SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

This year, the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) will undergo captive trials on the LSP Tejas Mk1 aircraft, with live trials planned for later in the year. Last year, Boris Solomiac, MBDA General Delegate India, confirmed that the Tejas Mk1A fleet would receive close combat missiles, and the company is collaborating with an Indian agency to integrate the missile system.

To support the Indian Air Force, MBDA has partnered with Bharat Dynamics Ltd to perform final assembly, integration, and testing (FAIT) of ASRAAM missiles in India. The integration of both ASRAAM and Python-5 missiles onto the Tejas Mk1A and Mk2 will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the jet, as both missiles are widely regarded as among the best short-range air-to-air missiles in the world.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Swadeshi Empresa Pvt. Ltd, a local firm, has received orders worth INR 225.6 Crore for 50 firefighting robots from the Indian Navy. The orders came after the successful completion of onboard trials from INS Vikrant, the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier.

Designed with a specific set of tasks in mind, robotic firefighting systems are used for analyzing and locating fires, conducting search and rescue operations, monitoring hazardous variables, and primarily controlling and suppressing fires.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

The Indian Navy is currently considering its options regarding the LCA-Navy program, but it is contemplating the acquisition of a squadron of LCA-Navy Trainer aircraft for pilot training purposes on aircraft carriers.

A recent report by Livefist has corroborated idrw.org’s earlier claim that the Navy is considering establishing Training Squadrons, which would necessitate changes to its current training program. Additionally, the Navy is contemplating the acquisition of 12-15 LCA-Navy Trainer aircraft for hands-on pilot training on board aircraft carriers.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Indian companies in the public and private space sectors are currently investigating the possibility of collaborating to create a new generation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. These satellites will consist of swarms of smaller satellites capable of communicating with one another, collecting a variety of data such as visual, radar, and radio frequency (RF) information.

The satellites will be primarily focused on border areas and will utilize machine learning algorithms to identify high-value observation targets. Additionally, the swarm satellites will coordinate their attitude and timing to obtain various viewpoints of the same target.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

India’s state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) received orders for over 120 units of the ‘Pralay’ quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile last year, with an additional 250 units this year. The DRDO is now developing an extended-range variant of the missile capable of striking targets up to 700-800 km away, with a payload of approximately 1 tonne.

The Pralay missile is designed to be a rapid-response system, intended for deep strikes inside enemy territory. It is a solid-fueled missile with a range of around 400-500 km and is known to have the ability to change its path mid-air after covering a certain distance. The missile’s quasi-ballistic flight profile and the ability to defeat interceptor missiles make it challenging to track.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

India has strategic plans to develop its advanced 5th generation fighter jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). In this development initiative, private players will hold a majority stake, while government-owned companies such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will have a minority stake. This approach aims to leverage the expertise and resources of private companies while also ensuring government participation in the program.

idrw.org has learned that several prospective partners who could potentially join the AMCA program are concerned about the profit margins, which are projected to be significantly below the industrial average of 10.02 to 10.9%. This is attributed to the lower unit numbers committed by the Indian Air Force (IAF), which could result in higher unit costs, potentially impacting the profitability of the venture for the private partners.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Following a successful milestone in securing its initial foreign deal last year, which involved the sale of BrahMos shore-based anti-ship missiles to the Philippines for a total value of $375 million, BrahMos is poised for further export orders soon as talks with Indonesia has entered the final phase with price negotiation nearly over, only pending approvals from Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia.

As per information obtained by idrw.org, it has been revealed that the BrahMos deal with Indonesia is expected to reach its conclusion later this year, pending the necessary approvals from the Indonesian authorities for the purchase of BrahMos shore-based anti-ship missiles.

SOURCE: 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 24-29 & 26-28 April 2023 as per information provided by Twitter user Damien Symon@detresfa_.

The designated area for the NOTAM is just 750km in length which indicates it might be a test of a Ballistic missile either of Agni-I or of Pralay Surface to Surface Missiles.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Heightened tension with China on the Ladakh sector has come as a boon to Project Zorawar to develop a 25-ton Light Tank for the Indian Army as DRDO and L&T plan to rollout prototypes later this year, Indian Army also plans to conclude trials within 18-24 months.

25-ton Light Tank will first go through Internal trials after rollout and will be immediately handed over to Indian Army for High-altitude trials had have been lined up along LAC from the Ladakh sector to Arunachal Pradesh.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Dr Tessy Thomas, Director General of Aeronautical Systems, DRDO inaugurated the manufacturing of the Dry Kaveri engine module at the Godrej & Boyce facility which was also attended by Nyrika Holkar, Executive Director, Godrej & Boyce.

GTRE (Gas Turbine Research Establishment) in September 2022 awarded Godrej Aerospace a contract to manufacture eight modules of a 48 kN Dry Kaveri engine without an afterburner. 48 kN Dry Kaveri engine will be used on the Unmanned Strike aircraft that is under development by the DRDO for the Indian Air Force.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has started the process for getting CCS clearance for the over Rs 15,000 crore project to build the fifth-generation advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA), which will be implemented through Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that is aimed at enabling concurrent engineering and production in faster timelines that will see the participation of Private sector company.

Boeing’s Indian subsidiary is considering participation in India’s AMCA program that will see the SPV route where private players will have a majority stake with a minority stake in Government owned companies like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and DRDO’s Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) are collaborating to develop a successor to the framed N011M Bars Hybrid Phased Array Radar (PESA), which combined the best of both worlds by adopting technologies from PESA and AESA, which was created when Russia lacked the technology to develop an AESA Fire Control Radar on its own.

Because of its sheer size and massive weight for an entire radar system weighing around 500+kgs, the N011M will be replaced in 2024-25 by an upscaled Uttam AESA Radar that will weigh less than half of its predecessor while providing a significantly increased detection range.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

Tejas, India’s indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA), performed admirably at the Exercise Desert Flag, a multilateral air exercise in which air forces from the UAE, France, Kuwait, Australia, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Morocco, Spain, the Republic of Korea, and the United States took part.

While IAF is tightlipped about the performance of the 5 aircraft that took part in Exercise Desert Flag, idrw.org has learned that it met all operational flight requirements while flying for the first time outside India and participated in diverse fighter engagements.

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

While the LCA-Navy is being used as a Technology Demonstrator programme for the development of the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF), idrw.org has been told by sources close to the programme that the Navy is still evaluating the aircraft and may consider it for other roles (Trainer) after the NP5 Trainer aircraft is completed.

NP5 has been under assembly and will be used to conduct off-nominal landing trials to study and collect data on the stress points on the landing gears, which will be critical in the development of landing gears for the TEDBF programme.

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

With Germany trying to secure a deal for a six-generation submarine from India in a Government to Government (G2G) deal, people familiar with the matter have told idrw.org that South Korea also has started diplomatic maneuvering in Delhi for its bid where it has offered lithium-ion and fuel cell system powered DSME3000 submarine to meet Indian Navy’s submarine requirements.

South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME) is the sole bidder that has agreed to all the liability clauses and Transfer of Technology (ToT) demands made by the Indian Navy and offered DSME3000 submarine that meets two key benchmarks that involve niche technology that Indian Navy seeks that being lithium-ion batteries and fuel cell system.