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

The head of the Argentine Air Force, Brigadier General Xavier Isaac in an Interview with the local defense publication “Infodefensa” has said that country has received offers for the Chinese JF-17 and Russia’s Mig-35 and Mig-29 and is planning to wait till the end of this year for more offers to come from other interested vendors before it decides in the first quarter of the next year which plane to go for and make necessary credit for up to $664m for the acquisition of multipurpose fighter aircraft.

Isaac also said that it had Inquired with India for Tejas and initial talks were held and hinted at the possibility of further talks as the air force is not happy with the present offers received since they lack details in terms of armament, logistics, performance, etc.

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

Bangalore-based start-up NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Indian Navy, under which both have agreed to explore the development of future combat and drone systems. NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd is also working with the alliance of US Air Force Research Labs, the Indian Air Force, and the Indian government’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the development of air-launched drones project.

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) of the US Navy Admiral Michael Gilday who is on a three-day official visit to India also interacted with Sameer Joshi of New Space Research &Technologies Pvt. Ltd where both countries have signaled further deepening of cooperation on next-gen tech between both countries.

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

Tejas Mk1 fleet has now been cleared to undergo air-to-air refueling after it was granted certification for in-flight refueling process after it demonstrated air to air refueling in all flight regimes after it begin its extensive trials since 2018. Defense Journalist Anantha Krishnan M who broke this news said that the Tejas Mk1 using hose-and-drogue system mounted on the Ilyushin Il-78MKI Tanker has cleared all trials and also has demonstrated buddy-buddy aerial refueling with Sukhoi-30MKI.

Cobham-supplied refueling probe was first used on a modified limited series production aircraft ( LSP-8) aircraft in 2018 when it begin series of “dry” contacts trials before the first fuel transfer took place later in the same year. All 16 final operational clearance (FOC) Tejas Mk1 are being equipped with an in-flight refueling probe and gradually it will also be equipped on 16 initial operational clearance standard jets and will come as standard on all 73 Tejas Mk1A recently ordered by IAF.

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

Indian Air Force (IAF) just flew 14 Tejas aircraft formations from Sulur Air Force Station near Coimbatore in demonstration of the availability and serviceability of the fleet. idrw.org has been told that 10 IOC Standard along with 4 FOC Standard Tejas aircraft belonging to the 45 Squadron (Flying Daggers) and 18 Squadron (Flying Bullets) were part of the formation.

IAF thanked HAL and DRDO for the high availability rate of the fleet and for meeting the minimum criteria of maintaining a 75% fleet for flying at any point in time. IAF is looking at the forward deployment of the 45 Squadron (Flying Daggers) in the western sector from 2022 onwards and most of the base level repairs are handled by the IAF crew instead of the HAL crew now.

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

After IAF placed orders worth $2.5 billion with Airbus-TATA for the procurement of 56 C295 aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet, state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has started work on upgrading company-owned AVRO aircraft often called by its nickname ” ‘Subroto'” with its internal funds after it got the cold shoulder from IAF on its proposed Avro upgrade program for 50 odd aircraft that still have 60-70% of its airframe (Technical) life left.

idrw.org has been told that Subroto in Phase-I will be getting a new ‘glass cockpit’ that will replace all analog systems in the aircraft with the added addition of new sensors. Subroto will get a reworked avionics suite that includes the following new systems: integrated standby instruments, a dual flight management system (FMS), a dual-engine data concentrator unit, a dual attitude and heading reference system, a dual digital air data computer, and an engine indication and crew alerting system. Optional equipment will include a surveillance/weather radar, forward-looking infrared, and video cameras.

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

The 116 Helicopter Unit, which is equipped with the Advanced Light Helicopter (Mark IV) Rudra has been lauded for its superior offensive operations at a high-altitude airfield in the Ladakh area after the Galwan Valley clashes between Indian and Chinese troops by the Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary on Friday who awarded ‘unit citation’ to three squadrons of the Indian Air Force for their role in boosting India’s military presence in eastern Ladakh last year following the military standoff with China in the region.

On the other side, the Army aviation brigade under the PLA had deployed Z-10 attack helicopters across Line of Actual Control (LAC) but it seems the latter’s WZ-9 turboshaft engine, which reportedly prevented the Z-10 from carrying its maximum weapons payload during military operations but also failed to perform even with minimum loads from the high-altitude airfield as expected by PLA and availability of the fleet to remained below 35% largely due to other engine troubles.

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

Bharat Forge Limited (BFL) along with its strategic partners BAE Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have successfully completed trials for Indian Air Force (IAF). The Request for Proposal (RFP) issued under “Buy and Make (Indian)” category in Dec 2017 is for procurement of a new-generation Close-In Weapon System (CIWS).

CIWS will be used in the terminal defence of IAF airbases against hostile precision-guided munition (PGM), laser guided bomb (LGB), sub-sonic cruise missiles, and low flying aerial targets including RPAs/ UAVs. IAF plans to induct 244 air defence guns, 122/ 61 fire control/ search radars and ammunition (includes smart ammunition) under a $ 1.5 billion program.

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

Lt Gen AK Suri, DG & Colonel Commandant Army Aviation, visited Aviation Squadrons in Leh & forward areas, where he flew a test sortie in the Light Utility Helicopter & High-Altitude trials for the same has been completed. idrw.org a few days back had reported that the fourth Prototype of Indigenous light utility helicopter (LUH) is back at the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) airstrip near China to demonstrate its high altitude operations capacity this time with an extended Tail Rotor.

Indian state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will be hand over 12 LUH ( Six each ) next year to the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. Indian Army Aviation will biggest operator of the LUH and has shown intent to procure 126 units to replace license-built Cheetah and Chetak Helicopters in service with the Indian Army.

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

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is all set to test long-troubled Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM), a derivative of Nirbhay Cruise Missile with the indigenously developed Manik engine for the first time for a range of 750km from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) tomorrow if weather permits even though launch window has been kept open from October 6th to 8th.

ITCM is an all-weather, subsonic cruise missile that was earlier called Nirbhay that has been under development for the last decade and saw limited success and were inducted in limited numbers due to warlike situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last year with China.

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

The fourth Prototype of Indigenous light utility helicopter (LUH) is back at the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) airstrip near China to demonstrate its high altitude operations capacity this time with an extended Tail Rotor that will inch it towards the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) after it received the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) from the Indian Army earlier this year.

Army Aviation Corps had requested HAL for an extended Tail Rotor for the Army version in the FOC variant that will go under production soon and delivery planned by end of next year, HAL plans to deliver 6 LUH each for Army and Air force by end of 2022.

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

ADA-Navy has defined the Preliminary Service Quality Requirements (PSQR) out of which two configurations for the upcoming indigenous Twin Engine Carrier-Based Deck Fighter (TEBDF) had emerged and now it has been confirmed that the Navy has settled for the Scale model that was displayed at the Aero India 2021 for which Wind tunnel studies also have been concluded and the design is presently going through further improvements and optimization before the design is frozen after consultation with Navy.

idrw.org has been told that the progress of the program is on track and with major challenges being identified that includes a wing folding mechanism that needs to be developed along with a new landing gear system that can handle 26-ton deck based take-off and landings for which teams had worked for the LCA-Navy along with HAL engineers have been engaged for their development.

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 – 08 Oct 2021 as per information provided by Twitter user @detresfa_. DRDO also had issued same defined area for NOTAM in 23-25 June 2021 earlier this year but no Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) test had taken place after initial confusion over some media section reporting successfully trial, which idrw.org had contradicted after getting clarifications from DRDO .

If indeed, DRDO plans to test Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile, it will be fitted with the indigenous 450 kgf thrust class Small Turbo Fan Engine (STFE). Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in 2020 had carried out fresh trials for the first time with the STFE engine but decided to abort the trial a few minutes later due to problems in the booster stage.

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

Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has issued fresh tenders for the supply of PowerPC 7410-DP0405 Single Board Computer board (SBC) for the Open Architecture Computer (OAC) for the LCA-Tejas Mk1 fleet after facing a high rate of failures with the present PPC4B PowerPC Single Board Computer board (SBC) that could cause issues with the Head-Up Display (HUD).

idrw.org has been told that the PPC4B SBC is a nearly 20-year-old tech and fresh tender is to address technical obsolescence and also to reduce dependency on the SBC that has a high rate of failure. Tender documents which idrw.org has gone through are for 70+50 units of PowerPC 7410- DP0405 SBC that will be gradually replaced on all the Present LSP/IOC/FOC Tejas Mk1 fleet.

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

Scale model of an Unknown Missile was recently sported at the office of the G. Satheesh Reddy Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation while giving a video message for the upcoming TECH4SEVA for the Second Virtual International Summit that drew the attention of the Indian OSNIT community since it didn’t match any of the external dimensions of the Indian Ballistic missile programs nor of any upcoming missiles under development and what was more curious was ” Veda ” that was mentioned on the missile its self indicating it was a new project

Veda is a Sanskrit word for knowledge and officially there is no official missile named after it but there do exist Project Veda that indicate that the program is of significant importance for the DRDO and also for the country, maybe even experimental to gain knowledge of next-generation missile technology.

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

Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL) indigenously designed, developed and manufactured The Garuda 105: Go-Anywhere Gun. This stands true to its name as it is an ultra-light, light-weight mobile gun system to reinstall the peace at the Battlefield. Garuda 105 is a Make in India game-changer in the realm of the weapon system have the following salient features: – 105mm 37 Cal Mobile Weapon System with 360 Degree firing capability – Ultra-lightweight gun system: Under 5.5 Ton.

Garuda 105 Mounted on 4X4 wheeled chassis enabled all-terrain maneuverability including High Altitude – Gradeability: 30 Degree (Go-Anywhere Gun) Adaptable for fitting on any in-service vehicle – Quicker emplacement, onboard fire control panel, electrically controlled elevation and traverse.