SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Pune-Based Bharat Forge is in talks to bid to be the technology partner for the upcoming Engine consortium company in India that will be in charge of the joint development of a new 110-130kN Class of jet engine for India’s AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) program.

Engine consortium company will be led by the Defence PSUs like ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency), GTRE (Gas Turbine Research Establishment), HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics), and Private sector companies participation is expected so to be part of the Tier-I and II supply chain of the engine components when it is under production.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Mumbai-based, Sagar Defence Engineering Pvt in close coordination with the Indian Navy is working to develop a swarm of autonomous underwater minehunting drones while avoiding obstacles autonomously that are designed to detect, locate and identify mines using an array of sensors so that the Indian Navy can destroy them.

The lightweight autonomous mine hunting vehicles will help detect mines in the waters off its coast operating effectively at depths of up to 100m. Mine hunting drones can identify underwater mines and saves human divers from doing the dangerous job of clearing them that are time-consuming and imprecise.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

DRDO officials in an interview with News18 have claimed that the Dry Kaveri engine that is under testing will be cleared for certification by 2024 and will have 80% Indigenous content.

Dry Kaveri which can generate 46kN of thrust and is presently going through ground tests and altitude tests and soon will commence engine endurance testing which will be the final part of the certification of the engine that is required by the CEMILAC (Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification).

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Pravaig Dynamics, a Bengaluru-based startup, better known as Pravaig has started testing its Electric Tactical vehicle for the Indian Military that will have a range of 423km and superior acceleration of 0-100kmph in less than 5 seconds with an appropriate fast charger, it would be able to charge it up to 80% in just 30 minutes.

The prototype of the Electric Tactical vehicle by Pravaig has been seen testing around Bangalore Airport lately. The company is planning to introduce its Pravaig electric SUV to be showcased in a near-production form for the Civilian market that will have a range of 504 km on a single full charge, and a top speed of 200 km/h.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Indian Private Sector Company, EDITH Defence Systems is developing Stringer 400, A C-UAS hardkill-n-capture system driven by computer vision and AI. The company claims that the 2kg system is in its 4th iteration of mechanical system design and will be integrated with TBone co-axial drone that company is also developing.

Stringer 400 will neutralize the threat by launching a non-explosive, air-powered projectile timed to deploy in front of the target and entangle it in its net. Stringer 400 will have a range greater than 300 meters and will be capable of repeated use in quick succession which will come in handy to neutralize drone swarms.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

After placing orders for indigenous Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles, Swathi Radars, and ammunition from India, last week Armenia placed orders for 70+ units of 155mm 39-caliber artillery system manufactured by Bharat Forge, a private defense firm part of Pune. Armenia is now set its eyes on Indian-made Air Defence Systems as per information provided to idrw.org and is currently evaluating two Air Defence systems that are on offer for purchase.

Armenia is looking to procure a mid-range air defense system from India for which it is looking at offers from India of its Akash Mk1/Mk2 and Akash NG Air defense systems that might soon be agreed upon. Armenia also has shown interest in Indian-made loitering ammunition and counter-drone systems.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Brazilian small arms manufacturer Taurus Armas has tied up with Indian defense company Jindal Defence and will be bringing out top-of-the-line pistols, carbines, and submachine guns for the Indian armed force that will be made in India under the transfer of technology.

Taurus Armas and Jindal Defence have decided to produce small arms at its Haryana factory that will start with Taurus 9mm pistols, 5.56 x 45mm carbines, 7.62 x 39 mm rifles as well as 9 x 19 mm submachine guns are some of the products that will be available for the Indian forces soon.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

BrahMos Corporation after bagging orders from Philipines has scaled up its plans to develop and manufacture BrahMos-NG (Next-Generation) Cruise missile that will begin testing from 2024 onwards and is based on the tech that has been developed for its bigger sibling.

idrw.org has been told that BrahMos-NG is getting a lot of attention due to its small size and supersonic punch due to which many countries have shown not only interest but also are keen to have talks to procure them when it is ready for export.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Brigadier General Date Lau Kong Cheng who had a long career as a fighter pilot in Royal Malaysian Air Force has slammed his government and claimed in local Malaysian media that the proper Open International Tender process for the 2 systems is not adhered to and has been deviously aimed and manipulated towards selecting pre-determined systems i.e. Anka UAS [drones] and FA-50 FLIT-LCA [aircraft].

Cheng said that this has prevented all Tender bidders from Fair, Transparent, and Professional Evaluation and Comparisons of their Tender bid systems. These unscrupulous decisions and collaborated actions amount to an abuse of power and are indications of corrupt practices. These treacherous actions, if not prevented may result in the nation being denied the choice of the best performing, most value for money, cost-effective, and long-term viable systems for future credible defense.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

DRDO developed ATAGS and has been in news for having an excellent focus on targeting and fire control but its ignition was still based on the pyrotechnic primer and igniter materials to achieve reliable ignition. Most of the recent generations of the self-propelled howitzer have moved on to the laser ignition system, which has neither of these drawbacks of conventional primer and igniter that must be replaced each time the gun is fired.

DRDO has taken up work for the fabrication of a breech-mounted laser ignition system that already has been developed and soon will be tested on the ATAGS Gun. laser ignition system will last a long time and is useful when resupplying primer and igniter to the front lines of a battle to sustain combat operations, pose a significant environmental hazard and logistics burden.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Indian Air Force will take delivery of the last Rafale fighter jet by mid of December, 36th Rafale which has been flying testbed for Indian-specific enhancements in terms of hardware and software will now feature two more additional enhancements that were not part of the original framework that was agreed upon upon upon upon with French Dassault.

According to media reports, India-specific enhancements have grown largely due to the incorporation of the Rafale fleet into operational roles in a short duration, and two additional India-specific sensor requirements were felt and both IAF and Dassault agreed to get them integrated.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Delhi-based, Timetooth Technologies Private Limited has tied up with Defence PSU DRDO to collaborate on the development of a Military Exoskeleton under TDF Scheme, which aims to provide a major fillip to the defense manufacturing sector by encouraging the industry to innovate.

Timetooth is developing Military Exoskeleton that increases endurance and reduces injury risk during operations. The exoskeleton will use lightweight materials, hybrid actuation technologies, an efficient battery system, and anthropomorphic design studies.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

India has issued a second Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for this month for a launch of an experimental flight vehicle in the Bay of Bengal for the period from 23 – 24 Nov 2022 as per information provided by Twitter user Damien Symon@detresfa_. The designated area for the NOTAM is 2200 km in length which indicates it might be a test of the Agni-1P Ballistic Missile Missile.

Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ship ‘Yuan Wang 6’ and its sister ship ‘Yuan Wang 5’ both have entered IOR to monitor Indian missile tests.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

After Walking out of the Indo-Russian Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) Program over differences in the choice of engine, Jayadeva E.P, Director (Operations) at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at the Investor meeting said that Company is not planning to develop Medium haul Transporter locally in the country.

Last year idrw.org reported that HAL’s Chairman and Managing Director R. Madhavan in an interview had said that ” he is confident about the maturity level of indigenous capabilities in the aerospace sector along with private sector partners, India can come up with indigenous offerings not only for military transport aircraft but also for the complete spectrum of civil aircraft “.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Brazilain Aerospace major Embraer is scouting for local partners in India to develop modern turboprops that could significantly disrupt the Indian market dominated by ATR. Embraer is eyeing two variants, one with 70 and another with 90 seats and is in talks with Indian State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and other Private sector companies for local assembly of the modern turboprop aircraft.

Embraer views the 70-seat variant as ideal for Indian carriers, where over 61 aircrafts ATR turboprops are currently flying in India by four airlines. Embraer claims that Turboprops are the perfect tool to serve thin point-to-point routes profitably, essentially because they are the most efficient aircraft on short thin routes, and there is still a big potential in India to link secondary cities between themselves, where passenger flows are not big enough for larger modules to be relevant.