Indian Military Aviation News and Discussion

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Vol 60, No 2 Commemorative Issue on Golden Jubilee of DRDO

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

ABSTRACT

Aerial Delivery Research & Development Establishment (ADRDE) was started at Kanpur during latter part of 1950Â’s 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 IndiaÂ’s 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- • Development of CADS 1 Ton and

• 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:

• 2000 cum balloon

• Aerostat health monitoring system

• Tether with FORJ

• Winch and mooring system

• Ground support system

• Gas management system

• 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.