is an all-weather, day-night satellite and is able to detect and target large objects like ships and aircraft. Lacrosse also uses other radar emissions such as GMTI to track moving vehicles, locate field bunkers up to three meters underground and submerged submarines at periscope depth (40 to 50 feet). Satellite images of sensitive buildings or areas are also available commercially and can be bought from private satellites. For example Ikonos-2 satellite images are said to be among the best available to the public.

They were added to photographs already being collected by military satellites and airplanes for the American National Imagery and Mapping Agency. Ikonos pictures cost buyers up to $200 per square kilometer of imagery plus an extra $3,000 for quick turnaround work. Western news media often pay as much as $500 per picture or image. Ikonos-2 has a camera on board that, when shooting black-and-white photos, can see objects on Earth as small as one meter square (three feet or one yard). The company claims, “You can count the cars in a parking lot, tell which are pickups and sedans, and tell what color they are.”

European photo-reconnaissance planes, including France’s Mirage IV-P and Britain’s Canberra PR-9 also secures pictures and images and make available for military use. The Canberras, flying out of missile range at 50,000 feet (15,245 meters), take pictures of “unbelievable clarity” while French Mirage IV-P with ability to fly very low, hugging the nape of the earth sometimes only 100 feet (30 meters) below the pilot. It can take pictures that include sideways views into mountainsides to disclose caves hidden from cameras in aircraft flying at higher altitudes.

There are also fears that American, Israeli and Indian drones flying in the area can also take images of desired spots or targets but for the time being the U.S. drones have restricted their flight in only designated areas. However, Israeli UAVs some linked with foreign military forces might have made bids to captures pictures of Pakistan’s sensitive areas and establishments. Few years ago Pakistan Air Force had shot down an Israeli UAV operated by Indian Air Force over Pakistani territory.

http://pakobserver.net/200905/19/news/topstories07.asp

KBDagha · Post by **KBDagha** » 21 May 2009 10:31

Hi,
Sorry for not posting brouchers. I had given them to my friend while taking interviews. But on return journey he somehow misplaced it.

Regards,
Khambat Dagha.

arunsrinivasan · Post by **arunsrinivasan** » 06 Jun 2009 22:11

Spies in the sky The Economist Technology Quarterly

SPYING is a sophisticated and expensive business—and gathering military intelligence using unmanned aircraft can be prohibitively so. Predator and Global Hawk, two types of American drone frequently flown in Afghanistan and Iraq, cost around $5,000 and $26,500 an hour respectively to operate. The aircraft themselves cost between $4.5m and $35m each, and the remote-sensing equipment they carry can more than double the price. Which is why less elegant but far cheaper balloons are now being used instead.

Such blimps can keep surveillance and ordnance-guiding equipment aloft for a few hundred dollars an hour. They cost hundreds of thousands, not millions, of dollars. And they can stay in the air for more than a week, whereas most drones fly for no more than 30 hours at a time. They are also easy to deploy, because no airfield is needed. A blimp can be stored in the back of a jeep, driven to a suitable location, launched in a couple of hours and winched down again even faster.

Unlike other aircraft, blimps do not need to form a precise aerodynamic shape. This means they can lift improbable objects into the sky, such as dangling radar equipment. At altitudes of just a few hundred metres, a blimp carrying 20kg of remote-sensing electronics (including radar and thermal-imaging cameras) can identify, track and provide images of combatants dozens of kilometres away, by day or night. It can also help commanders aim the lasers that guide their missiles.

Blimps often operate beyond the range of machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Even if they are hit, though, they do not explode because the helium gas that keeps them airborne is not flammable. (Engineers abandoned the use of hydrogen in 1937 after the Hindenburg, a German airship, was consumed by flames in less than a minute.) Moreover, they usually stay aloft even when punctured: the pressure of the helium inside a blimp is about the same as that of the air outside, so the gas does not rush out. Indeed, towards the end of 2004, when a blimp broke its tether north of Baghdad and started to drift towards Iran, the American air force had trouble shooting it down.

At least 20 countries use blimps—both global military powers, such as America, Britain and France, and smaller regional ones, including Ireland, Pakistan, Poland and the United Arab Emirates. Many are employed in Iraq. In November 2008 Aerostar International of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, began filling a $1.8m order for 36 blimps to be deployed by the American armed forces in Iraq. But Afghanistan may prove a bigger market. That is because it is difficult to pick up satellite signals in the valleys of that mountainous country. As a result blimps, adjusted to hover at appropriate heights, are often used to relay data to and from satellites.

Does India use Blimps, are we doing any research in this area?

rkhanna · Post by **rkhanna** » 07 Jun 2009 02:36

Does India use Blimps, are we doing any research in this area?

Blimps = Aerostats? Then yes. India has just bought a bunch from Israel.

symontk · Post by **symontk** » 09 Jun 2009 13:05

One Drone took at least 5 rounds in the HAL airport region, looks like Rustom prototype

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 09 Jun 2009 20:51

symontk wrote:One Drone took at least 5 rounds in the HAL airport region, looks like Rustom prototype

Saar did you see Rustom mockup during Aero India?
Going by recent news on private consortium bidding for Rustom development, the bid is not even submitted yet; I can safely say that if one suspects he has seen Rustom flying, one may want to consider other phenomenons.

symontk · Post by **symontk** » 09 Jun 2009 21:24

vipins wrote:

above image some what reminds me of this(below) pic of earlier rustom prototype

It looked like this photo of Rustom. But it sounded like a propeller. It actually came quite low over Intel campus and flew at least 5 times over it

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 09 Jun 2009 22:21

News from Hindu paper

Defence research agency woos graduates to design drones

Might be interesting to have design specs competetion with BRF teams to be judged by N^3 guru.

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 09 Jun 2009 22:48

ramana wrote:News from Hindu paper

Defence research agency woos graduates to design drones

Might be interesting to have design specs competetion with BRF teams to be judged by N^3 guru.

I agree.

I would like to suggest 2 catagories of drones:
1. Pop-eye that can shoot up from trenched position to a height of say 100-200 ft and provide situational awareness around. It should be able to come back to the launch point (may be a tethered line) like a parachute that has a stabilized platform with a camera . This is for short range enemy enegagement to minimize risk of exposing self to enemy fire.

2. A disposable anti-UAV that could be fired from a howitzer in general direction of enemy UAV that can then home into enemy UAV .

satya · Post by **satya** » 13 Jun 2009 03:30

India Purchases Harop Loitering Munition

IAI to Supply HAROP System for Over $100 Million
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed a contract to supply a HAROP Loitering Munition (LM) system to a foreign customer. The contract is estimated to be worth over $100 million.

Itzhak Nissan, President and CEO of IAI said: "HAROP is an extremely impressive system, and everyone at IAI is proud of this accomplishment. This is a state-of-the-art loitering munition system, which features accurate detection capabilities and minimizes collateral damage to the surrounding area."

Separately, the German Armed Forces and the German Ministry of Defense (MOD) have approved an operational requirement utilizing IAI's HAROP system. The project will be implemented in cooperation with Rheinmetall Defense as the prime contractor. The German MOD has already invested funds for the adaptation of HAROP to its specific requirements. Part of the adaptation was successfully performed by a joint IAI/Rheinmetall Defense team, and a follow on contract is planned for this year. This activity is a reflection of the successful cooperation between IAI and Rheinmetall Defense, which has also included projects involving Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

HAROP is a long endurance LM which can be launched from a variety of platforms, and is equipped with tactical UAV capabilities: high performance FLIR/ color CCD EO seeker with 3600 hemispherical coverage. It searches, detects, attacks and hits high value re-locateable, time critical, land or sea-based, moving targets with pinpoint accuracy at long ranges. A HAROP unit is comprised of LM launchers and a Mission Control Shelter (MCS) that enables missile control with a Man in the Loop operation, engagement or abort attack capability in real time, avoiding collateral damage.

The HAROP can be applied to a variety of battle scenarios, including low and high intensity conflicts, urban warfare and counter terror operations.

HAROP LMs are launched from transportable launchers and navigate towards the target area, where they loiter and search for targets. Once a target, static or moving, is detected, it is attacked and destroyed by the HAROP LM. The attack can be performed from any direction and at any attack angle, from flat to vertical which is highly essential in urban areas. The operator monitors the attack until the target is hit. Another HAROP LM can observe and send real time video of Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) to the operator. The operator can command to abort the attack in order to avoid collateral damage, returning the LM to loitering mode, and restart the attack later.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 13 Jun 2009 05:18

Gaurav_S wrote:
Tech-Fest 2009, the prestigious annual International science-and-technology festival of IITBombay, Mumbai, was held during 24-26 January 2009...Also on display were Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) based on Maruti Esteem car
Does anyone have pictures of this vehicle that they would like to share or more information on the UGV?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXacY3IXVqA

Quite interesting though it would have been good if they demo'ed something other than it going around in circles like a Paki Jernail in Skardu. Seems to be along the lines of DARPA Grand/Urban challenge. Despite it being a DARPA funded competition the winner of the Grand Challenge actually involved heavy duty German innovation and engineering (despite some claims of 400% indigenous Stanford effort onlee

). Really impressive how well the autonomous vehicles perform today.

gauravjkale · Post by **gauravjkale** » 24 Jun 2009 12:54

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20090622/155314762.html

I always thought russia developed its own technology.

vasu_ray · Post by **vasu_ray** » 27 Jun 2009 22:00

when will we be able to deploy our own Predator style UAVs? Can Rustom fill that role? its like yesterday that the Indian military should have targeted the terrorists in POK and elsewhere, not just put them under surveillance

with the AWACS cover, the UAVs can be monitored to see if they are being targeted by the enemy

can the Erieye AEW that TSP got block the data link tethering the UAV?

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 28 Jun 2009 15:16

Video of a tailsitter VTOL UAV with 500 mile range.

This small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) takes off like a helicopter but flies like an airplane. The vehicle, named V-Bat, can fly at over 100 mph for more than five hours. Stephen Morris, the president of the company that designed the prototype, explains how it works.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Another very old tailsitter from SNECMA :-

The Coleopter – a revolutionary experimental aircraft

During 1958 the West German government caused some disappointment to the British and French aircraft industries by failing to order British or French interceptors for the re-established German Air Force. Instead they ordered the American Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. Even so it was well known beforehand that whatever aircraft were ordered would be regarded as interim equipment, against the day when a very high-speed vertical take-off aircraft became available - if ever. Vertical take-off implies virtually indestructible air bases, because any piece of road or any field would serve for take-off. A fast climb to height is required since West Germany could expect only the shortest warning of an attack from the east.

A step towards this ideal interceptor seems to have been taken. It has just been reported that the Ministry of Defence in Bonn has awarded "a secret development contract to a French firm for a new type of vertical take-off fighter" - the coleopter.

Work on this very interesting project has been going on in France for the past six years. The "firm" concerned is the Société National d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation (SNECMA), working in conjunction with Nord-Aviation, both organisations being integrated parts of the nationalised French aircraft industry. The aircraft should make its first flight this spring.

Basically, the Coléoptère is a jet engine, adapted to run in a vertical position while sitting on its tail, with a small cockpit on the top. Several aircraft of roughly this form have been flying for some time in the United States, but the Coléoptère is unique in that it has an annular wing; the aircraft stands inside it like a salt cellar inside a napkin ring. What is stopping the Coléoptère becoming a successful vertical take-off aircraft? The first difficulty has been to develop a precise and reliable method of balancing the aircraft on the column of air from its jet pipe during take-off and landing and, more particularly, during manoeuvres out of the vertical.

SNECMA had already had experience of directional control of high-speed airflow by mechanical means - that is, metal spoilers inserted into the jet efflux. This method inevitably generated a delay of several seconds before an alteration of the controls by the pilot could be fully effective on the aircraft. This delay is unacceptable when the aircraft's stability depends entirely on the airflow from the engines. SNECMA therefore devised a directional nozzle unit consisting of a number of auxiliary jets of low output, bled from the engine compressor and sited round the outlet of the main jet. These deflect the main jet in order to steer the machine.

Another control difficulty was that of overcoming the torque imparted to a vertical engine by its own rotating compressor and turbine wheels.

The engine produced by SNECMA engineers to overcome these problems was a straightforward turbojet in their "Atar" series, and in the logical French way it became known as the Atar Volant or C.400 P1. It was encased in a simple fairing which contained fuel and remote-control equipment. As the complete unit weighed 5600 pounds and the engine could produce a thrust of 6200 pounds, vertical lift was obviously feasible.

A sensitive pilot can control the height of a unit such as this by careful operation of the throttle, so that the thrust of the jet balances its weight, but it would take a superman to control pitching and rolling forces at the same time; automatic stabilisation has therefore to be introduced. This consists of a system of gyroscopes and gyrometers which sense the aircraft's movements and operate the jet steering system, the directional nozzle unit which counteracts tilting, and auxiliary air jets which compensate for any tendency to rotate.

I was privileged to inspect the test rig in October 1956, but even that experience was no preparation for the fantastic impression created by the second Atar Volant (the C.400 P.2), which stole the show at the international air display at Le Bourget in June 1957. At that time the P.2 surmounted by Auguste Morel, the test pilot, rose in a cloud of dust, stalked across the main runway, tilted about 20 degrees, danced back and forth, spun rapidly on its vertical axis, shot up to about 500 feet and then withdrew, leaving a sophisticated audience gasping. On the face of it the aircraft seemed distinctly unsafe but, of course, the very fact that these manoeuvres were even possible, and in rapid succession, was a considerable achievement.

Nevertheless, before a successful coleopter can be achieved it must be shown that the Atar Volant with an annular wing can make the transition from vertical to horizontal flight, that the annular wing can support the aircraft in horizontal flight, and also that the much more tricky transition from horizontal flight back to a tail-first landing can be successfully made. The C.400 P.3 has accordingly been built as a full-scale coleopter to carry out the appropriate test programme. No doubt we can look forward to seeing it in flight at the International Paris Air Salon, which will be held in June this year at Le Bourget.

Youtube video of coleopter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soe8WKycAyo

Jamal K. Malik · Post by **Jamal K. Malik** » 30 Jun 2009 21:51

UAV developed by DCE wins prize in US
http://www.ddinews.gov.in/Sci-Tech/dec.htm

A high-tech Unmanned Aerial Vehicle developed by a team of ten undergraduates from Delhi College of Engineering in New Delhi has won the prestigious Unmanned Aircraft System International Competition held recently in the US.

Desi students won.

AmitR · Post by **AmitR** » 30 Jun 2009 22:26

Jamal K. Malik wrote:UAV developed by DCE wins prize in US
http://www.ddinews.gov.in/Sci-Tech/dec.htm
A high-tech Unmanned Aerial Vehicle developed by a team of ten undergraduates from Delhi College of Engineering in New Delhi has won the prestigious Unmanned Aircraft System International Competition held recently in the US.
Desi students won.

If this were USA, DoD will call these guys in give em a couple of million dollars and then ask them to make it bigger and better. Knowing India they will be asked to get the sarkari license for such dangerous things.

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 30 Jun 2009 22:33

At some point of time I remember reading an article where sensors using Ultra Wide Band (UWB) signals were used to do ground mapping to find out arms dump and mass-graves. This was i think done in Bosnia by the US. Any info if this technology has been developed/shelved. IMO, this might be very useful to find arms hidden in forests and will help us in CT ops.

AmitR · Post by **AmitR** » 30 Jun 2009 22:39

suryag wrote:At some point of time I remember reading an article where sensors using Ultra Wide Band (UWB) signals were used to do ground mapping to find out arms dump and mass-graves. This was i think done in Bosnia by the US. Any info if this technology has been developed/shelved. IMO, this might be very useful to find arms hidden in forests and will help us in CT ops.

Not sure about CT ops but these will definitely help the babus swiss bank account.

Kritavarman · Post by **Kritavarman** » 19 Jul 2009 21:25

Special Report: Made in Pakistan

"Although drone technology exists in Pakistan, there are no efforts underway to produce weaponised drones that could rival the US Predator." By Shahzeb Shaikha

http://www.newsline.com.pk/NewsJul2009/ ... ly2009.htm

prataparudra · Post by **prataparudra** » 06 Aug 2009 08:06

2 Russians attack Subs patrol off east coast. The US has no problem tracking them with deep sea sensors.

Do we have such capabilities?

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/ ... DV20090805

koti · Post by **koti** » 06 Aug 2009 09:40

rkhanna wrote:
Does India use Blimps, are we doing any research in this area?
Blimps = Aerostats? Then yes. India has just bought a bunch from Israel.

NO.
Blimps are the cheapest of UAVs and Aerostat is the costliest of radars.(relativity please)

Kailash · Post by **Kailash** » 10 Aug 2009 11:02

DRDO lauds Humminger, VJTI students' Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Raj Malhotra · Post by **Raj Malhotra** » 10 Aug 2009 13:49

EADS Advanced UAV

EADS advanced UAV finally gets a name.

I think we need to participate in this programme or develop something similar rather than trying to jump directly to UCAV.

MN Kumar · Post by **MN Kumar** » 10 Aug 2009 16:13

Kailash wrote:DRDO lauds Humminger, VJTI students' Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The Humminger

Drevin · Post by **Drevin** » 10 Aug 2009 17:47

Nice video of a Aurora VTOL UAV's recent first flight. Aurora is a top-secret US aerospace company.
Aurora Excaliber VTOL UAV First Flight: Youtube video

Drevin · Post by **Drevin** » 10 Aug 2009 20:51

The target specs for the Excalibur include a payload of 4 Hellfire missiles and a top speed of nearly 500 mph, which is about 7 times as fast as the current generation of Predator drones.

reportedly also has an "autonomous mode" where it can fly by itself without requiring a ground controller.

saip · Post by **saip** » 10 Aug 2009 22:20

I thought Project Aurora - the aircraft that is supposed to replace SR71 Blackbird - is the top secret project. May be it is already in service!

Shameek · Post by **Shameek** » 10 Aug 2009 23:31

saip wrote:I thought Project Aurora - the aircraft that is supposed to replace SR71 Blackbird - is the top secret project. May be it is already in service!

The UAV in the video is made by the firm called Aurora. What you are talking about is the supposed hypersonic spy plane that has been talked about since about 1989. There is no real proof of its existance, and it is even claimed that the Aurora was the project that led to the B2.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 19 Aug 2009 17:34

Details of the Excalibur UAV.
The IN needs smaller,stealthier and more compact UCAVs than the UAV derived from the old Alouette airframes.This is one example which has VTOL capabilities.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13639_3-10311637-42.html

Turbine-electric hybrid VTOL attack drone flies again
by Mark Rutherford Font size Print E-mail Share Post a comment Yahoo! Buzz(Credit: Aurora Flight Sciences Corp. )
The Excalibur, a new turbine-electric hybrid propelled VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) unmanned attack drone, has successfully completed another test flight after taking on two new onboard computers last week.

Developed by Aurora Flight Sciences Corp. for the U.S. Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate and the Office of Naval Research, the Excalibur is another radical robo-craft concept vying to fill the military's burgeoning demand for specialized UAVs.

The demonstrator model, weighing in at 700 pounds, can hit 520 mph, making it one of the fastest drones around, according to the Aurora. The nearly autonomous flight control system allows operators to concentrate on finding and engaging targets instead of piloting the aircraft, according to the Manassas, Va.-based company. The Excalibur's jet-borne vertical takeoff and landing and three electric lift fans providing attitude control and hover thrust, make it "runway independent." After takeoff, it flies like a regular turbojet.

(Credit: Parvus)The computers were supplied by Parvus Corporation from its COTS DuraCOR 820 line, a rugged, watertight 3-inch-high, 3-pound unit, featuring a conductively cooled 1.4GHz Intel Pentium-M processor and a solid state disk pre-loaded with a Linux or Windows XP Embedded operating system image. The system will handle everything from command and control to situational awareness, according to the Salt Lake City-based company.

There's no mistaking the mini-jet's intent. The full scale model is designed to carry a 400-pound weapon load; that would be four Hellfire Mis

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 22 Aug 2009 23:31

koti wrote:
rkhanna wrote:Does India use Blimps, are we doing any research in this area?

Blimps = Aerostats? Then yes. India has just bought a bunch from Israel.
NO.
Blimps are the cheapest of UAVs and Aerostat is the costliest of radars.(relativity please)

What's the difference between the blimp, aerostat and good old balloon ?

K

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 22 Aug 2009 23:44

Kersi D wrote: What's the difference between the blimp, aerostat and good old balloon ?

K

Blimps and good ol' balloons are types of aerostats. The aerostat in military context nowadays is mostly the moored balloon (aerostat) which is anchored at a fixed location. A blimp (not to be confused with a rigid airship) OTOH is a free flying aerostat which is self-propelled while good ol' balloon is free-flying but unpowered.

Raj Malhotra · Post by **Raj Malhotra** » 22 Aug 2009 23:46

Raj Malhotra wrote:EADS Advanced UAV

EADS advanced UAV finally gets a name.

I think we need to participate in this programme or develop something similar rather than trying to jump directly to UCAV.

RE Arun look at the tail of the UAV and it seems it is similar to Rustom. So it seems that vertical tails may have some benefits compared to predator type ones

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 23 Aug 2009 09:59

US Army and DARPA Working on 2.3-Gigapixel Realtime Camera Monitoring for Drones

vasu_ray · Post by **vasu_ray** » 24 Aug 2009 01:50

thinking in the lines of FedEx, can HJT type aircraft in UAV mode be used as feeder aircraft from districts converging into state capitals and from there bigger ones takeover?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 26 Aug 2009 12:38

Flight 4-19th Aug.Spl. issue on UAvs,"how unmanned technology will dominate the battlefield fo the future...and civil airspace too?"

Superb issue with details of major UAV manufacturers and their designs and the ones to watch.Sadly not a single Indian design mentioned.