SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

BDL recently signed an MoU With Dassault Aviation that could pay way to integrate India’s locally developed Astra Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missile into its Rafale fleet. BDL and IAF require source code authorization of Dassault Aviation so that the weapon fire control systems and fire control radar can communicate with the missile for which new software needs to be written, tested, and validated, and then it moves towards the carriage trials phase.

OEM often maintains total control of the source code and each Indian weapon that needs to be integrated into the Rafale needs to be vetted and cleared by the OEM due to which process is lengthy and it is unlikely Astra integration will not be complete by 2025.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

In 2020, without much fanfare, the Indian Navy along with National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) launched a research vessel and missile range instrumentation ship built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) called INS Dhruv. It was the first ship of its kind but won’t be the last of its kind, as the Indian Navy plans to expand its fleet of spy ships that can detect incoming hostile missiles.

idrw.org has been told that at least one more sister class of the ship has been proposed and might be cleared for induction sometime in near future. The idea is also to develop more sophisticated surveillance systems that can be mounted on bigger vessels to act as a force multiplier and provide a 360-degree view of the Indo-Pacific and the strategically important Indian Ocean region (IOR).

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Dassault Aviation seems to be on a slippery slope when it comes to the Rafale Marine jet due to severe limitations that have made the F-18E/F Super Hornet much more attractive while the Indian Navy brainstorms which aircraft will suit its operational requirements. French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu who was in India and even visited the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant hinted at providing various concessions to the Indian side.

idrw.org has been told that Dassault and France will be offering Rafale Marine at a much more discounted price and have offered to upgrade it to the same standards as IAF’s Rafale fleet with more Indigenous Indian content.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

The German government which had kept TKMS away from Indian tender for six advanced submarines under Project-75 India said that if the Indian Navy and Ministry of Defence (MoD) is willing to remove certain liabilities clauses that could have been levied if there were delays in the delivery of the submarines, it could consider sending its proposals, after Indian have had to extend the bid twice this year to August 2023.

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) developed Type 214 submarines that met all the technical criteria set by the Indian Navy including the operational Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) module. TKMS claims that it will not be fully in charge of the local manufacturing of the submarines in India so it can’t be made liable for any delays that might happen in the program while it is been executed by an Indian shipyard.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

India will have four operational nuclear-powered ballistic missile-carrying submarines become operational by 2026 as a second (S3) SSBN is likely to become operational in the Indian Navy next year, which will be followed by a third (S4) and a fourth (S4*) submarine by 2026. India’s 3rd generation S5 class submarine program might enter the production stage sometime in 2027 onwards.

The S5 program officially started in 2015 and In 2019, a hydrodynamic test model of a submarine leaked online that didn’t resemble any other older design suggesting considerable initial work has been carried out. S-5, a 13000-ton displacement submarine will require a new bigger dockyard at Ship Building Centre (SBC) in Visakhapatnam before production work commences.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

India’s Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) program is heading towards Preliminary Design Review (PDR) after which it will be presented for approval to India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), where the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is seeking 13000 crores as investment cost to develop the 4 aircraft after getting clearance from the CCS.

ADA and Navy have already come up with a developmental flight regime that will be for 5 years from the first flight planned in 2027 and will involve 1000 flights of which four pre-production prototypes will be used to accomplish this task.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

According to a report in Economic Times, the Defence Ministry has extended the deadline for responding to the Request For Proposal (RFP) in the over 40,000 crore contract for six advanced submarines under Project-75(I) from December 2022 to August 2023.

The Russian Rubin Design Bureau and the French Naval Group both withdrawn from the tender, citing the lack of an operational Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) module as required by the Indian Navy, leaving only Germany and South Korea technically meeting this criterion.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

India’s upcoming Zorawar Light Tank will be getting a Belgian Cockerill 105mm high-pressure gun that fires all NATO-standard 105mm types and also supports Gun Launched Anti Tank Guided Missile, a variant of which DRDO is working for the Arjun Mk1A program.

Cockerill 105mm high-pressure guns are designed as fully-stabilized two low-recoil force guns that can be fitted into light or medium class of tanks and are specialized anti-armor requirements.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

DRDO has completed the fabrication of an 8×2 Truck mounted for the vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) system that was designed for use by the Indian Air Force. VL-SRSAM system is a low-level, quick-reaction surface-to-air missile system capable of engaging aircraft, helicopters, unmanned air vehicles, drones, and precision-guided munitions.

VL-SRSAM was primarily developed for the Indian Navy to be used on frontline warships to provide an inner air defense shield to the ship to replace the older Barak 1 surface-to-air missile system onboard Indian Navy warships.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

India has been negotiating with the US for the procurement of 30 MQ-9B Predator armed drones for $3 billion which will see 10 drones each for the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Indian Navy that already operates on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from General Atomics for one year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean.

While the Navy has been super impressed with the performance of the MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones that are on the lease, idrw.org has been told that both Army and Air force are not so impressed with the $100 million per unit cost of these drones, and instead favor procuring the more Heron TP drones from Israel.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which showcased a 155mm/52 calibre mounted gun system (MGS) that is based on the ATAGS Gun at Defence Expo 2022 plans to hold further trials of the system before it commences user trials of the MGS that will involve testing of the Gun in the filed range.

MGS is based on the BEML-developed 8×8 Tatra Truck that also features an armored cabin that already has undergone factory trials that included mobility and system check trials of the system before it was cleared for cross-country trials where it will be deployed in the desert and mountainous and high altitude conditions.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Indian Air Force (IAF) will be receiving its third S-400 operational squadron of air defense systems from Russia this month and two more completely by 2023. India signed a contract in 2018 to purchase five S-400 squadrons worth Rs 35,000 crores.

Initially, IAF had planned to procure two more squadrons of S-400 from Russia but has now dropped this plan considering this can trigger sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) 2017 and also due to local alternatives that are going to come online soon.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

India’s Second Arihant-class nuclear-powered missile submarine will be inducted into the Indian Navy by mid of 2023 after clearing multiple sea trials. The addition of INS Arighat will improve India’s strategic deterrence posture by strengthening the country’s nuclear triad.

6,000-tonne SSBN is the same as its lead ship Arihant in terms of displacement and dimensions but the submarine is a vastly improved variant with the incorporation of more advanced systems than its predecessor including many improvements in its ingenious content.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has commenced work to develop a 4.2kN class turbojet engine which is an upgraded PTAE-7 turbojet engine that the company claims will be powering upgraded remotely piloted high-speed target drone system that Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) is developing.

PTAE-7 turbofan engine is a 3.43 kN single spool turbojet developed in the 1980s that weighs 65 kg. Upgraded PTAE-7 turbojet engine that will be getting new turbine blades and an improved digital electronic fuel control system, hardened compressor sections, and most important things of all a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system to provide optimized performance and control that is expected from a modern turbojet engine.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

The Ministry of Defence, Government of India, intends to procure 375 (Three Hundred and Seventy-Five) Light Bullet Proof Vehicle through the Fast Track Procedure under Emergency Procurement and seeks participation in the procurement process from prospective Bidders.

The Ministry of Defence, Government of India, intends to procure quantity 375 (Three Hundred and Seventy-Five) Light Bullet Proof Vehicle through Fast Track Procedure under Emergency Procurement and seeks participation in the procurement process from prospective Bidders. Light Bullet Proof Vehicle is required to be procured for the Indian Army to minimize the vulnerability of its troops to terrorist small arms fire while carrying out the daily basic operations like the establishment of Mobile Check Posts, Convoy Protection Duty, and actions by Quick Reaction Teams.