SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

The Ministry of Defence recently put out a Request for Information for 350 Light Tanks in the 25-ton category and according to information provided to idrw.org more than 5 Indian defense sector companies are keen on submitting their bids to the Indian Army with their proposals. Korean Hanwha Defense with its Indian defense partner Larsen & Toubro has submitted bids for the K21-105 Medium Tank that has a 105mm turret mounted on a K21 chassis.

Mahindra Defence Systems Limited (MDS) with the BAE System will propose an upgraded light tank, that is based on its M8 Armored Gun System for which it has developed some of the pre-production vehicles that are presently under trials for the US Army. The 24 ton Light Tank will be powered by a 600 HP engine that can be fitted either with a 105-120mm cannon and requires only 2 crew to operate. 3 of these light tanks can be transported via C-17 aircraft in one sortie, increasing the ability to move faster to conflict zone.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

The Russian language website TASS quoting a source in the Russian “military-industrial complex” had said that “The explosion of a high-pressure air cylinder on the Chakra submarine… occurred in the spring of 2020.” The report claimed the high-pressure air cylinder was located between the two hulls. In addition to the damage to the hulls, the explosion also damaged “electronic weapons and hydro-acoustic equipment”.

The TASS report claimed “after the emergency, Indian technical specialists completed the repair of both hulls of the submarine,” following which it was sent to Russia. But this report now has been withdrawn by the TASS and also said that the details in the report that went viral in the Indian media was not only withdrawn but also had inaccuracies .

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

Commodore J A Maolankar (Chief Test Pilot) in the LCA-Navy Program has retired from the Indian Navy recently which he announced on the Twitter handle, of his decision to put his papers. Commodore Maolankar who headed the Naval test flight unit and was later deputed to the Naval LCA Program from its inception and was first Naval pilot who also flew air force variant as a test pilot in its certification process for the air force . He saw many first for the NP-1 and NP-2, two prototypes that were developed by the ADA as Technological demonstrator for the previously conceived single-engined LCA Mk2 program that has later was rejected for the Twin engined TEDBF program.

Commodore Maolankar finds himself in the coveted company of Naval Aviators that have contributed immensely to the growth of the Indian Naval Aviation in the last 6 decades. Commodore Maolankar was the first Indian pilot to land Indian made fighter jet on an aircraft carrier when he landed his Naval LCA NP-2 last year on the INS Vikramaditya and also took off later in the day from the aircraft carrier.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

INS Chakra a modernized Russian Akula-II class submarine on a 10-year lease from 2012 was recently sported in the Malacca Strait while navigating the narrow stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra deliberately with its automatic identification system (AIS) broadcasting possibly heading from Visakhapatnam where the vessel is based to Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East.

As per information provided by the Twitter user @detresfa_, revealing of the AIS was done deliberately clearly underling the political signaling in the region. INS Chakra with a crew of 100 left its home base in Visakhapatnam on 27th May towards its five-week sea journey covering more than 5,000 km to Vladivostok, possibly for a major refit at the submarine dry dock facilities their due to extension of the lease that was supposed to end in 2022.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

India has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for air exercise over the Bay Of Bengal from 7-19 June 2021. as per information provided by the Twitter user @detresfa_. Area notified is designated usually for testing of the air to air missile by the Indian Air force.

It is also likely the missiles that will be tested are from the present inventory and not part of experimental flight trials of newer air to air missiles.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) plans to conduct more trial launches of vertical launch short-range surface-to-air missile (VL-SRSAM) system later this year before it commences trials from warships. VL-SRSAM was twice tested from a makeshift static vertical launcher from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur successfully.

The launches were carried out for a demonstration of vertical launch capability as part of its maiden launch campaign and the missiles intercepted the simulated targets with pinpoint accuracy. They were tested for minimum and maximum range. In Fresh trials planned, the British-made target drone Banshee will be used to simulate a sea-skimming missile and will also include live warheads this time.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in its report to the Parliamentary committee on defense has said that much of its infrastructure facilities are idling and waiting for fresh orders and after the construction of 6 Kalvari class submarines that will be completed in 2024, infrastructure facilities created at an approx. cost of 1000crores by the government will be unutilized and idle.

Lack of fresh submarine orders from the Navy also means loss of critical skill sets developed for submarine and will stifle the trained workforce of various local vendors developed. The Navy has not been able to move forward on the Project-75 I tender for construction of six new-generation conventional diesel-electric submarines despite several years of delays nor it was able to order 3 follow-on Kalvari class submarines proposed by the MDL and Naval group.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

After having to prioritize between the development of six nuclear attack submarines over the construction of the second indigenous aircraft carrier with 65000 tone displacement, the Navy still plans to seek approvals in the latter part of the decade and has quietly turned downed suggestions of development of second Vikrant sister class aircraft carrier in 45000 tone displacements made by some of the officials in the MOD.

India’s indigenous aircraft carrier 1 (IAC 1) INS Vikrant successfully passed basin trials at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi last year and most of the fabrication work on the flight deck and weapons integration work is going smoothly and it is expected that INS Vikrant will start user trials by end of this year and will commence air operations trials after that and will be commissioned by end of 2022.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

Under the Mid-Life Upgradation ” Super Sukhoi” program for the 150 Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to equip them with two Wet hardpoints that will enable it to carry two drop tank carrying 1400 kgs of additional fuel. Sukhoi-30MKI has an Internal fuel carrying capacity of 9,640 kgs that gives it an enormous ferry range of 3000km due to which none of its 12 hardpoints had wet hardpoints.

Wet hardpoint is a general aeronautic term for the number of hardpoints that can also serve to carry external fuel tanks. The ability to carry two external drop tanks will enhance the ferry and combat radius of the Sukhoi-30MKI marginally but it will also reduce the need for mid-air refueling when participating in cross-continent air exercises with friendly airforce’s.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

Aeronautical Development Agency and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have decided to stick with tried and tested Mk.16 IN16G zero/zero ejection seat made by British company Martin-Baker for the upcoming LCA AF-Mk2 aircraft. IN16G Ejection seats are also used on India’s LCA-Tejas Mk1 for which the company has received orders for 51 units and orders for 93 more seats are in the pipeline for the Tejas Mk1A fleet.

Martin-Baker had offered its upgraded Mk18 seats for the LCA AF-Mk2, AMCA, and TEDBF program but ADA-HAL decided to stick with the Mk.16 IN16G seats. Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) along with Martin-Baker have worked together to perfect the Canopy Severance System (CSS) for the fastest ejection system that was certified in seat ejection trials at London.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO has over the years realised five generations of launch vehicles – SLV-3, ASLV, PSLV, GSLV, and GSLV-MkIII and now plans to develop a new line up of Next Generation Super Heavy Launch Vehicle to be called as Heavy Launch Vehicle (HLV) 1 and HLV-2 as seen in the above images that can put a 5ton payload into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and is also Capable Of Re-flight.

HLV-2 with 2 SC120 (boosters) can put a 7.5ton payload into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) or 23ton payload into low-Earth orbit (LEO). HLV-1 and HLV-2 will be reusable, which refly the most expensive parts of the rocket, which in turn drives down the cost of space access.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

Indian Space Research Organisation has revealed plans for the development of a Two-Stage-to-Orbit Spaceplane Concept to assist in the development of next-generation space vehicles. TSTO spaceplane can fulfill the near-term access-to-space goals, while greatly reducing the cost, substantially improving mission flexibility, operability, safety, and reliability, and offering significant growth potentials and multiple avenues.

TSTO-TD will take off with its Turbo-ramjet engine that will later propel the TSTO to Mach 6 speed before the Scram-jet engine takes over at 28 km altitude that will push the speed up to Mach 9 and over 50km altitude after which, in second-stage, a rocket placed on the TSTO-TD will be engaged and separate from the spacecraft to propel it to 300km altitude to deliver a 2-ton payload at low Earth orbit (LEO), while TSTO-TD after completing stage-1 will glide down towards the earth and will engage its Turbo-ramjet engine at 15km or lower altitude to land back at the designated airstrip.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

The Russian Ministry of Defense that is working on the development of the Su-30SM2 fighter jet for its Air force, wants it to be the base for an upgrade proposal for the Indian Su-30MKI with whom Indian and Russian companies are having talks. Russians see the need to replace present AL-31F engines with the AL-41F-1S engine from the Su-35 planes that come with increased thrust so that it can be used to carry heavier armaments that IAF plans to operate from the jet in the future.

State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has proposed upgradation of the Pilot and weapons systems operator (WSO) cockpit with the latest in wide touch display based panels and along with that dozen more indigenous avionics and components for the aircraft that includes new and upgraded mission computer that will be replacing present Indian one with higher computing powered one and a Uttam Mk3 AESA Fire Control Radar (FCR).

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.

Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has been offered a new co-development of a Joint Air-to-Air Missile with the United Kingdom that will be based on the MBDA’s Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) technologies but will be far superior with the addition of the Indian technologies. MBDA UK which is a separate entity then that MBDA France has offered UK missile technologies that were developed as part of its commitment to the MBDA’s Meteor program that also involves MBDA France that has been highly secretive about the missiles and has cleared this missile to be used on its newly acquired Dassault Rafale fighter jets only.

Indian Air Force (IAF) wanted to Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) to be equipped on IAF’s frontline fighter jets like Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage-2000H, and LCA-Tejas Mk1A fleet. But France refused to integrate it with Non-European Radar and also turn downed integration requests on the Mirage-2000 fleet as too expensive research and integration costs for the program.