SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

According to the latest media reports, the Indian Army is all set to place orders for Caracal’s CAR 816 close-quarter carbine with AE arms firm Caracal in coming weeks, after it recently inked a deal for 16,479 state-of-the-art Negev Light Machine Guns (LMG) with an Israeli firm for front line troops.

UAE arms firm Caracal was declared ‘L1’ in a bid for 93,895 carbines worth $ 553.33 million in 2018. The new carbine will replace the 9 mm Sterling carbines which are being gradually phased out. Caracal has to start supplies and conclude deliveries within one year of the inking of the contract. Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG/ IMAGE COURTESY Harsh Vardhan Thakur

Harsh Vardhan Thakur, Test Pilot with HAL has confirmed that first FOC Configured SP-21 has been rechristened as SP-17 to avoid confusion in Tail Numbers and also tweeted the first picture of the SP-17 with new Tail number LA-5017 so has to continue with single-seater Tejas Mk1 already inducted by the IAF from LA-5001 to LA-5016 in IOC-II Configuration.

First, 20 Tejas Mk1 aircraft ordered by IAF had 16 single-seaters and 4 Twin seater aircraft and the same was with the second lot of orders for the FOC configured aircraft of 20 aircraft. But final design specification of the Twin seater Tejas trainer aircraft was not frozen due to which it was decided that they will be manufactured at a later stage but that now could have created confusion so HAL has now decided to have a different Tail number for Trainer aircraft. Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG/ IMAGE COURTESY  Anantha Krishnan M

Second FOC Configured Tejas SP-22 has successfully concluded EGR (engine ground run) trials and it will start Slow and Fast Taxi Trials in the next few days before it is cleared for its first flight by end of this month. SP-21 which carried out its first flight recently also completed its second test flight successfully.

After mandatory Internal company trials by the HAL Test Pilot, SP-21 will be handed over to the Indian Air Force in the next few weeks.HAL plans to deliver four Tejas Mk1 aircraft by end of the May to airforce so that the formation of the second squadron begins by June this year. Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

German-made Luna X 2000 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in service with Pakistan Navy has reportedly crashed on Ghazi Road near Sialkot Border close to Line of Control with India. Video of the crashed UAV went viral in Pakistani Occupied Kashmir Area (POK), and many Pakistani Twitter in a moment of celebration thinking it was Indian Drone posted the video on Twitter before being debunked by Indian Twitter users.

Luna X 2000 is intended for close reconnaissance and can transmit live video data or taking higher resolution still images, but it can also perform other tasks such as particle sampling, ESM/Electronic countermeasures (radio/radar jamming), depending on its payload. Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Amid COVID-19 outbreak came some reports that Dassault Aviation is Facing Uncertainty in Wake of Outbreak company’s Rafale fighter export to India and Qatar might suffer, French media agency quoting anonymous Dassault Aviation has said that both Qatar and India will be getting deliveries of Rafale jet as per schedule while the company might take a break on the production of the same jet for French Air Force.

The French government has ordered 180 Rafales to date, of which approximately 152 were delivered through the end of 2019. Currently, the government plans to defer deliveries of Rafales through the end of 2021 and restart it back in 2022 and also place orders for 45 additional jets to keep the production line open till 2030 for Export Market. Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Plane spotters have been able to take pictures of Indian bound P-8I DAB (Dabolim) markings where they will be stationed at when they are delivered to India in May onwards. Dabolim Airport is also home to INS Hansa which is Naval Air Station operated by the Indian Navy and is one of the critical airbases under the Western Naval Command (WNC).

First 8 P-8I have ARK Markings and are based out of Arakkonam Naval Air Station in Tamil Nadu and comes under Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy. India had placed orders for 4 additional P-8I long-range, multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft manufactured by Boeing for its Western Naval Command (WNC). Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) will be issuing Request for Proposal (RFP) for the procurement of Six New Next Generation conventional submarines under its P-75I program by mid-2020 says latest media reports.

Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) earlier this year has selected state-owned Mazagon Dockyard Limited (MDL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) first private sector company as strategic partners (SPs) for construction of the P75(I) from the selected winner of the competition. According to sources close to idrw.org, MDL is likely to get to construct Four submarines and L&T Two Submarines at its Dry dockyards so parallel constructions can happen to shorten the induction of this submarines between 2027-32. Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is developing a new variant of India’s Tejas Mk1 fighter jet, keep in mind demands to cater to the export market which will be marketed as TejEx. Harsh Vardhan Thakur, Test Pilot with HAL was first to confirm this development and he also confirmed that the TejEx will come loaded with supplemented local sensors and weapons replacing some of the imported systems already in the Tejas Mk1.

While HAL has not revealed what will be replaced or substituted in TejEx, a few years back idrw.org was informed that Export-oriented baseline Tejas Mk1 will come with non-Israeli and Russian weapons and systems customized as per interested countries. Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Pakistani media and Pakistani government officials were critical of India’s plan to offer over 7000 Kanal of land to facilitate outside industrialists to set up their units in the Valley As a part of investors summit that is likely to take place by April end. the land which will be offered for industrialist is in the districts include Kulgam, Kupwara, Anantnag, Baramulla, Bandipora, Srinagar, Ganderbal, Budgam, Pulwama and Udhampur in Jammu region.

Some of this region is prone to support extremism due to lack of job opportunity in the region due to which many of the overground workers of terror cells like stone pelters and logistics support providers to Pakistan backed terror organizations in the valley are found in this region. Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

On the first anniversary of the Balakot airstrikes, on Wednesday, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria speaking to NDTV confirmed that the indigenously developed Astra Mk1 beyond visual range air to air missile (BVRAAM) which has been cleared for production matches in range and performance when compared to the AIM-120C-5 BVRAAMs of the PAF.

Astra has a range of 110km against bigger targets in the head of chase and has a range of 75 against maneuverable targets like fighter jets which makes it fall in the same category as AIM-120C-5 BVRAAMs acquired by PAF for its F-16 fleet. Bhadauria also confirmed that the Astra integration priority has been given to the entire Su-30MKI fleet after successful demonstration of the missile in real-world configuration against all possible scenarios including the day after Balakot airstrikes as per sources close to idrw.org. Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG / IMAGE COPYRIGHT KUNTAL BISWAS

Dr. Girish Deodhare chief of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has confirmed in a video tweet posted by the Harsh Vardhan Thakur, Test Pilot with HAL that India’s new fighter named as Medium Weight Fighter (MWF) will get a new name to declassify it from the LCA-Tejas Mk1/IA program due to incremental growth in its payload and fuel capabilities while it continues to be called as Tejas Mk2 program internally for documentation purpose till it gets a new name.

MWF will have a maximum take-off weight of 17500 kg which world over is classified as Medium weight category aircraft and no longer can be called LCA the Acronym which has been synonymous with Tejas Mk1A program from the mid-’80s. MWF is the new Acronym for the next fighter jet program under development till it gets official name likely by Prime minister’s office. Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

AK-630M based Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) mounted on Tatra High Mobility 6×6 Vehicle specifically developed for the Indian Army is ready for developmental trials said industrial sources close to idrw.org. First Truck-mounted AK-630M CIWS has carried out internal trials by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and will ready for further trials by the Indian Army.

In June 2019, idrw.org was first to break the story of the Indian Army asking OFB to develop the CIWS system to secure its Border Post and Troops stationed there. AK-630 which is manufactured locally in India by OFB has 95.6 % level of indigenization by OFB and is a proven, reliable and tested weapon system and can fire nearly 5,000 rounds per minute Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

In an Interview, Venkat Raju, Managing Director of VEM Technologies has said the company aims to be Lockheed Martin of India and plans to build a completely company-designed aircraft by 2027 to move into aerospace manufacturing after providing Avionics & Software, Electro-Optics & Rf & Microwave Connectors for both BrahMos and Akash missile system in India.

Hyderabad-based VEM Technologies that provide Aerospace, Defence and Homeland Security systems solutions are also working with DRDO on the development of the MPATGM Anti-Tank Missile system and recently also showcased Ajita Short Range Air Defense system concept in lines of NASAMS at recently concluded DefExpo 2020. Continue reading →

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Project Director Mr. D Seshagiri (LRDE) in charge of the UTTAM Active electronically scanned array (AESA) Fire Control Radar (FCR)program has confirmed that Three Indigenously developed UTTAM FCR is going thorough its phase by phase demonstration of all its operational modes and the radar will clear all required node demonstration by end of this year and will be cleared for production in 2021.

UTTAM FCR mounted on a leased Business jet, Dornier Do 228 and LCA-Tejas LSP aircraft are carrying out regular sorties and the radar will demonstrate all the nodes by end of this year. Basic Air to Air nodes have been cleared but more advance nodes are still to be tested including some in the air to ground nodes. Continue reading →