SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

DefExpo 2022 which was postponed due to logistics problems experienced by participants earlier this year in March now has been scheduled to take place at Gandhinagar in October for which invites are likely to be sent out in the first week of June. The Russia-Ukraine war had made it difficult for a large number of foreign participants to arrive with their equipment in India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating a five-day exhibition, where thousands of companies, including the world’s biggest defense manufacturers, are likely to take part in the event.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

In 2020, MoD had placed orders for 250 indigenously designed Astra Mk1 Beyond Visual range air to air missiles for the air force and navy after IAF had already placed an initial order for 50 Astra-Mk1 missiles in Limited production batches. With the production line of the missile system now becoming stable and pre-production batches now operational with two squadrons of the frontline Su-30MKI fleet, MoD and IAF are looking to scale up the intake of the Astra missiles as more Su-30MKI squadrons are being enabled to fire the missile .

100 units of Astra Mk1 will be procured per year after the upgradation of the missile system with the new AESA Seeker likely from 2023 onwards with plans afoot to enable the locally developed air to air missiles also on the Mig-29UPG type next. HAL and IAF are also working on enabling four more Su-30MKI squadrons that will clear them to be equipped with the Astra Mk1 BVRAAMs by end of 2023.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

India has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for a launch of an experimental flight vehicle in the Bay of Bengal for the period from 01-03 June 2022 as per information provided by Twitter user @detresfa_. The designated area is 330 km in length which indicates it might be a test of an Air launched Rudram-2 missile.

DRDO has been fabricating Rudram-2 missiles for fresh trials of the missiles. Rudram-2 (350-km range) is air to ground missile system that is designed for suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) from longer stand-off ranges to allow IAF strike aircraft to carry out their bombing missions without hindrance.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Last year a Scale model of an unknown missile was spotted at the office of the G. Satheesh Reddy, Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Veda is a Sanskrit word for knowledge and officially there was no acknowledgment of the role of the system but now DR.N Kishore Nath, who is project director of VEDA in DRDO has confirmed that it will be India’s first Defence satellite launch vehicle.

VEDA aka Vehicle for Defence Application will be used to put defense satellites into orbit. VEDA Defence satellite launch vehicle seems to have a first and second stage that was borrowed from the K-4 SLBM ( submarine-launched ballistic missile ).

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Indian Air force has issued a tender for the supply of 100 MSA Gallet LA 100 Flying Helmets For the Mirage-2000 and Lca Fleet. MSA Gallet LA 100 Flying Helmets are designed for the needs of pilots of fast jet combat aircraft that are equipped with ejection seats and oxygen supply.

Tender requires the supply of MSA Gallet LA 100 Helmets that have Dual visor with high optical quality for UV and IR protection, Lightweight helmet to ensure maximum comfort during the flight, Provides a high level of passive noise reduction, and are available in 2 sizes (Large and small) with personalization kit.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

India has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for a launch of an experimental flight vehicle in the Bay of Bengal for the period from 06-07 June 2022 as per information provided by Twitter user @detresfa_. The designated area is 3300 km in length which indicates it might be a test of
Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile.

DRDO has been planning to test an improved variant of Agni-IV called Mk2 with Composite Canisters so it makes them highly mobile along with better operational flexibility. Agni-V was the first to get a canisterised system that was later also integrated into the new Agni-1P IRBM program.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

The Ministry of Defence, Government of India, intends to procure One National Hospital Ship (NHS) for the Indian Navy (IN) from registered Indian Shipyards and has issued a Request for Information (RFI). National Hospital Ship (NHS) would be capable to provide Primary and Secondary Care to the patients on board the ship and the first vessel should be delivered by a maximum of 48 months from the date of the contract.

National Hospital Ship (NHS) will comply with the Geneva Convention and accordingly painted white with the Red Cross displayed prominently on the ship side and top. NHS will be required to accommodate onboard the ship maximum of 600 people which includes 250 patients and a hospital staff of 117.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

An Argentine Air Force delegation that includes pilots and technicians has traveled to China to evaluate the capabilities of the Sino-Pakistani fighter JF-17 Thunder, one of the main candidates to provide the Argentine Air Force (FAA). The Argentinian delegation carried out different technical evaluation stages that included the use of simulators, cockpit practices, and evaluation flight tests.

JF-17 Thunder is equipped with British manufactured ejection seats by Martin-Baker Aircraft Co that will be replaced by local Chinese-made ejection seats due to the British arms embargo on Argentine. The Argentinian delegation might visit India after Argentine Air Force visits Denmark to evaluate the present conditions of the dozen F-16A/B MLUs that were formally operated by the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) and are on offer to Argentina.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Indian Ministry of Defence under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) Scheme has issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) to Indian industrial partners for the development of Underwater launched unmanned aerial vehicles (ULUAV). TDF project that will soon open for EOI applications will have a last submit date of 26/06/2022.

ULUAV project seems to be for the Indian fleet of underwater vessels. ULUAV project overseas development of a Switchblade loitering munition, or “suicide drone that can be launched from both submerged submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will deliver the first light utility helicopters (LUHs) that were manufactured using company funds under limited series production by August this year and another 3 by end of March 2023. Another eight LUHs will be built by 2023-24.

Out of the initial batch of four choppers, two each will go to the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force while the two forces will get four LUHs each from the second batch of the limited series production.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Earlier this year, Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded acceptance of the necessity for the purchase of nearly 5,000 GS (general service) 4×4 vehicles for Rs 760 crore and recently Indian Army has issued RFI (request for information) to procure approximate 1500 Light Vehicle GS 4×4 700 to 900 Kg (Hard Top) for use by the three services.

Indian Army has purchased over 35,000 Gypsy vehicles in the last three decades and many are currently still in service, with plans in place to phase them out but due to the high demand and repeat orders from the armed sources meant that Maruti Suzuki continued supplying the SUV to the Army till 2020.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru, is planning to develop an All-electric variant of India’s indigenous flying trainer aircraft Hansa New Generation (Hansa-NG). Hansa-NG Electric is for the professional flight training mission and advanced training uses.

Hansa-NG Electric will require the development of a high-performance smart electric motor and battery pack.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

American aviation giant Boeing is now eyeing mega gunship contracts from the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army. Boeing reportedly has offered to supply 60 Apache attack helicopters to India that it feels will be required to be equipped with the Army Aviation and IAF for three-strike brigades.

IAF has inducted 22 Apache attack choppers, the Army has gone in for an additional six, the fuselage of which will be built in India by Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited. Boeing officials have informed Indian MoD officials that there is no competition between Apache and the LCH (light combat helicopter) as they complement each other.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Russia which is under western sanction is now planning to replace western-origin engines, avionics, and several structural elements and units and components with localized alternatives and has identified Indian, Brazilian, and Chinese companies that might be approached to create alternative supply lines by end of 2023 for its MC-21 passenger jets.

MC-21-310 with be getting locally-made Aviadvigatel PD-14 turbofans in place of the Pratt & Whitney PW1431G (PW1400G-JM) engines but by the time alternative of the non-Russian systems are found and integrated it might delay delivery’s of the jets either too late until 2024 or 2025.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Retired Chief of Naval Staff Arun Prakash in an article on the submarine modernization plans of the Indian Navy has lambasted the Government and Indian Navy that by 2028, the Pakistani Navy will have 11 Submarines that are equipped with air-independent propulsion system (AIP) if India continues to delay implementation of the Project 75-I under which it had planned to procure six new submarines equipped with the air-independent propulsion system and lithium-ion batteries.

Pakistani navy already is equipped with three Agosta 90B submarines that were equipped with an untried French AIP system in 2008 and have now placed orders for eight Yuan Class Chinese submarines, the PN may field up to 11 AIP-equipped boats by 2028.