SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Ministry of Defence (MoD) has specifically instructed DRDO and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) that it needs to work on per unit cost and reduce the manhour cost in the production of the Tejas MkII aircraft to promote it in the export market. IAF and MoD already have committed to procure 10 squadrons of the new fighter jet and have asked to come at a viable ballpark figure of the fighter’s cost while taking advantage of manufacturing aircraft in larger numbers.

ADA and HAL are working out details to include more indigenous content in the aircraft from earlier decided 75% to now over 90%, which will include many of the components and systems that earlier were to come from abroad will now be manufactured in the country due to scale of the program due to upfront order commitment from the IAF.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Vem Technologies has joined hands with Austrian company Schiebel to manufacture Camcopter S-100 rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in India. idrw.org has been told that Company plans to take the indigenous route for the manufacturing of the S-100 as mandated by the Ministry of Defence and has claimed it will have more than 60% locally sourced materials.

S-100 production in India will start in the next six months from now at a low scale rate but the rate of production will pick up in the next 12 months claimed company officials to idrw.org.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

BrahMos-A equipped Su-30MKI provides the Indian Air Force massive offensive firepower that simply can’t be ignored but not many Su-30 operators in the region have shown interest in the missile system since it requires mandated strengthening of the undercarriage of the Su-30 airframe.

But idrw.org has been told that After Vietnam and Indonesia, Malaysia another Su-30 Flanker operator has put in a formal request to India to be briefed about the upcoming BrahMos-NG program that will start developmental trials in 2024 and is likely to enter production in 2025.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is seeking to develop a Retractable Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) System for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program that can support Articulated Probe and Drogue System. DRDO is seeking partnerships with PSUs, Private sector companies from India to execute this program under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme of the Ministry of Defence.

AMCA will get a Retractable refueling probe that is mounted on the front fuselage of the aircraft between station 2 and station 3. The retractable refueling probe will be made up of Probe Nozzle, Weak link, Extension and retraction mechanism, Hydraulic Motor, Probe Light Integrated in the Probe tip, and Drogue light.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is seeking to develop a new generation air-to-air refueling Pod for use on air refueling tanker aircraft. DRDO is seeking PSUs, Private sector companies from India PSUs, Private sector companies from India that can develop Air to Air Refueling Pods for Boeing 767 Multi-Mission Tanker Transports (MMTTs) that Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have agreed to develop under B767 conversion program.

Following India’s cancellation of the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) program in June 2016, IAI and HAL agreed to procure pre-owned B767 aircraft and undertake aircraft conversion locally in India.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Vinod Kumar, project director of the LCA (Navy) and TEDBF at ADA confirmed that the CATOBAR(Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) variant of the TEDBF will be developed when the Indian Navy finalizes the final configuration of the Second Indigenous Aircraft carrier.

TEDBF which is under development will support STOBAR (Short TakeOff But Arrested Recovery) system that uses a ski-jump ramp on the INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya for takeoff from the aircraft carrier. Kumar said that once the aircraft carrier configuration is confirmed the launch bar for the redesigned nose landing gear will be designed for CATOBAR operations.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

NewSpace Research and Technologies is developing an ALFA-S loitering munition that will have a folding wing structure to fit inside a canister-launching system that can be mounted on any vehicle or can be used as a man-portable system. idrw.org was told that this new loitering munition will have an endurance of more than 45-60 minutes and can be armed with high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and thermobaric warheads.

ALFA-S loitering munition can be equipped with an electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) payload for target identification and can be used to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, as well as target acquisition and engagement of enemy forces.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Boeing’s official at the Defexpo on a question about Indian weapons on F-18 E/F that are on offer to the Indian Navy confirmed that the company is open to allowing Indian-made weapons on the aircraft. Boeing has offered F-18 E/F to be used as a deck-based fighter jet from two Indian Aircraft carriers and is willing to work with Indian companies and the Navy on such requirements.

Boeing has offered its top-of-the-line weapon system in case it wins a deal from the Indian Navy and is open to allowing the Integration of Indian weapons like Astra BVRAAM, SAAW, and NASM-MR.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Kaveri dry engine meant to power India’s first stealth, unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), the Ghatak will commence simulated high altitude tests and flight test bed testing in Russia after suffering a year-long delay due to the ongoing war with Ukraine and Russia. Kaveri Dry engine will soon be shipped to Russia’s Gromov Flight Research Institute near Moscow.

idrw.org has been told that the modified Ilyushin (Il)-76 fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan aircraft will be used to replace one of the engine bays with a Kaveri Dry engine so that it can be used to simulate and record engine performance at 40,000 to 50,000 feet.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

7 Base Repair Depot (BRD) has completed work on the refurbishment of Russian-supplied air-to-air missiles like R-27, R-73, and RVV-AE (R-77) missiles that now can be used as part of an Air defense system called SAMAR. 7BRD is now capable of the refurbishment of gyro stabilization coordinator assembly, electronic circuit, and klystron with waveguide assembly in this missile that is given them new lease of life to be used as Surface launched Interceptor missiles.

Russian-supplied Air to Air missiles generally have a very limited flight shelf life and are prone to malfunction increasing risk to the safety of the pilot and aircraft they are flying. Refurbishment of this missile fixes many of the problematic issues and brings back its effectiveness but to avoid possible safety hazards it was decided to turn them into a low-cost Air Defence System to get rid of existing inventory in a better way that has completed their flight shelf life.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

In recently held talks between Armenian and Indian officials on the sidelines of the Defexpo 2022. Armenia has shown interest in acquiring Indian Private sector made loitering munition and has narrowed offers from Tata Defence systems and Solar Group that have developed different loitering munition for the Indian Army.

idrw.org has been told that Armenia which operates Russian supplied 9K720 Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missile system has also shown interest in India’s Pralay, a Canisterised tactical, surface-to-surface, and short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) for battlefield usage.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Plans to delay the rollout of the Tejas MkII Prototype to cater to demands of higher indigenous content will not affect the start of the production claimed Dr. V Madhusudana Rao, LCA Mk2 Project Director at Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). idrw.org has been told that production will start from 2028 onwards as IAF is no longer insisting on IOC or FOC standards anymore as both have agreed on a basic standard.

Rao claims that production aircraft will start deliveries after clearance of basic weapons trials on the jets that include BVRAAMs, CCMs, and 2-3 types of PGMS, Bombs, a standard that is been followed the world over. Other additional weapons that will be part of the aircraft will be added while squadrons are being formed from 2028-2032 when most of the weapons will be tested and cleared for operational usage.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Companies that are part of supply chains for the Tejas Mk2 program have been approached by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) and HAL to start a separate Private Sector consortium led production line that can manufacture Tejas MkII fighter jets for the export market as recently revealed as much as 16 countries have shown interest in the program.

Many countries are seeking details of the Tejas MkII program since it is a Medium class fighter jet that can replace many 80’s era fighter jets like Mig-29, F-16, and Mirage2k that are in abundance and are aging very fast. idrw.org has been told that the Tejas MkII export chances are much more than Tejas Mk1 since it is a much more capable aircraft of Medium class that many countries operate and are planning to procure to replace older ones.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Argentinian delegation led by Lt Gen Juan Martin Paleo, Joint Chief of Staff of the Argentine Armed Forces visited the HAL Facility in Bangalore yesterday where they were given access to the LCA-Tejas manufacturing facility and ground simulators in a bid to secure orders for 12 jets that Argentinian airforce is planning to procure for its fleet.

A team of Pilots from the Argentinian Air force and Army were also given access to India’s Prachand Light Combat Helicopter and also flew a sortie in a Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) piloted by senior HAL test Pilots near the facility.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

The fourth fighter jet program that India is developing will be a deck-based fighter jet to replace the accident-prone Mig-29K on the present aircraft carrier will be incorporating all the 5th gen technology that is under development for India’s 5th gen AMCA fighter program confirmed ADA officials to idrw.org.

TEDBF will incorporate smart data fusion from multi-spectral sensors to provide identification, location, jamming, and decoying against a wide range of threats, it will carry the same technology as AMCA which will make it a unique fighter jet among its contemporaries.