Missile Talk

nandu

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2009
Messages
1,913
Likes
163
Air defense is a cumbersome business, except when it comes to manpad (man-portable) surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). These weapons were made famous by the service of the American Stinger missile in Afghanistan, although the weapon predates the arrival of the Stinger by almost 15 years. These weapons, short-ranged and mostly heat-seeking, are deadly to helicopters and represent the handiest air defense weapon around. It is becoming increasingly common to combine several tubes of these missiles with an autocannon into a relatively cheap truck-mounted anti-aircraft system. In any future conflict between India and Pakistan, or even between India and well-armed Pakistani proxies, these missiles will pose a serious threat to low flying ground attack planes and helicopters. Indeed, they have already been put to use in the 1999 Kargil War

India

The main manpad system of India is the Russian-made SA-18, introduced in 1983. These are armed with a contact or close proximity fused 2.6 lbs warhead, and the overall system weighs 24 lbs. They have a ceiling of 11,000 feet, a 3.2 mile range, and a top speed of Mach 2. They use a two-color heat sensor, and an earlier version of this missile successfully shot down a Royal Air Force Tornado in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. That version, the SA-16, was believed to have a 1 in 4 chance of hitting an evading target using IR countermeasures, such as flares. The SA-18's kill probability is unknown, except that it is widely agreed to be better. There are some SA-16s and the even older SA-7 Grails still in the inventory, but these have been almost completely replaced by the modern SA-18.

Pakistan

Pakistan also has quite a few old manpad SAMs, such as the Soviet-era SA-7 Grail and the US counterpart, the Redeye. Their principal modern manpad SAM is the Stinger. First introduced in 1981, it is the single most successful missile of its type, reporting over 270 kills. It saw some service during the 1999 Kargil War. The Stinger has a 6.6 lbs warhead and overall weighs 33.2 pounds. It has a 3 mile range, a ceiling of 12,500 feet, and a top speed of Mach 2.2. The warhead uses a contact fuse, and the Pakistani version is reputed to have an improved IR seeker.

RESULTS: PAKISTAN WINS!

This is one instance where the old Indian reliance on Russian-made weapons does them serious disservice. The SA-18 is great in the two categories its design has in mind: low weight. It is markedly lighter easier to carry. In theory, that means a foot-mobile unit could carry more of them. However, for a motorized or mechanized unit, or in a light anti-aircraft vehicle mounting, this is a negligible consideration. The Stinger, on the other hand outscores the SA-18 in every category of performance. It has a bigger warhead, and can fly faster, further, and higher. It also has a spectacular combat record.
Source:Global security.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
29,797
Likes
48,276
Country flag
can you give details on the numbers by both sides?? Many of the stingers given to Pakistan/Afghanistan were taken back by USA, a special fund was setup by CIA just for this reason.
 

nandu

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2009
Messages
1,913
Likes
163
You are right LF. The Central Intelligence Agency supplied nearly 500 Stingers (some sources claim 1,500–2,000) to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan during Operation Cyclone, the Soviet war in Afghanistan, in the 1980s. These are thought to have had a decisive impact on the war. After the 1989 Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the United States attempted to buy back the Stinger missiles, with a 55 million dollar program to buy back around 300 missiles (US$183,300 each).The U.S. government collected most of the Stingers it had delivered, but some of them found their way into Iran, Qatar and North Korea. However, efforts to recover missiles after the end of hostilities proved incomplete. The battery of a Stinger lasts for four or five years, so any weapons supplied in the 1980s would now be inoperative. However, local indigenous version of Stinger missiles fielded by the Pakistani Army was used in the Kargil War and shot down an Indian Air Force Mi-8 Helicopter and a MiG-21 aircraft, as well as damaging a Canberra reconnaissance aircraft. Pakistan has begun phasing out its inventory of the original American made models completely. The Pakistan indigenous Stinger missile is said to contain an improved IR seeker to better follow its intended target
 
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
29,797
Likes
48,276
Country flag
Atom smasher cranks up to record energy levels: CERN

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Atom_smasher_cranks_up_to_record_energy_levels_CERN_999.html

Atom smasher cranks up to record energy levels: CERN

The world's most powerful atom smasher has been brought up to a record energy level, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research said Friday, in readiness for collisions that could generate new discoveries in particle physics.

"At just after 5.20 this morning, two 3.5 TeV proton beams successfully circulated in the Large Hadron Collider for the first time," said CERN in a statement.

"This is the highest energy yet achieved in a particle accelerator, and an important step on the way to the start of the LHC research programme," it said.

"The first attempt to collide beams at 7 TeV (3.5 TeV per beam) will follow on a date to be announced in the near future," it added.

The particle collider -- inside a 27-kilometre (16.8-mile) tunnel straddling the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva -- is aimed at understanding the origins of the universe by recreating the conditions that followed the Big Bang.

The collider was revived after a 14-month breakdown last November, following a technical glitch that put it out of action days after it was launched in September 2008.

"We have crossed an important milestone that showed that we can reach an energy of 3.5 TeV," CERN spokesman James Gillies told AFP.

"But there are still some tests to be done before the collisions," he said adding that these collisions would not happen for "around ten days."

Before the LHC experiment, no particle accelerator had exceeded 0.98 TeV. One TeV is the equivalent to the energy of motion achieved by a flying mosquito.
 
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
29,797
Likes
48,276
Country flag
India's Strategic Deterrent: Continued Concerns?

http://www.boloji.com/analysis2/0546.html

India's Strategic Deterrent: Continued Concerns?

The huge controversy over credibility of India's thermo nuclear test was cleared by the former Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar in a recent interview to Karan Thapar in Devil's Advocate a popular programme on India's premier English news channel, CNN IBN. Mr Kakodkar went even further to state that deterrence is guaranteed. "I think that is guaranteed. Army should be fully confident. There is no doubt about the arsenal at their command." he said and went on to add that the country had not just one thermo nuclear device but in, "plural".

Failure of two successive Agni-II missile, on May 19 and November 23 and reports of Pakistani nuclear arsenal of 70-90 warheads as compared to India's 60-80 has led to some internal debate as per a report in the Times of India. Senior officers seemed to play down the apprehensions thus, ''Nuclear weapons are not war-fighting weapons. But without reliable and secure ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) and SLBMs, it's difficult to even brandish a credible deterrent.'' ''Even a small stockpile of nuclear warheads, whether they are 25 kiloton fission bombs or the much-larger thermonuclear ones, is enough to deter an adversary only if you have tried and tested delivery systems and command and control structures for an effective second-strike,'' he added as per the Times of India.

DRDO chief V K Saraswat reiterated that, ''In terms of deterrence, India has the capability which it needs to have. Any deterrence is the function of what is the threat against which you are creating it and in that particular aspect, we are totally self-sufficient,'' said Saraswat as reported by Rajat Pandit wrote in the Times issue on 16 December 2009.

Technically India is having only two operational missiles and a fighter aircraft that is the Prithvi and Agni I with a maximum limitation of range of 700 kms. Given that these would be normally deployed approximately 200 kms on own side of the boundary, the range restrictions would imply an effective operational range of just about 500 kms that would considerably reduce deterrence which would have to be overcome by speedy operationalizing of the Agni II which has a 2000 kms range and also Agni III which is still undergoing trials.

In terms of developing a sea based triad, there was some good news as the Russian Navy formally inducted Akula-II class attack submarine `K-152 Nerpa' which is being leased to Indian Navy for a 10-year period. India's first-ever indigenous nuclear submarine, aptly named INS Arihant (annihilator of enemies) is also likely to be inducted in another two years or so. The Navy plans to have three SSBNs (nuclear-powered submarines with long-range strategic missiles) and six SSNs (nuclear-powered attack submarines) in the long-term.

Operations at sea need sufficient experience particularly in terms of operating complex and highly dangerous systems as nuclear submarines, therefore the Indian Navy's leasing of the Akula class from Russia will provide it the necessary experience before it is able to induct the indigenous submarine in two to three years. Given the need to ensure high degree of safety of the nuclear submarine, this would provide a hands on experience to the Indian Navy for nuclear submarine operations thereby ensuring that the Indian nuclear submarine, Arihant would be operational as soon after launch thereby cutting back on induction time. Since the design of the Arihant is based on the same pattern as that of the Akula this would be a very useful lease for the Navy.

India successfully test fired 'Dhanush', with a range of 350 km, from a naval ship. The Dhanush is a short-range, sea-based, liquid-propellant ballistic missile, a naval variant of the Prithvi series. In its current configuration, the Dhanush variant is 9.0 m in length, 1.1 m in diameter, and weighs between 4,000 and 4,600 kg. It uses a single-stage, liquid-propellant engine, giving it a maximum range of 350 km with an accuracy of 50 m CEP and payload of 500 kgs.

Reports indicate the possibility of a two stage version, the first being solid fueled and the second liquid. The missile's warheads are nuclear, high-explosive, or sub munitions. The missile can also be equipped with multiple payloads, to be dispensed during its flight. The use of high-explosive and sub munition warheads enables the Dhanush to be used against airfields, manufacturing complexes, and military units, as well as enemy ships. The utility of the Dhanush missile as a nuclear deterrent is limited given that it has a short range, has to be fired from a ship which itself is vulnerable and a large target or targets can also be taken on by land based Prithvi missile as well.

It is evident that India is looking for a nuclear submarine for long to establish the triad of nuclear capacity with the missile and aircraft option operationalized as of now. However the failure of the Agni II a 2000 km missile in trials recently has raised concerns about the viability of even a dyad or one with very limited range. Therefore it would be imperative to underline the challenges faced in the strategic field by the country given lack of an effective missile and sea based deterrent. The growing need for enhancing capacities in these spheres thus is underlined.
 
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
29,797
Likes
48,276
Country flag
After Russia and Israel, India to develop missiles with France-Maitri

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a...ndia-to-develop-missiles-with-france/629252/0

After Russia and Israel, India to develop missiles with France


After moving ahead with similar projects with Russia and Israel, India is set to finalise a missile co-development project with France to manufacture a new range of Short Range Surface to Air Missiles (SRSAM) for the armed forces. The joint project, which will involve the DRDO and French missile manufacturer MBDA, is likely to be finalised within the next few months.

While India and France initiated the project in 2007 — it is mentioned in the joint statement on defence cooperation between the countries — the project has taken more than three years to finalise. Sources say that the final terms of the agreement are in the process of being finalised. The next generation air defence missile, which will be inducted by the Army, Navy and Air Force, could also be made available for export.

The joint development is likely to take the course of the Indo-Russian Brahmos supersonic cruise missile project that has already borne fruit for the DRDO. India has also recently signed a deal with Israel to co develop a long range surface to air missile to protect its warships and vital assets on the ground.

The Indo-French missile, which has tentatively been named 'Maitri', will replace the ageing arsenal of Russian missiles that are currently being used by the armed forces to protect airfield and other vital installations. Sources said that the project could be signed as early as August this year to kick start the manufacturing of the missile.

Over the past three years, MBDA and DRDO have finalised the design and performance parameters of the missile to suit the needs of the armed forces. Besides providing the armed forces with a modern air defence missiles, the project will also add a new capability with France that presently does not have a similar missile in production.

India and France are also close to signing an estimated $ 2.2 bn deal to modernise the fleet of Mirage 2000 fighters.
 

A.V.

New Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
6,503
Likes
1,157
MBDA is quite a pro in developing missile systems so the step is good but what other clauses are there in the contract the possibility of 3rd party sales , tech transfer and more because dont ant the potential enemy gaining access to such systems through third parties as brahmos is so well planned out and developed this will also be a great success i hope
 

Patriot

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2010
Messages
1,761
Likes
544
Country flag
India and France to Develop SRSAM Jointly

ndia Defence Online, New Delhi — India and France are aiming at finalising a missile co-development project for the manufacturing of a new range of Short Range Surface to Air Missiles (SRSAM) for the Indian Armed forces. In the coming months, the co-development project of SRSAM, which was initiated three years back, will finally take off since terms and agreements are being cleared between the two nations.

The SRSAM joint development project will involve India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the French missile maker MBDA.

The manufacturing of the Indo-French missile, called "Maitri", will be replacing the OSA-AK Soviet-era missile defence systems with India. This co-development project will also lend further mileage to MBDA's credibility in missile development since it has not produced a similar missile before this project.

As of now, MBDA and the DRDO have finalised the design and performance parameters of the missile that can be of optimal use to the Indian Armed forces. The current Russian missiles are used for protection of airfields and other crucial installations.

The Indo-French missile is aimed at giving more advanced defending capabilities to India's vital assets, VVIP complexes as well as provide mobile air cover to troops in operations. The missile is also being considered for exports.

Earlier this year, the DRDO and MBDA put together the work-share proposal and identified all collaborative development areas. Both the parties are fully prepared to complete development and the first phase of testing within three years from the time the project is given formal sanction by the Cabinet.

The "Maitri" programme will incorporate baseline technologies from the "Trishul" SAM programme and it envisages the sale of certain key technologies by MBDA to DRDO like the seeker, endgame avionics, thrust vector control and propulsion modifications.

According to preliminary reports, the "Maitri" missile will be built with two basic variants which includes a ship-borne point defence and tactical air defence version for the Navy and a land-based self-propelled (wheeled and tracked) launcher-based system for the Air Force and Army.




http://indiadefenceonline.com/1984/india-and-france-to-develop-srsam-jointly/
 

Agantrope

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Messages
1,247
Likes
77
MBDA is quite a pro in developing missile systems so the step is good but what other clauses are there in the contract the possibility of 3rd party sales , tech transfer and more because dont ant the potential enemy gaining access to such systems through third parties as brahmos is so well planned out and developed this will also be a great success i hope
Potential adversaries wont get access to that technology for sure. $$$$$$ plays a big game. India itself a big customer, might the countries like singapore and some nato nations may get it
 

plugwater

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2009
Messages
4,154
Likes
1,081
DRDO labs and ADA should work on niche technologies

India's home-grown fighter aircraft programme crossed another milestone last week when the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas flew for the first time, in the configuration in which it would be delivered to the Indian Air Force (IAF). However, an enormous amount of flight testing remains. The fighter aircraft, long criticised for the delay in development, may finally enter IAF squadrons by the first quarter of 2011, says PS Subramanyam, director of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) which heads the programme. Still, at a time when ADA is embarking on newer, more ambitious projects like the Unmanned Combat Aircraft and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft besides the upgraded LCA Mark-II, Subramanyam tells FE's Ajay Sukumaran he is confident the growth of the domestic aerospace industry will change the way such programmes are run. Excerpts:

The LCA programme has been a trigger for the growth of the domestic private industry in the aerospace sector. Now, the national civil aircraft project envisages private partnership from design to production. How do you see the industry's capability now?

The return on investment is enormous. Today, the volume of investment the industry is getting because of our nurturing is huge. Because of the programme, today we have people in the the industry to absorb the defence offsets.

About 70-80% of the avionics equipment (on the LCA) are made outside defence PSUs. The cabling, piping, everything is done outside. I would say more than 50-60% of the effort and materials are coming from the private industry. Today, you name any class of avionics equipment for fighter aircraft, the private industry is fully capable of design, development, certification, qualification and production. This is the capability that today I can claim India has.

In your opinion, what's the next step for the private industry?

My vision is that Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) labs and ADA should work on niche technologies like the Active Electronically Scanned Array radar technology. The PSUs should be able to convert that technology into some kind of production process. Once that is done, it should go into the private industry. The first level of productionisation has a lot of uncertainty and defence PSUs have the resilience to absorb that. No private firm is ready to get into this because it has to incur losses. Once it is productionised, everybody can get into it. This should be our chain of activity.

But most of the design and development expertise is still in the public sector domain? How will that change?

Coming to deep design, the private firms will say they are responsible to their shareholders and that the user has not fully defined his requirements because it is not possible to define requirements in full terms.

The strategy is we become the systems specifiers. We will carry out the first 20% of a design job and detail it for them. Again, when the parts come, the integration and testing of the aircraft is our responsibility. Now, I would say 30% we have to do, 70% they can. That kind of capacity exists and we are tapping that.

When do you see that happening?

LCA Mark-II may see this 30-70 operationalisation because we don't have so many resources. The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme is coming, as is the Unmanned Combat Aircraft. There are not enough people and the project directors are talking to the private industry to work in that kind of a 30-70 mode. The 30% basically constitutes the part I have to design—a flying machine, an aerodynamic configuration to match the user requirement. This technology is still held between some of the defence PSUs and government institutions. This is not there with the private industry.

But let me tell you one thing. There is a thinking that these government people are hesitant to take the private industry into confidence. But there are so many gaps in the way they understand airworthy requirements.

When we started with a private company for total software development of an electronic equipment, the multifunctional display, in the first phase my people did 80% of the job. Every time the work was given to them, it was brought back with mistakes. Our team was fed up. In phase two, for the development of software for a higher version, it was 50-50. Today, it is almost 10-90. We have to go through this.

What is the status of the Unmanned Combat Aircraft and the advanced Medium Combat Aircraft?

(The Indian) Air Force is now working on the refinement of the user requirements and we are doing all the technology studies. Probably, in another 6 months to one year, realisable technological specifications could evolve. With the MCA too, our proposal is to catch up with fifth-generation technologies. Probably, within 12 months, we should be able to give a proposal to the government to get the full-fledged funding for the advanced MCA.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/drdo-labs-and-ada-should-work-on-niche-technologies/631146/0
 

youngindian

Senior Member
Joined
May 6, 2009
Messages
1,365
Likes
77
Country flag
MBDA Eyes Stronger Ties With India

European missile manufacturer MBDA says it will transfer all the "sensitive" technology India requires to produce the Maitri short-range, surface-to-air-missile, such as the seeker and thrust vector control system.

India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) will be prime on the project, with Bharat Dynamics Ltd. as the production partner. The choice of radar will be an Indian one.

This is the first co-development by MBDA outside of its core partner countries. "Ours is an open strategic partnership, which is not the case [with] others," says Loic Piedevache, head of MBDA in India, perhaps referring to the agreement by India and Israel for a longer-range version of the extended-range Barak ship defense system for the Indian Air Force.

MBDA is looking at 30 projects in India, ranging from the request for information (RFI) stage to active trials. They include M-2000, SM-39 Exocets (36 Nos) for Scorpene submarines, and the ATAM (Air-To-Air Missile) for the Advance Light Helicopter (ALH).

Having won the ATAM (84 Nos) project for the ALH in 2006 for the army and the air force, the first firing has been performed using mock-ups. "We are waiting for live firing at the end of the year," Piedevache says. Based on the Mistral 2 "fire-and-forget" missile with its advanced infrared seeker, the ATAM was developed by MBDA as the first helicopter-borne air-to-air missile system.

"We hope the ATAM will be fitted on the Light Combat Helicopter when it is ready, as there will be commonality in the equipment, benches, [and] spares," Piedevache says.

ATAM is lightweight, providing the capability to intercept both helicopters and fighter aircraft at a range of up to 6.5 km. (4 mi.).

MBDA says it is in discussion with the Indian Defense Ministry for offsets for the Mica missile as part of the Mirage 2000 upgrade. Jaguars (100) are also on offer for the upgrade of the advanced short-range air-to-air missile (Asraam). The Indian air force wants to replace the Matra R550 Magic-II short-range missile with Asraam missiles. The year-old RFP is under technical evaluation.

Meanwhile, an agreement was signed in December last year with MDL to transfer production of the Milan anti-tank missile to India.

Piedevache says India is the biggest in terms of priority and "will soon become part of the MBDA structure. We don't want to be a supplier but want to be involved in co-production, indigenization and have a footprint here. India is the fifth pillar in our structure after the four domestic countries [U.K., France, Italy, and Germany.]"

MBDA will announce its joining with a local partner by end of the year, Piedevache says. "[The] private sector has industrial capacity," he says. "Many of them want to be in the missile sector and are looking for tie-ups. Our cooperation agreement will be after we get approval of the French government to locally develop and transfer design and production."

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gene...s/awx/2010/06/08/awx_06_08_2010_p0-232603.xml
 

plugwater

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2009
Messages
4,154
Likes
1,081
India's innovative nuclear power reactor

People waiting for a nuclear renaissance expect that the new reactors on the drawing board should assure a very high level of safety and security; they must have the ability to perform with a lower level of technological infrastructure prevailing in several developing countries; they must have high fuel use efficiency and superior waste disposal options.

"The development of the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor, AHWR300-LEU, is an effort to realize these futuristic objectives through innovative configuration of present day technologies," Anil Kakodkar and Ratan Sinha, the designers of India's innovative nuclear reactor wrote in the May 2010 issue of Nuclear Engineering International.

They called the reactor India's passive breeder.

"As a result of its fuel mix and fuel breeding properties, the 300 MWe plant requires 42 per cent less mined uranium per unit of energy produced than a modern high burn up PWR", they added.

AHWR300-LEU with an estimated design life of 100 years is a vertical, pressure tube type, boiling light water-cooled, heavy water- moderated reactor with reduced environmental impact. It has many features which are likely to reduce both its capital and operating costs.

The designers have eliminated primary coolant pumps and drive motors and related control and power supply equipment, thereby saving the electric power to run them. This helps to reduce cost and to enhance reliability.

The use of heavy water at low pressure reduces the potential for leakages. The heat generated in the moderator will be recovered and used for heating the feed-water.

Quick replacement

The shop assembled-coolant channels have features which enable quick replacement of pressure tubes alone without affecting other components.

The design objective of the reactor is to require no exclusion zone beyond the plant boundary. The reactor will use natural circulation to remove heat from its core under operating and shut down conditions. In case the primary and the secondary shut down systems are not available due to the failure of all active systems or malicious employee action, passive injection of a "poison" — a high neutron absorbing liquid, in to the moderator will shut down the reactor.

When the reactor operates, its core will be very hot. Coolant removes the heat. If coolant is not available due to a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA), the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) will remove heat by passive means.

If the primary coolant tube ruptures, a large flow of water from accumulators will cool the reactor initially. Later, the core will be cooled by the injection of cold water from a 7000 cubic metre Gravity Driven Water Pool (GDWP) located at the top of the reactor building. After that, the passive containment cooling system (PCCS) provides long term containment cooling. GDWP serves as passive water sink giving a grace period of three days.

The reactor has a double containment with an elegant design which assists the formation of a passive water seal in the event of a loss of coolant accident. The seal isolates the reactor containment and the external environment, preventing the spread of radioactivity.

Fission of Uranium-233

The reactor fuel on an average contains 19.75 per cent of enriched uranium and the balance thorium oxide. A significant fraction of the reactor power, about 39 per cent, comes from the fission of Uranium-233 derived from in-situ conversion of thorium-232.

The reactor physics design has inherent safety characteristics during all conditions likely to be encountered during startup, shutdown and LOCA.

During an interview, Dr Sinha has stated that the scientists and engineers at BARC have designed a novel advanced heavy water reactor to burn thorium ( IEEE Spectrum, 2008)

"They say that because no reactor in the world today uses thorium on a large scale, they will be breaking new ground", he added

Currently BARC has the facility for large scale validation work.

Partly as a result of this, the reactor can achieve commercial operation by 2020.Indian scientists have been exploring various fuel cycle options for improved versions of AHWR.

AHWR300-LEU has all the safety features of AHWR. It also helps in thorium utilization.

It produces much less plutonium and minor actinides compared to Pressurized Water Reactors(PWR) which is the mainstay internationally. In view of that, this reactor is more proliferation resistant.

Since minor actinides (which have relatively long half life) are less than those in PWR, it is a better choice from considerations of waste management.

AHWR300-LEU has better reactor physics characteristics.

http://www.hindu.com/seta/2010/06/10/stories/2010061050631600.htm
 

Yusuf

GUARDIAN
Super Mod
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
24,324
Likes
11,757
Country flag
India is doing some serious research for sure in the nuke reactor field. I am sure in 15 odd years from now, India will have its hands full supplying to a lot of customers all over the world its highly efficient nuke reactors.
 

EagleOne

Regular Member
Joined
May 10, 2010
Messages
886
Likes
87
EADS set to open third research centre in Bangalore

Bangalore is set to have another aerospace research centre from the stables of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS). While talk about this has been doing the rounds for a while, the company said it's ready to open the EADS Defence and Security (EADS-DS) competence centre. It was announced at the ongoing Berlin air show.
The centre will come up initially at the Airbus Engineering Centre on Old Madras Road. It'll be the third EADS facility here — the other two being Airbus centre and EADS Research and Technology Centre.
The new one will be a product development centre with products for global and European markets and eventually the Indian market too. It will effectively be part of the global research & product development chain of the parent EADS. The centre will start with about 15 engineers and scale up to 250.
EADS officials said the new centre will come up regardless of whether the EADS Eurofighter will be selected by the Indian Air Force which is looking at purchasing 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft. "Our presence is part of a long-term strategy," officials said.
EADS has ongoing partnership with Defence Research and Development Organisation and Defence Avionics Research Establishment and is supporting the Light Combat Aircraft programme.
EADS had come in for LCA flight test work previously and has now been approached to assist in the LCA naval version programme.
 

Patriot

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2010
Messages
1,761
Likes
544
Country flag
India's nuclear deterrence lacks capability: Analyst

BY:IANS

India's nuclear deterrence lacks capability and the country needs to build up its stockpile of fissile material to correct this, a leading defence analyst said Monday.

"We need to build up our fissile material stockpiles because our deterrence lacks capability," Brig. (retd) Gurmeet Kanwal said at a seminar here on "Nuclear Arsenals post 2010"³ organised by the Indian Navy-funded National Maritime Foundation.

Kanwal noted in this context that India lacked nuclear submarines capable of launching SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) that are considered the most credible form of deterrence in case of a nuclear attack.

As Rear Admiral (retd) K. Raja Menon put it, an SLBM "is the most stabilising element of a second strike capability" in case of a nuclear attack.

India has repeatedly said that it would not be the first to use nuclear weapons in case of a war with Pakistan but experts point out that given its limited delivery capabilities of delivering these from the air or from the ground, this would make the country vulnerable in case of war.

Urging greater transparency in the decision making process on building a credible deterrence against a nuclear attack, he deprecated the fact that the armed forces were kept out of the process.

"The armed forces stay out of the discussions because they take their lead from their political masters. Transparency leads to greater credibility," maintained Kanwal, who heads the Indian Army-funded think tank Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS).

Bharat Karnad, another analyst, concurred with Kanwal.

"Much of the strategising (on countering a nuclear threat) is done outside of the armed forces. But then, the Indian military mirrors the political confusion in the country," he said.

"There is too much of nuancing rather than getting about making a deterrent a deterrent," he added.






http://idrw.org/?p=2034
 

kallol

New Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2010
Messages
4
Likes
0
Homeland Security - Technology Enablement

I have been a Scientist in Government organization for long time. During my tenure in Government I had suggested a comprehensive network of arrays for peninsular India to identify and track unknown vessels (only bigger vessels) which will provide the much needed security during war. I believe that a similar prototype is being tested.

With the Mumbai incident, I was wondering if we can have some monitoring systems like the
geostationary satellites which will keep constant watch on the crucial and troubled areas.
However geostationary satellites can only be at 36000 kms above and might not have the right
resolutions to be effective.

It occurred to me that blimps with right sensors can act as low height geostationary
station.



These can be deployed over cities, forests, coastline, LOC and other vital strategic places.
Being at a height of 25 km, it is beyond reach of guns, fighter aircrafts, civil aircrafts, etc. These
blimps can stay afloat and keep its position for 7-10 years with solar energy supplement. They
can be brought down in a controlled way to replenish and redeploy. These can also be
controlled to move from one place to another.

Having the right sensors, cameras and SARs, these can be deadly tools against terrorism, Naxals, poachers, riots and other crimes. It can also monitor 24X7 the LOC and the ocean passages.

Hardly any technology is there to detect small dingies, LOCs forests effectively. These blimps can be the right tools to control these menaces.

Now we have all the necessary technology to monitor and curb crimes. We can also retract the
grave to cradle path after an incident. So tracking the origins of criminal activities become easy.
Cost wise it will be much cheaper for similar kind of monitoring by other means. This can
be implemented by ISRO and DRDO. Similar systems are being developed and deployed by US and research is going on on this (DARPA) along with Raeython for the right payload and dedicated radar system.

This is one tool, we need to have a network of, which will provide the right security cover for the cities, forests, LOC and maritime boundary.
 

SHASH2K2

New Member
Joined
May 10, 2010
Messages
5,711
Likes
730
Northrop Grumman wins race to revive hybrid airships with $517 million order

Northrop Grumman intends to spark a hybrid airship revival with a $517 million contract awarded today to deliver three slightly heavier-than-air aircraft to the US Army for deployment to Afghanistan.

Partnering with UK-based Hybrid Air Vehicles, Northrop captured the award for the long-endurance multi-intelligence vehicle (LEMV) programme despite a strong rival bid led by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division.

"This disruptive innovation must meet the Army's objective of a persistent unblinking stare while providing increased operational utility to battlefield commanders," says Alan Metzger, Northrop's LEMV programme manager.

Unlike blimps, hybrid airships require propulsion to takeoff and forward movement to remain aloft. Once popular as military surveillance and cargo aircraft, the US Navy retired its last hybrid airships in the 1950s.

Nonetheless, Gary Ervin, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems sector, says in a statement that the contract award "moves Northrop Grumman into this rapidly emerging market space of airships for the military and homeland defense arenas".

Hybrid airship has enjoyed a perhaps unlikely renaissance within the Department of Defense. Modern designs appear to deliver the unique ability to persistently observe targets across hundreds of kilometres - and remain within the earth's atmosphere.

As the army has pursued LEMV, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Integrated Sensor is Structure (ISIS) programme, in which Lockheed's Skunk Works aims to replace moving target radar systems -- such as the E-3 airborne warning and controls system (AWACS) and the E-8 joint surveillance target attack radar system (JSTARS) -- with a hybrid airship.

Meanwhile, the USN's research community has expressed a long-term interest in delivering massive amounts of cargo using hybrid airships of enormous proportions.

Northrop's LEMV contract marks the first test of the effectiveness and safety of modern hybrid airship design in combat conditions.

The army plans to deploy Northrop's unmanned hybrid airships, designated the HAV304 [see flight test video below], to Afghanistan within a year of contract award.

LEMV requirements call for an aircraft that can remain aloft at 20,000ft for three weeks without landing. Each aircraft also must carry multiple intelligence payloads weighing up to 1,134kg (2,500lb), provide up to 16kW power and achieve a maximum speed of 80kt (148km/h).


 
Last edited by a moderator:

youngindian

Senior Member
Joined
May 6, 2009
Messages
1,365
Likes
77
Country flag
Govt withdraws crucial amendment to N-Liability Bill

New Delhi, June 15, 2010

In the face of stiff opposition from BJP and Left, the government on Tuesday retracted on its move to dilute a key provision in the Nuclear Liability Bill after tough questioning by members of a Parliamentary Committee.

Department of Atomic Energy Secretary Srikumar Banerjee on Tuesday expressed regrets before the Standing Committee on Science and Technology for circulating a note at the last meeting which contained a proposal for amending Clause 17 (b).

The Clause 17 (b) proposes that the operator would have legal recourse if a nuclear accident results from the "wilful act or gross negligence on the part of the supplier of the material, equipment or services, or of his employee."

According to the note circulated at the last meeting of the Standing Committee on June 8, the clause 17 (b) had been deleted while clause 17 (a) and (c) had been retained.

At the meeting today, the Committee was informed that the government was withdrawing that note and the original clause stands part of the bill, sources said.

The Clause 17 (a) provides that the operator could have the legal recourse if "such right is expressly provided in the contract in writing" while 17 (c) says the recourse could be taken if "the nuclear incident has resulted from the act of commission or omission of a person done with the intent to cause nuclear damage."

During the day-long meeting, members of the Committee grilled Banerjee and other officials, questioning the intent behind the amendments and wondering whether the consent of the Cabinet had been taken for it, sources said.

The government officials are understood to have told the Committee that the amendments were only "suggestions".

After the proposals were moved at the last Committee meeting, the government had come under sharp attack from BJP and Left, which questioned whether it was being done to help the American companies.

Another area of contention was the Rs 500 crore cap on the compensation to be paid by an operator of a nuclear power plant in case of an accident.

There were strong demands that the cap be raised.


http://www.hindustantimes.com/Govt-...iability-Bill-Oppn-angry/Article1-558151.aspx
 

IBRIS

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Aug 6, 2009
Messages
1,402
Likes
796
Country flag
Nuke-capable Prithvi-II test fired successfully by Indian Army

Nuke-capable surface to surface missile Prithvi -II was test-fired successfully from the Interim Test Range (ITR), Chandipur in Orissa on Friday morning.

Nuke capable Prithvi -II has a strike range of 350 km and a 2 stage engine. It is 9 metre long and one metre wide and can carry a payload of 500 kgs.

Prithvi -II has already been inducted into the army & this was a user's trial by the Indian Army.
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/nuke-capable-prithvi-ii-test-fired-successfully-32382.php

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
 
Last edited:

IBRIS

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Aug 6, 2009
Messages
1,402
Likes
796
Country flag

Perfect lift-off:prithvi-II taking off from the Launch Complex-III at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Orissa coast, on Saturday.

HYDERABAD: Nuclear-capable, ship-based Dhanush and surface-to-surface Prithvi-II were successfully flight-tested in quick succession early Saturday with both systems zeroing in on pre-designated targets with a high degree of accuracy. The salvo-mode test-firing was carried out by personnel of the Strategic Forces Command as part of a user-training exercise.

While Dhanush, a naval variant of Prithvi, was launched first from INS Subhadhra, anchored near Balasore, off the coast of Orissa at 5.30 a. m., Prithvi-II was fired a few minutes later from Launch Complex-III at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur.

Each missile achieved its full range (Dhanush 350 km and Prithvi-II 290 km) and splashed down within a few metres of the target in the Bay of Bengal after a flight of about 500 seconds. An indigenously-developed advanced navigation and guidance system, which was tested in the two launches, provided a very high degree of accuracy, according to Defence Research and Development Organisation officials.

Both missiles met all mission objectives and followed the predicted path with text-book precision. The dynamics of the vehicles and the entire mission sequencing events conformed to expectations. The trajectories of both missiles were monitored by a wide tracking network consisting of radars, telemetry and electro-optical systems spread over land and sea. Two naval ships located near the target point-tracked the splashdown of Dhanush.

The officials said range independent software for carrying out the two flight tests almost simultaneously was also validated.

While the 8.5-metre-tall Prithvi-II is a surface-to-surface missile, the 11-metre long Dhanush is a ship-to-surface and ship-to-ship system. Both are single-stage, liquid propelled missiles and each of them is capable of carrying a 500-kg payload. The two missiles are under production after the successful completion of development trials, and have been inducted into the Army, the Air Force and the Navy.

V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister and DRDO Director-General; P. Venugopalan, Director, Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL); S.K. Ray, Director, Research Centre Imarat; Avinash Chander , Director, Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL); V.L.N. Rao, Programme Director, and S.P. Dash, Director, ITR, were present during the mission.

The flight-testing of nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-I (700km range) is scheduled for Sunday.

Corrections and Clarifications
(The first paragraph of a report "Test-firing of Prithvi-II, Dhanush today" (March 27, 2010) said that the medium range surface-to-surface Prithvi-II and ship-based Dhanush missiles, both having a range of 330 km, would be test-fired as part of user trials on Saturday, while the third paragraph of a report "Dhanush, Prithvi-II test-fired successfully" (March 28, 2010) said that each missile had achieved its full range (Dhanush 350 km and Prithvi-II 290 km). This led to a query. The writer clarifies that while Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) sources (on March 26, 2010) incorrectly mentioned the range of both the missiles to be 330 km, the next day, following the successful launch, stated that the missiles had touched a range of 350 km (Dhanush) and 290 km (Prithvi-II). The full range of Dhanush is 350 km while Prithvi-II's is 295 km.)
 

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top