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

Indian Air Force will soon arm its Russian-developed Su-30MKI fighter jet squadrons with a deadly long-range derivate of the Israeli Derby BVR Air-to-Air Missile with Active Radar seeker as its captive flight trial near completion. I-Derby ER powered by a dual-pulse rocket motor can engage aerial targets in a range exceeding 100Km (140km ).

I-Derby ER contains electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) designed to deal with the challenges of aerial combat in a hostile environment with exceptional operational flexibility and already has been cleared for operations on India’s LCA-Tejas Mk1 Platform.

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

Former Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Arup Raha while delivering a talk on the ” The Chanakya Dialogues” advocated arming India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC) with a bomber squadron of its own that will be independent of the IAF. The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) is the only tri-service functional command that controls, manages, and administers the country’s nuclear weapons.

idrw like to point out that SFC a few years back had suggested it be allowed to operate 40 Sukhoi-30MKI that will be in charge of delivering nuclear payloads independent of the Indian Air Force. SFC is dependent on the IAF’s fleet of fighter jets like Mirage-2000 and Su-30MKI to deliver nuclear payloads then IAF top brass was strongly against the creation of a such separate fleet.

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

Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed the 155mm/52 caliber Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) with two industry partners, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd, and Bharat Forge Ltd, for the first time and will create history when it will be part of the 21 gun salute that historically has been carried out by the World War 2 vintage 25 pounder guns.

Two ATAGS Guns will be part of the 7 25-pounder guns that go off in a closely synchronized action with the unfurling of the national flag and anthem from the first gunfire to the last. All Seven Guns fire three rounds each but this time Two rounds will be fired by Two ATAGS Guns.

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

Bangalore-based startup NewSpace Research and Technologies (NRT) developed a High-altitude multirotor drone that has achieved a new milestone record for the max altitude of 25,000 feet at max in-class demonstrated range with useful payload. Multirotor drones due to stronger wind conditions in high altitudes rarely operate over 10,000 ft mainly because air is increasingly thinner the higher you go, and there’s less and less force that can maintain its weight in the air (pushing against the propeller blades).

Certain experimental multirotor drones have demonstrated flights to an altitude of 33.000ft but never sustained range in this for long and were done on purpose only to achieve records. Consumer drones are allowed to fly up to 400ft to keep them away from incoming planes or helicopters.

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

India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) designed and developed HTFE-25 (Hindustan Turbo Fan Engine) a 25 kN turbofan engine that has achieved its designed thrust levels in trials and a fully completed engine has also been developed. HAL has claimed that in the acceleration trials HTFE-25 has achieved up to 55% of the speed and slowly that will be enhanced in further trials to achieve its designed thurst levels in a set time.

Two core engines have that have been produced so far and are undergoing development trials. Cold weather trials and Hot weather high altitude trials were completed at Leh. The engine can be used on a 5-ton weight class aircraft in a single engine configuration and on aircraft of up to nine-ton weight class with a twin-engine configuration.

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

India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and NewSpace Research & Technologies Pvt Ltd that is working on Air Launched Flexible Asset (ALFA -S), an air-launched swarming drone system to penetrate contested airspace and take out vital targets will also be capable of taking out air vehicles such as MALE Class UAVs and Helicopters in hard kill.

The New Version of ALFA-S will be equipped with an EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infra-Red) seeker that will enable it to take out low-speed aerial threats with a hard kill option. ALFA-S working as part of the swarm mode will be able to take out multiple aerial targets even other attack swarm drones pushed inside Indian areas.

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

ADA Chief speaking with India Tv also has confirmed that IAF has committed to procure six squadrons of Tejas MkII aircraft when it is ready for induction and as per IAF’s requirements, more squadrons will be ordered in the second batch.

idrw has been told that 4 squadrons might be procured in the second batch that will have some technological upgrades over the previous batches to reduce obsolescence in the aircraft but things will get clear only in the mid-half of 2035 when the order placed for six squadrons will be nearing completion.

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

Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design, which was India’s foremost design and developmental agency for the subsurface warships and submarines in the country has now become the Warship Design Bureau (WDB) that now works as a separate entity that is independent of the Indian Navy.

Rear Admiral KM Bimal, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, has taken charge as the Director General of the Warship Design Bureau at the Naval Headquarters in New Delhi. With this, he became the first head of the Warship Design Bureau, which will design naval vessels, including submarines to meet the Indian Navy’s requirements.

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

India’s state-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, has completed the design of a diesel-electric midget submarine and has started work on the prototype of the midget submarine. A Midget submarine team is headed by Zaid Ryaz.

While MDL is tightlipped about its specifications and displacement, Indian private-sector company Larsen & Toubro Defence (L&T Defence) also had come up with a design for a midget submarine called the SOV400. The diesel-electric midget submarine designed and developed by L&T Defence was 44m long and has a displacement of less than 490t.

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

India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) recently signed a contract worth over USD 100 million with Honeywell for the supply and manufacture of 88 TPE331-12B engines/kits along with maintenance and support services in anticipation of Indian Air Force (IAF) orders soon.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in its annual report has said that it is looking forward to concluding a deal with the IAF for 70 units with provision for 38 more. HAL also has a forecasted export potential of 220 units.

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

India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which has undertaken the design and development of 10-15 ton class IMRH for the Indian Air Force, Indian Army, and Indian Navy. The Naval variant of IMRH is christened Deck Based Multi-Role Helicopter (DBMRH) has completed Phase 1 of wind tunnel testing of IMRH of the Army/Air force variant and has commenced Phase 2 of Wind Tunnel testing for further design optimization.

The Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) is identified as one of 18 platforms to be taken up through Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) model. Accordingly, HAL issued the Expression of Interest (EoI) in April 2022 for the selection of an SPV Partner.

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

India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in its Annual report has confirmed that the company has launched new platform design and development programs such as Hindustan Lead-in Fighter Trainer-42. HLFT-42 will be based on the Tejas Trainer airframe that was showcased for the first time as a Supersonic Omni Role Trainer Aircraft (SpORT) at the Aero India 2019.

Initially conceived as SpORT so that HAL can participate in the USAF’s T-X program for new-generation trainers that was later won by the Boeing-Saab offer, now same has been offered in response to the request for information (RFI) from the Australian DoD for the Air 6002 Phase 1 requirement issued for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

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

India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in its Annual report has said that it has integrated and flown ‘Lithium Main Battery’ on HTT-40 and making it the first time in the continent using lithium battery for military aviation. lithium-ion batteries used have been through extensive tests and have redundant systems to protect the aircraft and battery compartments.

Lithium-ion battery series in past have faced multiple issues that include battery-related incidents, including a fire on board but HTT-40 faced no such issues affecting flight safety during years of testing.

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

Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) has started delivering Tactical and Combat Support Trucks- High Mobility Platforms (HMV) to the African Defence Forces. These trucks are customized as per military requirements and can also carry troops & ammunition and other combat support equipment.

Tata Motors Ltd (TML) sold its defense truck business to Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) last year to increase if focus on the growing need for military trucks in the region.

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

Only Quad country that doesn’t operate F-35, in fact not even a single American origin fighter jets since its inception might change if China continues to arm Pakistan Air Force (PAF) with latest fighter jets in future after it fast-tracked supply of J-10CE on request of Pakistan. Japanese think tank close to Japan self-defense force is of opinion that Indian Air Force might be forced to go for a Government to Government deal for the purchase of 5th generation fighter jets like F-35 if Chinese manages to supply its 5th gen J-31 from 2025 onwards.

While India is developing its 5th generation fighter jet that will be in the same class as F-35, the paper opinioned that it won’t be ready for at least for next 15 years or more while PAF already has plans to procure J-31 fighter jets from China to replace its aging F-16 fleet and might be looking at local assemble of this jets after the JF-17 production line is closed some time in 2026-27.