DRDO, PSU and Private Defence Sector News

[Enquirer]

The linchpin for India's cruise missile defence(CMD).

View attachment 30865

The 2000 cubic metre volume aerostat in the pic is the Akashdeep aerostat which can carry a 300kg payload upto 1km.

The 17000 cum aerostat in the pic is the Nakshatra aerostat which can carry around 2000kg payload to upto 5km.

The final iteration of aerostats by ADRDE is the unnamed Stratospheric Airship that will operate at the altitudes of 17-22km.
It will employ high tech fabrics, aerodynamic design, propellers to modulate its position, a mooring system, a gas management system, avionics for navigation and guidance and solar arrays for power generation and storage.

This along with ground based detection systems and interceptor missiles will more or less make paki cruise missiles defunct and likewise their nuclear bluff.

Thought IAF already placed an order for 4-5 high altitude Russian aerostat systems (with Israeli radars)...

ADRDE is developing BOTH a larger high altitude tethered aerostat(called Prahari) AND an untethered airship (called Unmanned Small Airship System, this will have very small payload). This is after junking both Akashdeep & Nakshatra.

Also, the Stratospheric airship is not a DRDO project. It's a concept being developed by Thales.

 

[Enquirer]

weight is 68 tons, it seems like in picture.
Thanks for posting it.
That means arjun tank that we saw in defexpo in goa was not 65 tonne arjun.

There is no 65 tonne Arjun as yet...only 58 & 68.
After weight reduction the newly named Mk2 will probably have 64-65 tonnes.

 

[cyclops]

Thought IAF already placed an order for 4-5 high altitude Russian aerostat systems (with Israeli radars)...

ADRDE is developing BOTH a larger high altitude tethered aerostat(called Prahari) AND an untethered airship (called Unmanned Small Airship System, this will have very small payload). This is after junking both Akashdeep & Nakshatra.

Also, the Stratospheric airship is not a DRDO project. It's a concept being developed by Thales.

Yes, back in 2016 the Nakshatra didn't do so well in the IA user trials, something about ADRDE using PU instead of the laminated fabrics despite possessing the later FOR THE TRIALS. Only heavens know why.

However the March 2018 standing committee on defence report states that the Nakshatra and the Akashdeep projects as completed and also mentions another large aerostat for surveillance called Prahari.

The screenshot is from an ADRDE paper so I'm guessing they are eventually going to attempt the Stratospheric Airship.

 

[Enquirer]

Yes, back in 2016 the Nakshatra didn't do so well in the IA user trials, something about ADRDE using PU instead of the laminated fabrics despite possessing the later FOR THE TRIALS. Only heavens know why.

However the March 2018 standing committee on defence report states that the Nakshatra and the Akashdeep projects as completed and also mentions another large aerostat for surveillance called Prahari.

Yes, the projects are officially 'complete'. But IA/IAF won't be ordering them. DRDO sets a lot of projects to 'complete' even though no one will place any orders.....most of the rifles fall in that category!

 

[cyclops]

Yes, the projects are officially 'complete'. But IA/IAF won't be ordering them. DRDO sets a lot of projects to 'complete' even though no one will place any orders.....most of the rifles fall in that category!

Indeed, the IA can't wait for DRDO to begin the next step in the process of actually finding someone public or private to get it to manufacture it, it'll be too late by then.
They original requirement was posted by IA around 2010-11.

Regardless, when DRDO does fine tune the process and eventually does make better aerostats, IA should and might just buy them and hence their development should keep on going.

 

[porky_kicker]

First picture of Arjun Mk. 1A. The design seems interesting. The sand-colored tracks could possibly point towards rubber-composite tracks.
View attachment 30864

From the same Indian science Congress 2019

Redesigned sensor for tube launched missile.

Also the designers are not upto the task look at the right side , no ERA tiles , all sensors bunched up on the same side , the gunners sight could have been elevated like in other mbts above the armour .

Seriously questions regarding armour protection on the right side due to the presence of the gunner sight , if there is no corresponding armour behind the gunner sight then nothing can save the tank from a hit on the same. Crew will be lost definitely.

Patch up job at the best by cvrde

 

[porky_kicker]

Thought IAF already placed an order for 4-5 high altitude Russian aerostat systems (with Israeli radars)...

ADRDE is developing BOTH a larger high altitude tethered aerostat(called Prahari) AND an untethered airship (called Unmanned Small Airship System, this will have very small payload). This is after junking both Akashdeep & Nakshatra.

Also, the Stratospheric airship is not a DRDO project. It's a concept being developed by Thales.

Lot of r & d work has been done by drdo IIT etc on stratospheric airships since 2011.

 

[Enquirer]

The screenshot is from an ADRDE paper so I'm guessing they are eventually going to attempt the Stratospheric Airship.

The paper is aspirational paper written long time back.

BTW, Nakshatra, that finally got developed is not of 17,000 cubic meter volume! Probably Prahari will come close to that size.

They might attempt a stratospheric airship in the next decade, but there's none in this decade.

 

[Enquirer]

Lot of r & d work has been done by drdo IIT etc on stratospheric airships since 2011.

Sure. But R&D doesn't mean that they've completely figured out how to do it right away. And as of now, they haven't. As of now there's no project to build a stratospheric airship.

Stratospheric aerostat will be several quantum leaps from the 'Unmanned Small Airship System' that they're trying to build right now. Most significantly it won't be fuel/battery powered but has to use solar power (as it cannot come down frequently for fuel/charging) - which means flexible solar panels woven onto the balloon fabric OR transparent fabric material with panels sitting 'inside' the balloon.

Thales' concept has a complicated system of rotating reflectors inside the transparent balloon; where solar energy is concentrated by the semicircular reflectors, while the reflectors themselves rotate towards the sun's direction.

UPDATE: As suggested, Thales rotating reflectors were indeed deemed complicated. It appears that they've replaced that with solar panels on balloon surface for their next version of the system.

 

[porky_kicker]

Using quad rotors for vertical lift or maybe for overall controllability
...............................

 

[porky_kicker]

Found pic of ulka jumping fragmentation munition and vibhav anti tank point attack munition.

Will post later

 

[Enquirer]

View attachment 30884

Using quad rotors for vertical lift or maybe for overall controllability
...............................

That's a just a makeshift contraption created to get some preliminary flight data on the aerofoil.
The final version of the USAS (small airship) will not have this configuration.

 

[porky_kicker]

Ulka jumping fragmentation munition and Vibhav anti tank point attack munition.

 

[Enquirer]

The linchpin for India's cruise missile defence(CMD).

View attachment 30865

The 2000 cubic metre volume aerostat in the pic is the Akashdeep aerostat which can carry a 300kg payload upto 1km.

The 17000 cum aerostat in the pic is the Nakshatra aerostat which can carry around 2000kg payload to upto 5km.

The final iteration of aerostats by ADRDE is the unnamed Stratospheric Airship that will operate at the altitudes of 17-22km.
It will employ high tech fabrics, aerodynamic design, propellers to modulate its position, a mooring system, a gas management system, avionics for navigation and guidance and solar arrays for power generation and storage.

This along with ground based detection systems and interceptor missiles will more or less make paki cruise missiles defunct and likewise their nuclear bluff.

Nakshatra's real specs:

Volume : 3,500 Cubic meters
Payload : 300 kgs
Altitude : 1 km

(Akashdeep is 200 cubic meters in size)

 

[cyclops]

Ulka jumping fragmentation munition and Vibhav anti tank point attack munition.

View attachment 30885

How exactly does this Ulka work?
Is it similar to the Russian OZM bouncing mines?

 

[NeXoft007]

Vibhav Anti-Tank Mine

 

[porky_kicker]

The complete range of latest munitions from DRDO.

1.Soft Target Blast Munition Nipun

2.Anti-Tank Point Attack Munition Vibhav

3.Anti-Tank Bar Munition Vishal

4.Directional Fragmentation Munition Parth

5.Anti-Tank Munition Prachand

6.Jumping Fragmentation Munition ulka

 

[porky_kicker]

How exactly does this Ulka work?
Is it similar to the Russian OZM bouncing mines?

Yes but with more features ................................

 

[porky_kicker]

350 mm Liquid Fuel Ramjet Engine prototype under going tests

 

[porky_kicker]

MANIK Small Turbofan Engine (STFE)