India's Current & Future UAVs & UCAVs

[rahulrds1]

First Flight of UAV Rustom-2 scheduled in February 2014

BANGALORE: The first flight test of indigenously developed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Rustom-2, set to be used solely for defence purposes, would take place in February 2014 as per schedule, a top official said today.

"The first flight of Rustom-2 will take place in February 2014," Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) Director P S Krishnan told reporters on the sidelines of the Aero India seminar here.

Weighing 1.8 tonne, Rustom-2 would have a capacity payload of 350 kg, a wingspan of 21-metre and an endurance of above 24 hours, he said.

Rustom-2 is in the league of US 'Predator' drones because of its advanced capabilities and additional payloads, Krishnan said.

Rustom UAVs could be deployed for military missions like reconnaissance and surveillance, target acquisition, target designation, communications relay, battle damage assessment and signal intelligence, he said.

To a query, Krishnan said DRDO had conducted four test flights of Nishant, fitted with 80 kg engine developed from scratch by ADE and it was ready for serial production and supply to the defence forces.

"We have had four test flights of Nishant which is now fitted with the new indigenous engine. We had to ensure that we get the altitude of 3.7 km so we had to carry some design modification to get the final altitude. Engine performance has been excellent," he said.

"This was the reason we could get to the desired altitude envelop, speeds and also endurance of four and half hours. Everything went well. We have supplied four LSP versions of Nishant to the army and are ready for serial production. The engine was developed over four years and Rs 20-odd crore have been invested on it," Krishnan said.

Asked about the significance of indigenously-made UAV engine, Krishnan said India was purchasing UAV engines from Europe with import content of 5 to 10 per cent.

[economictimes.indiatimes.com]
'First Flight of UAV Rustom-2 scheduled in February 2014' - The Economic Times

 

[Apollyon]

^ India is far behind in developing UAV/UCAV.
I don't know how they gonna pull up AURA USAV by 2018, i am sceptive about these claims.

 

[p2prada]

^ India is far behind in developing UAV/UCAV.
I don't know how they gonna pull up AURA USAV by 2018, i am sceptive about these claims.

Sorry mate. While there is little to show on the ground, our UAV capability is really good.

Just wait for the above systems to mature and you will see for yourself.

 

[Twinblade]

http://aeroindialive.nic.in/show_ondemand.asp?id_episode=2&id_part=2

Skip to 40:00 for a presentation on Indian Unmanned Aerial Systems Roadmap by Mr P Srikumar , ADE, DRDO.

- Rustom-1 technology demonstrator is being seriously considered (which means no orders yet)
- Rustom-2 will carry SAR, ISTAR, MPR, ELINT and CCMINT (? does it stand for command and control mobile integrated network terminal ?) payloads.
- There is a discrepancy in what presenter said and what was seen on slide when talking about endurance. Presenter said 'On target for 36 hours' while the slide quoted an endurance of 24 hrs.
-Rustom-2 altitude stated as 10-11 Km, with a coverage of 10-11 Km wide area at a time.
-A satellite based c&c network is being set up for Rustom-2.
Future roadmap:-

-Didn't say much about the Sudarshan LGB, just had one slide.

 

[mikhail]

Sorry mate. While there is little to show on the ground, our UAV capability is really good.

Just wait for the above systems to mature and you will see for yourself.

sir can you identify this UAV,i mean is it Rustam MALE UCAV?its from the Aero India 2013 exhibition.

 

[Twinblade]

sir can you identify this UAV,i mean is it Rustam MALE UCAV?its from the Aero India 2013 exhibition.

Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ, which was the base for Rustom-1 Technology Demonstrator. It is a manned platform which ADE converted into a UAV.

 

[Abhi9]

sir can you identify this UAV,i mean is it Rustam MALE UCAV?its from the Aero India 2013 exhibition.

it is nal developed light canard research aircraft

 

[Defcon 1]

Wankel engine cleared to power UAVs

The Rs. 2,000-crore Kaveri engine may have eluded our own light fighter plane, the LCA. Now there is the smaller Wankel engine, though, to give some cheer for another reason.

The 55-hp Wankel engine, developed by three national research agencies, has passed muster to power the unmanned aerial vehicles used by the Army and the Air Force. It has been certified to be the engine for all future UAV programmes, according to K. Tamilmani, head of the certifying body for military planes CEMILAC (Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification.)

Wankel is a major achievement for the defence research establishment, Dr. Tamilmani announced at the Aero India seminar here on Monday. This will be used to power the home-grown UAVs Nishant, Lakshya and Rustom-1 and 2 versions used to observe and survey border areas.

The engine has been developed at a cost of Rs. 20 crore by the National Aerospace Labs and the Aeronautical Development Establishment, both based in Bangalore, and the Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, Ahmednagar.

ADE has developed the UAVs. NAL, the prime partner, has transferred the technology to two companies in Hyderabad and Bangalore for production for a trial order of 20.

The engine was test-flown on the ADE's Nishant unmanned air vehicle a few times over the last two years. The UAV reached its targets of 4.5 flying hours and an altitude of 3.6 km. The design of the prototype is frozen for new UAVs and for spares that are in service, said ADE Director P.S. Krishnan.

"Propulsion system is the heart of an aircraft. Until now we were buying [the UAV engine] from Europe. To be indigenised is very important as the airframe and other onboard systems are Indian," Mr. Krishnan said.

"It's an excellent engine in the 80-90-kg thrust class." Such engines also go into powerful racing cars and boats.

Wankel engine cleared to power UAVs | idrw.org

Never posted from this source before, I find them to be over optimistic sometimes. Please tell me if they are reliable enough or not.

 

[Apollyon]

Sorry mate. While there is little to show on the ground, our UAV capability is really good.

Just wait for the above systems to mature and you will see for yourself.

Like ?
The only operational UAV developed by DRDO is Nishant which made it's first flight in 1995 and Rustom-2 is supposed to make it's first flight in somewhere around 2014, 2 decades after.
What progress have we made in development of Electro-Optical/Laser targetting pod ? I see LCH/Rudra to be fitted with Israeli payload.
What about secure communication, either LOS or Satellite ?
Armament ? I read the news of development of a 200km SOM with multiple PGM's (Link), should be for AURA.
Avionics ? RCI should have no problem, i am rather optimistic with this part .
and what experience do we have with flying wing designs ? Development of control laws may face delays.

 

[p2prada]

- Rustom-2 will carry SAR, ISTAR, MPR, ELINT and CCMINT (? does it stand for command and control mobile integrated network terminal ?) payloads.

It is COMINT or Communications Intelligence.

Also, it is supposed to be ISAR, not ISTAR.

Is this in the presentation? Awesome.

- There is a discrepancy in what presenter said and what was seen on slide when talking about endurance. Presenter said 'On target for 36 hours' while the slide quoted an endurance of 24 hrs.

Yup. The standards of the presentation alone was bad.

 

[p2prada]

Like ?

That's what I said. We don't have any thing on the ground to prove it, but our basic technologies have matured a lot since Nishant. In a decade we should be among the top UAV and UCAV designers.

The only operational UAV developed by DRDO is Nishant which made it's first flight in 1995 and Rustom-2 is supposed to make it's first flight in somewhere around 2014, 2 decades after.

Lack of funding and better foreign options.

What progress have we made in development of Electro-Optical/Laser targetting pod ? I see LCH/Rudra to be fitted with Israeli payload.

Due to our smaller budget compared to rivals and adversaries it was deemed unnecessary to re-invent the wheel on technologies that are very easily available. So, we can import these.

What about secure communication, either LOS or Satellite ?

We used a 70 year old technology earlier and moved to a 21st century system only last year. Called the AFNET and later will be integrated with IACCS. All part of our network centric warfare doctrine. Our UAVs and UCAVs will be controlled by MKI pilots along with ground controllers in the future.

Satellite comm will come once Super MKI and FGFA come into the picture. Pretty much the first aircraft in the world with full fledged satellite comm capability.

Armament ?

Indian and mostly imported. We can use Nag and Sudarshan equipped bombs. Imports, there are so many options.

and what experience do we have with flying wing designs ? Development of control laws may face delays.

Our first step in this field, but it is not as complicated as you think, especially after having garnered experience with LCA and other UAV programs.

Let's see how this progresses.

My point is we are not jumping into it like we did with LCA. We have a strong foundation today. So, that helps a lot.

 

[Twinblade]

It is COMINT or Communications Intelligence.

Also, it is supposed to be ISAR, not ISTAR.

Is this in the presentation? Awesome.

Yes it was. The video was pretty low resolution so yeah I might have read COMINT as CCMINT and ISAR as ISTAR.
Also a cheaper target UAV as an alternative to Lakshya was being talked about. I think it will be up for exhibition at Aero India.

 

[sasi]

 

[sasi]

Did anybody watched discovery abt DRDO? Watched last 3min only!
Tidbits~
rustom 1 endurance 15hrs. rustom 2 endurance-30hrs and its payload-350kgs.some of rus 2 technologies tested in rus 1.
Robatic daksh,graphic of submersible usv,some 2 or 3 types of small robts,target drone ,nishant,netra also shown.

 

[Coalmine]

India's 'Predator' To Take Off In A Year

India's Rustom-2/H medium altitude long endurance UAS is scheduled to make its first flight in February 2014. As I've reported here before, the platform will be built in two variants, a base surveillance version and an armed strike version on the lines of the MQ-1 Predator. Prototypes will begin ground testing and ground systems checks in August this year, according to ADE officials I spoke to at Aero India. The picture here is from a poster I saw detailing the platform's landing gear.

In June last year, I picked up this slide that for the first time articulates the Rustom-2/H's strike profile. And in April 2011, I'd chanced upon information about a stand-off extended range version of the HELINA anti-armour weapon that would be potentially integrated on the Rustom-2/H in the future.

Livefist: India's 'Predator' To Take Off In A Year

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Lakshaya is not a target vehicle itself but it tow targets under its wing and release them at designated area, Where as this system is itself a target..

Also a cheaper target UAV as an alternative to Lakshya was being talked about.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Just little bigger and brighter..

 

[bhramos]

[video=youtube_share;zesm2HYhbz0]http://youtu.be/zesm2HYhbz0[/video]

 

[Defcon 1]

Certificate for Provisional Clearance for Limited Series Production of Wankel Engine for Nishant UAV- A CSIR-DRDO Partnership

The auditorium at ADE "Sameeksha" was witness to a significant event that took place on 7th February 2013 at 8.00pm. The provisional clearance certificate was issued to the indigenous 55hp wankel rotary combustion engine which was developed under a joint program between CSIR- NAL and DRDO for the Nishant UAV built by ADE, DRDO. This event attains significance due to the fact that very few engines developed in the country have been issued flight clearance by CEMILAC, the certification wing of the DRDO. The occasion was chaired by Dr V K Saraswat, SA to RM, DG DRDO. Dignitaries who attended the event included Shri G Elangovan, CC R&D (Avionics & Aero), Shri PS Krishnan, Director, ADE, Shri Shyam Chetty, Director, NAL, Dr Manmohan Singh, Director, VRDE, Dr. C.P. Ramnarayanan, Director, GTRE and Dr K Tamilmani, CE CEMILAC. Representatives from NAL, CEMILAC, VRDE & ADE were present for the occasion. The SA in his key note address spoke on the importance of collaborative work culture.

The Wankel engine has been actively considered for powering light aircraft and UAVs in view of its unique advantages such as a relatively small size and a correspondingly high specific output. In view of the salient features of the engine which makes it a suitable power plant for light weight aviation, an indigenous wankel engine development program was initiated by DRDO. The program to design and develop a flight worthy wankel engine was jointly taken up by CSIR-NAL, VRDE, and ADE. NAL, with its earlier exposure while working on Wankel engine for hang glider, took up the development of core engine for DRDO.

NAL designed and developed the core engine, VRDE and ADE were in-charge of peripheral systems and flight testing respectively. As per the MOU two flight worthy proto type engines were delivered. The first engine successfully completed a 40 min maiden flight on 31st march 2009 at the Kolar airfield. The UAV was recovered safely at the intended place at the dried-up Muduvadi Lake. The flown engine underwent 20 hours and 10 hours of pre and post flight tests respectively. The post-flight test was carried out confirmed that the engine's performance was matching with the pre-flight performance.

Based on the NAL Design, DRDO initiated fabrication of 20 engines with help of a Hyderabad based private firm.

The second flight test of the engine was carried out on 20th June 2012 .The flight took off at 1430 hrs in the afternoon and climbed to an altitude of 1.9 km. The total mission duration was 1 hour 45 min.

The first three engines produced by DRDO based on NAL design, also flight tested and the flight tests were up to requirements of the mission. Subsequently, CEMILAC accorded Certificate for 'Limited Series Production' on 7th February 2013.

The Wankel engine is the first of its kind that was totally designed and developed in the country. This type of engines are used for powering smaller air vehicles, UAVs, target drones and also in automotive (Mazda, and Racing Cars), out-board motor for boats and other industrial applications in particular for power generation, typically up to 80 kW.

NAL-Information Pasteboard

 

[Abhi9]