SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

MRF, India’s leading tyre manufacturing company of India at Aero India 2023 showcased a new line of nose wheel tyres and main wheel tyres for the Tejas Mk1A fighter jets replacing Dunlop Tyres that was presently supplied by the US Headquareted tyre manufacturer.

MRF creating Aeromuscle tyres for fighter aircraft jets aircraft and officials confirmed to idrw.org that trials of the tyres have begun and soon it will be cleared for the Tejas Mk1 and Mk1A fleet.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Brazilian aerospace major Embraer has confirmed to idrw.org that talks are being held on the sale of more Embraer platforms to be used for the Netra Mk1 AEW&CS Program under which the IAF plans to procure six more platforms for which the company has offered its Praetor 600, a super mid-size business jet which is a smaller jet than the ERJ145 platform that is currently being used on the Netra Mk1 AEW&CS.

Embraer told idrw.org that Praetor 600 offers nearly twice the range and has a higher Service Ceiling of 45,000 ft when compared to 37,000 ft of the ERJ145 platform, which they claim will improve radar performance. The Max Cruise Speed of the Praetor 600 is also slightly better at 0.83 over the ERJ145 platform and due to better fuel carrying capacity, it also has better on-station endurance.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

The video showcased at the HAL stall of the upcoming Next Gen Supersonic Trainer Hindustan Lead-in Fighter Trainer (HLFT)-42 will feature a front opening canopy windshield instead of the side opening canopy windshield seen on the Tejas Mk1A program.

India’s 5th Generation AMCA fighter jet also has opted for the front opening canopy configuration since the HLFT-42 design is still undergoing changes and improvements at this point it will be difficult to predict if the front opening canopy configuration will also find its way into the production variant of the jet when it enters after 2030.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Rostec’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) showcased its latest Il-76MD-90? Heavy Transport Aircraft that is based on the iconic Il-76 with major improvements at the Aero India 2023 and has offered its Aerial Tanker Variant too to the Indian Air force (IAF).

IAF that is looking to retire the oldest lot of Il-76 Candid (Gajraj) Transport aircraft that it had procured in the early 80s post-2030 due to its age and obsolescence of the engines and avionics and Rostec is offering Il-76MD-90? which uses the same airframe and fuselage of IL-76 aircraft but now comes with a host of other improvements.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

CATS Max (Mothership for Air teaming eXploitation ) based on the Tejas Mk1, a twin-seater platform modified with the CATS interface to act as the mothership and data centre for execution and controlling of the CATS Mission is under design stages and the first flight of the CATS Max will be performed by 2024-25 timeframe claimed officials at the Aero India 2023.

CATS Max will have a Weapon System Officer (WSO) who will be controlling other CATS in destroying enemy installations and facilities. The CATS family consists of CATS OMCA (Optionally Manned Combat Aircraft ) to be used as a Decoy, CATS Warrior (UCAV), CATS Hunter (ALCM), Air Launched Flexible Asset-Swarm (ALFA-S) loitering munition, CATS Infinity, a high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS), CATS HALE, for Wide area surveillance and strike mission.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Indian defence firm Cingularity Aerospace showcased it’s Aero India 2023 and according to company officials, it’s a Tandem wing configuration that allows it to carry twice the payload and comes with an AI function that allows it to visually scan the area for better situational awareness.

Tango Bravo comes with multiple choice of engines and can be equipped with a piston engine, turbine engine or a 4-stroke engine with the most efficient being the turbine engine for faster over the target area.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Rolls-Royce has reinstated its stand that it is ready to co-develop a new engine for India’s 5th generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program co-creating the intellectual property (IP) that goes into a new fighter engine.

Rolls-Royce claimed at Aero India that a new engine will be fully customized for India’s AMCA program with growth prospects for future next-generation fighter jets can be developed within a decade.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Bengaluru-based Newspace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd is developing Ultra Small Guided Bomb (USGB) that can be used from the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Precision targeting capabilities.

USGB specifications were not revealed by Newspace but it is under development to be used from Short-range Tactical UAVs or Swarm drones.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Bharat Earth Movers Limited along with Bengaluru-based CDSpace Robotics Pvt Ltd has unveiled VTOL(vertical take-off and landing) UAV that the company claims can be used for Border Patrol and surveillance to Land-based Maritime ISR, Ship self Defense and offshore security.

VTOL UAV has an MTOW of 50kg and can carry a 5kg payload with an endurance of 6+ hours powered by IC engines. VTOL UAVs have an operational altitude of a sea level of 4000m and come with multi-redundant architecture for the safest flight operations.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Next Gen Supersonic Trainer Hindustan Lead-in Fighter Trainer (HLFT)-42 revealed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at Aero India 2023 turns out to be a bigger and more capable fighter than Tejas Mk1 in almost all basic features of the jets. Specification acquired of the jet by the idrw.org makes HLFT-42 jet bigger than Tejas Mk1 in all dimensions that can carry more fuel and weapons payload.

HLFT-42 has a maximum takeoff weight of 16.5 tons while Tejas Mk1 has demonstrated a maximum takeoff weight of 14 tons. HLFT-42 has 11 hardpoints, 2 on the wingtip, two beneath the port-side air intake, one under the fuselage (centreline station) and three hardpoints under each wing, while Tejas Mk1 has only 8 hardpoints.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Bengaluru-based Newspace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd has proposed to develop CATS Max (Mothership for Air teaming eXploitation ) which they claim will be a bigger and improved high-speed, high-altitude unmanned combat aerial vehicle that can function like a mothership and data centre for the CATS Warrior, CATS Air Launched Flexible Assets (ALFA) and CATS Hunter and other platforms that are under consideration.

idrw.org has been told at Aero India 2023 that CATS Max will be a bigger stealthy platform that can also be used as a standoff delivery platform without exposing the aircraft and manned piloted aircraft in strike missions over the enemy airspace.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Next Gen Supersonic Trainer Hindustan Lead-in Fighter Trainer (HLFT)-42 revealed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at Aero India 2023 will be developed technologies that are to be developed for the Tejas Mk2 and AMCA Program as the proposed Next Gen Supersonic Trainer will be going through further design refinements and other improvements and should be ready after 2030.

idrw.org has been told that the HLFT-42 will be a well-capable combat trainer that will provide real-combat experience to the new pilots before they embark to fly 5th-generation fighter jets like AMCA.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Bengaluru-based Newspace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd is developing Tactical Interdiction and Attack Air Vehicle (TIA-AV ) that will be India’s Hunter Killer low-observable, multi-role autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is under development for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

idrw.org at Aero India 2023 was told that the TIA-AV can be used for deep air support missions and also for Intelligence, surveillance, and target acquisition roles including Electronic Intelligence (ELINT).

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Godrej Aerospace has won an order from the Gas Turbine Research Engine Center (GTRE) a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lab to manufacture eight modules of six engines with the first engine starting delivered in late 2024 while the company plans to complete the deliveries will by August 2025.

Godrej Aerospace will be manufacturing a Dry Kaveri engine that has a 46kN Class of thrust and is been developed to be used on the Unmanned Stealth Strike Aircraft Platform and also on the Unmanned Fighter jet program.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) proposed Hindustan Lead-in Fighter Trainer (HLFT-42) aircraft will come equipped with AESA Radar and weapons that can be used as a light fighter trainer fully combat capable but also will be highly customizable for an export-oriented market where it will be scalable, interoperable and configurable as per customers requirements.

Switching to a metal airframe means it is durable, light, and relatively inexpensive but ditching composites (mostly carbon-epoxy) has added advantages since it will reduce airframe cost by over 30% and aircraft can be priced competitively in the International market.