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

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/alpha_defense/status/1775876240601387134 ---> JUST IN: 𝙃𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙇𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 soon to start the 𝙁𝙡𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙀𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 DRDO's 𝙄𝙍𝙎𝙏 𝙎𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢. The system will be tested on a 𝗛𝗮𝘄𝗸𝗲𝗿-𝟴𝟬𝟬 aircraft and then from a 𝗟-𝟯𝟵 aircraft.

[ramana]

DRDO Tech Focus on Small arms and Ammo.

https://www.drdo.gov.in/drdo/sites/defa ... t_2021.pdf

[srai]

^^^
IA not interested!

Time to arm paramilitaries, CPRF and local police. That combined will be more volume than IA requirements.

[ramana]

Dissent on reforming DRDO

https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/be ... d93b8cc0cc

[tandav]

https://idrw.org/lt-touts-record-breaki ... velopment/

L&T develops light tank for Indian Army after encountering Chinese light tanks along the LAC.

While the development speed is good, I am disappointed on how reactive the Indian Armed Forces are to emerging threats.

[sanjayc]

^^ Agree. Before encountering actual Chinese light tanks, couldn't the Indian army envision on its own the need for a light tank in the mountains? They actually had to face the Chinese tanks before realizing they also need one?

[Prem Kumar]

^^ Its worse than that. We actually do have experience on the effectiveness of light tanks in Ladakh in 1962!!. Our AMX light tanks were very effective against the Chinese in Chushul

Our Generals don't learn lessons even from our own experiences! The artillery procurement disaster even after their effectiveness was brilliantly demonstrated in Kargil 20+ years ago, is another example

War is too important to be left to our Generals

[ramana]

MOD report 2022-23

https://mod.gov.in/sites/default/files/ ... %20LOW.pdf

[VinodTK]

The government’s intent to restructure and rejig India’s premier defence research monolith, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is now evident. A nine-member committee that was appointed to assess and revamp the DRDO operations has already submitted its report. The committee was tasked with generating recommendations to review and redefine the department’s role and align it with India’s futuristic technological requirements in the defence domain. Lt Gen Subrata Saha (retd), who previously served as Deputy Chief of Army Staff, who had also initiated several reforms within the military as well as outside after superannuation and someone who is closely associated with the development and progress of the Indian defence industry was one of the members of the committee. In this conversation with Editor-in-Chief Nitin Gokhale, Editor-in-Chief of BharatShakti Gen Saha has made several suggestions. He said, “DRDO has to reform itself and move with times as these reforms will take DRDO to the next level to place in the broader defence R&D ecosystem”. Watch this interview for more insights into the reforms initiated for DRDO and the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) restructuring.

[ramana]

Dated but relevant article;
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news ... aric-bombs

India's state-run Munitions India Limited (MIL) will start the mass production and supply of 1,000 lb thermobaric bombs from 2023, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said at the Aero India 2023 show, which concluded on 17 February.

An official from the DRDO's High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) told Janes that the technology transfer to produce the 1,000 lb thermobaric bomb has been transferred to the MIL, which is also an agency under the DRDO. An initial order of 500 units from the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be delivered by the end of 2023, he said.

HEMRL started the development of the 1,000 lb thermobaric bomb in 2018. The munition has been qualified in flight tests, including a demonstration of its blast capability, an HEMRL official said.

The weapon uses a British 1,000 lb general-purpose (GP) bomb casing design and has 10-inch (Russian) and 14-inch (NATO) lug spacing to be carried on fighter aircraft, including the IAF's Su-30MKI.

With the use of the existing casing design, HEMRL maintained the same weapons mass properties, which enabled fast-tracked development. The munition also features ‘metalised enhanced blast explosive' filling, which is based on the polymer-bonded explosive class of energetic composition with enhanced energetics.

The bomb is effective against soft and medium-hard targets in an open or confined environment. It is credited with a higher blast impulse (more than 30%) and long-duration thermal effects (>1,600º C, >400 ms) in comparison with an identical class of conventional high-explosive munitions. The munition has a shelf life of 20 years.

[ramana]

https://ddpdoo.gov.in/product/products/ ... -mk-11-he-

data on 1000 lb MK11

[Nikhil_Naya]

Why is this not being discussed - and did we all miss an important point

https://mazagondock.in/images/pdf/Discl ... 2024.pdf

Blah blah...

To mark this occasion of immense significance, MDL today organized a series of events
including inauguration of adjacent land acquired from MPA, launch of prototype of indigenous
midget submarine ‘Arowana’, commissioning of Solar Electric Hybrid boat, release of MDL’s
Commemorative Coin marks the 250 years and conducting a daylong technical seminar.

Blah blah...

MDL has successfully completed platform design and hull of the midget submarine named
‘Arowana’ which was launched by Defence Secretary today. MDL has been building
submarines since 1984 with foreign design. MDL has also commenced the design and
development of an indigenous conventional submarine. Midget Submarine is being developed
as a proof of concept. The team is parallely working on development of design of full scale
conventional submarine by 2028.

Key sentence - " MDL has also commenced the design and development of an indigenous conventional submarine"

That last highlighted sentence - development of design of - confusing on purpose?

With Arowana - the midget submarine proto launch and this sentence and the 'Three' sub image on g-maps (Vishakhapatanam), are we moving to a larger 'Atmanirbhar' sub fleet? SSN/SSBN for the deeper seas and Smaller Diesel/ Electric and/or AIP for the littorals/ EEZ/ BoB/Ar. Sea?

edit - Adm. Rakesh has already posted in the acquisitions thread...but still...interesting developments?

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/ang3lkenny/status/1793940305005175128 ---> Concurrent production due to separate facilities.

[sanman]

Modi cabinet have pushed back to insist that DRDO implement reforms:

DRDO Readies For Revamp As PMO Draws The Line

[Rakesh]

Modi cabinet have pushed back to insist that DRDO implement reforms:

Please click the edit button on your post to see how to imbed a youtube video into a post.

[Sharads]

Few things DRDO reform should include:

1. Put DRDO under PMO and give it the same financial and technical freedom as DAE.
2. Create technical and non-technical CEO with 10 to 15 years of tenure.
3. Create two divisions, one to catch-up and reach the already charted territory(e.g. Microchip), and other to explore and map uncharted territory (e.g. Artificial intelligence)
4. Create goal-oriented teams led by single individual with full financial and technical freedom to achieve the goal by hook or crook, instead of procedure-oriented bureaucracy where no one is responsible.
5. Choose industrial partner in the early stage of R&D to fast-track and smooth out mass-production.
6. Follow Iterative Development Model with each cycle lasting no more than 5 to10 years.
7. Hire high-iq students from IITs and other universities, provide them with labs to do the R&D in their area of expertise. It's better they stay here rather than work for our enemy(US).
8. Create Strategic Reserve Department under PMO to bypass the non-strategic Armed Forces. Let DRDO come up with requirements, do the R&D, and put the final mass-produced product in SRD depots with trained personnel from the AF.

[jaysimha]

https://elcina.expoplato.com/events
Electronic Industries Association of India-ELCINA
13th Strategic Electronics Summit
17th & 18th JULY
Hotel Ashok
Bangalore

[jaysimha]

Army launches integrated generator monitoring, control system 'Vidyut Rakshak

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... aign=cppst

[A Sharma]

DRDO hands over Medium Range-Microwave Obscurant Chaff Rocket to Indian Navy

[A Sharma]

High Speed Expendable Aerial Target ‘ABHYAS’ successfully completes developmental trials with improved booster configuration

[wig]

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... s?from=mdr

India develops lethal new explosive, SEBEX 2, 2.01 times more lethal than TNT

[Nikhil_Naya]

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... s?from=mdr

India develops lethal new explosive, SEBEX 2, 2.01 times more lethal than TNT

The dumbos at ET have used a picture from what is possibly an IED explosion site (by naxals maybe). The only pic they probably found of TNT!

[Manish_P]

....
The dumbos at ET have used a picture from what is possibly an IED explosion site (by naxals maybe). The only pic they probably found of TNT!

Lazy and incompetent reporting.

[A Sharma]

DRDO Newsletter July 2024

[vijayk]

Dalal Ajai Shukla is trying to praise indigenous weapons

[Prem Kumar]

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... s?from=mdr

India develops lethal new explosive, SEBEX 2, 2.01 times more lethal than TNT

Anyone know how it compares to CL-20 that was developed a few years back? I tried to compare the two but drew a blank

[Neilz]

Anyone know how it compares to CL-20 that was developed a few years back? I tried to compare the two but drew a blank

For CL-20, google says its 25% more powerful than TNT, whereas for SEBEX 2, 2.01 times of TNT

[bala]

Indias defence manufacturing surged 16.8% in FY24, says Rajnath Singh

https://www.zeebiz.com/economy-infra/ne ... ngh-300051

India has registered the highest ever growth in the value of defence production in 2023-24. The value of production has reached to Rs. 1,26,887 crore in 2023-24 which is 16.8% higher than the value of production of previous financial year," the defence minister said in a post on X.

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/rajatpTOI/status/1818111564102430953 ---> Much-needed structural and functional revamp of #DRDO proposed by a expert committee now on course, with Govt also to soon take a final call on implementation of some “contentious” reccos, as part of overall policy to build strong defence R&D ecosystem & industrial base in country.

[Hriday]

https://x.com/Varun55484761/status/1804 ... kjdUQ&s=19

IIT Bombay doing good work in EO/IR sensor's. Read the Picture for their advancements in QDIP tech. All fighter aircraft's like Su 57, Rafale, F-35 using QWIP technology. QDIP is more advanced than QWIP. These research will benefit development of Indias IRST.

The above Twitter link contains screenshot of the research highlights of IIT Bombay in QDIP technology. Any idea of if and when this technology can be used in real life? It was often said that an exciting lab result may not translate into real life usage.

[Prasad]

https://x.com/Varun55484761/status/1804 ... kjdUQ&s=19

IIT Bombay doing good work in EO/IR sensor's. Read the Picture for their advancements in QDIP tech. All fighter aircraft's like Su 57, Rafale, F-35 using QWIP technology. QDIP is more advanced than QWIP. These research will benefit development of Indias IRST.

The above Twitter link contains screenshot of the research highlights of IIT Bombay in QDIP technology. Any idea of if and when this technology can be used in real life? It was often said that an exciting lab result may not translate into real life usage.

That's the stuff that is going into our IR FPA development. No details in public domain for a long time of course.

[Prasad]

https://x.com/rajatpTOI/status/1818111564102430953 ---> Much-needed structural and functional revamp of #DRDO proposed by a expert committee now on course, with Govt also to soon take a final call on implementation of some “contentious” reccos, as part of overall policy to build strong defence R&D ecosystem & industrial base in country.

The reform committee suggestions wrt restructuring the decision-making structure in defence R&D are atrocious and seem to have only one aim - remove the drdo veto, handover the immense financial powers with the dg drdo and give it to a babu. increased funding, greater ease of manpower induction, better hr practices incl promotion and education on the job can all be done without decimating it.

Private sector being a panacea to defence production seems to be the directive and we've seen what happens when they're given a low volume order. Private sector got a tongue lashing from Goyal today for their lethargy and asking for control over imports while not making any effort to improve.

[sanman]

So is this ORCA thing going to happen? Or is it just a concept?

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/ang3lkenny/status/1831987812465266932 ---> Quite promising I would say , more systems will be inducted in future. (pic source @ DRDO) These are mostly initial batches.

[Rakesh]

So is this ORCA thing going to happen? Or is it just a concept?

Last I heard is that even the TEDBF has not received official sanction. ORCA is an even further dream.

[Karan M]

https://x.com/ang3lkenny/status/1831987812465266932 ---> Quite promising I would say , more systems will be inducted in future. (pic source @ DRDO) These are mostly initial batches.

Apart from a couple of items, pitiful number of orders placed and planned. The Govt has really dropped the ball on defence for the last decade, penny pinching on R&D and minimising budgetary increases to the defence forces to chase a social justice, electoral and economic agenda. Whatever their compulsions, the current state of the Indian AF is nothing to truly crow about.

[Rakesh]

Learn about Advanced Weapons of Indian Army from Samir V Kamat

[Rakesh]

India is 10-15 years behind most countries in traditional technologies, says DRDO Chief
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states ... drdo-chief
22 Sept 2024

[Rakesh]

India is 10-15 years behind most countries in traditional technologies, says DRDO Chief
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states ... drdo-chief
22 Sept 2024

A must-read commentary on the article above ---> https://x.com/cvkrishnan/status/1838404504603234804

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/manupubby/status/1846029952203845820 ---> Post corporatisation, new defence PSU profits zoom past Rs 1500 cr. R&D will be the next big focus. Official numbers show healthy profit after tax of seven companies carved out of the OFB.