[url="http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-144533.html"] India-US begin price negotiations on C-17 airlifter[/url] Quote:By Gulshan Luthra, New Delhi, July 11 : India and the United States have begun talks here on the price and onboard equipment for the 10 Boeing C- 17 military transport aircraft that the Indian Air Force (IAF) wants.
(www.indiastrategic.in), the validation trials of the aircraft were complete and that one United States Air Force (USAF) C-17 which had come to India in this regard last month had met the IAF specifications. The aircraft was tested in short and high altitude runways.
As India is buying the aircraft from the US government under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, the US Department of Defense (DOD) and USAF are leading the discussions from the supplier side and the Indian Ministry of Defence and the IAF are negotiating from the buyer side.
........................
07-16-2010, 09:39 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-16-2010, 09:39 AM by Arun_S.)
[size="2"]IAF fighter deal shortlist unlikely before December[/size]
[url="http://www.tradingmarkets.com/adv.php?ref=%2Fnews%2Fstock-alert%2Fba_dssly_lmt_saabf_iaf-fighter-deal-shortlist-unlikely-before-december-1040126.html"]http://www.tradingma...er-1040126.html[/url]
Recall that Obama will visit India in Nov. So MRCA decision in December means US teens are out of rakoning, because if they were that would be orchestrated as a major deal by Obababa.
[url="http://www.thehindu.com/news/article538127.ece"]Military assistance to Pak not a threat to India: U.S.[/url]
Learnt from a key Indian defense Policy maker that the new F16's delivered to TSP takeoff only after getting approval from on-base American officer, on TSP airfield.
[quote name='Arun_S' date='27 July 2010 - 10:03 PM' timestamp='1280296540' post='107656']
[url="http://www.thehindu.com/news/article538127.ece"]Military assistance to Pak not a threat to India: U.S.[/url]
Learnt from a key Indian defense Policy maker that the new F16's delivered to TSP takeoff only after getting approval from on-base American officer, on TSP airfield.
[/quote]
Pretty strict controls! <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />
08-08-2010, 10:21 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-08-2010, 10:23 PM by Arun_S.)
[quote name='Arun_S' date='01 January 2010 - 11:27 AM' timestamp='1262324972' post='103243']
Yes this engine deal is good balanced decision and very good for India, in both military and geo-political wise.
As regarding MRCA contract Eff-solah(f16) is a sun set craft and exclusive worldwide spare and mfg to India alone will ensure India does not fund/maintain Paki Air Force. Since this will never happen, this is a sure dead end.
F-18 Super hornet with its AESA is a uber-trojen "ghoda" whose "ankhh aur lagaam" will remotely be brain wired with amrikhan. So that is a dead end too. because at time of war the ghoda will inadvertently take "kumbhakaran" property or will fly conflicting duel-control with yindoo pilot and yankee remote control.
Splitting the contract between Mig and French is best military choice as well as strategic.
[/quote]
Looks like the above is being accomplished: With separate ~ 60 Mig-35 being bought from Russia and 128 French Rafael on the well publicized MMRCA deal.
EJ200 for LCA Mk-II will be the other key decision to watch-out
It would be safe to assume either Rafale or EF2K will satisfy our requirements both in its weapons config and multi role capabilities. The answer now should be entirely depend who plays the finesse and wins by way of providing the best future technology transfer with the least catching in our b@lls. Eurofighter seems little pricey, but may be worth in terms of long term life cycle costs.
Rafale is so unfortunate in many aspects even in the other parts of the world where it lost purely because of poor marketing and french politics. This is only getting interesting.
08-10-2010, 11:28 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-10-2010, 11:30 PM by Arun_S.)
Quote:[quote name='Arun_S' date='28 July 2010 - 11:33 AM' timestamp='1280296540' post='107656']
[url="http://www.thehindu.com/news/article538127.ece"]Military assistance to Pak not a threat to India: U.S.[/url]
Learnt from a key Indian defense Policy maker that the new F16's delivered to TSP takeoff only after getting approval from on-base American officer, on TSP airfield.
[quote name='qubit' date='28 July 2010 - 11:51 PM' timestamp='1280340838' post='107662']
Pretty strict controls! ![[Image: laugh.gif]](http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)
[/quote][/quote]
Another one:
[url="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h_Fj7O-jTMl8LvJ6YtlWntmIejOg"]US reassures India on military aid to Pakistan[/url]
Quote:(AFP)
NEW DELHI ââ¬â A senior US defence official sought Tuesday to soothe India's concerns about US weapons supplies to arch-rival Pakistan.
US Undersecretary for Defence Michelle Flournoy told reporters in New Delhi that Washington was "[color="#0000ff"]clearly observing[/color]" how these arms were being used by Pakistan.
The United States is "[color="#2e8b57"]mindful of these concerns as we take steps to support the equipping of Pakistan for the current counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism purposes[/color]," she said at the end of a two-day trip to India.
Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony said last month that the scale of US military assistance to Pakistan was "disproportionate to the war on terror" for which it was intended.
"We feel that there is every possibility of diverting this sophisticated equipment against India," Antony said, during talks with the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen.
India has previously protested the proposed delivery of unmanned US drones to Pakistan.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since the division of the subcontinent in 1947, and their relationship is beset by mutual mistrust.
Washington sees Pakistan as integral to winning the war in Afghanistan, as Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents targeting coalition forces roam the mountainous region dividing the two countries.
Pakistan receives more than one billion dollars a year from Washington for its help combating the Islamist militants.
This is the Indian reaction to the MMRCA leak:
http://www.janes.com/news/defence/jdi/jd..._1_n.shtml
Note that playing down isn't the sme as an outright denial. So there might well be some truth to the IAF's choice.
[quote name='Arun_S' date='10 August 2010 - 10:06 AM' timestamp='1281463131' post='107840']
[/quote]
Another one:
[url="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h_Fj7O-jTMl8LvJ6YtlWntmIejOg"]US reassures India on military aid to Pakistan[/url]
[/quote]
So, the US is closely watching how TSP uses frigates and Harpoon missiles to defeat the Taliban navy and F-16's with AMRAAM's bitterly fighting it out with the Taliban air force for control of the skies along the AfPak border. <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> Truly amazing supervision <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />
08-12-2010, 09:28 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-12-2010, 09:29 PM by Arun_S.)
[url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/IAF-gets-permission-to-fire-at-Naxals-in-self-defence/articleshow/6300253.cms"]IAF gets permission to fire at Naxals in self-defence[/url]
Quote:PTI, Aug 12, 2010, NEW DELHI: The [url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=IAF"]IAF[/url] has got the government's permission to fire back at [url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Naxals"]Naxals[/url] in extremist-hit areas in self-defence, highly-placed [url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Air%20Force"]Air Force[/url] sources said on Thursday.
The government's nod to the IAF's request made in September last year comes at a time when a debate is raging on whether [url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/India"]India[/url] should use its armed forces against left-wing extremists, whom Prime Minister[url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Manmohan-Singh"]Manmohan Singh[/url] has described as the gravest internal security threat.
The IAF currently deploys two of its Mi-17s and two Dhruv helicopters in anti-Naxal operations. It had lost one of its personnel when a helicopter ferrying election officials and material during the Chattisgarh assembly polls was fired at by suspected Naxals a couple of years ago.
The government had given permission to the IAF to defend itself from the extremists' fire and had laid out conditions on the use of small arms in self-defence sometime in October-November last year.
Consequently, the IAF has fitted sideward-mounted machine guns on its helicopters flying in Naxal-affected areas basically for logistics, personnel transport and casualty evacuation of paramilitary forces engaged in fighting the Maoists, the sources said.
These guns would be operated by IAF commandos belonging to Garud units, who would be on board the helicopters every time they go out on sorties, the sources said.
Defence minister[url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=A%20K%20Antony"]A K Antony[/url] had told Parliament in November last year that though no offensive military action had been envisaged while using the IAF helicopters in anti-Naxal operations, there was no specific approval required for action in self-defence.
However, the IAF has proposed a draft 'Rules of Engagement' to regulate such action, in order to avoid any ambiguity and damage to the helicopters or injury to their occupants, he had said replying to members' questions.
Among the conditions laid out were that no indiscriminate firing should be carried out and that the Garuds should be sure of the source of the attack on the helicopters before retaliatory fire was unleashed.
These guidelines were issued to ensure there were no civilian causalities in case the IAF used its guns in self-defence, the defence ministry had explained then.
"The IAF helicopter crew will not use the conventional heavy fire power weapons such as rockets and other guns on board, but only the sideward-mounted machine guns. They will use the weapons only if fired upon," the sources said.
"Fortunately, in these months that we have been allowed to defend our assets, there has been no occasion when we had to use the sideward-mounted guns," they said.
The IAF, the sources said, had obtained the government's approval recently to withdraw 17 of its Mi-17 helicopters that are currently in operation with various UN missions.
Once the number of its helicopters increased, it could think of sparing more choppers for the paramilitary forces that were combating the Maoists after assessing the situation, the sources said.
They said for the use of its helicopters in Maoist-hit areas, the IAF had asked the [url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=state%20police"]state police[/url] and the paramilitary to take a number of precautions such as sanitising the helipad areas.
"If the Naxals have rockets, as it is being suggested, the security forces would sanitise the area up to the range of these rockets, be it 600 metres or more, from the helipads," the sources said.
Admitting that the IAF had imposed an 80-hour per month per helicopter limit for flying, they said it had, in fact, done more hour-sorties in the last four months than the prescribed limit.
The helicopters had done an average of 169 hours in April, 91 hours in May, 118 hours in June and 89 hours in July this year, they said, denying media reports that the IAF had refused to fly in the Naxal-affected regions during certain operations recently.
They said the time limit was set as per IAF's norms for all its helicopters, keeping in mind the maintenance and repairs required for these machines after they had flown for a specified number of hours.
It was also to have a certain number of platforms available for operations at any given time.
"In case of a crisis, like the Leh cloudburst, there is no question of IAF helicopters being denied, so let's not get into a blame game," the sources said.
On the question of paramilitary forces wanting a separate air wing for themselves, the sources said the issue of operating an aircraft or a helicopter fleet was "complicated and not simplistic" as it sounded.
They said an air fleet required a large supply chain for spares, support systems and other logistics, which was not an easy task.
"Some state governments bought helicopters but found it difficult to operate them due to the lack of support systems," they said.
This sudden tilt in favour of the US on all fronts is just not good. The US is noones friend. Time and again they have proven themselves as manipulators who play both sides. Yet our babus don't seem to learn anything.
[quote name='BlessedAgni' date='13 August 2010 - 07:43 AM' timestamp='1281713700' post='107883']
This sudden tilt in favour of the US on all fronts is just not good. The US is noones friend. Time and again they have proven themselves as manipulators who play both sides. Yet our babus don't seem to learn anything.
[/quote]
Why blame the US or the "babus"? What about the trash monkey Indians who've elected and tolorated such a set up? With proper leadership, the "babus" would be give a choice to immediately shape up or be put up against the wall!
[quote name='Mudy' date='11 July 2010 - 09:42 PM' timestamp='1278912869' post='107413']
[url="http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-144533.html"]India-US begin price negotiations on C-17 airlifter[/url]
[/quote]
Scrap the C-17 deal. It's pure bs and the deal stinks of bribery. The C-17 is a sitting duck for MANPADS, whatever the fan-boys (or rent-boys) may say. Further, in warfare, it's logistics that kill you. Why streatch the archaic Indian logistics system just for a few aircraft? The money should instead be spread the buy re-engined IL-76's and more C-130's.
[quote name='qubit' date='14 August 2010 - 09:38 AM' timestamp='1281774630' post='107889']
Why blame the US or the "babus"? What about the trash monkey Indians who've elected and tolorated such a set up? With proper leadership, the "babus" would be give a choice to immediately shape up or be put up against the wall!
[/quote]
True, but then again our electorate is interested in whatever pieces of bread the babus throw at them. A bottle of rum or a sari is normally the case in rural areas. plus stir up the old caste issue and voila, you have been elected. Unlike many countries, our elections are not based on policies of the parties, rather appeasement of the castes - even if the policies are suicidal.
[quote name='qubit' date='14 August 2010 - 03:45 PM' timestamp='1281780474' post='107890']
Scrap the C-17 deal. It's pure bs and the deal stinks of bribery. The C-17 is a sitting duck for MANPADS, whatever the fan-boys (or rent-boys) may say. Further, in warfare, it's logistics that kill you. Why streatch the archaic Indian logistics system just for a few aircraft? The money should instead be spread the buy re-engined IL-76's and more C-130's.
[/quote]
The C-17 is a very capable airplane although it's more strategic airlift which India probably doesn't need at the moment.
Perhaps the Indian government is expecting to help in more global support scenarios (like disaster relief or UN support) and wants the C-17 for that.
I have experience on the 130 and it's a very capable airplane and perfect for the tactical airlift scenarios that India will encounter. For moving supplies to Kashmir from Delhi/North India or the North east (Within the Indian/subcontinent territorial area), the 130 would be perfect for that.
[quote name='agnivayu' date='25 August 2010 - 03:39 AM' timestamp='1282687313' post='108050']
The C-17 is a very capable airplane although it's more strategic airlift which India probably doesn't need at the moment.
Perhaps the Indian government is expecting to help in more global support scenarios (like disaster relief or UN support) and wants the C-17 for that.
[/quote]
Humm talk of helping foriegn (I assume humanitarain) support scenario with spare military equipment, while the military (IAF) itself is starving of transport capability for securing its immediate borders.
IMHO, no point defending the indefensible C17 deal.
08-26-2010, 12:35 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-26-2010, 12:36 AM by Arun_S.)
Over the years, I am convinced the best Indian military option is to mostly co-develop military products with Russia.
In current MMRCA scenario Rafael and Mig35 should split the order, and for transport aircraft co-develop Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA), while standardize on IL76/78 platform in the interim.
If India does need long legs during war/emergency, India already has the law and mechanism in place to requisition (read take over) Indian civilian aircrafts including Airbus A300's and Boeing.
That clips wings to C17 argument even more.
08-26-2010, 06:36 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-26-2010, 06:46 AM by agnivayu.)
[quote name='Arun_S' date='26 August 2010 - 12:36 AM' timestamp='1282762709' post='108061']
Humm talk of helping foriegn (I assume humanitarain) support scenario with spare military equipment, while the military (IAF) itself is starving of transport capability for securing its immediate borders.
IMHO, no point defending the indefensible C17 deal.
[/quote]
Something fishy about the large number of U.S. deals, it could be backroom arm twisting in exchange for the nuclear deal?
I see no reason why India can't have it's own Lockheed-Martin's and Boeing's making aircraft locally. A side benefit would be increase in defense spending will actually stimulate the domestic economy instead of increasing imports.
I hear Russia is unreliable with spares and likes to jack up costs later. Engaging French/Europeans might be good to keep up the competition atleast until 10-20 years from now when most things are made locally. The A-400 looks like a good turboprop transport, although I have never flown in it.
It's easy to tell that most people in the Indian government have no military experience, seeing how negligent they are.
09-11-2010, 10:35 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-11-2010, 10:39 PM by Arun_S.)
Very informative treasure trove on where Indian Military research & dev is going in this Defense Science Journal:
To access the PDF file one need to register (Registration is FREE)
Vol 60, No 2 Commemorative Issue on Golden Jubilee of DRDO
Quote:Review Article
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/326"]Aerial Delivery Systems and Technologies (Review Paper)[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/326/192"]PDF[/url] Balraj Gupta 124-136
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/327"]Advances in High Energy Materials (Review Paper)[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/327/193"]PDF[/url] U.R. Nair, S.N. Asthana, A. Subhananda Rao, B.R. Gandhe 137-151
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/333"]Developments in Pyrotechnics (Review Paper)[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/333/194"]PDF[/url] S.M. Danali, R.S. Palaiah, K.C. Raha 152-158
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/334"]Smart Munitions (Review Paper)[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/334/195"]PDF[/url] C.P. Mahajan, Vaishnavi C. Motghare 159-163
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/335"]Inconsistent Performance of a Tandem-shaped Charge Warhead[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/335/196"]PDF[/url] S. Harikrishnan, K.P.S. Murthy 164-168
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/336"]Design, Development, and Validation of a Vehicle-mounted Hydraulically-leveled Platform[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/336/197"]PDF[/url] K. Senthilkumar, M. Chidanand, P. Nijalingappa, Manish M. Shivhare 169-177
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/337"]Wishbone Structure for Front Independent Suspension of a Military Truck[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/337/198"]PDF[/url] V.V. Jagirdar, M.S. Dadar, V.P. Sulakhe 178-183
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/338"]Active Electronically-steered Array Surveillance Radar: Indian Value Addition (Review Paper)[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/338/199"]PDF[/url] S. Christopher 184-188
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/339"]Battlefield Lasers and Opto-electronics Systems (Review Paper)[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/339/200"]PDF[/url] Anil Kumar Maini 189-196
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/340"]Maximum Likelihood Estimator for Bearings-only Passive Target Tracking in Electronic Surveillance Measure and Electronic Warfare Systems[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/340/201"]PDF[/url] S. Koteswara Rao 197-203
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/341"]Radar Cross-section Measurement Techniques[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/341/202"]PDF[/url] V.G. Borkar, A. Ghosh, R.K. Singh, N.K. Chourasia 204-212
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/342"]Military Malaria in Northeast Region of India (Review Paper)[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/342/203"]PDF[/url] Sunil Dhiman, Indra Baruah, Lokendra Singh 213-218
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/343"]Protected Cultivation for Food and Nutritional Security at Ladakh (Review Paper)[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/343/204"]PDF[/url] Gyan P. Mishra, Narendra Singh, Hitesh Kumar, Shashi Bala Singh 219-225
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/344"]Attributes of Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) to Meet Nutritional Requirements in High Altitude.[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/344/205"]PDF[/url] Tsering Stobdan, Om Prakash Chaurasia, Girish Korekar, Ashish Yadav, Shashi Bala Singh 226-230
Some exceprts from these articles:
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/326"]Aerial Delivery Systems and Technologies (Review Paper)[/url] [url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/326/192"]PDF[/url] Balraj Gupta 124-136
Quote:ABSTRACT
Aerial Delivery Research & Development Establishment (ADRDE) was started at Kanpur during latter part of 1950Ãâs consisting of two Aerial Delivery Sections primarily for the indigenisation of Parachutes and
related equipment for Para-dropping of men and materials. Today, the charter of ADRDE includes design & development of parachutes, Aerostat Systems, Aircraft Arrester Barrier Systems and Heavy-Drop Systems
for both military and civilian applications. The technological competence built in Aeronautical, Textile, Mechanical and Electronics engineering has imparted ADRDE, a unique combination of know-how and capabilities
to evolve new solutions in these fields, with emphasis on quality assurance. This paper highlights the design and development of technologies developed by ADRDE to stengthen the IndiaÃâs aerial delivery system and its future plans
.... 2.1.10 Controlled Aerial Delivery System
The capability of the system is to deliver a payload to a predefined target location. The system is developed
for the payload capacity up to 3000 kg. The Ram Air Parachute with onboard computer & sensors is used for control in
the system.
3. CADS
Airdrop technology is a vital capability for rapid deployment of payloads to predetermined location. To produce
rapidly deployable units, there is a driving need to equip individual payload package with a parachute and guidance & control module so that each system can steer itself to a predetermined location after release from delivery aircraft.
The delivery accuracy of non-steerable (e.g. round) parachute systems is primarily a function of deployment altitude and
the wind conditions encountered during descent. Ram Air Parachutes (RAP) (parafoil) with their abilities of gliding
and soft touch down are occupying the prominent place in airdrop technology as an alternative to round parachutes.
3.1 Description
Presently, the heavier payloads are being dropped using cluster of round canopy parachutes. For this, the
deployment is done at around 380 m altitude and close to desired landing point. The system then lands with the
prevailing wind conditions near the target. The aircraft needs to fly in the proximity of intended target point at
low altitude for the successful and accurate delivery of payload. Wherein, the inherent advantage of (CADS) is
safe and quite delivery without endangering of the aircraft. The CADS aims to deliver the useful payload, to the armed
forces, in a place where delivery by other means is either not possible or inordinate delay would occur. The combat
team assembly time, prior to the start of the mission, is crucial and needs to be minimum. Payload and the team
is despatched together using RAPs. While the commandos steer themselves to the target, the load integrated with
CADS gets directed towards the target. The para team and the load make a touch down near the target within a CEP
(circular error probability) of 100 m. This results in quick assembly time which leads to an effective and fruitful mission.
The CADS with its air-borne unit (ABU) steers its flight path towards predetermined target by operating two of its
control lanyards based on cross-track error, i.e., heading error and altitude. The system uses global positioning system (GPS)
to get the current co-ordinates, altitude, and magnetic heading sensor to get the current heading for its entire control operation.
The system control can also be overtaken in manual mode by ground operator during the terminal phase of flight. The
CADS development needs a suitable size parachute and a mathematical model of parafoil/payload system in terms of
turn rate, glide ratio, and descent rate with respect to different brake conditions and a control law (CLAW).
.... .. Model was also used at ADE, Bangalore
to validate against the trial data. The model was also taken into account for refining the generic control law developed
at ADE Bangalore. The CLAW developed was test flown in the CADS. The CADS for 300 Kg payload have been completed
with 11 successful consecutive trials from altitude up to 7620 m and offset up to 25 km. In the last 2 trials which were from
6705 m, 22 km offset and 7620 m and 25 km offset, respectively, the system landed with CEP of 15 m and 17 m.
Two CADS are available for demonstrations. Interaction with army is underway to demonstrate the technology.
Trials in high altitude area have been successfully carried out at Stakna DZ Leh on 1 April 2009, where two CADS
were dropped at an altitude of 5000 ft AGL with offset of 2-3 km.
.... ... 3.3 Future Plans for CADS
After successful development of CADS for 300 kg payload jointly with ADE, Bangalore, the ADRDE is planning
for the development of the similar kind of system for delivery of heavier payloads up to 3 ton within a CEP of 100 m.
The development is proposed to take place in 2 stages- Ã⢠Development of CADS 1 Ton and
Ã⢠Development of CADS 3 Ton
The CADS 1 Ton will be able to deliver the payload ranging from 700 kg to 1000 kg AUW (all up weight) and
CADS 3 Ton will be able to deliver payload from 1800 kg to 3000 kg (AUW). The useful payload to be delivered by
CADS 1 Ton would range from 400 kg to 700 kg and for CADS 3 Ton it would range from 1300 kg to 2500 kg.
A newer concept is also emerging where the heavy load is released at a reasonable offset and altitude, well
beyond the danger zone and is made to travel at faster rate of descent using CADS allied technology. Once the
system reaches the vicinity of the intended landing area, the RAP opens the conventional round canopy to make
the system touch down softly. This is also one of the future activities under plan at ADRDE
... . .. AWEROSTAT
After this ADRDE developed another aerostat of 250 cum volume, which was similar to 160 cum in many the
aspects but could lift payload of 55 kg. The power-conducting tether had linear mass density of 100 g/m. Fig. 26 shows
the actual photo of 250 cum aerostat in moored condition with dummy payload.
The requirement of lifting heavier payload up to high altitude motivated ADRDE to develop a medium size aerostat.
Presently, it is involved in developing 2000 cum aerostat.
The objective behind this is to design and develop a 2000 cum aerostat platform with payload capacity of 300 kg and
flying at an altitude of 1.0 km AGL. The main components of this system are:
Ã⢠2000 cum balloon
Ã⢠Aerostat health monitoring system
Ã⢠Tether with FORJ
Ã⢠Winch and mooring system
Ã⢠Ground support system
Ã⢠Gas management system
Ã⢠Trailer-mounted silent DG set, etc.
Various sub-systems of this aerostat are ready and trials are planned shortly. The present system being developed
would be cost-effective, requiring less maintenance, and can function round-the-clock.
8.3 Future Plans for Aerostat
In the near term, ADRDE plans to establish the 2000cum aerostat with respect to reliability and usage under different
terrains. This will be followed by development of large size aerostats, which are needed by Air Force. To establish
capability of designing aerostat system for continuous operation (long endurance), higher altitudes, advanced
payloads, and higher reliability will specially call for development of highly reliable fabric material for ultra low helium permeability,
incorporating redundancy, use of high quality and reliable components in critical areas. As per the trend in technology
advancement, the next mission will be 17000 cum (78 m length) aerostat capable to lift 2000 kg payload up to 5
km. Some sub-systems developed for this project will be available directly for large size aerostat. The stable shape
of the balloon is under consideration and will be available for review only after rigorous simulation.
The future in LTA as shown in roadmap holds the development of stratospheric airship (SA). The SA will
operate in a quasi-stationary position at an altitude between 17 and 22 km in stratosphere. The reason for this height
is that the wind velocity profile follows the minima at this altitude and hence power requirement for maintaining the
airship at the desired location is minimum. Number of payloads can be attached on the stratospheric platform.
This is an interesting read to understand the key element of Indian ABM defense
Modelling and Simulation of Multi-target Multi-sensor Data Fusion for Trajectory Tracking
[url="http://publications.drdo.gov.in/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=d-01000-00---off-0defences--00-1--0-10-0---0---0prompt-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about---01-2-1-00-0-0-11-1-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=defences&cl=CL1.59.3"]Defence Science Journal, Vol. 59, No. 3, May 2009, pp. 205-214[/url]
Ãâ 2009, DESIDOC
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