Astra BVRAAM

[Raj Malhotra]

Why Astra MK1 to Astra CCM won’t be easy for India
Published September 18, 2017 SOURCE: Anand SG / FOR MY TAKE / IDRW.ORG

R-73 used for Representation Pic

Enforcing Air Superiority in a war always will remain a primary factor for Indian Air Force and critical driving force which will factor in will be Air-Air Missile (AAM) deployed. AAMs now not only determine the outcome of a dogfight but it will also determine the outcome of the war. In the pursuit to enforce Air Superiority doctrine and boost its fighter weapon system design and development. India’s premier weapons research and development organization ” DRDO” achieved an important milestone when its Astra MK1 Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) achieved 7 Successful launch and interceptions of Aerial targets tested out in real combat situations with indigenous seeker thus completing its developmental trials which first begin in 2003. Astra MK1 will enter limited production with 50 units and will enter Batch production in coming following years and for the first time, DRDO Chief acknowledged Astra has opened up doors to further develop newer other variants of Air-Air Missiles which will provide indigenous alternatives to fighter weapon systems. Path DRDO has taken is that a Successor program already has been initiated and will use Next Generation Propulsion system along with improved range to provide Indian Air Force next-generation Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile. Research and Development with help from Russia already have been initiated and Ground firing trials along with engine trials should commence soon. Recent reports also hint that IAF and DRDO have begun talks on the development of another important aspect in Air-to-Air Weaponry that is the development of Withing Visual Range (WVR) or Close Combat Missiles (CCM) Air-to-Air Missiles. Astra BVRAAM program has provided enough of basic research data to work on Close Combat Air-to-Air Missiles, but it is also an acknowledged fact that CCM is also much more difficult to develop then BVRAAMs due to the exceptional performance required at such short range leaving were no room for error in a dogfight. CCM plays a vital and critical role in operational deployment for Indian air force since most of the forward bases between India and Pakistan are just a few minutes away from flight time and chances of deployment of BVRAAMs are quite low in a dogfight. IAF has in their possession framed R-73 Archer, MICA and Python-5 CCMs which are world renowned for their technical superiority at short range dogfights and for Indian alternative CCM it will need to be a world beater and maybe even technologically superior to the existing systems. Close Combat Air-to-Air Missiles need high angular tracking rates, superior aerodynamics agile performance and one of the best seekers to defeat a rival in a dogfight. Since the range between two aircraft sometimes is less than 300 meters, CCM Seekers need to operate at high turn rates while carrying out violet maneuvering in engagement geometry where Air Intercept Radar still has not achieved a Lock on of the target. Also, Close Combat Air-to-Air Missile motor is required to work in sync with seeker and onboard processor to achieve No Escape zone against a high maneuvering target at close range. Use of Thrust vectoring nozzles and flight homing algorithm also plays a critical role. Another set of challenges is that the aerodynamic design of a CCM is usually much more complex since it needs to provide the best of stability at a high angle of attack and also be capable of pulling much more G Capabilities then BVRAAMs.

Conclusions

Development of CCM will no doubt will bring in the complex set of challenges for DRDO and quick turnaround should not be expected from them. In fact, average development time for CCM usually have been 12-15 years even in the western countries which have more established defense sector, but Within Visual Range (WVR) or Close Combat Missiles (CCM) Air-to-Air Missiles still remain a vital component of every fighter jet and will continue to do so even in future, when the world is already making a gradual shift towards 5th generation fighter jets which usually try to avoid dogfights to remain invisible at long ranges .

http://idrw.org/why-astra-mk1-to-astra-ccm-wont-be-easy-for-india/ .

Someone tell this to Indian Hating Indian ass, that QRSAM also faces similar challenges which have been successfully met. Also secondary role of Astra was always CCM.

 

[TPFscopes]

IAF don`t use Russian BVRs, Its use Ukranian BVRs which are about to get expired, The reason Astra program is in fast track ....

AFAIK, IAF is the user of R-27, R-73, R-77 are manufactured by Cumple NPO with its headquarters in Moscow , Russia.

Vympel NPO is a Russian research and production company based near Moscow, mostly known for their air-to-air missiles. Other projects include SAM and ABM defenses. It was started in the Soviet era as an OKB (experimental design bureau).

@ersakthivel, Is one of ours old and decorated member, he known more than most people about Tejas on net, His comments are highly creditable ..

I also like and appreciate him to be a LCA fan with a high heap of expectation. I also want LCA to out class upper class fighters but in real time , it is not possible due to technical & user limits of LCA Tejas.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

You should read post well, I said clearly BVRs and no India is no longer use R-77 since 2010-11, This is something well known in this forum ..

You don`t posses the experience that he has, I suggest you to read other`s post well before replying them ..

AFAIK, IAF is the user of R-27, R-73, R-77 are manufactured by Cumple NPO with its headquarters in Moscow , Russia.

I also like and appreciate him to be a LCA fan with a cheap of expectation. I also want LCA to out class upper class fighters but in real time , it is not possible due to technical & user limits of LCA Tejas.

 

[TPFscopes]

You should read post well, I said clearly BVRs and no India is no longer use R-77, This is something well known in this forum ....

Right Now,IAF has enough lot of r-77 BVRAAMs in its inventory as buffer stock (I personally get this info from IAF officer), you may cross check with your sources (which you can) and they can use them whenever they want. Right now, IAF is using R-27ER/ET as the prime BVRAAM.
But I'm agreed with you, IAF will have SFDR (once completed) and Astra as prime BVRAAM in future.

Anyways, some latest pics (2016)

Please help me to identify the AAM?

For R-73,

You don`t posses the experience that he has, I suggest you to read other`s post well before replying them ..

Really?, should I take it as bullying act or a suggestion... Bcoz I can't debate on baseless and illogical quotes. As far as my experience matters , my previous project was for su-30mki MFD design but can't share present one due to sensitivity issues.

Anyways, if he has enough knowledge than I'm eager to have BrahMos-NG on mk1 and mk1a.

Good Day.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Nearly half of Russian air-to-air missiles with IAF have homing, ageing problems:

New Delhi, Thu Jul 16 2009, 03:03 hrs

The R 77 (RVV-AE) BVR missiles, fitted on board the Su-30 MKIs, MiG-29s and MiG-21 Bisons, were bought from Russia starting 1996. More than 2,000 missiles were ordered after the Kargil conflict and 1,000 have been delivered.

The CAG report, which will be released soon, is based on evaluations of the missile — its range is close to 90 km — during ground tests, inspections and test firing by the IAF. The missiles were bought at a "cost of Rs 2 crore each" but their failure during tests, says the CAG report, has affected the "operational preparedness" of the IAF. "All figures in the report are based on air force records. Everything is verified by the IAF," an official said.

Source :
http://archive.indianexpress.com/ne...ve-homing-ageing-problems-cag-report/490055/1

http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/iafs-air-to-air-missiles-are-faulty-report_547474.html


==========


Auditor Slams Navy’s Selection Of R-77 Missile

High rate of unserviceability was noticed by IAF since 1999 from the first lot of missiles received. By November 2005, IAF decided against refurbishing the missiles “X” after life expiry and started considering a suitable replacement for future procurements.

Source : https://www.livefistdefence.com/2011/09/auditor-slams-navys-selection-of-r-77.html

==========

Ukraine is close to signing one of its biggest ever defense deals for air-to-air missiles with India, according to Russian media reports.

Ukraine is close to signing one of its biggest ever defense deals for air-to-air missiles with India, according to Russian media reports.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta says the deal for R-27 missiles, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, is in the final stages and is waiting for approval from the Ukrainian leadership.

The Vympel R-27 (AA-10 Alamo) missile is a medium-to-long-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It is similar to U.S. AIM-7 Sparrow.

Source : https://sputniknews.com/military/20120425173046325/

=============

RM visiting Tezpur air-force base 2017 ..

Don`t confuse fact for your opinion. Qualify your opinion. If its personal experience say so, If its from a book say so. If your heard it from your great aunt`s sister`s best mate`s ex boyfriend best you don`t post it at all.

Right Now,IAF has enough lot of r-77 BVRAAMs in its inventory as buffer stock (I personally get this info from IAF officer), you may cross check with your sources (which you can) and they can use them whenever they want.
Anyways, some latest pics (2016)

Really?, should I take it as bullying act or a suggestion... Bcoz I can't debate on baseless and illogical quotes. As far as my experience matters , my previous project was for su-30mki MFD design but can't share present one due to sensitivity issues.

Anyways, if he has enough knowledge than I'm eager to have BrahMos-NG on mk1 and mk1a.

Good Day.

 

[TPFscopes]

Nearly half of Russian air-to-air missiles with IAF have homing, ageing problems:

New Delhi, Thu Jul 16 2009, 03:03 hrs




Source :
http://archive.indianexpress.com/ne...ve-homing-ageing-problems-cag-report/490055/1

http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/iafs-air-to-air-missiles-are-faulty-report_547474.html


==========


Auditor Slams Navy’s Selection Of R-77 Missile



Source : https://www.livefistdefence.com/2011/09/auditor-slams-navys-selection-of-r-77.html

==========

Ukraine is close to signing one of its biggest ever defense deals for air-to-air missiles with India, according to Russian media reports.







Source : https://sputniknews.com/military/20120425173046325/

=============

Don`t confuse fact for your opinion. Qualify your opinion. If its personal experience say so, If its from a book say so. If your heard it from your great aunt`s sister`s best mate`s ex boyfriend best you don`t post it at all.

I posted the pics of su-30mki just as proof that R-77 is still in services, but here you are correct that the after sales contract for r-77 is expired but IAF is using them. And this info is as good as I personally dig it.

This info is not an opinion by the way, I'm just sharing whatever is available on actual ground.

Except me , my whole family is/was working/worked in Indian Armed forces where as I'm working on the projects which are directly concerned with Armed forces.

As far as info about vympel NPO is concerned, that was totally based on books and internet & I want to back my claim that Vympel NPO is Russian firm with headquarters in MOSCOW. I can't understand Russian but you can visit its official website. @gadeshi may help in this matter.
Third party link based on various references is https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Vympel NPO

The contract renewal talks for R-27 and R-77 is also expected to be discussed next month with Russian delegation visiting india. By the way It is self sourced info and a considerable person confirms the same with the info that IAF is not showing interest in contract renewal.

Anyways, leave that but you are good in trolling specially great aunt`s sister`s best mate`s ex boyfriend section..

Everyone is free to decide their belief on my sourced info but the member you quoted in your last post , was claiming some things which are either not technically possible for jet or for the mission profile.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

I have no problems if you back it up with sources, than just talks ..

 

[TPFscopes]

There are some informations which are self sourced & not available in open media. Hence, you can't reveal the name of sources (due to security reasons, as you know how government employees are conservative about their jobs).
As you have your strength in Indian Army related stuffs, similarly I have my strength in IAF and aviation related projects.

 

[Vorschlaghammer]

Are these problems with the already stockpiled missiles design flaws, or more maintenance related, similar to what happened with Iranian Phoenixes after US left ?

 

[Kay]

Self Delete

30 Characters....................

 

[Kay]

Are these problems with the already stockpiled missiles design flaws, or more maintenance related, similar to what happened with Iranian Phoenixes after US left ?

From source above:

"Former Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy said: "When the missiles were bought, they were top of the line, world class systems that no other country had. As we did not have our own testing facilities, they had to be tested in Russia. The question to be asked is whether the government approved testing facilities for the missiles in India."

 

[Kay]

Also from report above:

"Moreover, just yesterday Defence Minister A K Antony had disclosed that there were structural problems with India’s lead fighter planes, the MiG-29."

 

[kunal1123]

DRDO’S precious ‘Project SFDR’: Connecting the Dots
1/10/2018

What we know about SFDR so far?

SFDR, short form for ‘Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet’ is a propulsion technology different than that of conventional solid fuelled or liquid fuelled missiles. SFDR tech can also be termed as Air Augmented Rockets or Throttleable Ducted Rocket (TDR) or even Variable Flow Ducted Ramjet (VFDR). SFDR tech is currently being employed in Meteor (see Figure 1), a French Active Radar Guided Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) reportedly having a range of 300km, that significantly exceeds the range of any current conventional Air-to-Air missiles (AAM). Realizing what SFDR is capable of, a number of other countries have also started working on this propulsion technology, including India.

Figure 1 - Meteor BVRAAM


Why Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet?

As the name goes, Ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that eliminates the need of oxidizer. A typical rocket or missile, both liquid-fuelled and solid-fuelled have atleast 50 percent of its propellant, mixed with oxidizer, which is important for combustion to generate thrust. The end result being a significantly heavier missile. This is where an air-breathing engine, ‘Ramjet’ in this case, comes in to reduce the weight of the missile by instead taking oxygen from the atmosphere for combustion and significantly increasing the range efficiency of the missile. A Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet, if employed in an Air to Air Missile, can give a great boost to a country’s airforce superiority.


Analysis of Project SFDR

The news of DRDO developing a Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet Missile (shown in Figure 2 & 3) have been making rounds ever since second half of the current decade. But still not much is known about it, regarding its range, speed, dimensions, warhead weight etc., since DRDO is tight-lipped on it. Until recently, a schematics of DRDO SFDR has been found inside DRDO issued documents. The design scheme is very similar to that of Meteor BVRAAM with two air ducts, although DRDO’s 250kg SFDR is around 75kg heavier than 185kg Meteor. The project has already excited Indian military news followers and missile experts have termed it as “Desi Meteor”. However, some reports strongly suggests it’s a joint Indo-Russian Project, although no evidence of Russia’s direct involvement in SFDR project has ever been found.

Figure 2 - Schematic of DRDO SFDR

Figure 3 - 2D view of DRDO SFDR System
Can the range and speed of SFDR missile be figured out?

The answer to this question is fortunately yes, although not accurate, since the missiles’ actual range capabilities is only known to personnels involved in SFDR development. For finding the approx. range, we have to consider the cutting-edge Lithium Thermal Battery of SFDR (see Figure 5). DRDO’s SFDR Missile under development incorporates a state-of-the-art Lithium Thermal Battery weighing just 1.4kg which powers up the entire sub-systems of SFDR during its entire flight. The shelf life of Lithium Thermal Battery is highest amongst any kind of battery made in the world so far, with atleast 25 years of shelf life, which will help in lesser maintenance of this missile. The most notable thing in this Lithium Thermal Battery is its discharge duration requirement of minimum 230 seconds. The battery only gets activated when the missile is launched and its discharge time straightly points towards flight time of approx. 230 seconds. However, the velocity of SFDR still cannot be known unless DRDO officially reveals it, but with approx. 230 seconds flight time, its range can be figured with the help of the following table (see Figure 4) using different speed possibility. SFDR will guarantee a reach of minimum 250km range and up to 350km range, depending upon altitude and speed. Such range will also guarantee a 100km No-Escape Zone for enemy aircrafts.

Figure 4 - SFDR Missile range estimation through flight time

Figure 5 - Lithium Thermal Battery for SFDR BVRAAM
Can a SFDR Missile Variant be used as Anti-AWACS missile?

The famed Russian ULR-BVRAAM (Ultra Long Range - Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile) a.k.a Anti-AWACS missile, designated as K-100/ Article 172/ KS-172 Novator (see Figure 6), is the heaviest Air-to-Air missile in the world, standing at 748kg and boasting a range of 400km range with a speed of Mach 3.3. The missile has a conflicting report of whether or not it’s in the inventory of Indian Air Force (IAF). Nevertheless, its fully possible to convert SFDR into a dedicated Anti-AWACS missile with some modifications. An approx. 500kg weight reduction can be achieved from 748 kg weight of KS-172 to 250 kg weight of SFDR, although anti-AWACS variant of SFDR could possibly be slightly heavier. SFDR based missile would give India the capability to target High Value Targets (HVTs) of enemy countries during full-fledged war from a safe distance of 300+ km, which includes AWACS, AEW&C, ASW Aircraft, Transport Aircraft, Refueling Aircraft etc.

Figure 6 - Novator K-100

Is the ground launched SFDR missile variant none other than India’s mysterious DRDO XR-SAM?


For times, SFDR was thought to be only an Air-to-Air Missile, until a schematics of ground launched variant of SFDR (see Figure 7) from a DRDO issued document was found recently. It shows a 250 kg SFDR missile mounted on a large 450 kg booster. Meanwhile, in an official missile poster put on display by DRDO mentions about XR-SAM, although no further information or pics on XR-SAM was provided on the poster. Saurav Jha, a prominent Indian Defence Journalist confirmed that DRDO’s XR-SAM have same range capability to that of S400 system’s 48N6 SAM boasting a range of 250km. With the SFDR Range Estimation table shown in Figure 4, the Ground Launched SFDR Missile (GL-SFDR) can easily attain a range of 250 km, which matches the range capability of ongoing DRDO Project XR-SAM. Although this theoretical assumption makes sense that GL-SFDR is XR-SAM, but there's still no substantial evidence regarding it, unless and until DRDO reveals more data on highly secretive XR-SAM project.

Figure 7 - Ground Launched SFDR
Conclusion

Maturing of DRDO SFDR missile and its variants is still some years away with Captive Flight Trials (CFTs) hopefully at the end of 2018. Final SFDR Products could differ from the specs provided. The SFDR is indeed a high priority project for DRDO and future requirement for Indian Armed Forces w.r.t evolving threats of India’s unpredictable & unstable neighbors having no respect for India’s sovereignty. The future of missile warfare indeed belongs to air-breathing engines like ramjet, scramjet, shcramjet and pulse detonation engine.

Author - Mohammad Noor Alam

NOTE - All the information and pics in the article are taken from publicly available sources. The Article shall not be used for commercial purposes or be misused in any other ways. The Article shall not be reproduced without giving credits to No Man’s Land site (nmlonline.weebly.com).

 

[kunal1123]

CAN ANY BODY CONFIRM IS ASTRA MK-2 AND SFDR IS SAME PROJECT OR DIFFERENT??????????
AND
IS SFDR IS JV WITH RUSSIA?????????

 

[Adioz]

DRDO’S precious ‘Project SFDR’: Connecting the Dots
1/10/2018

What we know about SFDR so far?

SFDR, short form for ‘Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet’ is a propulsion technology different than that of conventional solid fuelled or liquid fuelled missiles. SFDR tech can also be termed as Air Augmented Rockets or Throttleable Ducted Rocket (TDR) or even Variable Flow Ducted Ramjet (VFDR). SFDR tech is currently being employed in Meteor (see Figure 1), a French Active Radar Guided Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) reportedly having a range of 300km, that significantly exceeds the range of any current conventional Air-to-Air missiles (AAM). Realizing what SFDR is capable of, a number of other countries have also started working on this propulsion technology, including India.

Figure 1 - Meteor BVRAAM


Why Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet?

As the name goes, Ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that eliminates the need of oxidizer. A typical rocket or missile, both liquid-fuelled and solid-fuelled have atleast 50 percent of its propellant, mixed with oxidizer, which is important for combustion to generate thrust. The end result being a significantly heavier missile. This is where an air-breathing engine, ‘Ramjet’ in this case, comes in to reduce the weight of the missile by instead taking oxygen from the atmosphere for combustion and significantly increasing the range efficiency of the missile. A Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet, if employed in an Air to Air Missile, can give a great boost to a country’s airforce superiority.


Analysis of Project SFDR

The news of DRDO developing a Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet Missile (shown in Figure 2 & 3) have been making rounds ever since second half of the current decade. But still not much is known about it, regarding its range, speed, dimensions, warhead weight etc., since DRDO is tight-lipped on it. Until recently, a schematics of DRDO SFDR has been found inside DRDO issued documents. The design scheme is very similar to that of Meteor BVRAAM with two air ducts, although DRDO’s 250kg SFDR is around 75kg heavier than 185kg Meteor. The project has already excited Indian military news followers and missile experts have termed it as “Desi Meteor”. However, some reports strongly suggests it’s a joint Indo-Russian Project, although no evidence of Russia’s direct involvement in SFDR project has ever been found.

Figure 2 - Schematic of DRDO SFDR

Figure 3 - 2D view of DRDO SFDR System
Can the range and speed of SFDR missile be figured out?

The answer to this question is fortunately yes, although not accurate, since the missiles’ actual range capabilities is only known to personnels involved in SFDR development. For finding the approx. range, we have to consider the cutting-edge Lithium Thermal Battery of SFDR (see Figure 5). DRDO’s SFDR Missile under development incorporates a state-of-the-art Lithium Thermal Battery weighing just 1.4kg which powers up the entire sub-systems of SFDR during its entire flight. The shelf life of Lithium Thermal Battery is highest amongst any kind of battery made in the world so far, with atleast 25 years of shelf life, which will help in lesser maintenance of this missile. The most notable thing in this Lithium Thermal Battery is its discharge duration requirement of minimum 230 seconds. The battery only gets activated when the missile is launched and its discharge time straightly points towards flight time of approx. 230 seconds. However, the velocity of SFDR still cannot be known unless DRDO officially reveals it, but with approx. 230 seconds flight time, its range can be figured with the help of the following table (see Figure 4) using different speed possibility. SFDR will guarantee a reach of minimum 250km range and up to 350km range, depending upon altitude and speed. Such range will also guarantee a 100km No-Escape Zone for enemy aircrafts.

Figure 4 - SFDR Missile range estimation through flight time

Figure 5 - Lithium Thermal Battery for SFDR BVRAAM
Can a SFDR Missile Variant be used as Anti-AWACS missile?

The famed Russian ULR-BVRAAM (Ultra Long Range - Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile) a.k.a Anti-AWACS missile, designated as K-100/ Article 172/ KS-172 Novator (see Figure 6), is the heaviest Air-to-Air missile in the world, standing at 748kg and boasting a range of 400km range with a speed of Mach 3.3. The missile has a conflicting report of whether or not it’s in the inventory of Indian Air Force (IAF). Nevertheless, its fully possible to convert SFDR into a dedicated Anti-AWACS missile with some modifications. An approx. 500kg weight reduction can be achieved from 748 kg weight of KS-172 to 250 kg weight of SFDR, although anti-AWACS variant of SFDR could possibly be slightly heavier. SFDR based missile would give India the capability to target High Value Targets (HVTs) of enemy countries during full-fledged war from a safe distance of 300+ km, which includes AWACS, AEW&C, ASW Aircraft, Transport Aircraft, Refueling Aircraft etc.

Figure 6 - Novator K-100

Is the ground launched SFDR missile variant none other than India’s mysterious DRDO XR-SAM?


For times, SFDR was thought to be only an Air-to-Air Missile, until a schematics of ground launched variant of SFDR (see Figure 7) from a DRDO issued document was found recently. It shows a 250 kg SFDR missile mounted on a large 450 kg booster. Meanwhile, in an official missile poster put on display by DRDO mentions about XR-SAM, although no further information or pics on XR-SAM was provided on the poster. Saurav Jha, a prominent Indian Defence Journalist confirmed that DRDO’s XR-SAM have same range capability to that of S400 system’s 48N6 SAM boasting a range of 250km. With the SFDR Range Estimation table shown in Figure 4, the Ground Launched SFDR Missile (GL-SFDR) can easily attain a range of 250 km, which matches the range capability of ongoing DRDO Project XR-SAM. Although this theoretical assumption makes sense that GL-SFDR is XR-SAM, but there's still no substantial evidence regarding it, unless and until DRDO reveals more data on highly secretive XR-SAM project.

Figure 7 - Ground Launched SFDR
Conclusion

Maturing of DRDO SFDR missile and its variants is still some years away with Captive Flight Trials (CFTs) hopefully at the end of 2018. Final SFDR Products could differ from the specs provided. The SFDR is indeed a high priority project for DRDO and future requirement for Indian Armed Forces w.r.t evolving threats of India’s unpredictable & unstable neighbors having no respect for India’s sovereignty. The future of missile warfare indeed belongs to air-breathing engines like ramjet, scramjet, shcramjet and pulse detonation engine.

Author - Mohammad Noor Alam

NOTE - All the information and pics in the article are taken from publicly available sources. The Article shall not be used for commercial purposes or be misused in any other ways. The Article shall not be reproduced without giving credits to No Man’s Land site (nmlonline.weebly.com).

Nice article @NeXoft007 . An anti-AWACS version of SFDR is exactly what we need to counter PLAAF in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. Judging by the absence of construction of HAS on the Tibetan plateau, and by looking at the small number of aircraft deployed on the plateau itself, its evident that the PLAAF does not want to fly its missions from these locations. The PLAAF will most likely rely heavily on its aerial refueling tankers to extend the range of fighters flying from airfields at lower altitudes in Eastern China, primarily from Chengdu. We need to develop a few weapons that can threaten these aerial refueling tankers.

However I am more interested in XR-SAM. I thought the XR-SAM was a variant of AAD. SFDR would certainly be better at the job than the AAD because SFDR is significantly lighter, but for that it needs to be designed for a speed of Mach 4.5 . Given that that is what Brahmos aims to achieve by 2025, maybe we need to go for this.......

However, if XR-SAM or its follow-on projects aim to be a replacement to / an alternative of the S-400, especially the 40N6, or even the 48N6, DRDO would be better served if they go forward with developing AAD for the task. SFDR is too damn slow when compared to either missile in the S-400. Maybe in the not-so-near future when we have mastered solid-fueled scramjet technology, we will be able to make a SFDScramjet, but that is way too far into the future. Conventional solid fueled missiles are the only ones that with current technology can become anything like a long-range SAM.

 

[NeXoft007]

CAN ANY BODY CONFIRM IS ASTRA MK-2 AND SFDR IS SAME PROJECT OR DIFFERENT??????????
AND
IS SFDR IS JV WITH RUSSIA?????????

Btw, I just got confirmation yesterday that SFDR is indeed JV between India and Russia. It's great that Russia and India are collaborating on this cutting edge technology.

 

[Steven Rogers]

Btw, I just got confirmation yesterday that SFDR is indeed JV between India and Russia. It's great that Russia and India are collaborating on this cutting edge technology.

What's the source for that. How how will it help India when they are developing R77M for their 5th gen fighter. It was meant to be the Indian project with Russia, coz India already have tested the ducted ramjet, so what Russia's part of work.

Sent from my Aqua Ace II using Tapatalk

 

[NeXoft007]

What's the source for that. How how will it help India when they are developing R77M for their 5th gen fighter. It was meant to be the Indian project with Russia, coz India already have tested the ducted ramjet, so what Russia's part of work.

Sent from my Aqua Ace II using Tapatalk

'Teeris ta akhoror niyom'

 

[Steven Rogers]

View attachment 22780
'Teeris ta akhoror niyom'

Only propulsion is JV not the missile bruh.........................

 

[rishivashista13]

DRDO’S precious ‘Project SFDR’: Connecting the Dots
1/10/2018

What we know about SFDR so far?

SFDR, short form for ‘Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet’ is a propulsion technology different than that of conventional solid fuelled or liquid fuelled missiles. SFDR tech can also be termed as Air Augmented Rockets or Throttleable Ducted Rocket (TDR) or even Variable Flow Ducted Ramjet (VFDR). SFDR tech is currently being employed in Meteor (see Figure 1), a French Active Radar Guided Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) reportedly having a range of 300km, that significantly exceeds the range of any current conventional Air-to-Air missiles (AAM). Realizing what SFDR is capable of, a number of other countries have also started working on this propulsion technology, including India.

Figure 1 - Meteor BVRAAM


Why Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet?

As the name goes, Ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that eliminates the need of oxidizer. A typical rocket or missile, both liquid-fuelled and solid-fuelled have atleast 50 percent of its propellant, mixed with oxidizer, which is important for combustion to generate thrust. The end result being a significantly heavier missile. This is where an air-breathing engine, ‘Ramjet’ in this case, comes in to reduce the weight of the missile by instead taking oxygen from the atmosphere for combustion and significantly increasing the range efficiency of the missile. A Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet, if employed in an Air to Air Missile, can give a great boost to a country’s airforce superiority.


Analysis of Project SFDR

The news of DRDO developing a Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet Missile (shown in Figure 2 & 3) have been making rounds ever since second half of the current decade. But still not much is known about it, regarding its range, speed, dimensions, warhead weight etc., since DRDO is tight-lipped on it. Until recently, a schematics of DRDO SFDR has been found inside DRDO issued documents. The design scheme is very similar to that of Meteor BVRAAM with two air ducts, although DRDO’s 250kg SFDR is around 75kg heavier than 185kg Meteor. The project has already excited Indian military news followers and missile experts have termed it as “Desi Meteor”. However, some reports strongly suggests it’s a joint Indo-Russian Project, although no evidence of Russia’s direct involvement in SFDR project has ever been found.

Figure 2 - Schematic of DRDO SFDR

Figure 3 - 2D view of DRDO SFDR System
Can the range and speed of SFDR missile be figured out?

The answer to this question is fortunately yes, although not accurate, since the missiles’ actual range capabilities is only known to personnels involved in SFDR development. For finding the approx. range, we have to consider the cutting-edge Lithium Thermal Battery of SFDR (see Figure 5). DRDO’s SFDR Missile under development incorporates a state-of-the-art Lithium Thermal Battery weighing just 1.4kg which powers up the entire sub-systems of SFDR during its entire flight. The shelf life of Lithium Thermal Battery is highest amongst any kind of battery made in the world so far, with atleast 25 years of shelf life, which will help in lesser maintenance of this missile. The most notable thing in this Lithium Thermal Battery is its discharge duration requirement of minimum 230 seconds. The battery only gets activated when the missile is launched and its discharge time straightly points towards flight time of approx. 230 seconds. However, the velocity of SFDR still cannot be known unless DRDO officially reveals it, but with approx. 230 seconds flight time, its range can be figured with the help of the following table (see Figure 4) using different speed possibility. SFDR will guarantee a reach of minimum 250km range and up to 350km range, depending upon altitude and speed. Such range will also guarantee a 100km No-Escape Zone for enemy aircrafts.

Figure 4 - SFDR Missile range estimation through flight time

Figure 5 - Lithium Thermal Battery for SFDR BVRAAM
Can a SFDR Missile Variant be used as Anti-AWACS missile?

The famed Russian ULR-BVRAAM (Ultra Long Range - Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile) a.k.a Anti-AWACS missile, designated as K-100/ Article 172/ KS-172 Novator (see Figure 6), is the heaviest Air-to-Air missile in the world, standing at 748kg and boasting a range of 400km range with a speed of Mach 3.3. The missile has a conflicting report of whether or not it’s in the inventory of Indian Air Force (IAF). Nevertheless, its fully possible to convert SFDR into a dedicated Anti-AWACS missile with some modifications. An approx. 500kg weight reduction can be achieved from 748 kg weight of KS-172 to 250 kg weight of SFDR, although anti-AWACS variant of SFDR could possibly be slightly heavier. SFDR based missile would give India the capability to target High Value Targets (HVTs) of enemy countries during full-fledged war from a safe distance of 300+ km, which includes AWACS, AEW&C, ASW Aircraft, Transport Aircraft, Refueling Aircraft etc.

Figure 6 - Novator K-100

Is the ground launched SFDR missile variant none other than India’s mysterious DRDO XR-SAM?


For times, SFDR was thought to be only an Air-to-Air Missile, until a schematics of ground launched variant of SFDR (see Figure 7) from a DRDO issued document was found recently. It shows a 250 kg SFDR missile mounted on a large 450 kg booster. Meanwhile, in an official missile poster put on display by DRDO mentions about XR-SAM, although no further information or pics on XR-SAM was provided on the poster. Saurav Jha, a prominent Indian Defence Journalist confirmed that DRDO’s XR-SAM have same range capability to that of S400 system’s 48N6 SAM boasting a range of 250km. With the SFDR Range Estimation table shown in Figure 4, the Ground Launched SFDR Missile (GL-SFDR) can easily attain a range of 250 km, which matches the range capability of ongoing DRDO Project XR-SAM. Although this theoretical assumption makes sense that GL-SFDR is XR-SAM, but there's still no substantial evidence regarding it, unless and until DRDO reveals more data on highly secretive XR-SAM project.

Figure 7 - Ground Launched SFDR
Conclusion

Maturing of DRDO SFDR missile and its variants is still some years away with Captive Flight Trials (CFTs) hopefully at the end of 2018. Final SFDR Products could differ from the specs provided. The SFDR is indeed a high priority project for DRDO and future requirement for Indian Armed Forces w.r.t evolving threats of India’s unpredictable & unstable neighbors having no respect for India’s sovereignty. The future of missile warfare indeed belongs to air-breathing engines like ramjet, scramjet, shcramjet and pulse detonation engine.

Author - Mohammad Noor Alam

NOTE - All the information and pics in the article are taken from publicly available sources. The Article shall not be used for commercial purposes or be misused in any other ways. The Article shall not be reproduced without giving credits to No Man’s Land site (nmlonline.weebly.com).

Good article. SFDR has a huge scope for air defence roles of India. S400 deal can't be finalized, better we should work on our own multi layered long range air defense system like S400 other then BMD. Or we can add more layers in our BMD to make it more robust and multipurpose. Technologies like SFDR and SFDscramjet will be revolutionary for the same. For tackling China, these systems are must.

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