DRDO successfully tests indigenously-developed Anti Radiation Missile

New Delhi. A new generation Anti Radiation Missile (RUDRAM) was successfully flight-tested on October 9 onto a radiation target located on Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha. The missile was launched from a SU-30 MKI fighter aircraft and hit with pin-point accuracy.

The RUDRAM missile being launched from a Sukhoi SU-30MKI combat jet

“New generation first indigenous Anti-Radiation Missile RUDRAM developed by @DRDO_India for Indian Air Force successfully flight tested today onto a radiation target located on Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha. The missile was launched from SU-30 MKI fighter aircraft,” a Defence Ministry spokesman tweeted.

The RUDRAM is the country’s first indigenous anti-radiation missile for the Indian Air Force (IAF) being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile is integrated on the SU-30 MKI fighter aircraft as the launch platform, with a varying-range capability based on launch conditions. It has INS-GPS navigation with Passive Homing Head for the final attack.

The Passive Homing Head can detect, classify and engage targets over a wide band of frequencies as programmed.

“The missile is a potent weapon for IAF for Suppression of Enemy Air Defence effectively from large stand-off ranges,” a Defence Ministry statement said, adding: “With this, the country has established indigenous capability to develop long range air launched anti-radiation missiles for neutralising enemy radars, communication sites and other RF emitting targets.”

Successful Flight Test of SMART

New Delhi. Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) has been successfully flight tested on October 5th at 1145 hrs from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha. All the mission objectives including missile flight upto the range and altitude, separation of the nose cone, release of Torpedo and deployment of Velocity Reduction Mechanism (VRM) have been met perfectly.

The tracking stations (Radars, Electro Optical Systems) along the coast and the telemetry stations including down range ships monitored all the events.

SMART is a missile assisted release of lightweight Anti-Submarine Torpedo System for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operations far beyond Torpedo range. This launch and demonstration is significant in establishing Anti-Submarine warfare capabilities.

A number of DRDO laboratories including DRDL, RCI Hyderabad, ADRDE Agra, NSTL Visakhapatnam have developed the technologies required for SMART.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO Scientists for the important feat.

Secretary DD R&D & Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy, said that SMART is a game changer technology demonstration in the Anti-Submarine Warfare.

DRDO/HAL Combine to Fast-Track Indigenous Fighter Programmes

The good news is that No. 18 squadron, ‘Flying Bullets’ which was operationalised May 27 this year with the first FOC version of LCA MK I, “will receive two more ‘FOC’ aircraft (SP-22 and SP-23), perhaps within a week.” This was revealed by Dr Girish Deodhare, Distinguished Scientist, Programme Director (Combat Aircraft) & Director Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) September 30, during a webinar on ‘Energising Indian Aerospace Industry’ in New Delhi. He went on to state that HAL was committed to fully equip the first two Tejas squadrons (20 IOC + 20 FOC) that include 16 single-seat fighters and four twin-seat trainers each, by 2022-23.

Conceding to the inordinate delays at various stages of the Tejas programme, Dr Deodhare stated that both DRDO, i.e. ADA and HAL were well onto positive sides of the learning curves and henceforth, not only the current programmes that should run smoothly but, it would also be possible to telescope future development by running different programmes concurrently. He was alluding to not only the different versions of the Tejas but also the futuristic indigenous AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) 5th generation, stealth aircraft programme.

To redux, after the IAF’s more than a decade old initial order of 40 LCA Mk I aircraft to give a boost to the Tejas programme, which incidentally, is yet to fully fructify; IAF in another bold move in 2018 had formally committed to buying 324 Tejas aircraft of all versions provided HAL and ADA could deliver an acceptable quality of the much touted Tejas MK II in time. This included the MK IA version offered by HAL (with the same under-powered GE404 engine but substantial improvements in other facets of its operational capabilities and, ease of maintenance) and initiated a tender to buy 83 MK IA aircraft from HAL worth about Rs 33,000 crore. However, with HAL quoting a base price very much higher than the Mark 1 – that shocked not only the IAF but MOD too – the whole process got stuck over price negotiations.

It took more than two years of intense bargaining to bring HAL on the same table, resulting in the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) clearing the procurement package deal for 83 Tejas Mk 1A, including 73 single-seat fighters and 10 dual-seat trainers for Rs 39,000 crore ($5.2 billion). According to Dr Deodhare, there are no more glitches left in the contract. “Mk IA’s system design works are already in progress which will be completed by February 2021”, he stated. A total of 200 flight trials are planned with upgraded systems on two limited series production (LSP) aircraft, while final configuration for Tejas Mark 1A will be ready for production by 2022-23. The major improvements on Tejas Mark 1A, as mentioned earlier, are in operational roles with the addition of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, unified electronic warfare suite (UEWS), self-protection jammer (SPJ), Astra Mark 1, ASRAAM, digital 2D and 3D moving maps, integration of GNSS augmentation like GAGAN and additional GLONASS, NAVIC satellite navigation systems. On the maintenance front, to improve its turnaround time and ease of long-term maintainability, new set of cables will be incorporated in Tejas Mark 1A to add space inside aircraft while a technique called panel-in-panel will make components easily accessible and reduce daily inspection (DI) time. The MK IA of course would also have the mid-air refuelling probe to improve its operational range/endurance. HAL proposes to produce these aircraft @ of at least 16 units per annum to complete the contract in the 2028-29 timeframe, by which time it should be ready to start producing the MK II version.

To meet the much stiffer air staff qualitative requirements (ASQR) of the Indian Air Force (IAF), ADA is making substantial changes to the basic Mark1 and Mark 1A air-frame to improve payload and performance in the more advanced Tejas MK II, upgrading its weight-class to Medium category in the process. It would be a true replacement of the upgraded Mirage 2000 aircraft, currently being fielded by the IAF. To offset the additional weight, as also improve its performance, Tejas Mk II will be powered by the bigger General Electric F414-GE-INS6 engine in the 100 kN thrust class with afterburner. The aircraft would have enhanced capabilities to match up with the IAF’s AQSR, with upgraded AESA radar, internal UEWS, IRST and MAWS. It would also have enhanced range and endurance with inflight refuelling and OBOGS (On-Board Oxygen Generating System). It would also have higher weapon carrying capability with integration of heavy stand-off weapons SCALP, Crystal Maze and SPICE-2000, etc.

Dr Deodhare confirmed that Tejas MK II’s configuration already stands frozen, its System Architecture completed and now, the detailed design is in progress. The Mk II’s development action plan calls for prototype roll-out by July 2022 and first flight in early 2023. Interestingly, this would coincide with the time when the MK IA would just be entering the serial production phase.

Sounds too ambitious?! Not at all according to Dr Deodhare. In a bid to compress timeframes, even in the case of the much advanced AMCA 5th generation, twin-engine, stealth aircraft, feasibility studies have been completed and configuration frozen in parallel. CDR completion is planned by December 2021, roll out in 2024 and first flight in 2025. In other words, both Tejas MK II and AMCA prototypes could be flying in the same skies, while pursuing their individual flight-test programmes.

A jaw-dropping scenario indeed. No?!

–Air Marshal VK ‘Jimmy’ Bhatia (Retd)

BrahMos cruise missile with indigenous booster successfully flight tested

New Delhi. The BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile featuring an indigenous booster and airframe section, along with many other ‘Made in India’ sub-systems, was successfully flight tested for its designated range at 10.30 a.m on September 30 from the ITR, Balasore in Odisha, in one more major step in enhancing its indigenous content.

The BrahMos Land-Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) soars aloft on its successful test flight

The BrahMos Land-Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) achieved a top speed of Mach 2.8.

“Congratulations to Team @DRDO_India and @BrahMosMissile for the successful flight testing of #BRAHMOS Supersonic Cruise Missile with Indigenous Booster and Air Frame for designated range.”

“This achievement will give a big boost to India’s #AtmaNirbharBharat Pledge,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.

“The successful launch has paved the way for the serial production of the indigenous booster and other indigenous components of the powerful BrahMos Weapon System, realising the Atmanirbhar Bharat pledge,” a Defence Ministry statement said.

In major overhaul, India does away with offsets in G2G deals

New Delhi. A decade-and-a-half after making offsets mandatory in all major defence deals, Indian has shelved this provision for future government-to-government contracts, like that for the Rs.59,000 crore ($9 billion) purchase of 36 omni-role Dasault Rafale combat jets from France, with an official admitting that “these are not working”.

We removed some of the offset requirements as they are not working. From now on there will be no offset clause in government-to-government, single vendor and IGAs,” Director General Acquisition Apurva Chandra told the media on September 28 soon after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the Defence Acquisition Policy (DAP) 2020.

Offsets entails the transfer of high-end technology to boost the level of the domestic industry and issues like costs, economies of scale and India’s policy on the export of military hardware, which currently restricts this to the non-lethal variety.

At the bottom line, is not only the capability of the Indian industry to absorb and leverage this high-end technology but also the manner in which a behemoth like the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) that would be responsible for translating the benefits from the offsets on the ground has been playing footsie with the international players that would be transferring such technology.

The first test, in fact, had come soon after the offsets clause of ploughing back 30 per cent of the value of high-end deals was introduced and made applicable to an Indian Air Force (IAF) tender floated in 2007 for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) , with 18 to be purchased in fly-away condition and the remaining 108 to be manufactured by HAL under a Transfer of Technology (ToT) agreement. (In this case, the value of the offsets was raised to 50 per cent.)

Six aircraft were in the fray and after a torturous process of trials, the Rafale had emerged on top in 2012. Price negotiations commenced but collapsed on a clause for the responsibility for the aircraft to be manufactured in India. Rather speciously, HAL insisted that while it would be manufacturing the aircraft in India, the responsibility for their performance would rest with Dasault!

Quite naturally, Dasault flatly turned this down, leading to the collapse of the tender. Then, during a state visit to France in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India would be purchasing 36 Rafales in a fly-away condition under a G2G deal. The first five arrived in late July 2020, with another lot expected in October and final deliveries are to be completed by 2021. There is obviously an offset clause but this appears to be of a “bankable” variety since there is no manufacture involved and the obligation could be fulfilled in other areas of military hardware at a later date.

This came in for adverse comments last week, with the government auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) noting that no transfer of technology of any kind had taken place by either Dasault or the weapons’ supplier MBDA.

For instance, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the channeling agency for the offsets, “wanted technical assistance for the indigenous development of the (Kaveri) engine for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA it had developed)” but till date “the vendor has not confirmed the transfer of this technology”, the CAG report tabled in Parliament said.

Days later came the announcement that the offset clause had been waived for future G2G deals and would only apply to deals signed after competitive bidding.

On paper, the MMRCA tender has been refloated but there is no clarity on the numbers now involved, even though there are suggestions that there would be a follow-on order once the delivery of the 36 Rafales is completed. So, in reality, it is back to square one when the offsets clause was first introduced.

There is also the question of costs, with a senior Defence Ministry official admitting when the IAF tender was floated that this would rise due to the offsets clause.

“It’s like this. If you are paying me x amount and I have to plough back 30 to 50 percent, this obviously cannot eat into my bottom line and would have to be factored in, thus raising the overall cost,” the official had explained, cutting through the jargon that such discussions normally entail.

There are other practical issues involved, for instance economies of scale.

“I have an order for manufacturing 100 aircraft, so I either retool the existing facilities or set up a whole new plant (one US manufacturer had in fact offered to relocate its entire plant that manufactured a jet that was in contention for the IAF tender). What happens after I have made the 100 aircraft? I can’t just shut down the plant; I have to continue manufacturing. Let’s say the IAF does not require the additional aircraft. The only way out is exports but I can’t do this in the present environment because India permits only the export of non-lethal military hardware,” the official explained.

Per se, there can be no denying the benefits of offsets but the manner in which they are implemented has to be carefully thought through. But, given the inability of India’s manufacturing industry to absorb high-end technology, HAL being a classic example, bankable offsets that are implemented at a later or in non-defence areas of industry, seems to be the only way out – even though this is the second step of the process.

But even here, there are pitfalls, as a noted expert in India’s defence acquisition regime, Major General Mrinal Suman (retd), pointed out in an article in the USI Journal of think tank United Services Institute put it way back in 2007:

“Offset banking is a highly complex affair needing elaborate organisational setup with a dedicated expert agency. Unless handled with due care and caution, there is a likelihood of the country being taken in by clued-up vendors. Instead of economic gains, India may get saddled with infructuous and wasteful activities. Besides, it may give rise to unscrupulous dealings with consequent trading of charges. India must, therefore, tread warily and exercise due caution while considering introduction of offset banking.”

Fifteen years down the line, the situation remains much the same.

HAL Designer Bags Prestigious IETE Award

Bengaluru/New Delhi: September 27, 2020: Mr Ajay Khare who works at HAL as Deputy General Manager (Design) has been bestowed with the prestigious IETE (The Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers) award for the year 2020 for his outstanding work in Full Life Cycle Development of Indigenous Mission and Safety Critical Avionics Systems, starting from conceptualization and design to certification and production. He received the award at the digital event held today on the occasion of the 63rd IETE Convention. The award consists of a citation, a medal and a plaque. Mr Khare delivered a lecture on the occasion.

The annual award instituted by Dr R K Tyagi, former Chairman of HAL in memory of his late father Devi Singh Tyagi in 2016 is given to an eligible technocrat or a scientist or an engineer or an academician for outstanding contribution in the field of avionics and defence electronics that results in strategic and commercial advantage towards meeting the national objective of ‘Make in India’.

“I am proud that Mr Khare has received the award this year. Over the years, HAL has been making concerted efforts in its R&D programs and is also facilitating indigenisation at a greater scale. We are seeing positive results”, says Mr. R Madhavan, CMD, HAL.

Mr. Khare’s remarkable contribution has resulted in establishing two successful avionics product lines (Mission Computers & Solid State Flight Data Recorders) in HAL. The variants of indigenously designed and developed Mission Computers & Solid State Flight Data Recorders have been deployed in different aircraft platforms. Mr Khare works at Mission and Combat System (MCSRDC), HAL’s R&D Centre in Bengaluru.

The awardee list includes Shri P Balasubramanian (2019, Scientist F, DRDO), Shri Amit Tiwari (2018, BEL), Dr Jayakumar M (2017, Scientist G, ISRO) and Ms T S Padma Priya (2016, HAL).

AHSP Transfer of Pinaka Weapon System from DRDO to DGQA

New Delhi. An important milestone was achieved today on September 25 when Authority Holding Sealed Particulars (AHSP) responsibility of Pinaka weapon system was handed over by DRDO to DGQA. AHSP transfer marks successful establishment of production of Pinaka rockets, Launchers, Battery Command Posts, Loader Cum Replenishment and Replenishment Vehicles as well as successful establishment of Quality Assurance processes. AHSP handing over took place at ARDE, Pune wherein the documentation required by various Production agencies, Quality Assurance agencies, Maintenance agencies and Users were formally handed over by ARDE, HEMRL and VRDE to CQA (A).

DRDO officials presenting a memento of Pinaka to the officials of DGQA.

Pinaka is a free flight artillery rocket system having a range of 37.5 km. Pinaka rockets are launched from a multi barrel rocket launcher which has capability to launch salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds. The weapon system is designed and developed by Pune based DRDO lab, Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) in association with HEMRL, VRDE and CAIR. Pinaka rockets and its ground systems are currently under bulk production at Ordnance Factories, BEML, BEL, Tata Power and L&T Defence.

Joining the event by video conferencing Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary DD R&D and Chairman DRDO described the AHSP transfer as a landmark event in the development of Pinaka Rocket Systems and stated that the Pinaka Rocket Systems will go a long way in fulfilling the requirement of services.

File photograph of Pinaka Weapon Firing.

Lt Gen Sanjay Chauhan, Director General of DGQA, Shri CS Vishwakarma, Chairman OFB, Lt Gen K Ravi Prasad, VSM and Director General of Artillery, Shri PK Mehta, Director General of Armament & Combat Engineering Cluster joined the event through video conferencing. Dr V Venkateswara Rao, Director ARDE, Shri KPS Murthy, Director HEMRL, Shri Sangam Sinha, Director VRDE, Shri AV Shinde, Officiating Controller CQA (A) and Smt MGP Dhanraj, DDG, Officiating Controller CQA (ME) were present for the event at ARDE.

Laser-guided ATGM successfully test-fired

New Delhi. Continuing its series of tests of indigenously-developed missiles, India has successfully test fired a laser-guided anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) from the Arjun main battle tank (MBT) the KK Ranges, Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACC&S) at Ahmednagar.

The ATGM “successfully defeated a target located at 3 km. Laser-guided ATGMs lock and track the targets with the help of laser designation to ensure precision hit accuracy”, a Defence Ministry statement said on September 23, a day after the test.

The laser guided anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) being test fired from the Arjun main battle tank (MBT) on September 22nd.

“Congratulations to @DRDO_India for successfully conducting test firing of Laser Guided Anti Tank Guided Missile from MBT Arjun at KK Ranges (ACC&S) in Ahmednagar. India is proud of Team DRDO which is assiduously working towards reducing import dependency in the near future,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.

The missile employs a tandem HEAT (High-speed Expendable Aerial Target) warhead to defeat Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) protected armoured vehicles.

“It has been developed with multiple-platform launch capability and is currently undergoing technical evaluation trials from gun of MBT Arjun,” the Defence Ministry statement said.

The Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) Pune in association with High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) Pune, and Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE) Dehradun have developed the ATGM.

Secretary DDR&D & Chairman DRDO G. Sateesh Reddy also congratulated DRDO personnel and industry on the successful test firing.

The DRDO had also, on September 22, conducted the flight test of the HEAT, named Abhyas, from the Interim Test Range at Balasore in Odisha.

The Abhyas was launched using twin under-slung boosters. Powered by a small gas turbine engine, it has a MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) – based Inertial Navigation System (INS) for navigation along with the Flight Control Computer (FCC) for guidance and control.

The vehicle is programmed for fully autonomous flight and is tracked through a laptop-based Ground Control Station (GCS).

During the test campaign, the user requirement of 5 km flying altitude, vehicle speed of 0.5 mach, endurance of 30 minutes and 2g turn capability were successfully achieved.

On September 7, the DRDO successfully tested a Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle on September, becoming only the fourth nation in the world to possess the capability to do so.

“In a historic mission today (September 7), India successfully flight tested Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), a giant leap in indigenous defence technologies and significant milestone towards a #sashaktbharat and #atmanirbharbharat,” the DRDO had said in a tweet.

“DRDO with this mission, has demonstrated capabilities for highly complex technology that will serve as the building block for NextGen Hypersonic vehicles in partnership with industry,” it added.

Successful flight test of ABHYAS target conducted

New Delhi. The flight test of ABHYAS – High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) – was successfully conducted on September 22 by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from the Interim Test Range at Balasore in Odisha.

The ABHYAS target vehicle (Image: DRDO)

During the trials, two demonstrator vehicles were successfully test flown. The vehicle can be used as a target for evaluation of various missile systems.

“The DRDO achieved a milestone today with the successful flight test of ABHYAS – High Speed Expandable Aerial Target from ITR Balasore. This can be used as a target for evaluation of various Missile systems. Congratulations to @DRDO_India & other stakeholders for this achievement,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.

Abhyas has been designed and developed by the DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE). It is launched using twin under-slung boosters. Powered by a small gas turbine engine, it has a MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) – based Inertial Navigation System (INS) for navigation along with the Flight Control Computer (FCC) for guidance and control.

The vehicle is programmed for fully autonomous flight and is tracked through a laptop-based Ground Control Station (GCS).

During the test campaign, the user requirement of 5 km flying altitude, vehicle speed of 0.5 mach, endurance of 30 minutes and 2g turn capability were successfully achieved, a Defence Ministry statement said.