SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
India has issued Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) for a launch of a missile in the Bay of Bengal for the period from 18-19 May 2023 as per information provided by Twitter user Damien Symon@detresfa_.
The designated area for the NOTAM is 1680 km in length which indicates it might be a test of the Agni-P from Abdul Kalam Island. Agni P is a two-stage Canisterised solid propellant ballistic missile with dual redundant navigation and guidance system.
Continue readingSOURCE: JOYDEEP GHOSH/ FOR MY TAKE / IDRW.ORG
India’s MoD has initiated a project to design and develop Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (XLUUV) for Indian Navy to bridge glaring gap in its underwater capabilities due to significant delays to Project-75I. As per reports Indian Navy needs up to 12 XLUUVs. But I would say India must operate at least2 dozen (24) XLUUVs with an endurance of at least 75 days.
The XLUUV may reportedly have a maximum ‘length with payload’ of up to 50 meters, width of up to 5 meters, height no more than 10 meters and gross weight without ballast under 300 tons making it one of the largest submarine drones at par with Germany’s Modifiable Underwater Mothership, US Navy’s Orca XLUUV and Russia’s Sarma-D, that are in the prototyping phase.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
The Indian Air Force’s plan to acquire 114 multi-role fighter jets (MRFA) for $20 billion has been hit by delays in issuing Requests for Proposals (RFP). The tender, which is the largest for fighter jets, has made little or no progress in the last four years, causing concern among defence analysts.
However, there is hope that the process will move forward soon. Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, the Deputy Chief of the Air Force, recently said that he expects the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for MRFA to be issued within the next three to four months.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
According to a recent confirmation by Bosco da Costa Junior, President & CEO of Embraer Defense & Security, the C390, a Medium role Transporter aircraft manufactured by Embraer, can be easily converted into a Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) if requested. The C390 can be equipped with an air-to-air refuelling system installed under its wing pods, making it a suitable choice for the IAF’s needs.
A report by idrw had previously mentioned that the IAF is looking to procure up to 80 Medium role Transporter aircraft to replace its ageing Soviet-era An-32s Transporters, with a focus on local manufacturing in India under transfer of technology (ToT) agreements.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
Pixxel, a start-up based in Bengaluru, is venturing into the surveillance and reconnaissance sector with its cutting-edge hyperspectral imagery satellites. The company is eager to provide its advanced technology to the Indian defence sector.
Pixxel’s state-of-the-art satellites offer unparalleled capabilities in terms of spectral and spatial resolution, making them ideal for defence applications. The high-resolution imagery can provide critical information on land, air, and sea-based activities, which can aid in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
BrahMos Aerospace, the company that is developing BrahMos-Ng (Next Generation), a Mach 3.5 capable supersonic cruise missile for the Indian Armed Forces, is now aiming to reduce the missile’s weight even further. Currently weighing 1.5 tons, the company is looking to bring the weight down to just 1.3 tons, making it compatible with any launch fighter jet in the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet.
According to Financial Express Online, design work on the NG is ongoing and a design assessment will be carried out in Moscow soon. Following this, qualifying trials of the new version of the BrahMos Missile will be conducted by 2024.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
A recent report by “The Tribune” revealed that officials from the Indian Air Force (IAF), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) discussed the delivery schedule of the Tejas Mk1A program during a review meeting last month. The IAF officials reportedly instructed HAL to adhere to the contractual obligation of delivering a minimum of 16 Tejas Mk1A aircraft per year, as per the agreement signed in 2021 for the procurement of 73 Tejas Mk1A fighter jets.
According to a recent report by the Economic Times, while the delivery of the first three Mk1A versions of the aircraft is scheduled for March 2024, delays can be expected as several obstacles still need to be overcome, including certification in full combat configuration.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
According to reports, BrahMos Aerospace (BAPL) has proposed a joint development program for the BrahMos 2K Hypersonic cruise missile, which will be based on the Russian 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile. However, the proposed program is waiting for official clearance from the Indian Ministry of Defence to proceed. Atul Dinkar Rane, CEO and MD, BrahMos Aerospace confirmed that the cost of the BrahMos 2K missile is expected to be twice that of the current BrahMos cruise missile.
Financial Express Online recently reported that Rane stated that the development of the BrahMos 2K Hypersonic will take time due to its high cost, and as a result, the Indian Armed Forces may not place many orders for the missile.
Continue readingSOURCE: JOYDEEP GHOSH/ FOR MY TAKE / IDRW.ORG
It has been over a year since the Russia and Ukraine war has been raging. Though Indian government has refused to take sides in the war, calling for its end but effectively it has been on Russia’s side being one of its biggest customers of cheap crude oil that is being refined and exported to Europe, becoming a bigger exporter that Saudi Arabia .
What’s more Europe happily and knowingly buys it, effectively showcasing its hypocrisy. Anyways Ukraine has been trying too hard ever since to get at India for giving tacit support to Russia. But India has always ignored Ukrainian blabbering’s over India’s support to Russia.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
The Indian sea-based deterrent force is prioritizing the development of its ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) to reinforce its nuclear triad. With two Arihant-class submarines already operational and two stretched S4 and S4* (Star) submarines nearing completion, the focus has now shifted to the larger S5-class submarines that are currently in the advanced stages of development. The goal is to strengthen India’s nuclear capabilities and maintain a robust sea-based deterrent force.
India’s top priority remains the S5 program, which aims to develop a 13,000-ton displacement SSBN. While construction on the stretched S4 and S4* submarines nears completion, funding and efforts are being directed towards the ongoing S5 program so that the first submarine is introduced by 2031-32.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
Later this year, the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) plans to introduce the Archer-NG MALE UAV, which will include a Single Engine Twin Boom (SETB). The Indian Navy is also contemplating collaborating on the program to build a Maritime variant of the UAV that can be utilized for reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence gathering, and targeted strikes abroad.
The Navy sees the Archer-NG as a significant enhancement to its capabilities, as the maritime variant will enable the deployment of slow-moving reconnaissance and missile-equipped drones.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
India has issued Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) for a launch of a missile around the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, in the Bay Of Bengal for the period from 09-11, 16-17 & 18 May 2023 as per information provided by Twitter user Damien Symon@detresfa_.
The designated area for the NOTAM is by the Indian Air Force which indicates it might be a test of an Air launched BrahMos Cruise missiles.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
Godrej Aerospace has started manufacturing 8 modules of the 48 kN Dry Kaveri Engine for the GTRE (Gas Turbine Research Establishment) that plans to complete last mile trials for the certification of the engine before it is cleared for production. idrw has been told that the Dry Kaveri engine program officially has entered Phase II with Purpose build engines that will be used for finetuning engine performance.
Two engines that were used to test the Dry Kaveri engine were from the older lot that was developed as a prototype for the Kaveri engine program and after various modifications it was used as a testbed engine for the program.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
BrahMos Aerospace is currently working on the development of the Next-Generation BrahMos, which will be smaller and lighter but still capable of delivering the same powerful punch with a range of 300km at a speed of Mach 3.5 that can overwhelm any air defence system. Along with plans to develop a hypersonic BrahMos missile that can reach speeds of Mach 6-7 in collaboration with Russia, the company is also focused on improving the performance of the BrahMos to maintain its competitive edge.
Since its first test in 2001 and subsequent production in 2004, BrahMos has undergone several improvements in range and capabilities. However, the speed of the supersonic cruise missile has remained around Mach 2.9 to this day. That is about to change.
Continue readingSOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
As reported by idrw last year, the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) started manufacturing India’s first defence satellite launch vehicle, dubbed Veda or Vehicle for Defence Application. Recently released tender documents suggest that the development trials for the system may commence soon, indicating that the satellite launcher vehicle is nearing completion.
The Veda vehicle is intended for launching defence satellites into a lower orbit. It is constructed using the K-4 SLBM first and second stages, which are currently in production and is expected to be operational in the coming months.
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